I love listening to Charity Gayle, a member of the United Pentecostal Church that has been able to reach into circles that do not value the power of Pentecost. As a Assemblies of God guy, I still love Pentecostal worship. I want to fly the Pentecostal banner, not my expression of it.
I have been following Charity since a friend of mine in the United Pentecostal Church told me about a group known as People and Songs. They were about singing songs that were to Jesus, not people’s theological axes to grind. So many of our “worship songs” are theological statements to music; not actual worship.
I can’t say that there were not some of them that I struggle with such as Cleansed. There were a few things that I went, “hmm…” However, knowing the differences between the Assemblies of God and United Pentecostal Church, I understood the process.
All in all, I enjoyed the worship that was being put out by Charity Gayle. It was refreshing and it was boldly Pentecostal, something that is really lacking in our churches. A lot of churches just don’t value the move of the Spirit anymore. Our “worship service” is more a filler to let people who are late get to church. It grieves me.
How Pentecostal is Charity Gayle?
She is the daughter of the pastors of New Life Church that is a United Pentecostal Church just outside of Buffalo, New York. She was raised in the heart of Pentecostal worship and has a great value for it.
At the center of her worship is the presence of the anointing, praying in tongues and walking in the might and authority of Jesus. The value of the name of Jesus is fundamental to her music and that is something that everyone can learn. In a time where psychology has taken root in our lyrics, I speak Jesus draws us back to the core of life.
It reminds me of the early days of my faith. I was saved in the Brownsville Revival and saw the power of God fall night after night. I also would visit a Pentecostal church in my town on Sunday nights. Miracles happen and the anointing of the Lord would come upon us for hours.
I have been in several meeting where Charity Gayle was leading worship, namely the Pentecostals of Alexandria, and saw the anointing come. There was not an hype, emotionalism, or pushing of theology. It was just people going beyond the veil. It was nothing that I had not seen at the Brownsville Revival.
The truth is that Charity Gayle is Pentecostal and that is something that I believe we should celebrate even if we disagree on some doctrinal things. There is power in the name of Jesus and she keeps that at the forefront of everything she does as a worship leader.
It is my prayer that she does not lose that when she visits churches that do not value the anointing of Jesus and the move of the Spirit.
Throne Room and Pentecostalism
One of my favorite songs is when she sings Throne Room Song. It is about going from the world into the throne room of God. (Revelation 4) What happens when we go beyond the veil and enter into the presence of the Lord? The truth is that we are on holy ground and the Spirit moved all around when we call on the name of Jesus.
When we sing to the Lord, all of the angels, creatures and elders join us in crying out to Jesus in his holiness. In our worship, the nearness of the Spirit comes very real. Holiness is branded deep within us and we are transformed by the anointing.
The emphasis is on the running to the Throne Room. This is very much a common message in Pentecostal circles. You can sing this song at any Assembly of God church and no one will think twice. The theology of it is pure.
I have seen this song done in many churches outside of the United Pentecostal Church and it has always ended up with the Spirit moving. I was at Family Worship Center in Louisiana when the power of the Spirit fell in Jimmy Swaggart’s meetings.
There are other amazing songs by Charity Gayle but this one is one that I believe is special. It is anointing and breaks the yoke of sin and bondage no matter what context it is done in. Thank you, Jesus for the anointing.
Worship destroys pride!
One of the greatest needs among Pentecostals right now is humility. The century old division of people who became the United Pentecostal Church and the Assemblies of God is mainly rooted in pride. Both sides have had some very wrong things to say about the other. However, I am hopefully that those walls are coming down.
One of the ways God is bringing them down is through worship. There was a day that a worship leader from the United Pentecostal Church would have never been given a microphone in an Assembly of God. In the same vein, seeing someone that believes in the Trinity to preach in churches of the UPCI. Arms linked together, the Pentecostal movement is becoming of one heart and one mind.
Music has a way of taking bricks out of the wall that divide us. As the message of Pentecost is turning to tunes that we sing on Sundays; more bricks would come out until the wall is completely in ruins.
This has been something that is long overdue. It is a passion that I have to see Pentecostals everywhere to lift up holy hands next to each other in worship of Jesus and praying in the Spirit. It is not being of one spirit when we have everyone but the ones we have disagreement. We need the United Pentecostals present too.
I believe God is using people like Charity Gayle and to a lesser degree, Tommy Tenney to bring about unity.
Her music is awesome full of the power of God .The world needs more music like does.
Is Gayle lgbt affirmative?
Hope not. God loves all people but He does not condone sin. He came to set the captives free. hallelujah
Are you ?
I do not think so. She is UPC, and although they embrace all people. they do not embrace nor affirm that lifestyle. They are an Apostolic Pentecostal Holiness organization. If that is what you are looking for, I am sure you can find it in some churches. I am sure she does judge people, that is only the Lords work.
Correction to my comment. I am sure she does NOT judge, not I am sure she does judge. Typo, sorry.
Her music, the way she worships is from the heart. All she wants to do is lift up the mane of Jesus.yes she is pentecostal if you need to give it a name. But there again so was the first church, it was born at pentecostal,and the church today is also pentecostal, or should be. Keep it strong sister. God Bless.
Wonderful article. Growing up Pentecostal Holiness, I saw the overwhelmingly positive side to it, but there are negatives, that if not contained, threaten to douse the movement of the Spirit. Thank you for this piece. Your sister in Christ, Living in the Ozarks
This entire article is based on a false premise. The issue of doctrine is not small. The issue is not a minor difference in belief. UPC do not believe in the Trinity. Oneness (modalism) has been considered false teaching and cultic for thousands of years in the church. We are told to clearly follow the teaching of the apostle’s doctrine and Jesus said to make disciples teaching them to obey all I have commanded. The very great commission (command) of Jesus includes to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are baptized into a specific doctrine of who God is. UPS and other modalist deny this fundamental truth whole heartedly. Yes, it matters. They worship and sing to a different Jesus.
Quite the opposite the word of God says though we or an angel from heaven teach any other gospel than that we have teached let him be accursed. Baptism has always been in Jesus name until the Catholic Church started changing things. Do your research and seek God for true revelation Shema yisrael adonai eloheinu adoni ehad. Luke 24:47 acts 9:1-5. Acts 4:12.
Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.
All of God.
The fullness of the Godhead.
You are correct we have a different Jesus.
Jesus is God.
So what is the truth here?
There is only one Jesus Christ✝️ he was born from a Virgin Mary, he died on the cross, then rose from the dead in 3 days.
How is there another Jesus?
I’m asking honest hearted and sincerely… not to argue, but in all honesty… this is very confusing to Christians?
The scriptures plainly teach who God is over and over. In Revelations Jesus says before Abraham was I Am when explaining who He is. When God spoke through the burning bush that was not consumed He said to tell the people I Am that I Am. There are many many verses plainly teach that Jesus is the Father Son and Holy Ghost. Hear oh Israel the Lord our God is One Lord. “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”
John 14:9 KJV Pretty plain right?
Isaiah 35:4-10 says, your God will come and save you Israel. The signs would be the many healings he would do, like blind eyes opened, deaf ears will hear, the lame walk.
Then it was fulfilled when Jesus came as described in John 7:19-23
When Jesus affirmed he is the Coming One of Israel to the disciples of John.
The True Jesus is not the second person of the Trinity… He is the First and the Last and beside Him there is no God. See Isaiah 44:6 &
Revelation 1:17-18
Check your bible and see with an honest heart. God bless!
Moments ago, I was weeping in worship. Now, seeing the in-fighting in these comments, my heart is grieved. And I’m very strong in the Lord. I pray no baby believer sees any of this.