Protect yourselves from the heresy of the Pentecostals

There have developed a great multitude of heretics in our days. These people appear at the door of our homes, on the streets and in the malls. They appear dressed well with happy faces and they do not provoke the slightest suspicion.

Some of these people are called “Pentecostals”. You see them often holding guitars in their hands and singing. The Pentecostal Movement is one group out of the many branches from the heresy of the Protestants.

Our Lord Jesus Christ together with His Holy Apostles prophesied that throughout the ages these such people will appear, looking externally better than everybody else but internally they have hidden within them the poison of heresy. They are dressed in “sheep’s clothing” however on the inside they have the evil of ravenous wolves.

(See Matt 7:15, 24:11 & 24, I Tim 6:20, II Tim 2:16, 3:1-8 & 13, 4:3-4, II Peter 2:1)

Christians that do not know what is hidden under this apparent goodness are in danger of being influenced by their heresy and will be lead to “perdition” as the apostle Paul says (I Peter 2:1).

It is a great shame if the souls, which our Lord and God shed His precious blood on His Holy Cross for, are lost (Acts 20:28).

Like other heretics, the Pentecostals distort the Orthodox Faith which was given “once” by our Lord (Jude 3). They explain their teachings, misinterpreting and distorting versus of the Holy Bible. Below are some of their heretical teachings and in brackets, the versus of the Holy Bible which show the exact opposite to that which they teach, are provided.

• They reject the “one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church” which we confess in the Creed as well as the Church’s perfection.

(Math 16:18, 28:20, John 14:16-17, 16:13, Acts 2:47, 20:28, I Corin 12:13, I Tim 3:15, Heb 12:22-23)

• They do not accept the specific priesthood.

(Isaiah 66:21, I Tim 4:14, II Tim 1:6, Heb 5:10, 5:20, 13:10)

• They deny the mystery of the Eucharist, that the bread and the wine and truly changed into the body and blood of our Lord. The Orthodox Church has been preaching this truth of our faith since the apostolic years until today.

(Matt 26:26-28, John 6:51-58, I Corin 10:16, 11:23-30)

• The Pentecostals even deny the intercessions of the Mother of God, the Holy Theotokos. They also preach the blasphemous teaching that, the Theotokos did not preserve the honour God gave to her by becoming His mother, but that she even had other children.

They also deny the intercessions of the Saints of our Church.

(Rom 15:30, I Corin 5:18-20, Philip 1:4, Heb 12:23, James 5:16, Revel 5:8, 6:9-10, 8:3)

• We should also be most of all careful about the fact that the Pentecostals show demonic signs during their gatherings, they raise their hands high, they shout, they say things that cannot be understood, they speak in “tongues”. These things they attribute to the Holy Spirit, even though in reality, all these things are driven by the evil spirit, the devil.

(Matt 24:11 & 24, Acts 16:17-18, I Corin 14:29)

Thus they transform themselves into ministers of righteousness (I Corin 11:13-15) and they preach a gospel different to the one that the Apostles and Christ gave us (Gal 1:6-8). They flock to the streets and distribute different pamphlets as well as the their translated version of the New Testament.

In this way they gather souls into their heresy (II Tim 3:1-7).

• Don’t accept pamphlets or their translated New Testament from them.
• Don’t enter into conversations with them about religion, not only will you waste your time, but you may even be in danger of becoming deceived.
• Don’t go to their gatherings even out of curiosity.
• Close your door to all heretics politely but firmly when they come to your home to preach their message.
• The best way however to confront them is to study the Holy Bible (the Old and New Testaments) both everyday and with an Orthodox frame of mind. Go to Church often and participate in the mysteries of our Church.
• Don’t allow any heretic to deceive you. Remain faithful to the Orthodox faith, which has been protected, unadulterated, unalterable and unchangeable for 2000 years, until the end of your life. (John 14:16, 16:13, II Thess 2:15, I Tim 2:2)

Our eternal salvation must be guarded from the great danger of the heretics. The word of God commands us not to “greet” heretics nor should we let them enter our home when they come to our door with the intent of separating us from our Orthodox Faith (II John 10).

Seek the members of the clergy of our Church or Orthodox theologians who both know well the Orthodox Faith when regarding matter of our faith and the correct interpretation of the Holy Bible.

For the children and the youth, attend the Sunday Schools and Youth Fellowship meetings. At these gatherings you will be able to learn things about our faith in order to live an Orthodox Christian life in an age which is governed by ignorance and spiritual confusion.