SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT

In my years of "church hopping," I've been exposed to both holiness and Pentecostal doctines. One friend remarked, "You've seen the best of both worlds." I thought to myself, "Yeah, and I've seen the WORST of both worlds!"

Pentecostals, of course, believe in and practice being "slain in the Spirit". Is there any Scriptural evidence for such a practice? How about the time in Acts 9 when Saul of Tarsus had his first encounter with the Lord and fell under the power?

And I must say that there is nothing sweeter and more real than being slain in the Spirit when it is of God. I'm speaking from personal experience. But if it's of man, well, that's a different story and constitutes one of my Pet Peeves.

I'm talking about those well-meaning individuals who exert pressure on the person for whom they are praying and push and shove them to the ground. I quickly learned in Pentecostal services to stand with one foot ahead of the other when I was in a prayer line. This gave me leverage to resist being forced to the ground. "Oh," someone says, "but that is resisting the Holy Spirit." I beg to differ. That is simply resisting misguided individuals operating in the flesh!

I remember Charlotte (not her real name). My girl friend used to let Charlotte push her to the ground just to get rid of her! Other times I've watched Charlotte and this same friend in a tug-of-war to see which one would give up first! What a farce! No wonder it's one of my Pet Peeves.

And what are we teaching our children? I've watched preschool kids laugh and play while in the prayer line and then suddenly get serious when someone begins to pray for them. I've seen them throw back their heads so far they lost their balance and naturally fell down. I've seen other youngsters crumple to the floor the moment someone comes towards them because that is what they think they are supposed to do.

One gal said, "I let myself be pushed to the floor just to have a quiet time with the Lord." Is that the only time she can find for a quiet chat with her Savior? Is that truly being slain in the Spirit?

I could go on and on with this Pet Peeve. But I'll save the rest of my diatribe for tomorrow's blog!

Preacher's Kid