A Pentecostal Church is one of a number of different but closely associated Christian churches in the country that
practice some of the more unique gifts of the Holy Spirit God in their churches. The Holy Spirit is often the least
understood and thought about members of the trinity. God the Father is pretty well understood by most people because
God as our Heavenly Father is the way most people think about God when they pray to him, etc. God the Son is
recognized by most people as Jesus, the person of whom much of the whole New Testament of the Bible is about.
God the Holy Spirit is the spirit of the Son and Father that is so powerful and important that he has his own
personality; He is the third member of the Trinity. The trinity can be pretty well understood and accepted from a
study of the New Testament. A Pentecostal Church is one that typically practices the more sensational gifts of the
Holy Spirit: Speaking in tongues, prophesying, etc. A Pentecostal church also often practices the laying on of hands,
the raising of hands and outspoken comments during the worship services, etc.
A Pentecostal Church is no more or less pleasing to God, necessarily, than any other type of Christian church. While
their worship practices are more demonstrative, which suits many Christians better, their practices are not a superior
expression of Christian love and praise to God than more traditional worship practices. The temptation to feel superior
because a person practices some of the more sensational gifts of the Holy Spirit is a temptation the Pentecostal
Christians must be on their guard against. There are some Biblical scholars who believe that the Holy Spirit no
longer gives these more sensational gifts to his church anymore. They believe that speaking in tongues and prophesying
ceased in the first century at the end of the time when the Apostles (disciples) of Jesus all eventually died or were
martyred.
Christians who choose to worship and belong in a Pentecostal Church are often very devout Christians who love God very
much and who are committed to expressing their worship of him in the most demonstrative way reasonably possible.
This is a perfectly legitimate way to worship, as God made us who we are and would have us be true to our righteous
desires. A Pentecostal Church might be considered by some to be on the fringe of mainstream Christianity, but as
movement it has been growing in popularity over the last fifty years, more so than many of the mainstream denominations
in our country. People are attracted to the Pentecostal Church because of its modern and prosperous facilities, it
contemporary worship services often with a significant amount of contemporary praise and worship music, as well as its
worship services that allow maximum self-expression.