I have been blessed to be raised in the church.  Even in my short, young 33 years I have seen a lot of Apostolic heritage.  We are blessed to be a part of such a great church.  Many men have sacrificed their lives to bring us this gospel.  Whether by physically laying down their lives or by sacrificing their own wants and desires to carry out the great commission.It started with the apostles who literally laid down their lives to spread the truth that we still believe today.  Men and women have carried this torch throughout history.  In the early 1900’s there was a resurgence of truth and revelation.  And the modern Pentecostal church was born.  From this group of seekers, the United Pentecostal Church was founded.

The church continued to prosper and grow.  For years Pentecostals were considered fanatics and crazy.  Pentecostal preachers were mistreated including being beaten for preaching this gospel.  A heavy price was paid to get this truth to where it is today. 

No longer are Pentecostals snubbed or mistreated.  Matter of fact, Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religion in the world and is only second in numbers to the Catholic church.  We are a part of a great church with a great truth.  And while many of us have never had to pay a great price to believe what we believe, we are aware of the price that has been paid to bring us to where we are today.

I look back at the changes I have seen in my life.  From watching the hair-dos of the 80’s, 90’s and now the 2000’s to the clothing changes that have taken place in those same time spans.  I thank God we do not have the same styles we did 30 years ago.  I have also seen a change in the way in which church is done.

As society changes, so must we.  We would look funny at someone riding a horse into town to get groceries.  The invention of the car has revolutionized the way we live.  The internet has even further changed the way in which we live.

The message I get from this is simple, we must change and conform how we do church. But one thing that never changes is this truth.  I thank God for our heritage.  I thank God for the men and women who have sacrificed their lives to bring us this great Apostolic heritage.  We will uphold this truth that they fought to preserve and prosper.