revival

• Messages sorted by:[ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]

On Mon, 23 Sep 1996 13:20:58 -0700 Ray Harrell <harrell@execpc.com>
writes:
>Doris Ross wrote:
>> 
>> Sis. Brenda,
>> 
>> I take it a what it is, just humor. :) I call myself a proper  
>pentecostal
>> lady and I don't have a poof. If I roll my hair, it is straight as 
>soon as I
>> take out the curlers, and I have to use tons of hair-spray and pins 
 
>I am still personally opposed to women cutting their hair (with the 
>exception of trimming 
>split-ends).
 
If they are going to trim their hair, they might as well shave it all
off.
Yes, split ends can cause trouble for hair..I don't personally have this
trouble since I am a guy with short hair but I do have 3 sisters that 
always hassled with their hair for years.  One of my sisters, Kathy
when in junior high, use to cut her hair.  She wasn't to big on standards
at the time.  When she became convicted of cutting her hair, she stopped
all together.  Her hair was mid length for a long time and obviously
visible
that it had been cut before.  She also started getting split ends.  Did
she
cut her split ends to make her hair grow?  No.  She prayed about it.  
She was following something that God had convicted her of so she asked
Him to help out.  Her hair is now longer than I have ever seen it.
God had answered her pray and let her hair grow.  She never cut the
split ends she had.  

Someone stated that standards are not a salvation issue.
In a round about way, I disagree.  Yes, many will not have the
same convictions, and there is no such thing as being better than
someone else because you have more standards than them.
However, I feel that when we are filled with the Holy Ghost and
God opens are eyes to the wrong doings, we must obey Him.  We are
no longer like the world, and therefore should not act like the world.
If I am Holy Ghost filled and go out and drink, smoke, cuss, steal, etc
 when it comes to judgement time and I am standing one on one with
Him, I will be judged accordingly. If I was still acting like the world
and
never really turned my life over to God, then I feel that he will say,
"depart from me, I never knew you."
 
Overall, I think Bro Jeff Arnold said it best about standards during 
MARC conference in Indianapolis a few weeks ago.  He was talking
about how some in Apostolic churches have this stinking thinking about
people that don't have standards as high as theirs.  What we ought to
realize is that if the Grace of God were to leave us for just one day,
who
knows what kind of stuff we would be into!  
What happens to the girl who realizes she made a mistake when she
became pregnant?  Many churches turn their nose up at this girl
because of this and she has to turn to the government for help.
Why is it we can preach against going to the movies YET have a 
movie theater set up in are very homes?  
Bro Jerry Jones said we need to quit trying to force our standards
on everyone else because many of us cannot even live by our own
standards!
Bro Jeff Arnold summed it all up when he said, ( and I paraphrase)
"When we are saved, the reason we have standards is because we
are only doing  that which are lover(Christ) asks us to do or not do.
We have to realize that standards are for those that are in courtship
with God and not those that are astranged from Him."

There will be many people in the Apostolic churches that will not
have as high as standard as you.  Our job as saints of the church is to
lead this person to the truth through prayer and Bible studies.  Are we
to cram in down their throats and say, "you have to do this!" NO!
God will deal with that person directly.  We are to just help lead them
in the right direction.  

FInally in closing of this long letter, I have many standards which are 
higher than others in my church.  For example, when it comes to music
I am against christian contemporary music.  When it comes to facial hair,
I am against beards, mustaches, etc.  My church however does not state
these things as problems or standards.  Am I any better than those who
don't have these views? No.  Will I get to heaven any quicker?  No.
WIll God bless me for having these standards?  Who knows, maybe.

When it comes to standards in my own life, I ask my self this question:
Do I question this action, thing, outfit, I am about to do?
When I say question, I am saying, if I have any doubt as to whether it
is right or wrong, I don't do it.  God *might* look at me at judgement
and say, "hey Chris, you know, you really didn't need to do what you did,
but enter in.."  Sounds a lot better than what he *might* say if I did do

what I doubted, "Depart from me, I never knew you."

Basically I am saying, it is better to be safe, than sorry.

God Bless,


Chris Sterrett
sterrett@juno.com
-------------------------------
Apostolic Bible Church
Acts2.38@juno.com