Praise-Worship Doctrine of Extreme Pentecostalism

Jun P. Espina 5 min read

Updated on February 12th, 2020

The praise-worship worship of Pentecostalism covers around three chapters of my eBook on extreme Pentecostalism. The title of this work is: “Pentecostalism, Its Theology, and the Charismatic Chaos Revisited: Reexamining the Scriptural Works of the Holy Spirit on Miracles, Speaking in Tongues, and Church Worship of Extreme Pentecostalism.

Pentecostalism, Its Theology and the Charismatic Chaos Revisited

The following is just a part of the entire chapters covering the subject on praise and worship. If you want to explore the said eBook, please visit this LINK.

A glimpse from its Preface: “This material slept in my computer for around 18 years as I didn’t want it published before to avoid offending my friends preaching extreme Pentecostalism and the charismatized Jesus Christ.

“I am recommending this book to real truth seekers who don’t have herd mentality who swallowed hook, line, and sinker what their leaders taught them.”

REVIEWING PRAISE AND WORSHIP

PENTECOSTAL THEOLOGIANS SAY if you truly praise God, then show it physically. Van Cleave added that a showy-praise practice is an aid to worship. (See Guy P. Duffield and Nathaniel M. Van Cleave. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. L.I.F.E. Bible College, San Dimas, California 91773. 1987.) In Pentecostal meetings you will find dancing, clapping, crying, shouting, speaking in tongues, among other forms of worship disorder. They call it as “praise and worship.” Further examinations of this teaching, however, show it is more fitting to name the doctrine as PRAISE WORSHIP instead of praise and worship.

Will It Lead to Apostasy?

We pointed out somewhere in this book that the extreme Pentecostal’s Praise Worship Doctrine is an apostatized teaching that ushers the coming Great Apostasy.

But, what is apostasy? The dictionary states it is “the abandonment or renunciation of a religious. . .belief.” The bottom of the extreme Pentecostalism movement lies on the vast emphasis on signs and wonders, miracles, and feelings together with the resolve to sacrifice sound theology if needed. This religious platform violates the basic tenet of real born-again Christianity that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

▸ SO FAITH COMES FROM HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF CHRIST. . . . HOWEVER, WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES, WILL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH?”—ROMANS 10:17; LUKE 18:8B

Jesus fed around 5,000 men (excluding women and children) with “five loaves and two fish,” after which the people left Him because of unbelief. (See Matt. 14:13-21) After witnessing signs and wonders, the Jews, Judas included, left the Son of God. Faith departs after seeing a miracle!

The Holy Bible (and not one’s feelings or observations or miracles!) serves as our only rule of faith and practice since “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 16-17) Christ is the only Truth, and the Bible is all about Him. (cf. John 14:6; Luke 24:27)

We need the sound doctrines of the Scriptures for they fuel our faith. The falling away from the true Christian faith is a prophecy that is unfolding before our eyes today. A Christian denomination, like extreme Pentecostalism, notwithstanding the ever-growing number of its membership, may help usher the coming Great Apostasy.

We find the following note from “Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers” as helpful in understanding apostasy as the U-turn phase (on a massive scale!) in following Christ:

“’That falling away’ must undoubtedly imply that the persons so apostatising had formerly held (or, perhaps, still professed to hold) the Christian faith: men cannot fall from ground which they never occupied. This vast and dreadful Apostasy (see Luke 18:8), so clearly and prominently taught of to the ancient Church.”

Apostasy, Demonism, and the Dangers of Praise Worship Doctrine

With the Internet, even Satan wanted his underground activities published since he could no longer hide them all. The YouTube has now flooded with conspiracy theories about the (UFOs, the Grays!) Reptilians and their alleged involvement with the human civilization. They are living under the earth. I was so baffled before by those Bible verses concerning a “civilization” living under the earth. Observe the following verses:

“[S]o that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth . . . . And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it.” (Phil. 2:10; Rev. 5:3)

We have seen videos (or read stories) of prominent people shapeshifting to Reptilian-look. These Reptilians can perform things miraculous from a human perspective like mimicking the human form, telekinesis, and others things we considered paranormal. And these are the things I am fearful about since the extreme Pentecostal’s introduction of “signs and wonders” to the Christian teaching.

▸ NOW WE REQUEST YOU, BRETHREN, WITH REGARD TO THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AND OUR GATHERING TOGETHER TO HIM, THAT YOU NOT BE QUICKLY SHAKEN FROM YOUR COMPOSURE OR BE DISTURBED EITHER BY A SPIRIT OR A MESSAGE OR A LETTER AS IF FROM US, TO THE EFFECT THAT THE DAY OF THE LORD HAS COME. LET NO ONE IN ANY WAY DECEIVE YOU, FOR IT WILL NOT COME UNLESS THE APOSTASY COMES FIRST, AND THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS IS REVEALED, THE SON OF DESTRUCTION, WHO OPPOSES AND EXALTS HIMSELF ABOVE EVERY SO-CALLED GOD OR OBJECT OF WORSHIP, SO THAT HE TAKES HIS SEAT IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD, DISPLAYING HIMSELF AS BEING GOD.—2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-4

The following video clip is an interview with a female Reptilian. The depth of the science discussed is still beyond the province of human learning. This Reptilian named Lacerta admitted her knowledge was limited, and she criticized the information about “the serpent” in the Holy Bible. My interest with “the Lacerta files” is the truth that the Bible is a complete truth and that the appetite for witnessing miracles is so dangerous a doctrine since it would only give birth to more unbelief in Christ our Lord. [The Lacerta Files: YouTube Link. Accessed: 09/29/2017.]

Praise Worship Doctrine—What is it?

Why is it appropriate to call this extreme Pentecostal doctrine as PRAISE WORSHIP (without the conjunction “and”) instead of Praise and Worship? The quick answer is that “praise,” for the extreme Pentecostalists, is “aid to worship.” Remove the “aid,” which is the boisterous praising of God, and it would cease to be a Pentecostal or charismatic worship service anymore. Worship is far different from the mere giving of praises to God. You may praise your earthly father, for example, but you won’t WORSHIP him, will you? Hence PRAISE WORSHIP is appropriate a description for the extreme Pentecostal’s worship event.

Not Taught by Christ

What if we would ask our Lord Jesus Christ how to worship Him? His answer would be this one: “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

Worship to God, according to Christ, should always be spiritual and by Bible Truth. One fundamental truth is that God is Holy. (cf. 1 Pet. 1:16) I don’t believe the extreme Pentecostal’s uproarious praise and worship (See 1 Kings 18:26-27) services bring a little care for God’s holiness.

We understand two types of worship, namely, corporate and individual. Both corporate (or church or public) and individual worship carry the same conditions of spirituality, holiness, and truth—”worship the Father in spirit and truth”! ~