If a member of the first-century church in Ephesus or Rome were transported into a modern Apostolic Pentecostal service, they would not recognize it as a Christian gathering; they would likely mistake it for the very pagan frenzies the Apostles warned them to avoid. While the movement claims a “restoration” of the primitive Church, an intellectual look at the Biblical text and historical record reveals a startling reality: the modern Apostolic movement is not a return to the roots, but a departure from the “faith once delivered.”

I. The Theology of Chaos vs. The God of Order

The hallmark of the Apostolic experience is the “move of the Spirit,” often characterized by hysterical weeping, running, shouting, and physical collapse (slaying in the Spirit). The place of my birth, Cleveland, Tennessee, is the hub of the “Church of God,” and its error is rampant. The signs into the city limits say, “The City with Spirit,” insignia of the influence of the international headquarters of the “Church of God” denomination.

 The Apostle Paul’s primary concern for the assembly was intelligibility and restraint. In 1 Corinthians 14:33, he provides a definitive theological boundary: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.”

The Misinterpretation of “Power”

 Apostolics often equate “power” with emotional intensity. However, we note that the New Testament defines spiritual power as the ability to mortify the flesh and live soberly. When a service devolves into “holy laughter” or “dancing in the Spirit” that disrupts the teaching of the Word, it violates the command that “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (1 Corinthians 14:32).

The Holy Spirit is a spirit of “self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). Therefore, “divulging into chaos”—unintelligible shouting, falling, or uncontrolled movements—contradicts the biblical fruit of the Spirit.

If a person cannot control their physical body, they are exhibiting a lack of the Spirit’s fruit—self-control. Paul said he brought his body under control- or constraint (subjection-KJV) in 1 Corinthians 9:27).

II. The Historical Impossibility of the “Shouting” Church

The Apostolic claim to be the “original” church ignores the sociological and political reality of the first 300 years of Christianity.

The Silent Underground

From the Neronian persecutions to the Edict of Milan, Christianity was an illegal religion. Believers met in secret. They met in individual homes and in catacombs beneath the ground. A boisterous, high-decibel service with “shouting” and loud “tongues” would have been a death sentence! Christianity didn’t have government protection until Constantine, who then took it to another extreme, which is an article for another time.

The Discipline of the Secret

Historical records of the Early Church (such as the Didache or the writings of Justin Martyr) describe worship centered on the solemn reading of Scripture, weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper, and orderly prayer, and singing spiritual songs. The “ecstatic” worship seen today more closely resembles the Greco-Roman mystery cults (like the cult of Dionysus) than the somber, reverent assemblies of the persecuted saints who lived in constant fear of discovery. The concert-like “worship band” is a modern phenomenon. The beating and banging of cymbals and tambourines while flailing about, as if being goaded by a cattle prod, are a mockery to the reverential spiritual worship as prescribed by the God of the New Testament. 

(The early saints weren’t to seek martyrdom. If it came, then stand fast (Romans 8:18; Revelation 2:10), but it wasn’t the objective of the mission (Mark 16:15-20)).

The “quiet and peaceable life” mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:2 was both a spiritual goal and a survival necessity.

III. A Foundational Fallacy

Modern Apostolicism relies heavily on the “Five-Fold Ministry,” specifically the elevation of modern-day Apostles and Prophets who claim direct, extra-biblical revelation. The offices of Apostle and Prophet were foundational, not perpetual.

Ephesians 2:20 states the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Once a foundation is laid, it is not repeatedly poured.

Modern claimants to these titles often bypass the sufficiency of Scripture by claiming “fresh revelation” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). From a biblical standpoint, this undermines the finality of the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).

The Closed Canon

 The Biblical text maintains that the office of the Apostle required being an eyewitness to the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:21-22). Once the original Twelve and Paul passed, the “foundation” was complete. We, as living stones, are built upon that foundation, and are a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5).

The Danger of “New” Prophecy

By claiming that a “Prophet” can give a “Word from the Lord” that directs a believer’s life, the movement creates a hierarchy that undermines the Sufficiency of Scripture. If the Bible is the complete and final revelation of God, the modern “Apostle” is at best a redundancy and at worst a deceiver (Galatians 1:8-9).

IV. The Rejection of Biblical Patriarchy

A significant departure from New Testament doctrine is the Apostolic movement’s widespread use of women in pastoral and teaching authority.

The Apostolic Injunction

 1 Timothy 2:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 are not merely cultural suggestions; they are presented as commands of the Lord rooted in the order of Creation. This makes them universally applicable to the Church. The Apostolic practice of ordaining women ignores the biblical qualifications for eldership (the presbuteros), which are explicitly male-centric (1 Timothy 3: 1-7; Titus 1:5-9)

A Lack of Precedent

There is no record in the New Testament or the first millennium of church history of a woman serving as a Presbuteros (Elder) or Episkopos (Overseer). By ordaining women, the Apostolic church aligns itself with modern secular egalitarianism rather than the patriarchal structure established by Christ and His Apostles.

 A Modern Invention, Not a Primitive Restoration

The evidence is clear: the Apostolic Pentecostal church is a product of the early 20th century, not the first century. Its dependence on emotional chaos contradicts the mandate for order; its public boisterousness ignores the historical reality of the underground church; its modern apostles contradict the foundational nature of the original Twelve; and its leadership structure ignores the clear prohibitions of the New Testament.

“Apostolic” Pentecostalism is, ironically, a modernist movement. By prioritizing emotional experience and contemporary social trends over the historical and exegetical mandates of the New Testament, it creates a “New” church rather than a “Restored” one.

In the final analysis, we must choose between the feeling of the moment and the finality of the Word. To follow the New Testament is to reject the innovations of the modern Apostolic movement.

“If it is new, it is not true; and if it is true, it is not new.”

The Eastside Church of Christ loves your soul and seeks to help you know God. If you need assistance in your walk with God- we stand at the ready to help you. God loves you and we do too!