Beliefs
Our beliefs in God and the Bible is very different then most mainstream religions. Though each apostolic pentecostal church may have different standards our belief in the Godhead, salvation and the Holy Ghost all remain the same. Many people like to criticize the pentecostal religion in general saying the we base our religion just on the scripture Acts 2:38, but this isn't true. Though a big part of what we believe does come from that scripture, it is just part of the bigger picture. What sets up apart from many of the mainstream religions is simply our desire to follow what the Bible says not changing any thing because it is simply "outdated", "inconvenient", and my personal favorite "not politically correct".
Before I go on about our personal beliefs, it is important to note that there are many religions that call themselves pentecostal and I am in no way trying criticize them, in fact it don't matter what you call yourself, what matters is if you follow the truth as set forth in the bible. Though to totally outline our whole belief system could take pages and pages of content, I will attempt to to explain the most important parts: Godhead, salvation, and worship.
Godhead
Our belief of the Godhead is an important part of being apostolic pentecostal and it is also one of the many ways that apostolics(and many other pentecostals) set themselves apart from mainstream religion. To us, there is no trinity, just one God, Jesus Christ(who is also know as God and the Holy Ghost). To many people this may be confusing because in the Bible it refers to God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost. Well this is what makes apostolic pentecostal different, we don't just take one scripture or instance in the Bible and call that truth, we take the whole bible into account, both old and new testament.
Let me explain why Jesus(or God if you prefer) is called three separate things in the bible. Lets take a normal guy, when he is at home spending time with his wife he is a husband, when he is spending time with his kids he is a father, and when he is at church he may be song leader, drum player etc. Though he may have several titles throughout his whole life he is still only known by one name. It is the same with Jesus. As God he has watched over and protected us for thousands of years, as Jesus he came to earth and walked among us as a mortal man, with the spirit of God inside him, and as the Holy Ghost he strengthens us so we may follow his will in our life. And as a man can be both a father and husband at the same time, so is Jesus all these things. But there are many out there who simply don't want to believe this because in the bible it refers to Jesus as the son of God, well lets look at what the Bible says about it.
John 10:30: I and my Father are one.
These are only two examples, there are many other scriptures that refer to one god in the bible: Zechariah 14:9; Malachi 2:10; Matthew 23:9; John 8:41; Romans 3:30; I Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20 and many others. But don't take my word for it, open up the bible and look for yourself.
Salvation
Salvation is one of the most important and essential part of getting Jesus in your life. Though many mainstream religions believe that all you have to do is except Jesus as your savior and ask him for forgiveness, apostolics and many other pentecostal religions strive to teach salvation as the apostles taught it (hence the name apostalic). Once again we look not at one scripture or instance in the Bible, but the whole Bible. Yes, we do believe that part of salvation is asking Jesus for forgiveness of your sins, but we believe that it is only the first step in finding salvation. After asking Jesus for forgiveness and doing a complete 180 in terms of sinning(not just asking for forgiveness then leaving church and going out sinning again) then a person must be baptized in the water and the spirit(the Holy Ghost). When you receive the Holy Ghost(being baptized in the spirit) is God's decision, people receive the Holy Ghost(being baptized in the spirit)before they are baptized in the water, while others must be baptized in the water before God pours out the Holy Ghost on them.
Water Baptism
In the Bible Jesus says that to reach heaven we must be baptized in Jesus's name, in the water. The act of being baptized washes away all your sins making your soul spotless. But baptism isn't just being sprinkled with water, it is the full immersion of a person underwater. But what makes Apostolic's belief in baptism different from many other mainstream religions is the fact that we believe you must be baptized in Jesus's name and not the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Though to many people this may seem like a small thing to make a big deal of, but in the bible its tells us specially to be baptized in the name of Jesus.
Notice how it says name, not names, though this may seem unimportant at first, if a person thinks about it that little difference changes what that scripture means entirely. But don't take my word for it look it up yourself.
The Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is God, and it is one of the most awesome things that God has given us. When a person receives the Holy Ghost, God literally comes and lives in that person. This is an important step of salvation, and without it a person is not truly saved. To be filled with the Holy Ghost a person must have asked Jesus for forgiveness(and some people must be baptized) then they must ask Jesus for the Holy Ghost(this is done through prayer, but explaining it is beyond the scope of this website), but to receive the Holy Ghost a person must be willing to give their heart totally and utterly to Jesus, This includes serving him as he commands and upholding his standards as stated in the bible(for more information on our standards please contact us). When a person is filled with the Holy Ghost they start to speak in tongues, this is the main proof that they have received the Holy Ghost, though their actions afterward speaks the final truth. Many mainstream religions look down on any pentecostal that believe in the Holy Ghost, and many even think that it is sin to speak in tongues. But this isn't so it clearly states in the Bible that you must have the Holy Ghost and you will get it by proofs of speaking in tongues. There are several examples in the Bible where it tells of people receiving the Holy Ghost with proofs of talking in tongues, but it doesn't state once that speaking in tongues was only for the day of pentecost, or for the time of the apostles(anyone who tells you that needs to read the Bible). Here are a few scriptures that tells of receiving the Holy Ghost.
Acts 10:44-47 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
Acts 19:1-6 1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. 4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Worship
If a person ever visits an apostolic pentecostal church one of the first differences they will notice is how different the services are. Many Pentecostals are know as holy rollers and this can also be said to said about apostolics. When the Holy Ghost starts moving in a service many times people can not help but worship and praise God. Many times this is done verbally and physically. There are many ways in which to show your praise to God, from raising your hands to jumping up and down or even shouting praises to God. The Bible mentions many ways that people like David praised God and it still goes on today. But the most important part of any church service is letting the Holy Ghost have its way, and letting God move as he wants. Many times this will lead to services where people just spend hours doing nothing but worshipping God and his glory. For more information on how we worship and scriptures relating to them check out this UPCI article
There is so much more to serving God then is in this short page, much more then can ever be typed. But if you are would like to know our standards, have any questions, or just want more information feel free to contact Faith Tabernacle by calling 573-564-3700 or e-mailing us at church@faithtabernaclepentecostalchurch.org