Pentecostal Preacher's Reflections

This assignment presents a reflective piece written from the perspective of a Pentecostal preacher. They discuss their personal journey into ministry, emphasizing their belief in being 'called' by the Holy Spirit. The preacher details their adherence to the 'Jesus Only' doctrine and their passion for delivering emotionally charged sermons that inspire spiritual experiences. They highlight the importance of speaking in tongues and praise music in connecting with congregants on a deeper level.

Running head: THEOLOGY AND RELEGIOUS STUDY
Theology and Religious Study
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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THEOLOGY AND RELEGIOUS STUDY
Introduction:
As I look back to a time when I was merely 21 years old, I remember a person who was a
great devotee to Christ, praising him and showing him gratitude for having helped me and all my
friends get cured of illnesses, and lead a magically wonderful life. My family is highly a
religious one, and I was being made aware of the omniscience of Christ, right from a very tender
age. From the age of 5, I started attending the Church prayers on Sundays, and was being taught
to thank Christ for all the good life and grace he has showered on all of us. My parents kept on
re-iterating the same thing each day, that Christ is our saviour, and as I would attend the Church
on Mondays, I would behold the Biblical scenes engraved on the walls of the Church. I was too
young to feel a sense of awe and inspiration for the allegorical significance of the pictures.
Nevertheless, I would stand in awe and surprise, as I would appreciate the artistic detail of the
eye of the painter, and the bright, colourful aspects of the Church paintings. By the time I was
14, I knew that Christ is the saviour, and through intense suffering. At school, I got myself
acquainted with Julian of Norwich who would always believe in the goodness of the Almighty,
and I was inspired to learn how she had a series of visions of Christ, that is said to have cured her
of her deadly illness in a short while1. I had a school friend, named Robbin, who one day handed
down to me a famous book named The Book of Mergery Kempe, that carefully details the
various domestic tribulations of the author, her extensive pilgrimages to holy sites in Europe and
the Holy Land, as well as her mystical conversations with God. Although I was always
encouraged to commit and dedicate myself to Christ, I was unable to feel a deep connection in
the beginning2. Merely attending the Church, and listening to the Biblical quotes would not
1 Smith, Kathleen E. "An old cathedral for a New Russia: The symbolic politics of the reconstituted church of Christ
the Saviour." Religion, State and Society: The Keston Journal 25.2 (1997): 163-175.
2 Lochrie, Karma. Margery Kempe and translations of the flesh. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012.

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satiate my inner urge to be reconciled to the Almighty. Although worship was an integral part of
my life, I would often feel deprived of the spiritual connection, the Bishop in the Church would
talk about. However, as I started reading about Julian of Norwich and her spiritual experience, as
well as The Book of Mergery Kempe, I started experiencing the spiritual calling both these
women felt, and how their own personal experience, and not any Christian theological speech,
altered their life. As I came across a woman’s recounting of her spiritual tale, I was fascinated by
how a lay woman could experience the Holy Spirit, without the intervention of the Church
authorities. For the coming Sundays, I would not ever go to the Church, unless compelled to. I
would be able to experience the Holy Spirit, present in the world, surrounding me and my
friends, and even though none would feel it, I was able to make sense of the words exclaimed in
wonder by Kempe, in the extracts of the book I had. I did not require the Bishop to interpret what
was there written in the Bible as I was experiencing them on my own, and I did not require to
hear the preaching as slowly I was learning to hear the unheard words of the Holy Spirit. Slowly,
thus began my journey to move from a Roman Catholic to a Pentecostal, embarking on a
spiritual quest to justify every question ever had about the universe and beyond.
Discussion:
While I was reading the passage of Matthew 28. 16-20, and I was trying to reflect on the
meaning of the passage, my own attitude towards life was changing. In this paragraph, there is
one line that has remarkably influenced my perception of the Holy Spirit, and it states : “And
behold, I am with you always, until the end of age”. This helped me realize the unchangeable
truth of the universe-the divine existence of the powerful Almighty who shall guide and
enlighten mankind unto the right path of life, and all that I need is to follow the guidance. While
I had started reading the Biblical passage, I was merely reading how it narrates the reaction of

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the followers of Christ on his resurrection, and yet as I proceeded with it, I started experiencing a
sense of certainty about the unquestionable goodness of the Spirit, which has risen and shall
continue to exist till the end of time. I could sense the world being wrapped in the light of
goodness and benevolence of the Holy Spirit, the recognition of whose existence can be a great
source of joy and pleasure for the followers. The revelation of Lord, and the resurrection of Holy
Christ, helped in reinforcing the belief about the existence of the Holy Spirit, as well as my belief
in a just, virtuous world. While I am reading these lines aloud, I started feeling more emotionally
overwhelmed than before. I started experiencing a profound realization of how in life have I felt
despised and others, including my friends have disdained me3. However, on keeping my head
held high, I have been able to surmount the obstacles of disbelief, mistrust and self-doubt. In this
paragraph, I read how some women have been afraid to hear about the resurrection of Christ, and
despite the prevailing sense of fear, they managed to visit Christ in Galilee. This helped in re-
affirming my faith in the Holy Spirit that is not merely confined to the walls of the Church, but
can also be explored within my mind, and outside in the Universe as well.
Gradually, I was exploring a highly distinct form of spirituality, which I have never
experienced before. I was realizing that it is not sufficient to go to the Church on Sundays and
offer my prayer and devotion to Christ. I could not sense the spirituality permeating my mind,
and although I would listen to the Biblical quotes, very often would I feel the same kind of
spiritual frenzy that I had experienced, while reading Michael’s quote from the Bible. I started
realizing that if one is listening to religious paragraphs, and offering payer to Christ, because he
is expected and asked to, he is not able to fill the spiritual void inside his mind. A first-hand
exploration of spirituality was needed in my case, as I was feeling thirsty for a kind of spiritual
3 Synan, Vinson. The century of the Holy Spirit: 100 years of Pentecostal and charismatic renewal, 1901-2001.
Thomas Nelson Inc, 2012.

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solace and grace where I would be able to connect my life with the Holy Spirit, and draw
inspiration from the same. While I was searching for alternative ways of spiritual attainment, I
came across a friend, named Eva who practiced a different form of worship, and although
unbeknownst to me so far, this new form of worship, also called Pentecostalism, is remarkably
similar to the spiritual practice I have been looking out for. While earlier, I thought her thought
process in terms of religious beliefs is highly different from that of mine, after having a
prolonged interaction with her for 2 days, I realized that she also recognized the existent of the
Almighty, as well as Christ, and she also firmly believed in each of the words of the Bible.
However, what made her different from us is her earnest intention to offer dedication to God
without the intervention of the clergy, and her refusal to visit the Church to reach out to God,
who can be experienced within one’s mind without any external intervention4.
I do not hesitate to state that this new form of worship instantly attracted my attention, as
I have always believed that spirituality is a force that is more experiential, rather than a mere
religious ritual to be performed on each Sunday. Eva taught me that the power of the Almighty
can be traced through interaction with Him, and the entire process of worship I learnt to be
highly dynamic and energetic. I was 20 by now, and I was learning new ways of offering
devotion to God. God was not just Christ, but it was the Holy Spirit, that pervades the entire
universe and controls it. Eva introduced me to her grandfather, who would offer his devotion to
the Almighty through a language unknown to most of us residing the world. I always had an
intrinsic distaste for the same old, conventional religious passages that we were expected to
4 Rabens, Volker. The Holy Spirit and ethics in Paul: Transformation and empowering for religious-ethical life.
Vol. 283. Mohr Siebrek Ek, 2013.

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enunciate in the Church prayers, and was instantly fascinated by what I was learning. I learnt
how to communicate with the Almighty, and to let him converse with him, with a language that
belongs to him. Soon after 5 hours, I found myself amidst a certain spiritual frenzy taking hold of
me, that guided me into speaking a new language, so foreign to me, and the supernatural
phenomenon started happening. I was unable to decipher any of the words coming out of my
mouth, and yet I was experiencing a subtle, inexplicable form of joy and spiritual ecstasy of
having established a meaningful contact with the supernatural power, that has so far remained
unknown to me. Ever since the day, I have been offering my prayer to the Almighty in the most
meaningful way, I have been feeling that I have been able to spiritually evolve from someone
confined to this materialistic world, to a spiritually enlightened being.
My experience in praying in tongue (glossolalia) has not only spiritually enlightened me
in more than one way, but has also accompanied me on my spiritual encounter with Christ. I
would like to refer to one such specific instance in my life when I was looking out for some sort
of positive strength, hope and assistance. The pain was too strong to overcome, and I would also
like to state that the fear completely took over my spirit. At this crucial phase, as I was literally
struggling to stay composed and was trying my best to pray in senses I soon remembered the
story of Jesus calm the storm. However, nevertheless the fear was over powering me and I
literally felt that my mouth was dry and I had been trembling with fear for a long time. Time and
again I tried to close my eyes, join my hands and tried to offer my prayer, but all in vain. Every
time I was closing my eyes, I was getting distracted by something else. However, soon I came
across Eva who told me that in case I lack the ability to pray in the conventional way, I can still
draw spiritual guidance and solace of the Almighty if I just pray in tongues. Soon, I started
praying in tongue and soon I discovered that I was praying in tongue and in spirit. The next thing

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that I realized was that I have entered the Garden of Gethsemane (in spirit). I could sense with
my eyes that Lord Jesus is in His agony and pain. I found Him asking God to let the cup pass if
possible. At that very moment, I could feel his pain, agony and heart. For a temporary time, I
was in Him and I felt it all. During this experience, I started realizing that I was communicating
with God in tongue, a heavenly language. As I look back, I simply realize that it is an actual
communication except it is in tongue and people surrounding me will not understand a word that
I would say5. Since that Time, I have been practicing praying in tongues, and most importantly I
have experienced myself speaking through Lord Jesus and pleading for God’s mercy and grace. I
have always heard the Lord showering me with Grace, that has helped in eliminating all my
senses of fear, pain, suffering and agony just lifted up and disappeared. Glossolalia set me free
by the power of God, and I do believe that this form of prayer and process of offering devotion is
far more effective, and spiritually enlightening.
I became pastor after I got influenced by the Pentecostalism. Pentecostalism is one of the
fast growing groups of Christians. It is a form of Christianity that gives importance on the work
of the Holy Spirit and also gives evidence on the direct experience of the God as a believer. As a
member of a Roman Catholic, I failed to get a direct experience from god as the bishops of the
church served as our mediators to covey our feelings, thoughts and prayers to The Almighty.
However, the Pentecostalism offered me a new ray of thought in the spiritual domain.
Pentecostals belief that fait is a form of experiment. Faith is not merely restricted on the ritual
proceedings and strict thinking framed by the Roman Catholic, fathers of the bishops of the
5 Anderson, Allan Heaton. An introduction to Pentecostalism: global charismatic Christianity. Cambridge
University Press, 2013.

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church. The Energetic and dynamic point of view of the Pentecostalism attracted me.
Pentecostals believe that they are solely driven by the power of the God and that power is
residing within them. They regard the reflection of human as a reflection of god6. Here in the
Pentecostal church, immense stress in given on the conversion that amounts to a Baptism in the
spirit. As a Pastor, I gradually attained knowledge that movement in returning over Christianity
is pure and simple in regards to the Roman Catholic Church. Moreover, as a Pastor I came to
realize that Pentecostalism is not a church itself as believed by the Roman Catholic. It gave full
liberty to the believers to establish connection with god directly. Pentecostalism is a movement
itself towards the renewal or revival of the denomination present in the Christianity. This
movement is carried by the pastor and that took immense interest on me. As a Pastor, I based my
theology on the text of the Bible which believes that the phrases are the words of God and is
devoid of any form of error. I became Pastor under the light of the Pentecostalism due to its
rooted holiness. Pentecostalism derive its roots from the Great Awakenings of Whitfield and
Finney. As Pastor I believe the concept of "being slain in the Spirit" as a common phenomenon. I
uplifted myself from the hypocrisy of fake believe and also was successful in expressing my
thoughts and connection with god without requiring any medium or verbal language. My
experience in praying in tongue (glossolalia) has not only spiritually enlightened me in more than
one way, but has also accompanied me on my spiritual encounter with Christ. I no longer hesitate
to state that this new form of worship attracted my attention. I believed that spirituality it is a
force that is more experiential, rather than a mere religious ritual to be performed on each
Sunday as believed by the Roman Catholic. It also gave me a new ray in the field of spiritually
6 Sæbø, Magne, ed. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. III: From Modernism to Post-Modernism:
Part 2: The Twentieth Century-From Modernism to Post-Modernism. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht,
2014.

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THEOLOGY AND RELEGIOUS STUDY
and also nurtures my personality and inner self in a whole new level. I still have faith in God or
rather say the fate has increased as I can connect with god directly.
Ephesians 4:11, Acts 20:28, and 1 Peter 5:2 of the bible is about being a Pastor.
According to the definition that has been provided within the Bible, it can be said that Pastor are
individual, who have their own policy of dealing with Christian obligation. Due to my past
experience in life I have chosen the path of becoming a pastor, which has helped me to directly
connect with my inner soul with the spirit of Almighty. Within the act 20:28, there is the
reference of pastor, which is meant to provide all forms of protection to the religion and personal
belief. From the message of Bible, I have been encouraged to become a pastor to overcome my
barrier in gaining ultimate spiritual knowledge and experience of God.
From the words of the Bible it is clear that becoming of a pastor is directly connected
with gaining all forms of knowledge that help to deal with the issue of restlessness7. The Bible
have used the term “Tend the Flock of God” and “Act as Shepherd” to clearly describe the
concept related to pastor knowledge. As I have been able to accustom myself with all the
relevant concepts, I deeply felt connection with all the forms of messages that are related with
that of God. With the past experience of my life, I become aware about the fact that with
traditional Roman Catholic delegations it is often quite challenging for the common person like
me to easily reach out and feel the spirit of Almighty. However, with feeling of pastor, I have
been easily be able to connect with all the messages related to God that can be received and
understood by people at all level.
7 Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. InterVarsity Press,
2014.

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From a very early period in my childhood, I have been thriving to reach out to God in a
very simple and effective manner. I have also attempted various ways to easily reach out and
connect my spirit with sensation of The Almighty. I failed in numerous occasions to reach out to
the God and being a part of the Roman Catholic society. However, in the later period as I
become aware about the concepts related to Pastor, I really felt attracted as it being one of the
easiest ways to reach out to the almighty and connect with the spiritual world.
One of the major challenges that I faced while becoming a pastor is due to the fact that
most of the other people have become highlighted about the negative aspects within the Roman
Catholic society. The head of the church or the bishop, also have given me enough advice that
has inhibited my path of becoming a pastor. However, I do believe I have a clear sense of
concept within myself understanding that has helped me to preach about the techniques related to
spiritual journey of becoming a pastor.
I can strongly suggest about the fact that modern version of Bible with various verse and
phrases related to that of pastor has been highly effective, in reaching out to the people of the
modern society. This helps them to easily reach out and connect their personal life with that of
spiritual journey and feeling the presence of Almighty. With the power of the almighty that is
being easily sent out to the people of modern society, the popularity of the concept related to that
of pastor. The modern society of human beings also have the trend to follow the path of
protestant, which have become popular with that of the concept of countering the policy related
to that of Roman Catholic beliefs.

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This concept of protestant has been one of the bases of developing my motivation of
becoming a pastor8. By inheriting this concept, it is possible for me to deal with all forms of
challenges that are associated while following the path of traditional Christianity to reach out to
the almighty. There are also several parts of complementary services that are associated with
reaching up to the almighty by following the concepts of pastor. It also provided me the
opportunity to directly oppose the irrational sayings that has been mentioned in the gospel.
Working together with several types of preachers, who have directly encountered and questions
the saints of the Roman Catholic Church I have been able to gain enough motivation that has
helped me to reach out to the Gods. With the power of the almighty and the power of the
preachers, it is easily possible for me to overcome all forms of mental and psychological barriers
that have been implanted within my belief from an early period of childhood.
The concept of non-Episcopal belief is also one of the major parts of becoming a pastor
that has encouraged me to reach out to the god9. This type of feeling has helped me overcome all
my personal fears that are the result of all forms of personal experience. I can very strongly say
that becoming a pastor is one of the crucial and significant step my life that has help me to gain
personal level of spiritual journey. Now I do not have to depend upon traditional beliefs to
preach God and make journey and spiritual beliefs. The Pentecostalism and the message that are
delivered along with its principal have helped me to overcome all types of traditional beliefs.
8 Pasquale, Gianluigi. "The Influence of Protestant theology on the catholic «historia salutis»’s
concept. Theological debate in Europe." Služba Božja: liturgijsko-pastoralna revija 57.1 (2017):
65-76.
9 Johnson, Rutherford. "Geographical and cultural insights into the Episcopal Church and the
crisis in the Anglican Communion." Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies
Volume (2015).

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THEOLOGY AND RELEGIOUS STUDY
Hence, the following guidelines also have helped me over my path of dealing with all forms of
spiritual challenges. I also have been able to emphasize upon my personal path of spiritual
journey that has easily helped to deal with the major forms of challenges that I have faced due to
my personal issues.
Conclusion:
I have read the Bible and have attended the Church, and yet I was unable to seek spiritual
solace, at least I thought so. The spiritual aridity residing my heart could not have been removed,
had I not been pushed to embrace a new religion that would completely alter the way I perceive
the reality around me. I have realized over the years that there is no point in merely reading a
Bible, but it is important to develop an understanding of the spiritual forces guiding one’s mind,
and the same is possible only when one is able to feel the spiritual forces with the help of his
heart. My family was not Pentecostal, and they subscribed to the Roman Catholic view, and yet I
was unable to feel content with the religious rituals as practiced in the Catholic Churches. I could
not feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. Hence, at times of distress, I could hardly feel the
spiritual guiding force, leading me to the path of light. I would often feel deserted, as I would not
be able to sense the spiritual force being present around me. It is no wonder that I have already
preached "fire and brimstone" since such a long time, and I have been guiding my followers to
perceive the Holy Spirit in their lives, in their actions, during each moment of the day. I believe
that only a selected few who are being "chosen" or "called" by the Holy Spirit can ever enter into
the "faithful" ministry of our Lord, and I have been one of them. I take immense pleasure in the
realization that I was being called into the ministry and I was able to preach my first sermon
shortly at a very young age. I have already spent a total of 18 years preaching as a "Pentecostal"
preacher. It is such a beautiful experience how I have taught the "Jesus Only" doctrine known as

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the "Apostolic Faith" (United Pentecostal Church) over the years, and have been one of the
reasons behind the spiritual enlightenment of my followers. Just like any other Clergy of the
Catholic Church, I could become a skilful preacher, who knows each Biblical sentence and its
allegorical implications, and yet remains unaware of the creative, passionate and engaging way
of communicating the spiritual forces to the followers. I have been able to derive immense
satisfaction from being a Pentecostal Pastor, as it has allowed me to fulfil the deep, spiritual
needs of my congregants in the most dynamic and spiritually enriching way. I did not wish to
become a Pastor simply to preach the Gospel, something any Christian would know, but to stir
the spiritual emotions of my congregants, and to exercise a tremendously powerful spiritual
experience on their minds. As a Pastor, I am working on to reach the people on an emotional
plane, through speaking in tongue preaching, as well as praise music. I think that it is important
to preach in a way so that we can passionately convince the hearers of the relevance of Scripture,
while also inspiring intellectual exploration in them and applying the balm of healing,
transformative grace than any speech can ever achieve.

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THEOLOGY AND RELEGIOUS STUDY
References
Anderson, Allan Heaton. An introduction to Pentecostalism: global charismatic Christianity.
Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Johnson, Rutherford. "Geographical and cultural insights into the Episcopal Church and the
crisis in the Anglican Communion." Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies
Volume (2015).
Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. InterVarsity Press,
2014.
Lochrie, Karma. Margery Kempe and translations of the flesh. University of Pennsylvania Press,
2012.
Pasquale, Gianluigi. "The Influence of Protestant theology on the catholic «historia salutis»’s
concept. Theological debate in Europe." Služba Božja: liturgijsko-pastoralna revija 57.1 (2017):
65-76.
Rabens, Volker. The Holy Spirit and ethics in Paul: Transformation and empowering for
religious-ethical life. Vol. 283. Mohr Siebrek Ek, 2013.
Sæbø, Magne, ed. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. III: From Modernism to Post-Modernism: Part
2: The Twentieth Century-From Modernism to Post-Modernism. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht,
2014.
Smith, Kathleen E. "An old cathedral for a New Russia: The symbolic politics of the
reconstituted church of Christ the Saviour." Religion, State and Society: The Keston Journal 25.2
(1997): 163-175.

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THEOLOGY AND RELEGIOUS STUDY
Synan, Vinson. The century of the Holy Spirit: 100 years of Pentecostal and charismatic renewal,
1901-2001. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2012.