Thanks for the correction. I was going to correct it and say it was over 500,000,000 with the pentecostal/charismatic combined which is more my point anyway. This is true that numbers alone do not determine rignt but the life and fruits of the Spirit do indeed and this you can observe for yourself. There is a reason people prefer charismatic churches because the people are on the majority more sincere, real, and living out what they preach. Billy Graham was famously quoted as stating that only about 80% of his denomination attending church any given Sunday morning were born again. The opposite is true for charismatic congregations. These are some of the real life experiences that anyone can observe that demonstrate that their hermeneutic is superior to yours. One of the rules of hermeneutics is application, "How does this apply to my life" and pentecostal/charismatics are applying their interpretation quite successfully.
Peter applied Joel to the day of Pentecost. So get with the program brother. There was an application in Joel's day but there is a Last Day application which we are still in. And if it begin with Pentecost how MUCH MORE does God want to pour out His Spirit on all flesh today upon whom the ends of the Earth have come. In Romans 10 Paul applied Isaiah 52 not only to the Israelite's coming out of Babylon but to the salvation of Jesus Christ and we should too. Much of what the prophets said had more to do with us in the age of heralding the Gospel of Jesus Christ than the application of their day. This is very important to understand, if you do not want to just sit back and observe with skepticism while God uses people today to turn the world upside down. Jump in the river and swim in the shekinah Glory of God brother. There's more to this Christian life than just words on a page. You can experience being Filled with the Holy Spirit and times of refreshing if you turn to him in faith and expectation. Ask the Lord to empower you for ministry, lift up your hands to heaven in expectation, open your mouth and praise him with a loud voice and watch what God will do when you simply ask, seek and knock.
I know, and I expierienced Gods guidance in my life since more then 30 years. My expieriences with pentecostals is, that there are not more fruitful ore moralic better.
My expieriences with charismatics is that they destroy churches with false promisses and fake miracles and dreams and makeing hidden Meetings for to undermine the church.
But the mainpoint for me, is that this is a teaching which is not taught in the bible.
People attend the charismatic/ pentecostal churches because of their promisses of a health/ wealth life and wonders and miracles in their life.
I have an brother who is Christian for a long time. He once said, he will also see miracles in His life. He is no charismatic, but he defends their teachings.
And how many of these promisses came true? How many of the prophecies came true?
It is not only that people join pentecostal and charismatic churches. They liebe them also because of mental pressure and the expieriences that much what is takeing place is fake.
Yes Peter, took the verses of Joel. But this could only be a partwise fulfillment, because till today you cant find it in the folk of Israel.
It will come in Future.
And not the pentecostal/charismatic movement are the Adressat of Joel.
How many false teachings came in through the pentecostal/charismatic movements?
This movements called as the engine of the ecumenical church.
Should I realy Trust in this teachings?
I dont need miracles in my life for to see that the Holy Spirit lives in me.