The Ballestero Blog

What Were We Thinking Back Then?

Remember when Pentecostal young people would ask their pastor for a letter for Gym Class? They wanted to be excused from wearing shorts and T-shirts?

Then the pastor would write a letter to the school explaining why we as Holy Ghost filled Pentecostals stand against the wearing of immodest apparel. In closing, he would ask for the student to be excused from ‘dressing-out’.

Now, we don’t need letters from our pastor asking to be excused from those gym class requirements anymore. What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal young people would not even think of dating someone that wasn’t in church? What were we thinking back then?

Remember the day when Pentecostal young people thought it was wrong to have a tattoo and actually looked down on those that had one? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal people actually tried to win the lost without dressing like those they were trying to win? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal young people actually asked to be excused from dance classes at school? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when going to the movies was a sign of being backslidden if you were Pentecostal? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal women would never think of cutting their hair, much less going to the beauty parlor? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal young people were expected to grow up in church and be virgins when they got married? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostals thought homosexuality was wrong? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when pastors across town actually required a letter of transfer for a move in and also made a phone call to the other pastor? What were they thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal girls and ladies had to wear dresses that came below the knee, sitting or standing? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostals actually wore their best clothes and dressed up for church? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when there were curfews for teenagers and premarital sex was a no-no? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal women actually had to wear dresses and wearing pants was a sin? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when people spent their whole life attending the same church? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostals thought it was wrong to go to a public beach and wear a bathing suit? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal preachers used phrases like, “Its still holiness or hell”? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal preachers actually set sinning church members down from the platform and out of the choir? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when you could go to the mall and actually pick out those that were Pentecostal just by the way they dressed? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when there was actually some loud noise in the prayer rooms before church? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when we used to sing them old fuddy-duddy songs out of the book and people cried and shouted and some even prayed though during the singing? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when saints didn’t question every thing their pastor preached? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal young men looked like men? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when if you cut your hair and wore make-up you were considered backslidden? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when people took their jewelry off while they were repenting at the altar? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal churches had ‘standards”? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal women wore less jewelry than women in the world? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when tithing was a Pentecostal requirement? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal women didn’t show cleavage and their clothes weren’t form fitting? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when a Pentecostal revival lasted more than 3 nights? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when a good Pentecostal church service didn’t let out till late and revival services went till midnight sometimes? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal young people asked their pastor’s advice before getting serious about a boyfriend or girlfriend? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal saints would call and let their pastor know that they would have to miss a church service and they wanted him to know and to pray for them? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when the preaching, and not the worship, was the most important part of a Pentecostal church service? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostals actually preached against drinking an alcoholic beverage of any kind?  What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostals actually looked down on professional sports or even participating in organized sports? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostals had saints meetings? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal churches had foot washing and communion services?  What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal churches had testimony services? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when we used to hearing preaching about Jesus coming again? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when a Pentecostal preacher that preached holiness, was respected? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal preachers didn’t get their sermons on-line? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal folks wouldn’t take a job if it caused them to miss church? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostals took vacations and still went to church at least on Sunday? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostal backsliders were ashamed and didn’t try to justify themselves? What were they thinking back then?

Remember when we had consecration services? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostals thought there were some things that were wrong and didn’t do them? What were we thinking back then?

Remember when Pentecostals actually preached the importance of Acts 2:38. When they use to say everyone needed to repent and be baptized in Jesus Name for the remission of sins and be filled with the Holy Ghost speaking with other tongues? What were we thinking back then?

We were thinking right!