Don't Assume

Recently I was listening to a man on Christian talk radio, who is suppose to be very knowledge in Christian circles talking about Pentecostals (specifically Assembly of God churches), which I am a member of, and he made the comment that Pentecostals believe that you must speak in tongues to enter heaven. Where did this man get this idea and information?

Did he go to a Pentecostal (Assembly Of God) church and hear this or just hear something in the gossip train? There is only one way into heaven and that is through Christ Jesus and through him alone. If you have the gift of speaking in tongues… great but if don’t that is all right TOO but it is not the deciding factor of getting into heaven.

My older sister thought in Pentecostal churches that we carry around poisonous snakes and if you get bit while the snake handlers are walking around the congregation and die then you must have recently sinned against God. (I had to laugh when I heard that.) Snakes in an Assembly of God church… I would imagine most, if not all, of our congregation high tailing out of the church building as fast as they could. The others left would probably be stomping on its head.

Where do such ideas and beliefs come from? It would be just as easy to assume that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are only welcomed in the Pentecostal churches then in other churches but I know for a fact that there are Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptists, Catholic and non-domination believers filled with gifts of the Holy Spirit! Amen. May God continue to work and awakened his people to his awesome power of His Spirit.

Do not assume anything of any individual or a church until you witness it yourself! Do not assume that just because one church is doing something, the other churches with same denominational name is doing or going to do the same thing.

Assumptions can kill friendships and bonds. Don’t assume that the reason someone (including the pastor) is teaching or sharing something with you or the congregation is because he has found out about your secret life or has noticed your faults but realize these words of knowledge come from God and conviction and correction sometimes hurts. Be grateful that God convicts you now and not later and be grateful that he loves so much to correct you. A shared word isn’t always a word from God but examine yourself before God and see if it does pertain to you. And don’t assume the reason something bad is happening to someone or some church is because they haven’t trusted or obeyed God. Remember Job… this may not just be their test but your test as well.