The Writings of Jason Young

Acts Eighteen was the creation of former United Pentecostal Church member, Jason Young. Jason created the website in September of 2002 and closed it in 2015. Jason and I became acquainted in those days through some Yahoo Groups which are no longer around. When he made the decision to close the site, he contacted me to see if I would be interested in bringing his articles to my website. I was more than happy to do so. Some of the articles included below never appeared on his website, but were things he had written in these groups.

The namesake of Acts Eighteen reflected the story of Apollos in the eighteenth chapter of the book of Acts. Apollos was a Godly man who, while instructed in the ways of the Lord and fervent in spirit, did not have a complete view or understanding of God's word. While Christians today cannot be directly compared to Apollos, who only knew the baptism of John, the spirit and approach of Aquila and Priscilla toward Apollos is what Jason wished to capture and reflect. They accepted Apollos where he was in his walk with God, but then took him aside and explained to him "the way of God, more perfectly."

The mission of Acts Eighteen was to promote a deeper and more accurate understanding and knowledge of God's revealed word - the Bible. Regardless of where we, as Christians, are in our walk with God, we can always grow in our understanding and knowledge. This is true for those studying God's word for the first time and for the seasoned student.

Jason's prayer was that you enjoy actseighteen.com and that it, in some way, draws you closer to our Lord and imparts to you a greater appreciation and understanding of his word.

For those who will say that Jason wrote his articles due to bitterness, please consider what he has shared regarding his United Pentecostal Church background:

"The truth is, I have no axe to grind whatsoever. For the most part, my years in the UPC were wonderful. Some of the finest Christians I have ever known are devoted members of United Pentecostal churches. While I am no longer UPC, and in fact agree with them little on their distinctive teachings, I am grateful to God for my experience there, and there is no question in my mind that God used the UPC to shape me and mold me into the Christian I am today.

"It was the UPC that taught me to seek and love truth, regardless of the price I must pay to receive it. It was the UPC that taught me to passionately pursue Jesus. It was the UPC that taught me that the Bible - God's written Word - is to be treasured and understood as the final authority on all matters of faith and practice. It was the UPC that taught me that nothing in this world holds a candle to Jesus Christ. It was the UPC that taught me that personal holiness, modesty and self-denial are relevant today and an important part of true Christian living. Most importantly, though, it was in the UPC that Jesus found me, forgave me and gave me eternal life.

"Simply put, I have a great fondness for the UPC. The purpose of my web site is not to bash the UPC - what purpose would that serve? My passion is to lead others to a deeper walk with our Lord. I firmly believe that the more Christians understand God's word and learn to properly apply it, the deeper and more satisfying their walk with God will be. More importantly, the better understanding a Christian has of His word, the better equipped he will be to please God and bring glory to His name -- the very purpose for which He created and saved us."

You may read more about Jason's United Pentecostal Church experience here.

Does the Bible Say it's Wrong for Women to Cut their Hair? Unveiling the Myth: "Consider the lack of consistency among those that teach that it is wrong for women to cut their hair. As previously mentioned, some say the word shorn means "cut at all," citing 1 Cor 11:6. Some say that uncovered describes a head from which hair has been cut, citing 1 Cor 11:5. This inconsistency and disagreement illustrates that those holding to these teachings are basing the scriptures on their beliefs instead of basing their beliefs on the scriptures."

Judge In Yourselves - Uncovered: "While every 'uncut hair' advocate takes a different part of 1 Corinthians 11 to back their argument, one of the most common arguments they make is that 'uncovered' = 'cut at all.' Notice this scripture, however..."

Greek God and Women's Hair: " Here is the fascinating part. His female followers would - are you ready? - either cut their hair very short (shorn) or shave their heads (shaven), and put on male clothing (often with fake male organs attached) while the male worshippers would grow their hair long and dawn veils. Sound familiar? That's not all. A vase discovered depicting the practices of this wicked cult was discovered and on this vase was a woman, equipped with the right 'parts' if you will, with a near shaven head. This vase depicted the standard methods of worship of this god. But the real 'kicker' is where this vase was discovered - in Corinth."

Jewelry: Does the Bible Say it's a Sin? What the Scriptures Really Say: "But are these scriptures forbidding the use of jewelry by Christians? A number of holiness-based Christian groups have come to that conclusion, but doing so fails to consider the numerous other passages in the Bible that actually appear to endorse the use of jewelry. In fact, many places in the Bible show that God uses jewelry as a blessing to his children."

Jewelry: Forbidden?: "Above, Peter instructs women to adorn themselves as the holy women of the 'old time' did, right? How about Rebekah? She was unquestionably a holy woman of the old time. Was she not one of the most prominent female figures of the Old Testament? Of course. So then, let's look at some passages about Rebekah..."

Does the Bible Say It's a Sin for Women to Wear Pants? The Truth About Deuteronomy 22:5: "Many believe, however, that this verse still applies to us today because this verse states that violators of this law are an abomination to God and that which was an abomination to God in the Old Testament would also be an abomination to God in the New Testament. However, the usage of the word abomination in Deut 22:5 does not necessarily make it a timeless moral law because any violation of God's mandates is an abomination to Him, whether it is a violation of ceremonial law or moral law. Furthermore, Deut 22:5 is placed squarely in the middle of, and is completely surrounded by, ceremonial laws. If it is indeed a principle to be literally followed today, why would God choose to bury this verse in the middle of what are clearly ceremonial laws?"

Makeup: "I can't say it enough. If because Jezebel put on make-up, then make-up is a sin, then combing you hair is, too. This is just one more example of the lack of Bible scholarship in the UPC. I was always taught that Jezebel was trying to seduce her enemy here. But a basic reading of the text reveals that Jezebel knew she was going to die and was simply mocking her soon to be captor by fixing herself up for her death. She wasn't putting on make-up to seduce anyone and neither does 85% of the women in the world!"

Holiness, Standards and Sin: Considering the Motive Behind the Act: "It is human nature to look more to our actions than our thoughts when it comes to sin. This human reasoning suggests that what we do is what counts and that our motives and intent are secondary. Such thinking is a form of legalism in that it stresses the letter of the law while missing the spirit of the law. Certainly our actions count, but considering actions while ignoring or minimizing the true motivations behind them is a mistake. Sin is first conceived in the heart and every sinful action is backed by sinful intent."

Abuse of Authority in the Church: A Biblical Perspective of Leadership: "For those that manage to function within an authoritarian church, commonly feelings of guilt, condemnation, and worthlessness hang like a dark cloud over their Christian walk. Obviously, this is not what God intended for his children. Jesus said, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:31)"

Pastoral Authority Concerning Standards: "Your pastor is free to believe whatever he wishes, but when he starts requiring church members to follow an invented doctrine, or worse, telling them that they will go to hell if they don't, then he is out of line and will be held accountable for it by God."

Law & Customs: "Standards advocates can assert that Paul was specifically addressing the law, but anyone reading Galatians and the other Pauline Epistles with sincerity cannot state the law was the only thing that Paul was addressing. Paul, in one sense, was addressing specific issues (with the Law) but also articulates general principles that apply to all aspects of life. "Legalism" is what Paul was really addressing and its radical and extreme adherence to the letter of the "law" while missing the spirit of the law, which is precisely what Paul is addressing."

Once Saved, Always Saved?: "There's some truth to that. There are Christians who use their belief in eternal security as an excuse to sin. But there are also Christians who don't believe in eternal security that also sin willingly and repeatedly, believing they can simply ask God for forgiveness afterwards. Unfortunately, there are those on both sides of the camp that try to take advantage of God's grace and mercy and the problem with some Christians believing they can freely sin is not new (see Rom 6:1-8). However, any truly saved Christian with even a basic level of spiritual maturity will seek to live a life pleasing to God, whether he or she believes in eternal security or not. Any Christian that believes he or she can freely sin is either unsaved or terribly immature. The saved, mature Christian will be driven to please God out of love and gratitude towards him." Note: This is an unfinished article.

In Jesus' Name: An Examination of the Oneness Pentecostal Baptismal Formula: "The teaching that the only valid baptism is one in which the name of Jesus is verbalized raises a number of important questions. What is the correct baptismal formula, biblically speaking? What do the biblical authors mean when they use the phrase "in the name?" Is it correct to assume that if the name Jesus is not spoken during baptism, that the baptism is invalid? If so, and if baptism causes the forgiveness of sins, is it correct to assert that one who has experienced an invalid baptism is eternally lost? What are the other implications of such a teaching and what else should be considered? The purpose of this paper is to answer these questions and to evaluate the Oneness Pentecostal position on baptismal formula from a biblical perspective."

Speaking in Tongues: Can All Christians Experience It?: "While many modern-day Pentecostals do not hold to the classical initial physical evidence doctrine of their Topekan ancestors, all are in agreement that the experience of speaking in tongues can be had by all Christians; but is this teaching a biblical one? The purpose of this paper is (1) to present the Pentecostal position and contrast it with the traditional evangelical position; (2) to survey the arguments Pentecostals make to support their view and; (3) to evaluate the Pentecostal position scripturally. While there are a number of important issues regarding tongues such as their nature, their purpose, and their availability to Christians today, I will focus exclusively on whether the Bible teaches that speaking in tongues can be experienced by all Christians."

These writings are the copyright of Jason Young and are posted with his permission.

Page Added July 27, 2015 & Updated January 28, 2024

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