Can I have testimonies of PBrs who've gone from Charismatic Chaos to Reformed faith?

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Jon 316

Puritan Board Sophomore
Hi, I can not help but notice the amount of people on this board who mention that they once were involved in the charismatic movement but who dispaired over the doctrinal chaos and were led to reformed faith.

I have a website/blog which deals with reformed/evangelical/charismatic issues. Home - Three Streams


I would really appreciate some PBrs testimonies of how the where led to the reformed faith from charismatic/pentecostal Christianity. Your testimony can be annonimous if you desire (i.e no names) If you would like to share your testimony and you do not mind having it on the three streams blog here are the guidlines.

1) It does not have to be long, probably about 500 words (dont be bound by this though)

2) I am not looking for you to dispute the validity of all charismatic experience and doctrine. An awareness of the dangers is suffiscient. (the website/blog is not ceasationist. (This does not mean I am not looking for testimonies of those who have since become ceasationist). I'm simply wanting to highlight 1) the dangers of the charismatic movement 2) the God glorifying safe haven of reformed theology. I'm not looking to insult or bash charismatics and pentecostals. Many of them access my site. I'm looking to influence them towards reformed theology.

I would greatly appreciate any contributions.

God bless you,

John
 
I think a lot of Christians have gone through churches denominated as charismatic or pentecostal and, by God's grace, come to understand His will revealed through His Word...

and it is not "Arminian," dispensational, or unbound in covenant to worship Him in spirit and in truth in this world. :)
 
I came from a pentecostal background.

First of all, I am Romanian. I was born in the states, but my parents are from Romania. Just a little inside, eastern Europe is very much superstitious and susceptible to these (what I regard as superstitious teaching). With that said, when any other charismatic type religion hit, besides the religions that already existed in Romania, such as Orthodoxy, the Pentecostal movement had a big effect. Many people converted. My grandparents were the ones that converted to Pentecostalism (from Orthodoxy/atheism). The Pentecostal movement hit Romania a little before WWII, but it quickly spread. So three generations ago (in my case) is when the major conversions were taking place. During this time, Romania was under religious persecution, as it was dominated by communism. So going down the line, my parents were born into that faith, with their parents already being converted. The problem was, that under the communist state, bibles were illegal, and so much of the teaching going around, was not biblically sound, and it was more of what some different people around the country thought to be true. (They thought that the Holy Spirit would teach them as opposed to the Bible, and so on). So, instead of biblical teaching going on, much of the time in church was spent on the holy spirit stuff, like speaking in tongues and prophecy. The old timers always tell us how it was in the good old days when they would stay for prayer till 4 in the morning and speaking in tongues and all that stuff.

Well I mention all this for you guys to see that it is a deeper thing than me just going to a church that was pentecostal. It was a deep family tradition (as it is with many Romanians). So my parents grew up in the church, and they were baptized and all that stuff. Now when it came to be my turn, I was born in the church as well. However, in 2005 (I was 15) one of my friends mentioned something about Calvinism. At first I thought of it as a false teaching, and tried to persuade him that its not true that God chooses people ahead of time. Of course, being born in the Pentecostal church, this was going against everything I've been told (that we have a free will--super arminian type stuff). But around this time, I was 15, and in the Pentecostal Romanian churches, this is the time the teens start being 'baptized by the holy spirit.' So I went to a couple of prayer circles were we would ask to be baptized (what they would say is speaking in tongues). After a couple times, I just couldn't get what they were saying (speaking in other tongues). [The people told me that I have to let my mind go, and let my mind speak on its own and just say whatever comes out]. But, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't let my mind "slip" like they put it. It didn't seem right. So, after a couple of tries, I gave up. Some of the people I knew, who were pretty bad people, were speaking in tongues, and they were looked at as good people now, even though behind the church peoples back they were not good. Yet they were speaking in tongues. After that point, I kind of saw the thing as a little fake. I started thinking that the people were just speaking weird stuff, and only claiming they were speaking in tongues.

After 2005, I started getting deeper into the doctrines of grace and reformed stuff. I started looking at the Bible differently. Especially when reading texts like Romans 8-9 and Ephesians. I heard a lot of Spurgeon sermons. But ultimately, it was searching the scriptures that convinced me that reformed teaching is correct. I consider it to be the closest thing to what the Bible is saying. I think it is what the Bible is saying. So for the past 3 years, almost 4 now I guess, I've just been getting deeper and deeper, and having a lot of my unanswered questions being answered through more reading, talking to people, sermons, blogs, and forums like this.

The first time I started looking into reformed teaching, though, was when my friend brought it up. He has the same story as I do, with parents being from Romania, and Pentecostal. So we were the only people in our church that believed in the reformed teaching and the doctrines of grace. Many people didn't even really know what we believe, but there were some who did know, and they obviously disagreed with us. But it was helpful having a friend going through the same thing.


For now, thats my testimony
 
OK, I tried the Charismatic thing in a COG setting, it lasted about 5 weeks. Not my style.:wow:
 
I joined a C.O.G @ 19, was a member for almost 3 years. I was married in the C.O.G ( 1982). I remember reading John McArthur's Charismatic Chaos that same year and shortly there after left. From there I hopped here and there from Independent Baptist to disenchanted "slacker", back into church ( thanks to my wife )--to S.B.C. From there the Lord graciously lead me to Luther's "Bondage of the Will", Boettner's work on Predestination ( because of some of the questions my son was having ) which lead me to seek out a Reformed community. I will also say that this board was instrumental in me wanting to seek out and vist a PCA Church. I was always impressed with the answers the Presbyterian crowd gave here. Still Am, matter of fact. Now I ARE one. : )

That's the short story. The long story is much uglier...
 
I joined a C.O.G @ 19, was a member for almost 3 years. I was married in the C.O.G ( 1982). I remember reading John McArthur's Charismatic Chaos that same year and shortly there after left. From there I hopped here and there from Independent Baptist to disenchanted "slacker", back into church ( thanks to my wife )--S.B.C to Reformed. That's the short story. The long story is much uglier...
A fellow COG survivor! I was not in the "trenches" that long, it was early in my Faith, it just did not "click" with me.
 
I joined a C.O.G @ 19, was a member for almost 3 years. I was married in the C.O.G ( 1982). I remember reading John McArthur's Charismatic Chaos that same year and shortly there after left. From there I hopped here and there from Independent Baptist to disenchanted "slacker", back into church ( thanks to my wife )--S.B.C to Reformed. That's the short story. The long story is much uglier...
A fellow COG survivor! I was not in the "trenches" that long, it was early in my Faith, it just did not "click" with me.

It clicked with me only because these guys were "excited' about what they were doing. Many of them loved the Lord with all their hearts. I never doubted that. What I began to doubt, as time went on, was their ability to handle scripture and get beyond a sermon that didn't involve butchering it with personal insights on the 2nd person of the Trinity at every turn. Even my young, untrained mind knew this stuff was sensationalistic / bogus, but I couldn't explain why. Along came McArthur, clear teaching. The switch flipped.
 
My story is almost identical to cecat's :)

Born under Romanian pentecostal parents, attending Pentecostal services all the time, hearing and seeing other teens being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Learned Calvinism from a friend, believed it rather quickly after hearing it; almost no struggle against it, I would say. Now me and almost all of my church friends are all Calvinists, me being the only cessationist, another friend or two being agnostic about it all (Holy Spirit/charismatic stuff).

There are times when I get tired of hearing of people "baptized in the Holy Spirit" and the importance of being baptized in the H.S. to doing effective mission work, and things like that. I also tire of the absurdly bad teaching that all the kids grow up under: believing there is going to be some kind of one-world government where Christians are killed and such; extreme legalism (get this: a friend of mine recently had a conversation with some members of another Romanian church in the area who were getting at her for wearing make-up and going to and different church and studying philosophy in school, and she said that one of them said, "I know I'm going to hell because I smoke"--:(); absurd lack of concern for proper doctrine; inconsistency and incoherency in the preaching (once arguing against perseverance of the saints, another time saying that God will guide those on the narrow path all the way to the end; God knows who will go to heaven and who will go to Hell, yet we all have free will; etc); and other nonsense. I get bitter sometimes but I have gotten past that stage, I should think, for now.

I am looking forward to the day when I can leave my pentecostal church and start attending a local Presbyterian Church (PCA) full-time....
 
Hi, I can not help but notice the amount of people on this board who mention that they once were involved in the charismatic movement but who dispaired over the doctrinal chaos and were led to reformed faith.

I have a website/blog which deals with reformed/evangelical/charismatic issues. Home - Three Streams


I would really appreciate some PBrs testimonies of how the where led to the reformed faith from charismatic/pentecostal Christianity. Your testimony can be annonimous if you desire (i.e no names) If you would like to share your testimony and you do not mind having it on the three streams blog here are the guidlines.

1) It does not have to be long, probably about 500 words (dont be bound by this though)

2) I am not looking for you to dispute the validity of all charismatic experience and doctrine. An awareness of the dangers is suffiscient. (the website/blog is not ceasationist. (This does not mean I am not looking for testimonies of those who have since become ceasationist). I'm simply wanting to highlight 1) the dangers of the charismatic movement 2) the God glorifying safe haven of reformed theology. I'm not looking to insult or bash charismatics and pentecostals. Many of them access my site. I'm looking to influence them towards reformed theology.

I would greatly appreciate any contributions.

God bless you,

John

I don't know if this counts. I attended a few charismatic catholic events as a Roman Catholic. Which was odd given my affinity for the Latin Mass. Some traditional charismatic Catholics called themselves Trentecostals. Does that count??
 
My story is almost identical to cecat's :)

Born under Romanian pentecostal parents, attending Pentecostal services all the time, hearing and seeing other teens being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Learned Calvinism from a friend, believed it rather quickly after hearing it; almost no struggle against it, I would say. Now me and almost all of my church friends are all Calvinists, me being the only cessationist, another friend or two being agnostic about it all (Holy Spirit/charismatic stuff).

There are times when I get tired of hearing of people "baptized in the Holy Spirit" and the importance of being baptized in the H.S. to doing effective mission work, and things like that. I also tire of the absurdly bad teaching that all the kids grow up under: believing there is going to be some kind of one-world government where Christians are killed and such; extreme legalism (get this: a friend of mine recently had a conversation with some members of another Romanian church in the area who were getting at her for wearing make-up and going to and different church and studying philosophy in school, and she said that one of them said, "I know I'm going to hell because I smoke"--:(); absurd lack of concern for proper doctrine; inconsistency and incoherency in the preaching (once arguing against perseverance of the saints, another time saying that God will guide those on the narrow path all the way to the end; God knows who will go to heaven and who will go to Hell, yet we all have free will; etc); and other nonsense. I get bitter sometimes but I have gotten past that stage, I should think, for now.

I am looking forward to the day when I can leave my pentecostal church and start attending a local Presbyterian Church (PCA) full-time....



Wow, thats cool that you're romo. Which church do you go to in AZ? There are a couple big romo ones down there. I went to Happy Valley.

Yeah, Romanian pentecostalism is totally different from what is really going on any where else. Many ignorant people going around saying a lot of false stuff, like no make up in church, you can't wear a tie (its bad in their opinion), no facial hair (one must always be shaved...i dont know why), and a lot of crazy legalistic stuff. Also, the school thing I always found annoying, I am majoring in law, and many of them look down upon that, and many of the college courses. They think that going to school will draw you away from God and start denying his existence, and therefore, they don't think it good for people to go to school and get a career, or just get educated.

-----Added 3/23/2009 at 11:28:49 EST-----

Nevermind about the church...I visited your profile and saw.
 
I was raised a Pentecostal after my parents left the Roman Catholic communion. I was never exposed to an alternative (i.e., cessationist) view as an active Pentecostal. All the miraculous manifestations in the churches we attended were simply assumed as coming from the Holy Spirit. There were many cases of speaking in tongues which all but one sounded the same to me. Never did I hear an interpretation of any of these tongues. Pastors would also not be reluctant in claiming that they speak prophecies directly revealed by God. And there were various reports of miraculous healings. Benny Hinn was the most respected televangelist and "man of God."

Both of my parents, and many people in my church "spoke in tongues." Many desire it thinking that if they are enabled to speak them, they wil have reached a higher level in the Christian life. I once desired to be "baptized in the Spirit." But since I never "spoke in tongues," no one would consider me as having received that fullness of the outpouring of the Spirit.

What caused me to seriously consider cessationism is ultimately the Protestant commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture as a rule of faith and life. I discovered that the same arguments used by Protestant theologians for centuries against the Roman Catholic "Sacred Tradition" are the same arguments that can be used against Pentecostal practice. It's not difficult to see where prophecies, tongues and miraculous healings claimed to have come from God would eventually go. Like what "Sacred Tradition" did to the Roman Catholic communion, error after error may be justified by the false teachings of Pentecostal pastors and televangelists. Who would dare to question them? Are they not men approved of God? Are we not questioning the Holy Spirit's work if we attempt to question their teachings? Pentecostals ask. We've seen this with the "Prosperity Gospel" and with the unprecedented ordination of women into the office of the minister. Both of these and many other teachings are clearly contrary to the Bible. And millions all over the world are decieved and are being decieved. Protestant theologians therefore rightly affirm that the most serious error of Pentecostalism as a movement is its rejection of the Scripture's sufficiency.

Pentecostal men and women are under the impression that since their leaders could perform "signs and wonders," the latter are men approved of God. This was my mentality back then. I was wondering how people from TBN could do such miraculous deeds and be false prophets in reality. Then Scripture's testimony dawned on me.

Matt. 7:21-23 (ESV) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

2 Cor. 11:13-15 (ESV) For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
 
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