[Open Letter To The Church I Love]

Dear Pentecostal Church,

Congratulations on becoming more seeker-friendly!

You’ve been wanting to become more like the Baptists for a long time now. Looks like you’ve finally achieved your dream. Some of you have “evolved” so much that its hard to distinguish you from the Methodist Church.

That New Testament church design was just too hard to follow. Acts 2:4 was causing terminal problems. Attendance was down, giving was down and nobody could understand a word you were saying when you started speaking in tongues. That was the main problem, wasn’t it?

…or was it the divorced, drinking deacons.

You’ve got a document somewhere, I believe it’s printed on the official incorporation papers (you know, the papers that deed everything to your organization), proving you’re Pentecostal. Aside from that, there’s not much supporting evidence… unless you count the weekly magazine from headquarters.

So, where have all the Pentecostals gone?

Are they in hiding, have they changed names… maybe they’ve all turned Baptist? Not that there’s anything wrong with being Baptist. Love that Jack Graham. You wouldn’t dream of inviting him to preach “legalism” in your pulpits, would you?

Wait! I know. They’ve turned Methodist. After all, wasn’t it the Methodists who wrote the best-selling road map to post-modern Pentecostalism.

It was the demise of the hymnal, wasn’t it? Blame it on Martin Nystrom for writing the classic hit, “As The Deer”, if you want to. Isn’t that where it all got started… or was it evil Dallas Holm or Keith Green? If that’s true, Michael W. Smith must have wiped out entire districts with those best-selling Worship CD’s. Was that it?

I don’t think so.

The Pentecostal Church lost it’s power. We finally got our grubby hands on some Silver and a little Gold, but we traded away all of our “Rise Up & Walk”.

We’ve torn down the alters and graced up the gate… the narrow gate ain’t so narrow anymore, is it?

I’m no hymnal-hugger, but the fountain filled with blood has been permanently hidden moved to the back room… you know, the back room that’s next to the very back room where the old Pentecostal Saints (with faithful, deep pockets) are still allowed to gather for a brief, pre-service prayer meeting as long as certain conditions are met:

#1 Don’t announce it in the bulletin.

#2 Don’t “pray that way” out in the sanctuary.

#3 Don’t expect the Pastor to show up. He’s busy.

The Pentecostal Church is thriving in other parts of the world, but we’ve all but killed it here in America. Why?

We’re ashamed… ashamed of the blood, the cross and the alter too.

Somewhere in America on this Sunday night, gathered in a musty back room, with a single light bulb dangling from the ceiling, the last hope for the Pentecostal Church is gathered together in prayer.

They’re praying for you and me.

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