As most of you know, I'm a fairly pathetic charismatic. Sure, some of you might think I'm quite "radical" for singing songs that are not in four part harmony, but truth be told, I'm not really one for the "sign gifts". This is not to say that I haven't had a few crazy experiences myself along the way, but in this post, I want to focus specifically on being "slain in the spirit".
What exactly is being slain in the spirit anyways? I wonder how many biblical accounts talk about a person going to the front, and having someone else lay hands on them and then falling down in some type of trance or hypnosis akin to Paul traveling to a specific level of heaven??!! Maybe I need an education. For those of you who are well versed in this part of theology, I invite you to lay it on thick. I really don't know of any biblical precedence for this type of behaviour. Anyone willing to take this on and support it? Anyone? It happens all the time around here, so what's going on??
Once again though, my practical theology and my learned theology are at a cross-roads. In fact, I've been slain in the Spirit - twice. At least I think so anyways.
The first time happened about 5 years ago at Tehila Monday in the First Assembly Church in Calgary. There was a miracle healer speaking, and I really wasn't impressed by his teachings (at one point, in lieu of having a young man die who he had prayed for healing to come over, the miracle healers way of solving this dilemma was that if he would've "prayed harder", the young man would've lived...I guess he didn't have enough faith or belief to save him....as you can tell, I think this kind of reasoning is biblical hogwash).
Anyways, there was a call for people to get healed in the front. They also invited other faith healers to come up and help out. For reasons I might get into in another post, I went to the front to help out. However, once we went to the front, it simply turned into another "wave the magic wand" and everyone falls down type of healing service.
I remember being at the front, praising God, and praying, trying to listen to His voice. I felt like God himself wanted me to listen to Him and fall down on the floor. So, in obedience, I did - whammo - slain in the spirit (as a side note, once I was "slain", I felt God call me to go immediately over to the house of a teen who had just severely busted up his ankle at a youth night playing football. I went over, we prayed, and shortly after - as opposed to what the doctor's said - he was healed - go figure).
So, last friday night, the speaker and group from Meadow Lake wanted to pray for me at a youth night in the gym. I agreed to go up. While they were praying for me, I realized that these people probably wanted me to "fall down". I told myself that this was dumb, and I wasn't going to fall down just to make these people happy. But, at the same time, I felt God wanted me to submit to this "dumbness". I felt that he wanted me to lie down simply to submit to His will. So, I did. God met me. God worked in my heart while I was on the floor and I felt healing waters come over my dry and broken soul. It was refreshing, renewing, and revitalizing. It was water to the dry throat. But, was it biblical? Is this how Christians act? I "feel" fine with what all happened, but my brain is having a hard time saying that this is how Christians have acted in the past, and will act in the future. I wonder if this is a phenomena, or the Spirit working within me?
Blessings
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