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 No Prophesying in Church of God (Cleveland) |
Link |
Is it true that prophesying, as in someone standing up and speaking in the first person on behalf of God, is something that wasn't really historically practiced in COG (Cleveland) denomination churches, historically. That's the impression I got from some people in this forum.
I moved a lot growing up, and I spent time in a Full Gospel church that felt like a Pentecostal church, A/G's and some time in the COG, and I spent time in Bethel, the COG affiliate in Indonesia.
in the A/Gs growing up, someone might give a prophecy between songs, or else there would be a tongue and interpretation. Usually prophecies, tongues, and interpretations would come from the congregation, but in one of the A/G's, the assistant pastor might be behind the pulpit if he interpreted. He might have prophesied, too.
I read on here that the pastor in a COG is the one who interprets, so if I saw a tongue and interpretation in a COG and the interpretation happened to come form the pulpit, and there wasn't a prophecy given, considering my experience in the A/G that wasn't strange at all, and it didn't occur to me that there were never or almost never prophecies in COGs or that interpretations came from the pulpit.
But is this really true? In your experience did people prophesy, as oppose to interpret tongues, and could prophecies or interpretations come from 'the floor'? Is there an unwritten rule against it? |
Acts-perienced Poster
Posts: 11849
1/18/24 1:46 am
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Quiet Wyatt |
| I’ve never heard or seen evidence of anything like that in the CoG. |
[Insert Acts Pun Here]
Posts: 12817
1/18/24 6:47 am
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fire-starter |
| I grew up in the COG. I heard preachers and laity prophesy regularly, in the first person, as if they were channeling God himself. I haven't seen it like that in years, though. But in the 70s and 80s, it was very common. Expected even. |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1947
1/18/24 8:43 am
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| Re: No Prophesying in Church of God (Cleveland) |
Aaron Scott |
| Link wrote: | Is it true that prophesying, as in someone standing up and speaking in the first person on behalf of God, is something that wasn't really historically practiced in COG (Cleveland) denomination churches, historically. That's the impression I got from some people in this forum.
I moved a lot growing up, and I spent time in a Full Gospel church that felt like a Pentecostal church, A/G's and some time in the COG, and I spent time in Bethel, the COG affiliate in Indonesia.
in the A/Gs growing up, someone might give a prophecy between songs, or else there would be a tongue and interpretation. Usually prophecies, tongues, and interpretations would come from the congregation, but in one of the A/G's, the assistant pastor might be behind the pulpit if he interpreted. He might have prophesied, too.
I read on here that the pastor in a COG is the one who interprets, so if I saw a tongue and interpretation in a COG and the interpretation happened to come form the pulpit, and there wasn't a prophecy given, considering my experience in the A/G that wasn't strange at all, and it didn't occur to me that there were never or almost never prophecies in COGs or that interpretations came from the pulpit.
But is this really true? In your experience did people prophesy, as oppose to interpret tongues, and could prophecies or interpretations come from 'the floor'? Is there an unwritten rule against it? |
Link, I have never once heard that the pastor is the one who interprets. Yes, it so happens that that is often the case, but it is also not unusual for someone else to.
In the Church of God, we often don't use the word "prophesy," but you may often hear someone speak and then the pastor say something like, "Church, I believe that was a Word from the Lord." I think we tend to shy away from prophesy" because of the fact that, if it doesn't come to pass, some ignorant people will claim it was a "false prophecy," thus the person is a "false prophet." Apparently, we can mess up in the other areas, BUT NOT PROPHECY! |
Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology
Posts: 6042
1/18/24 9:37 am
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Link |
| Quiet Wyatt wrote: | | I’ve never heard or seen evidence of anything like that in the CoG. |
No evidence of laity prophesying 'from the floor' (or preacher from the pulpit)
or no evidence that COG's don't have prophesying and interpretations come from the pulpit? |
Acts-perienced Poster
Posts: 11849
1/18/24 9:38 am
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| Re: No Prophesying in Church of God (Cleveland) |
Link |
| Aaron Scott wrote: |
Link, I have never once heard that the pastor is the one who interprets. Yes, it so happens that that is often the case, but it is also not unusual for someone else to. |
Okay, good. I read a post where someone wrote about interpretations coming from the pastor, but it could just have been their congregation. One pastor that he was the one who should do it, which I read in another post.
I moved a lot growing up, and I had an idea about how prophecy and interpretation functioned in Pentecostal churches. And when I saw tongues and interpretation in the COG, that fit the general mold, but if only the pastor was interpreting or their was a tongue and interpretation, I wouldn't have noticed the absence of prophecy or laity interpreting as a characteristic of the COG, until I read the suggestion here. But I am glad to hear there is variation among congregations on this.
Compared to the New Testament, like Pentecostals, and Evangelicals in general, and Protestants, I think the expression of gifts is skewed way too far toward the pastor doing much of it and not enough towards saints exercising their gifts. Of course 'the pastor' doing anything in church isn't really modeled in scripture, and 'elders' who are told to pastor the church, show up more frequently.
| Quote: |
In the Church of God, we often don't use the word "prophesy," but you may often hear someone speak and then the pastor say something like, "Church, I believe that was a Word from the Lord." I think we tend to shy away from prophesy" because of the fact that, if it doesn't come to pass, some ignorant people will claim it was a "false prophecy," thus the person is a "false prophet." Apparently, we can mess up in the other areas, BUT NOT PROPHECY! |
In Indonesia, I think I heard one prophecy in a GBI (Bethel), which affiliated with COG. Some of them use the label 'Kharismatik' and are more Charismatic in style in the city, with a touch of their own unique style. And there is their own take of prosperity teaching within some of the churches, as if their own version of the prosperity movement is largely within GBI, but not with all the same doctrines of the WOFers here, not that I've heard.
The prophecy I heard (it might have been an interpretation) was spoken in a meeting for 'workers and activists' for an English service, and delivered in Indonesian before I could understand the language.
I have talked with GBI people who said there was prophesying in their churches on another island. I got the impression that interpretation of tongues and prophecy was rare in GBI when I was there, and that was years ago. Telling everyone to all speak in tongues at the same time or everyone singing in tongues en masse is fairly common in GBIs.
I came back and prophesying ... from the floor... Pentecostal/Old Testament style seemed pretty rare when I came back in Pentecostal churches.
I think it's a combination of churches going seeker sensitive, pastors raised in our churches not being exposed to it and the culture of allowing it, and pastors coming in from other church backgrounds, combined with church tradition about the role of pastor. |
Acts-perienced Poster
Posts: 11849
1/18/24 9:48 am
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Link |
| fire-starter wrote: | | I grew up in the COG. I heard preachers and laity prophesy regularly, in the first person, as if they were channeling God himself. I haven't seen it like that in years, though. But in the 70s and 80s, it was very common. Expected even. |
Was this in a COG (Cleveland)?
Anyway, that is good to hear. In my experience, it was like that in the 1980's in other Pentecostal churches (probably 70's, but I was too little and can't remember what incidents were in which decade sometimes.) |
Acts-perienced Poster
Posts: 11849
1/18/24 9:51 am
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fire-starter |
| Link wrote: | | fire-starter wrote: | | I grew up in the COG. I heard preachers and laity prophesy regularly, in the first person, as if they were channeling God himself. I haven't seen it like that in years, though. But in the 70s and 80s, it was very common. Expected even. |
Was this in a COG (Cleveland)?
Anyway, that is good to hear. In my experience, it was like that in the 1980's in other Pentecostal churches (probably 70's, but I was too little and can't remember what incidents were in which decade sometimes.) |
Yes. COG Cleveland, TN |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1947
1/18/24 10:10 am
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Link |
| fire-starter wrote: | | Link wrote: | | fire-starter wrote: | | I grew up in the COG. I heard preachers and laity prophesy regularly, in the first person, as if they were channeling God himself. I haven't seen it like that in years, though. But in the 70s and 80s, it was very common. Expected even. |
Was this in a COG (Cleveland)?
Anyway, that is good to hear. In my experience, it was like that in the 1980's in other Pentecostal churches (probably 70's, but I was too little and can't remember what incidents were in which decade sometimes.) |
Yes. COG Cleveland, TN |
That's good. I wonder if fewer of the gifts are given, if pastors don't allow prophesying, or if people don't know they are allowed to speak up or the idea hasn't occured to them that they can speak their prophecies in church.
I meant to put a question mark on the name of this thread. |
Acts-perienced Poster
Posts: 11849
1/18/24 10:26 am
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Quiet Wyatt |
| Link wrote: | | Quiet Wyatt wrote: | | I’ve never heard or seen evidence of anything like that in the CoG. |
No evidence of laity prophesying 'from the floor' (or preacher from the pulpit)
or no evidence that COG's don't have prophesying and interpretations come from the pulpit? |
No evidence of the following: Is it true that prophesying, as in someone standing up and speaking in the first person on behalf of God, is something that wasn't really historically practiced in COG (Cleveland) denomination churches, historically. That's the impression I got from some people in this forum. |
[Insert Acts Pun Here]
Posts: 12817
1/18/24 4:17 pm
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FLRon |
“I think we tend to shy away from prophesy" because of the fact that, if it doesn't come to pass, some ignorant people will claim it was a "false prophecy," thus the person is a "false prophet." Apparently, we can mess up in the other areas, BUT NOT PROPHECY!“
Nothing “ignorant” at all about calling attention to a “thus saith the Lord” that did not come to pass. What is ignorant is equating false prophecy to “messing up”. Pretty sure God’s word takes it more seriously than that.
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“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
Voddie Baucham |
Acts-celerater
Posts: 787
1/18/24 5:19 pm
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