ASSEMBLIES OF GOD
GAYS
Assemblies of God is the largest Pentecostal church, but of all the denominations it has the least gay outreaches. Meaning most denominations you can do a search and find a group that caters to gay Christians of that denomination.
List Updated Daily
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Missing though is Pentecostal gays. Now there are some Pentecostals listed of which 95% plus are like:
Apostolic Pentecostal, Gay-affirming Christian Pentecostal (point here is the word affirming), United Pentecostal, and some more. What is more hard to find is openly associated to Assemblies of God. Of course the Assemblies is publicly and in doctrine very strict against gays, no AOG pastor would go against this doctrine at risk of being kicked out (many have been indeed kicked out for this). This though is true about these other kinds of Pentecostals. Now what is different is Assemblies of God generally considers other Pentecostal denominations maybe a cult Christian group. Four Square Church is the closest to Assemblies of God and generally has almost the same beliefs.
Now these other Pentecostals usually are very strict in doctrines and obedience to their doctrines. They are nearly a full-fledged cult in my book. They take repentance doctrine to high levels to a term which is summed up in “holier than thou” They expect what really is extremely difficult for humans to live by. Next step would be Puritans or Quaker like life styles. I am being extreme only to point out that they are not really willing to accept other denominations (maybe in public statements). Usually in my conversations with them theirs is the only church that will go to heaven type deal. There is no room to go independent and study Bible for yourself. Meaning it is their way or the hiway.
The is also the fully standalone individuals that say they don’t need nothing but the Bible. They do not and often never do step inside a church, but they talk to you like they have absolute correct interpretation of the Bible.
I have been in the Assemblies of God since February 1974 and I right away liked it. I quickly associated with the Pentecostal aspect because Jesus was so real and alive in me from the start. I began speaking in tongues from the get go. However, I spent 2 years before I accepted Jesus not accepting anyone’s words unless there were backup. Assemblies had a very strong background and though believed The Bible and the repentance/holiness thing, they did so moderately leaving freedom to do any personal searching of truth to its members. Assemblies did not require strict adherence, it was just a place to go worship and praise God and hear fairly good teaching. People generally were themselves and not worshiping the pastor as it almost seems in those other Pentecostal type churches (again I am exaggerating none of them are like a Jim Jones). Now assemblies of course had the usual extreme anti-gay doctrine. Generally, it seems that any other sin can be forgiven and those sinners treated decently even though the sins were heinous for sure they open arms bring them back or minister to them respectfully. Gays on the other hand is you have to become str8 to be forgiven or accepted by them. Truth is of no importance to Most pastors of Assemblies of God Churches concerning gays. Lies from every angle is a good practice towards and about gays. So, for me the major problem with Assemblies of God is their gay doctrine. What real choice to Assemblies of God type gays have? Really there is no choice of other churches. I spent around 7 years going to Metropolitan Church, some were very good churches, its founder even was a Four Square pastor. But MCC is an interfaith church and an inclusive language church. This does work well for non-Pentecostals. Pentecostal is a significant word meaning a great deal. It means Acts Chapter 2 tongues, healing, and the many gifts in operation. This is 100% not condoned in most gay churches that are open to all Christian faiths. So the Pentecostal gay has to sit on their hands to keep them under control during services.
Other gay churches are denomination specific and so are already not Pentecostal. Some a very good as many denomination do have beliefs like Assemblies of God except Acts Chapter 2. So Assemblies of God gays has to stay in Assemblies of God and pretend to be str8 to get general fulfillment of the worship/praise style they are comfortable with and just block the gay condemnation that often is used in sermons to makes points about sin.
The first 12 years I never miss a service or guest speaker of workshop the church. I moved to Seattle and in 1985 I began preaching on TV an openly gay Pentecostal preacher. Now before this AOG pastors everywhere I went called me up to the alter. Probably over 200 time in a 10 year period. They were very specific God had a message for me. They operating in the Word of Knowledge or Prophecy told me fabulous from the Lord. How much God loved me and how much I loved him and what was to be in my future (most has come to pass, others aren’t ready to happen, but continues to be confirms it will happen). They gave this word in front of 1000s in their congregations. Most of the time it was supplemented with another person up on the platform with the pastor with additional Word from God. Now the people there and anywhere and in many other denomination I attended because I had a job that required I take groups of about 20 to their churches and Sundays schools so week by week for many years I spent quality time in a good number of churches sitting with the people I had to take to church. Pastors in those churches (note: I just can'’ seem to step in a church without some comment about Jesus in me that they see) always talk to me and say their impression about me is I am a man of God.
Once I moved to Seattle and started on TV right away this changed. New set of pastors new Assemblies churches, they only difference is they see the word gay in “gays4jesus” and so without even giving a second or 2 thought about my walk for the past decades with Jesus or asking about my testimony they say I am going to hell. The stories that came from otherwise decent pastor makes your head spend. One pastor that once wrote an unsigned letter to me and handed it to me in church after a couple weeks where his wife in the back row and he at the podium would mock me in the congregation. The letter when said and done said if I so much as blink he would call the police. ALL I ever did was listen to his sermon and join in the usual singing and worship as anyone does when they go to church. Later this pastor was getting calls from a homeless gay 16 yr. old with aids he told him to call me. Well I cannot and did not and never implied I could give help to anyone with such needs to any needs, I was on TV free and I am not rich it just could not happen I could help so here I was talking to this person who told me that pastor sent him to me. We had otherwise a good phone talk, but I thought it strange a pastor that showed such disregard to me was pushing off a person really in need which his large church could have easily gave some assistance. That pastor also did several other weird things concerning how he responded to others about me. In his church his congregation was generally really nice to me apparently not effected by him mocking me.
Another pastor told 2 kids to call me and they called daily, finally I was about to get them to talk as to why they were calling. They told me their pastor told them to call me. I called that church and by the date he had taken a vacation just after he told those kids to call me.
I had to come out to another pastor where I had attended for a couple years. Really good Assemblies of God. That pastor and his assistant pastor came to Seattle to open and Assemblies of God church because they heard a prophecy from a Russian prophet while that pastor was in Russia. That prophet said he never heard of Seattle but a mighty move of God would grow out from there. When I told him I was gay he like so many first assumed I was coming to get his help to change and be str8, I really had to confront him that I was not there to become str8 but to just tell him due to other matters. He then began as it were quoting verses (not related to gays) but he would like say half the verse and inside my head I heard the rest of that first which completely made his attempt to use the verse misused. I was surprised to hear the other half of verses he used in my head. It was like he wanted to show gay is wrong (using non related verses) but the fact is a Bible verse is a Bible verse and you can’t pick a phrase to fit your wish. After which I was standing my ground (although cautiously, I was not expecting his nearly violent reaction) he finally said we might as well toss the Bible to emphasize a point that if gay was not sin then the Bible must be a lie. He threw his Bible clear across the room to make his point. I was shocked. Now I knew the Bible inside and out especially concerning the verses used against gays and I knew beyond doubt what they meant and they were not talking about gays. On the drive home I “complained” against God saying how dare I stand up against your servant (even if that servant is wrong). I continued; if a person stands up against a shepherd, a pastor, a called servant then there absolutely has to be confirmation form God authorizing this action. I pleaded with God that I never had any background from God calling me to speak up in this fashion to tell a pastor what the Bible says about things and coming as it were against that pastor. After I calmed down a bit nearing home, God said re-read Ezekiel 34. I knew what God meant because ever since I accepted Jesus the Bible would fall open to that book and chapter at chapter 1. I could not explain why this happened, no matter the Bible or the version (in those days I did not know all modern versions were satan counterfeit Bibles), I picked up Bible in church pews and they fell open to that page. I just began taking it for granted. I could not understand the harsh tone it started with towards leaders in the Church:
34:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe [be] to the shepherds of Israel that do feedthemselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
34:3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: [but] ye feed not the flock.
34:4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up [that which was] broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
34:5 And they were scattered, because [there is] no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
What I saw when I saw the Assemblies of God pastors were very decent God fearing men whose hearts seemed devoted to truth and faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, the doctrine against gays sure was heinous, but hey my opinion then was it was a huge church (meaning 2000 years of Christianity and today so many churches all with anti-gay doctrines and so powerful and completely no support anywhere so no way ever can person make a difference let alone me. I just figured when we all get to Heaven God would tell them so just go to church and worship/praise and minister as I could and just know they will think gay is sin so just keep it secret.
That day God told me to re-read the whole chapter was a decade plus after doing lots of reading and learning concerning gays all over the world and in history, and deepening my knowledge about the verse pertaining to those used to condemn gays. I actually knew more than any pastor did by that time. I had sent letters and got letters back form about every well know household name minister. Paul Crouch and Jan Crouch even hand wrote letters back to me. I also knew details about hundreds of ex-gay ministries and their leader/founders. I had not read Ezekiel 34 for quite some time by then, but it still always opened to that page. I shut up my complaining to God (emotionally charged complaining) when God said re-read it and remained quiet the rest the way home. And so I re-read it. I was astounding it the words leaped out at me with meaning I really never saw before. Tears flooded down my face and I couldn’t really speak it was so profound.
What I saw was encapsulated in Ezekiel 34 was the gay story and how it was treated by God’s people. Note: I also have learned many minority groups had long used that chapter for their causes. I saw that the manner this book and chapter came to me and its effect on me was that over 12 years God was telling me he called me to this type ministry. I could not understand its meaning until I knew about gays in history and all over the world and Church history and how they treated gays and the story behind how they invented the anti-gay doctrine some 700 plus years ago. And these otherwise decent pastor turn to appear demon possess when they see the word gay. Soon afterwards a anti-lesbian woman preaching on public access was not really preaching on the gay issue but example after example in her message was condemning lesbians. This took the cake for me because not only all TV and churches condemned gays this free speech free access and this woman attacking lesbians and it made no sense to her message. I was stupid did not know the first thing about getting on TV and was about as shy as anyone can be. Put people in front of me and I clam up. I wrote to her (pin in hand I was not shy at all), she wrote back demanding I never write to her again she feared her office staff would get aids from touching my envelope.
Follow-up on that pastor above, after getting on TV for a little while a viewer called me saying he recognized me from that church and we had talked a number of times. He said some corruption regarding tithes, then a church fire, a breakup of the pastor and his assistant (as ministry co-partners) and that that pastor took time off finally going on a church circuit on the road. The info was this was not a fun time for that pastor, guess you are not supposed to toss the Bible across the room.
So I now began to see the Rapture just will not happen until the Church gets the gay issue str8nd out. Meaning gay is not sin. Since I began, now since 1985 in daily Christian chat rooms and weekly TV (now even a 24/7 site to air my programs none stop) I know the Church will go through a lot of shaking because of Ezekiel 34, not just because the gay issue but for all the Church wide disobedience for the last 2000 years. But I find more and more the gay issue is far more significant than anyone could guess. When I started know publicly seen support now 26 years later it is floating around 60% support in the USA, the marriage issue kept this back for a while but this now is dropping from an impediment.
Still missing after all these years is the many gays in Assemblies of God. It is still hard for many to accept God will used them as much as he used any str8 Assemblies of God man or woman. The Pentecostal movement has brought intensive growth in presenting the gospel around the world that every eye can see. Several major Christian TV networks are Pentecostal powered as it were, we have two major worldwide Christian networks TBN and Daystar that seem most popular. TBN started a couple months before I got saved and I lived nearby so saw it when Paul sat in a tellers cage with a fussy transmitted signal. They grew fast and after I moved to Seattle and turned on TBN at that moment (a number of times) they were talking specifically about my ministry “Gays For Jesus” in Seattle. I was supposedly going to crash Doug Clark’s (the guest that night on Praise the Lord) rally. I did not know I was going to do that heh heh. I called them and told them they were lying through their teeth about me what is normal for many in the church concerning gays. But even so we do know TBN started with Paul mortgaging his house and his faith God will move in starting TBN. We have many stories about God moving Amongst Pentecostals. As Pentecostals we see faith healing and other moves of God by publicly str8 ministers. I say publically str8 because there are gay faith healers and in the early 80s one name Brant Baker secretly gay healed many broadcasted on TBN. I went to several live rallies and saw the healing first hand. Today you can find sited dedicated to Brant so we now can get his story, but for decades Paul Crouch effectively erased Brant’s name from the Christian record, he told Benny Hinn to fill the gap Brant left. (a story behind that one).
Gay Pentecostal needs to now step up to the plate to bat. It is our turn at bat. Non-Pentecostals did the groundwork and paved the road and many Pentecostal gays worked with no fanfare laying a foundation. I would say most gays have no clues what 1967 meant when the first gays began getting shepherds (Catholics) 1968 (Protestants) 1969 (secular gays). These so many years laid the foundation to a move like the world never seen before. Assemblies of God type gays it is your turn to bat to make all this strong foundation to fulfill what all People of God has been waiting for, his return. This can’t happen till we take out turn at bat.
I have been physically dramatically instantly healed 3 times and many with lesser fanfare that don’t have the frills of getting a good zap. Now saying it like that does not take away from the actual healing, being sick is not a fun thing and being really sick and in great pain and crying out to God in Jesus name in that pain and then having that healing poured out on you is quite the experience. God’s love, tears of joys and much more beside the feeling of the sick leaving and not just leaving by a simple fading but a odd As it were process that defies biological process. How can you just get well in second from a sickness that you should be in the hospital full of medicine and more and waiting for the germs to get killed and flushed out that takes days. So when you are this sort of miserable and after you asked (not your ordinary hi Jesus, won’t heal me by the way. Pretty intense praying going on here just before the healing starts) This one time I felt a plain say a plywood invisible and felt simply like you had above and below that plank of wood (not wood an invisible plain that is flat Plexiglas with on top and under. You feel it touch your head then pass down your body inside the plain is as flat from one side of your body to the other. Under that plain you are sicker that a dog worst you ever had of any sickness before this one (was sick for over 30 day and was on an American Indian reservation). Onto of that plain fully healed. This process moved down to where my legs began and then faded and I was like in the last day of a simple common flu. This took maybe 7 seconds.
Another healing was on the same Indian reservation in another year the host family was cooking intestines ahhhh, I saw a weeny in the window and it was 10 degrees outside I assume hey that has to be safe stupidly ignoring the several green spots on it. Assuming like bread or a banana just cut out the bad spots cook it and that would kill any germs. So I told her cook that, She did it reluctantly and I had that for my lunch instead of what they ate intestines. (it was my lover’s mom’s house he was Navaho). I got so sick I thought I was going to die and the nearest hospital was over 1 hour away. The had an outhouse (not to be gross, but what can I say) it had no door and faced east and out of site of the house. 10 inches of snow and 10 degree and I am in my worst ever need of that outhouse. A mile away was a large hill which earlier I had taken about 15 Indian kids on a hike, we saw many ancient ruins on top. It was a fun hike that hill was maybe 1500’ tall. Now a range of hills they called mountains went north to south the larger being straight east as I was facing. In utter pain I cried out to God in Jesus name to heal me. Suddenly at the most north end of that mountain range I saw what I would say the Holy Spirit flowing south along that range. When he got directly east (1 mile away) He poured down and when he got direct head level though a mile away I burst instantly uncontrollably into tears overwhelmed by what I can only call love. This last at least a minute or more but affected me for some time. That healed me during that 1 minute up to an ordinary mild discomfort which still needed a pot run a couple more times but was very mild. At 3 am I drove 8 hours to my mom’s, after that day we left for home I was tired and sleepy but my lover still rather have me drive. As we got on a hwy that led to the freeway about 10 men on horses led the way in front of the car. I knew these were not able to be seen and most likely because I was so tired. I had never seen anything like it in all my life and as I drove faster they road faster but the care was way too fast so I went by or over them and had to wonder what that was all about it was really weird hope I didn’t ruin something I was supposed to see. But hey got to get home. On the freeway the oncoming car headlights were bright and being tired didn’t help so I prayed a dumb prayer, god help with those bright lights in Jesus name. Instantly surprised shadows came up from in front of every care going the opposite way and covered the headlights diming them for me. This lasted the 30 minutes on that freeway to the off-ramp for home.
The 3rd healing was the first one I had gotten and the less severe and not really needed and who really cares if healed or not sort of things, no biggy but did hurt and was common in the LA area. I was watching Pat Robertson back in the earlier days before he went off in left field. Before 1980. He as usual said put your hand on the place of your pain and the other towards the TV. He does this all the time. I felt healthy, but he was insisting to viewers whatever your pain is. All I had was smog pain, this is common and in La area very often. Deep breathes hurt because of it but is no real problem and I was over 27 so had 27 years of smoggy days hurts a little by days end, it was mild and gone soon enough. So I thought hmm ok I will just do it since it is all I got. I casually almost embarrassingly though no one else there did put my hand on the center of my chest and the other towards the screen, then he said be healed in Jesus name. Instantly unexpected something sort of like a cloud gather throughout my chest from every part of my lungs and seem to puff up then gather towards the center where my hand was them rise out I could feel it rise out of my chest and dissipate into the room. That was some maybe 33 years ago and to this day no hint of smog pain at all no matter what kind of day it is.
I personally have no problem about believing in laying on of hands according to scripture and people get instantly healed. I am gay and no one else was involved, except that crazy thing watching Pat’s 700 Club. And going to Brant Baker’s healing rallies know faith healing is not just for str8 Pentecostals. However, like Paul Crouch erased Brant Baker like most church would never even give the time a day to hear the shortest testimony from a gay person unless it is one that claim to be delivered. How can we be noticed? Jesus walked the land preached then healed all that came up to get healed. Part of preaching Jesus should be no less than what he showed us lay hands on the sick. Pentecostal gays we should all every time we preach should not only invite people to accept Jesus (sinners prayer of some sort) we should ask them to seek the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and explain the varied ways this can happen. We should also lay hands on the sick whenever we meet. Brant Baker met in a groups of friends and studied prayed worshiped and began the laying on of hands. Looking at the time frame it really did not take that long before he was holding faith healing rallies that began to grow rapidly and was becoming international. Some of you already have places to meet and preach and a congregation. Maybe you desire this but are resisting openly operating in your gifts or seeking these gifts or encourage those around you to come forth to operate in their gifts. We know how corrupt many str8 faith healers are and God still honors his promise that in his name he will heal the sick. We can complain about corruption of str8 ministers all we want, but they still have the lime light of faith healing where many healing are legit. How much more you being gay and Pentecostal and search so deep and long with being right with God. You love Jesus and you are not a fraud. Bring this refreshing side to the world. Some of you have the means to do a lot more than sort of play like an Assemblies of God church with whatever name you gave yourself. But so many of you remain silent or not publically with your website or anywhere relating yourself to the kind of praise and worship and statement of faith that matches the Assemblies on nearly every account. Don’t let their blindness on gays makes you want to disown your background. Let them know you are there and actually generally one of them and they can’t do anything about it because God is with you as much as with them, but what’s more Gay Pentecostal it is your turn to bat, you got one up on them. Let’s hear from you. If you are a pastor in the closet don’t be part of a scandal when they catch you. God is with you as you are and you can make a difference. If you have a gay church or group don’t be shy to claim your background as Assemblies of God. Gays were cut out of the Church by the church God graphed you back in, your place is to take the sickness out of the Church and heal it form its bondage to the conditionings of hatreds. If you are not in any church or groups but are of the Assemblies of God Background but think you can’t make a difference I want you to know you can. Many things online are free you can reach many and with the power of the Holy Spirit and anointing of God your will do marvelous things.
It is out turn to bat so go up to the plate and hit a homerun the bases are loaded.
