Posts by Joel Slayter
What is the difference between Pentecostals and Evangelicals?
Do you find yourself looking for a Spirit filled, gospel lead church? Do you find yourself drawn to the Pentecostal or Evangelical denominations, but don’t know how to choose which Church to attend and where? Here at Pentecostal Life Church of San Antonio area, we want you to make the most informed of decisions. We also encourage you to follow where the Lord is leading. In order to clarify some of these doctrinal differences, we offer this blog post to help cover a few basics. This article is not all inclusive as that would not be practical due to time and space.
Core Christianity
Before we begin to dissect and break down what makes Pentecostals Pentecostal and what classifies Evangelicals as Evangelical, we must first have a common acceptance of what classifies an individual or an organization as Christian. This comes down to the truth, one that cannot be disputed or “edited”. Any organization can be considered Christian so long as they do not encroach upon this truth and what it means in regard to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This key and unequivocal truth is that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Spirit of God manifested thru the flesh of Jesus Christ, and shed sinless blood for our sins. Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven. These truths are best written in the scriptures John 14: 6.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”– John 14:6
This should be common among professing Christians. If a group or organization truly believes and obeys the Bible and does not modify, redact, or rework it’s teaching; then that group is Christian. Some groups may claim to be Christian, while modifying Apostolic Biblical truths to their own theology. Be aware for false doctrines and teachers and turn to the scriptures always for either affirmations or contradictions of supposed Christian beliefs.
Denominations
While the belief of Jesus Christ as Savior is what unites all Christians, there are many denominations. These denominations are often hundreds of years old and start for a variety of reasons. Lutheranism, for example, started as a course correction for what many felt as inherent corruption of the Catholic Church during the Dark Ages and at the beginning of the Reformation period. Lutherans observe strict traditional means of service, as well as many traditions that have been held by since the early days of what is now known as the Roman Catholic church.
When searching through these denominations, there are commonly factors that lead to one sect of Christianity being different from another. Many times there is a disagreement along the lines of an aspect of God and what it looks like to follow Him. This means that there is a disagreement with aspects of the Holy Spirit infilling and the Christian lifestyle and how they apply within the context of the world today. Another reason for separate denominations lies in the process of how things are done. Some denominations have a certain way of doing things. Music, style of preaching, and other such topics can be the cause of one church being in denomination A and another being in denomination B. Again, it is important to remember that different denominations can still be Christian, so long as they believe and obey the Word of God.
Evangelicals
Evangelical is a broad term for a group of several denominations. It is one of the umbrella diversifications for Christians, and unites its sub-denominations under several shared, accepted beliefs. But what are these shared, accepted beliefs?
- Inerrancy of the Bible
- The Bible is God’s word, it is inspired by Him in the hearts and minds of those who wrote it. It contains no errors and is true in every regard. Interpretation of what the Bible said may vary by denomination, but nothing in the Bible is allowed to be omitted or changed.
- The Birth of Jesus Christ
- A reiteration of the core belief between all Christians. Jesus Christ born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life and died willingly on the cross to pay for the sins of all mankind. Jesus was resurrected and ascended into Heaven. He will someday return to take His followers with Him into Heaven.
- Sin and Salvation
- All men and women sin. We are born into it due to the sin of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from God’s presence and the Garden. The payment for sin is death. However, Jesus laid down His life so that we wouldn’t have to. Which brings up the the biblical pattern and teaching that real faith is connected to obedience to the words of Christ and the gospel preaching of the apostles.
There are other shared beliefs, however these are the three core beliefs that unite all evangelicals under the same banner.
Pentecostals
Under the accepted common beliefs, such as the ones above, Pentecostals are Evangelicals. However, Evangelicals are not necessarily Pentecostals. One key difference between a Pentecostal and the Common Evangelical is the emphasis placed in the power and the role of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost resides in every believer when they are filled with the Holy Ghost. Pentecostals believe that this Holy Spirit is real, powerful, and still works in miraculous ways even today. At Pentecostal Life Church we share in this belief.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is real, and that God uses the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to work in miraculous ways not only in the Church as a whole, but in each of us as individuals. Common actions or miracles associated with the Spirit include; speaking in tongues, the gift of prophecy, the miraculous healings of the afflicted, and many other means.
Conclusion
If you are searching first-hand for the power of the Holy Spirit, we would love to see you at Pentecostal Life Church of San Antonio. Here you will find a body of believers that believes in and witnesses the movement and power of the Holy Spirit. God is here and He is REAL. If you live in or near San Antonio Texas and desire an Apostolic Pentecostal Holy Spirit Filled Church San Antonio, you are invited to come worship with us at Pentecostal Life Church.
Attend a Pentecostal Revival. Pentecostal Apostolic Holy Spirit Filled Churches San Antonio Texas.
Why are guest preachers, speakers, and teachers still needed in Apostolic Holy Spirit Filled United Pentecostal Churches San Antonio TX? The pastor helps lead each individual Church. It is their role to guide the Church in spiritual matters, to instruct the church body in the scriptures found in the Bible, and to help grow the church in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is crucial to the health of any Church body to have a pastor who is consistent, teaches from sound foundational understanding of the Bible, and who has a healthy personal relationship with Jesus. God has chosen each pastor to serve each Church body, and has selected those people to lean on and grow from one another for a reason. The Pastor of a local Church is should know and understand its Church body. They share regional location, common doctrine, and often personal relationships. However, this does not mean that the need for guest preachers, speakers, and teachers does not exist.
A guest preacher, speaker, and teacher can bring a lot to the table that the primary preacher, speaker, or teacher is unable to do. For example, the guest may not share the same regional knowledge of the area and its people, but they do bring an outsider’s perspective to the matter. The guest preacher or speaker is not burdened with preconceived notions of what the Church body and/or its members are going through. For example, if the church is feeling fatigued by apparent lack of growth, a guest speaker may be able to provide advice on what to do differently and how to achieve that growth. A guest speaker is able to take a separate series of experiences and apply it to the Church body that it is present in. At time the guest speakers often come from larger and/or older churches, and the speakers themselves may be older and more experienced than the speakers they are coming to speak on behalf of. The guest preacher, teacher, or speaker brings with them a lifetime of experiences with which to teach from. They also bring with them the collected knowledge of what they have learned from studying the Bible, and they often carry with them different perspectives and insights from what they have learned. A great guest preacher, speaker, or teacher at your Church shouldn’t disagree with or discredit the teachings of your primary leaders, but should enhance them and provide them with deeper meaning. The role of the guest speaker in the Church body is to provide this different level of insight that the pastor may not have had, or that is just differently applicable than what the pastor would have taught.
The guest speaker also has the advantage of being new and unknown during their time at the Church. The Church body does not yet know what to expect, and therefore is apt to be attentive and engaged in the message that the guest is bringing. This is no fault of the pastor’s, but their mannerism and patterns are already known and anticipated, sometimes lulling the Church body into inattentiveness. A guest speaker acts as a great way to shake things up, to bring the Church body out of that lulled repetitiveness and to engage them deeper into the message. This is a great way to deliver difficult messages, or those that need to be processed more attentively to be truly understood. The guest speaker is able to breathe new life into the Church, even beyond the time of their visit. A great guest speaker leaves a lasting and positive impact on both the Church body and its leaders.
The primary pastor, speaker, or teacher also has tremendous need for the occasional guest speaker, alongside with the need that the Church body has. Being the leader of a body of dozens, and often hundreds, of people can be a taxing role. And while the strength of the Lord is more than enough to get the job done, it is occasionally refreshing for the pastor to share some of that burden with a guest speaker, even if it is just for a weekend at a time. It is also refreshing for the pastor to be fed as the learner, instead of the instructor. Again, the guest speaker is able to provide insight and instruction by looking at the scriptures and the Church from a different angle. This doesn’t mean that the meaning changes, but rather that there may be deeper context or different applications depending on the challenges being faced and the role that God has selected for each individual. The pastor is able to grow and to be rejuvenated by the presence and mind of a guest preacher, speaker, or teacher.
The presence of a guest preacher, speaker, or teacher is also a tremendous blessing to the one serving as a guest. He or she is able to be heard in a new environment, and with increased attentiveness as they come with an air of excitement from them being unknown to the Church body they are a guest it. It is a chance for one Church body to recognize and to celebrate the ways with which God has blessed and grown the individual. It is a chance for the guest to be able to praise God for all that He has done in them by sharing it with others. It is a tremendous opportunity for the guest to share their heart and their story with a new audience. And above all, it is an opportunity for God to shine through them in ways he may not have done before.
The idea of a guest preacher, speaker, or teacher isn’t a new one either. The apostles themselves served as guests in Spirit Filled Apostolic Churches that sprouted during the early days following Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Apostle Paul utilized this role as a “guest speaker” to write his letters to the Apostolic Churches that would later become canonical books of the Bible. Guest speakers are needed in Full gospel Churches. Guest speakers are needed in the body. They allow the body to remain connected, to grow, and to be blessed by the moving Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pentecostal Life Church has been blessed to have Holy Spirit Filled guest ministers stop in to preach and teach from time to time. Pentecostal Life Church is a United Pentecostal Church San Antonio TEXAS area. If you are interested in joining one of the United Pentecostal Churches in San Antonio prayerfully consider Pentecostal Life Church.
Pentecostal Life Church is located in a suburb of San Antonio, called Schertz TX.
Pentecostal Life Church is located at: 102 FM-78, Schertz, TEXAS, 78154
Service times are Sunday 10:30 am & Thursday 7pm
Find Holy Spirit Filled Pentecostal Apostolic Churches San Antonio Texas with evening services
Let’s talk why extra Holy Spirit Filled Church services help a Church or person to go to the next level in their walk with God or get out of a rut. A lot can happen in seven days. In seven days, God created the Heavens, the Earth, and all that walks upon it. In seven days, Jericho came tumbling down. In seven days, Jesus entered triumphantly, was crucified, and rose from the grave victoriously. However, not everything that can happen in seven days is always something to celebrate. In seven days you can get laid off. In seven days a loved one may become ill or pass. In seven days, there are many ways that life can bog us down. So, if you are only visiting with fellow believers in God once every seven days, then there are six days where you are not directly being filled by the presence and Spirit of Jesus Christ through interaction with fellow believers. But, there are alternatives and solutions to this problem. There is no requirement to only go to church on Sundays, yet that is what many believers do. There are plenty to plug in and continue to be enriched throughout the week.
The first example of one of these ways to plug in is to get involved in a bible study with fellow members of your United Pentecostal Church. This can be done either one on one or in a group setting. While it is great to hear the pastor’s wisdom and teachings through Sunday morning sermons. You may also find yourself with questions that you weren’t able to have answered during the traditional Church service, or perhaps it deals with a personal matter you’d like to discuss and learn more about in a private setting. Whatever the reason, bible studies are a great way to utilize additional services for you and/or your church. Bible studies can provide you with in-depth application of the Bible, often taught by leading members of the Church. When you are feeling downtrodden, ravaged by the temptation of sin, or just plain lost amidst the distractions of this world, a Bible study is a great way to remind yourself midweek who God is and what plans He has for your life.
In addition to Bible study, many Holy Spirit Filled United Pentecostal Churches San Antonio TX offer additional services throughout the week. While Wednesdays are most common, many churches offer services on other days of the week to accommodate your schedule and needs. At Pentecostal Life Church, our doors are open for midweek services each Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The midweek church service is perhaps the better example for engaging in the larger Church body and with the pastor more than once a week. Midweek services at any Church are typically larger than a Bible study group would be, and this allows you to interact with and be held accountable to a larger group of believers than you would at a smaller group. So, what can you expect to hear from a midweek service? How does this apply to your life?
Midweek services are not only a great way to reconnect with the messages heard on Sunday mornings and with the Holy Spirit, but it is also a great way to go further into God’s word and to go deeper into the application of His teachings to your life. While Midweek services typically have more participants than a home group or a Bible study, they are more intimate than the traditional Sunday service. This allows for the topic of discussion to be applied on a more personal level, as midweek services typically offer more interaction between the pastor/speaker and the audience. If you are in a place where you would like to know more about the Lord Jesus Christ and what His sacrifice on the cross means to your life, then an extra service is for you. If you are a new Christian and wish to understand how the writings of the New Testament apply specifically to your life, then an extra service is for you. This increased depth and intimacy offered by extra midweek services fosters new and growing believers in a different way from traditional Sunday services. If you are someone seeking out the next level of your faith or looking to God for how to seek out the next level in your life, then an extra weekday service can give you that extra push.
If you are in a midweek rut, as discussed earlier, and simply need to be fed and to be in His presence, then an extra midweek service is also for you. If you are feeling worn down by the trials of the week, if sin is causing you strife, and if you just need a reminder of the presence, power, and promise of Jesus Christ, then an extra midweek service is for you. Jesus has a plan for each and every one of our lives. Those plans have their fair share of both risk and reward, trial and triumph. There are going to be ruts in your life where the tasks at hand and environments that you are in may seem overwhelming. But, Jesus has also placed you in a larger Apostolic Church body, and an extra midweek service is the perfect way to properly engage with and utilize that placement. It is the place to further engage, to understand, and to let Christ and His body pull you out of the rut that you may find yourself in.
If you are looking for a Pentecostal Church San Antonio Texas area where you can find that next level of your faith or exit the rut that you find yourself in, then we encourage you to visit Pentecostal Life Church serving San Antonio, TX and surrounding suburbs. Here you will find a Full Gospel Church San Antonio that not only provides extra services on Thursdays, but provides extra services that are in-depth and personal, services that can reach into your life and impart on you the wisdom and love of Jesus Christ. We look forward to seeing you!
Pentecostal Life Church currently meets at 102 FM-78, Schertz, Texas 78154 (Schertz is a suburb of San Antonio Texas.)
Service times are Sundays 10:30 am & Thursdays 7pm.
Find Holy Spirit Filled Full Gospel Pentecostal Church Preaching San Antonio TX
Gospel, taken from the term gospel, means the Good News. This term is most typically applied to the first four books of the New Testament; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Gospel details the accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is the revelation of Old Testament prophecy, the culmination of the journey that Abraham lead his people on, and part of the foundation of Christianity.
The Gospel plays many roles in this respect and is the foundation of Christian teaching and learning. There is power in the name of Jesus Christ, and there is also great power in the teachings of His life. There are stories of teachings and events in the life of Jesus Christ found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Here are a few examples:
- Direct Instruction from Christ himself: The Primary Commandments, Matthew 22: 34-40
- 34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
- Parables: Parable of the Mustard Seed, Mark 4: 30-32
- 30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
- Healing: Healing a Blind Man, Mark 8: 22-26
- 22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”
These are just three examples of the types of lessons that can be gleaned from the gospels, with countless more abundant in His word. There is no end to the application of Jesus’ life in our own lives. The Bible is the truth of what we as Christians believe, it is the path that all Christians are started on as they learn the basics of who Jesus Christ is and what His life means when applied to their own. Yet, at the same time, it is also a collection of some of the more complex and advanced teachings of Jesus Christ. The Gospels may only occupy four of the Bible’s sixty-six books, but it is still one of the most complex and necessary components of the good Book.
So, we have established the content and meaning of the Gospels, but what is its power? What makes gospel preaching any different from topical or other scriptural preaching?
The fact of the matter is that Apostolic Full Gospel Gospel preaching saves lives. The lessons taken from later in the new testament are built on these by preaching and teaching by the apostles for salvation and for growing deeper in faith. The lessons taken from the Old Testament are perfect for establishing the need for Jesus Christ and showing the evidence of Him throughout history. The message of life, death, and resurrection from the Gospel can truly save a person’s soul if Biblically applied.
Peter and the other apostles told the crowd what to do on the Day of Pentecost found in
Acts 2:37-39 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Note that Peter just preached about the life, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ. After the people believed that Jesus was the Christ then they where ordered to applying the Gospel to their lives. You see by the examples found in the Acts of the apostles recorded in the book of Acts that repentance, baptism in Jesus name, and receiving the Holy Spirit is part of receiving the Gospel personally.
Faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life in Heaven. Jesus Christ is the Good News; therefore, He should be preached endlessly. There is endless power and potential in the preaching of His Gospel. Only Jesus can restore, only He can heal, only He can truly change lives and shape them for the better.
If you would like to be part of a Full Gospel Spirit Filled Pentecostal Church in San Antonio Texas, then you are invited to Pentecostal Life Church. Pentecostal Life Church is located in a suburb of San Antonio Texas called Schertz Texas. Schertz is claimed by three Texas counties they are Bexar County Texas, Comal County Texas, and Guadalupe County Texas. Pentecostal Life Church desires to provide a Holy Spirit Filled Apostolic Church in San Antonio Texas and surroundings suburbs. Some of the San Antonio suburbs Pentecostal Life Church blesses are: Cibolo Texas, Universal City Texas, Garden Ridge Texas, New Braunfels Texas, Selma Texas, Live Oak Texas, and Converse Texas. Pentecostal Life Church is part of the United Pentecostal Church International, also known as the UPCI.
Pentecostal Life Church currently meets at 102 FM-78, Schertz, TX, 78154.
Service times are Thursdays 7pm and Sundays 10:30am
Why Go To Spirit Filled Pentecostal Churches San Antonio Texas As A Child?
It is no secret that Jesus Christ desires a relationship with each and every individual to walk this Earth. We are His children, He wants to love and be loved by us. Unfortunately, Satan also desires our hearts, and will attempt to win us over with the temporary shine of sin. Jesus Christ gave His life so that we could be saved from bondage if we choose to believe, obey, and follow Him. Choosing to accept the love of Jesus Christ and obey His word with your life is the most important decision to be made in your life. If you choose to serve Him, you receive not only His love, but an eternal life spent in His presence. If you choose to reject Him and live in disobedience, you will miss out on the many blessing designed for you. On paper it seems like an easy choice. However, the nature of sin is to tempt us and to lull us into a false sense of comfort and security. The older we become and the longer we are exposed to sin then usually the harder it becomes for us to break from that false sense of comfort and security. We need to come to Jesus, that is a fact at any age. But, it is better for us, and for our children to come to Him as a little child.
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
To evidence the claim that it is better to come to Jesus as a child, look at His words in Mark 10: 13-16. During the days of Jesus’ ministry, it was well known that He held power, and many people believed in the power of His touch. For example, the woman in Luke 8 who seeks Jesus just to touch Him and be healed. So, many people were bringing their children to be healed and to be blessed by the power of Jesus. The disciples, seeing children as inferior and not as understanding, attempted to send the children away and rebuke them. They saw children as a waste of time for Jesus, after all they can’t understand and comprehend Jesus on the same level as an adult. But Jesus doesn’t respond by reiterating the disciple’s rebuke, instead He rebukes the disciples. For the children understood in a way that the disciples and adults did not.
Jesus invites the little children to come to Him because they have faith unlike that of the unbelieving adults. Children have not yet been blinded by the false comforts of sin and the world but are still exploring it with their hearts. Think of a baby that has just learned to crawl, it moves everywhere, touching and tasting everything. And while we as adults know that it is not safe to put everything in your mouth, the baby does it out of curiosity, attempting to discover each taste and object that it can. As the baby grows into a child, it continues to explore the world with the same enthusiasm and curiosity. Little children want to know, and they pursue that knowledge with limitless questions and an unparalleled sense of belief. Now, imagine if that was channeled into a search for the truth in Christ Jesus instead of being fixated on the things of this world. What if children were encouraged to consume Bible stories and Truth rather than toys and videogames?
If children were to be given the opportunity to consume the word of God and the love of Christ at the same rate as they are given the opportunity to consume the ideas of the world, then this world would be a radically changed one. The body of Christ would be radically changed, and the lives of millions of children all over the world would be made better. We need to come to Jesus as a child because it is never too soon to start experiencing His love. We need to come to Jesus as a little child because it is never too soon to start acting as part of His body.
Even the childhood Jesus spent time in the temple (Church) and discussing the ideas and messages of the Bible with those around Him. And, while it is true that little children won’t have the same depth and understanding as a well read and knowledgeable adult, they are still deeply inquisitive and will understand and retain Biblical concepts if given a chance to. Children know that this world is imperfect, they can see the evidence of sin and pain everywhere. Children also know what it is like to be loved and can understand the need for a love that is deeper than our own. Children can not only understand these things but can pursue them with a fervor virtually unseen in adults. Let your children be passionate about God. Introduce them to God’s love as a child. Bring them to a Bible believing Spirit Filled Apostolic United Pentecostal Church San Antonio Texas or one near you, and let your little children pursue Him from that day onwards. The sooner they connect to Jesus and a local Spirit filled Church San Antonio TX the sooner Jesus can be a foundational part of their own.
We invite you and your Children to connect with us at Pentecostal Life Church. Pentecostal Life Church is a Spirit Filled Pentecostal Church San Antonio Area and beyond. Our desire is to provide an Apostolic environment geared for Christian growth and development for those living in or near San Antonio Texas. Pentecostal Life Church is located in a Suburb of San Antonio TX called Schertz Texas.
The address for Pentecostal Life Church is 102 FM-78, Schertz, Texas 78154.
Do You Need a Bible Believing Holy Spirit Filled Pentecostal Church Pastor San Antonio Texas Area?
Do you need a Spirit Filled pastor in your life? With resources abundant in the age of technology, it may feel like the need for a Holy Spirit Filled pastor is dwindling. There are online resources, videos, discussion pages, and social media communities galore to be found on the internet. The pastor’s role as a teacher and shepherd may seem less important and more time consuming when the Bible can be studied either through the Book itself or online. However, the role of the pastor is much more than just someone to be listened to on Sunday mornings or mid week service and Bible study.
The Pastor’s role is primarily to teach and to instruct, but the depth of their role does not end there. The Pastor acts as the figurehead of the Church, leading it and choosing what directions and walks of faith the Church should take. By actively participating in Church and unifying with a body of Holy Spirit filled believers, you are also releasing some control to the pastor and his direction. In this regard, it is more a question of whether or not you should align with a physical Apostolic Church San Antonio TX instead of trying to lone wolf it and learn only through your own resources. However, once the decision is made to align with a Pentecostal Church San Antonio Texas area, it is important to foster the relationship you have with the Church and the pastor.
For example, let’s look at the role Jesus had with the disciples as their pastor and spiritual leader. Think of where the disciples came from before they met Jesus. Peter, James, and John were all fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector and left to their own devices they would have continued with these roles in relative spiritual ignorance. Without Jesus forging a relationship with each of these individuals and them taking the time to let that relationship grow and move them, many great strides in the Christian faith would not have been taken. If Peter hadn’t first accepted and been enriched by the pastoral relationship he had with Christ, then he never would have moved on to start the first Apostolic Churches. The same applies for each of Jesus’ disciples, past and present. Jesus desires not only a relationship between Himself and us, but between us and the leaders He has selected to lead us.
Jeremiah 3:15
15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.
Jesus has called individuals to lead, to teach, and to help grow others in their faith. His work did not end when He rose from the grave and ascended into heaven. In fact, that event marks more a beginning of His work than it does the end. This is evidenced in the great commission that Jesus delivered to His disciples in between resurrection and ascendance.
Matthew 28: 16-19a
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, …
Jesus called the disciples of His day to be pastors to the masses that they encountered. That role has not changed with the changes in society and culture that have occurred in the 2000 years since Jesus’ ministry. That commission is still lived out by the pastors of today. The Pastor is an individual called and instructed by God to lead and to love His Church body. The Pastors have a special call on their life, and they are also there to assist with the calling that God has on your life.
Not only do they posses a generally deeper and more profound knowledge of Christ, but they are also there to assist others along their walks in the Christian faith. When you have questions on what to do with the direction and decisions of your life, who do you turn to? Is it your parents, perhaps a spouse, or even a mentor? What about your Pastor? They are called by God to be someone that can be turned to with these dilemmas. A Bible believing Spirit Filled Church pastor can instruct and to guide people through these difficult decisions.
If you are attempting to walk the Christian faith and to live your life in a manner pleasing to Jesus, then odds are that God has placed a pastor somewhere in your life. Maybe it’s someone you see on a weekly basis but seek no deeper relationship with. Perhaps its someone you’ve met in passing while visiting a United Pentecostal Church San Antonio Texas. Perhaps you don’t yet know who this person is, but regardless, there is a pastor out there for you. There is someone whom God has called to be knowledgeable and wise in the scriptures, someone to advise and instruct whenever necessary. There is someone who has walked the path long enough to know many of the obstacles that lay along the path. There is someone who is seeking people to help and to assist in growth. There is someone who God has called to speak into your life.
As you go about your business in the coming days, I hope that you already have a relationship like the one I’ve described. If you do not have a relationship like this already, I hope you will seek out the person that God has called you to build this relationship with. I hope that you will take the time to be enriched by the people that God has called to enrich. I hope that you will listen to the words that they speak from the pulpit and to the words that they speak into your life personally.
If you would like to be a member of a Holy Spirit Filled United Pentecostal Church San Antonio Texas area, we invite you to Pentecostal Life Church. Pentecostal Life Church is a United Pentecostal Church ( UPCI Church ) located in a suburb of San Antonio Texas, called Schertz Texas. Schertz is connected to San Antonio Texas, Universal City Texas, Cibolo Texas, Selma Texas, Garden Ridge Texas, and Converse Texas. The city of Schertz is also claimed by three Texas counties, which are Comal County, Bexar County, and Guadalupe County Texas. It is the desire of Pentecostal Life Church to provide a Full Gospel Apostolic Church in San Antonio TX area. Pentecostal Life Church is located at 102 FM-78, Schertz, TX 78154. Service times Sundays 10:30 am & Thursdays 7 pm.