I have been a Spirit filled
Christian for 34 years
now. Over the years I have seen different practices that in all honesty are a little quirky. I know that some of these practices started in the infancy of the Charismatic and Pentecostal movements and that they might have taken hold just because people didn’t work through their implications due to their immaturity. However I think it might be time that we grow up a little and think through these things and lay them aside for the greater good of people and the gospel. Here are 9 of them that we should really examine a little more closely.
1Trying To Slay People In The Spirit
I hate being pushed around. I especially hate being pushed in the “name of God”. I remember one instance where I was asked to come forward for a “word from the Lord”. Once the word was given, the evangelist that was speaking decided that I needed to be “slayed in the Spirit”, since their word was so profound I guess. They tried to push me down 3 times. Each time I resisted since I knew it was flesh and not the Spirit. On the 4th try, I had had enough. I looked them straight in the eyes and said “If you try that again, it will be you that goes down with a bloody nose.”
I believe in the power of God. I believe that there are times that the power of God becomes so overwhelming that we get weak kneed or cannot stand anymore. However I do not believe that we need to help God to achieve this. God is more than able to knock me on my backside if He feels that I need it. He doesn’t need some person trying to prove their own power with God to help Him.
When we pray for people who are experiencing a powerful touch from the Lord, instead of making a spectacle out of it, why don’t we get them a chair, sit them on it, and continue to pray for them? It is just as effective and it takes the spiritual hype out of the equation. No longer are we glorifying the “great man of God” but instead we are allowing the great God of man to continue to work on the individual.
2Playing Dropsy In Front Of The Church
Part and parcel with #1 is the practice of people falling under the power when there is no power to fall under. We have encouraged a belief that people do not receive from God unless they are slain in the Spirit. Once again this is a false premise and many people go up to the front to be prayed for by the “great man of God” and then show how spiritual they are by falling on purpose.
When we were kids we used to play a game that showed our trust. It was called dropsy. We had somebody stand behind us and catch us when we slowly allowed ourselves to fall backwards. Honestly, this is what is going on in some Spirit filled circles. We are just playing a game of dropsy.
I remember the first time God overwhelmed me with His power. It was not slowly falling back and allowing someone to catch me. It was suddenly I was overwhelmed by His presence and power and I had no recollection of even going down. However from that point on, my ability to walk and stand under the power of God increased over the years. What would overwhelm me in my early years, would not even faze me today. I believe that we learn how to walk under His power. We should not continue to be slain in the Spirit time and time again
3The Endlessly Repetitive Song
I love modern worship music. I love enjoying the presence of God during worship
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things
I
9
Quirky Habits Spirit Filled Christians Should Break