Subject: Advice on how it should not be practiced |
Bible Note: Prayon: The fact that you totally disagree with my stated position on the practice of "being slain in the spirit" neither surprises me nor angers me . What does bother me a great deal is for a veteran Forum user such as yourself to post a strong condemnation of a doctrinal position without submitting as much as a single word of Scripture to refute that position or lend any authority to your own. Those of us who are veteran users of this Forum know full well that hear-say, experiential, and anecdotal "evidence" simply won't fly, yet you submit as your lone reason for disagreeing with my position the following: "I have to totally disagree with Hank. I believe that one can be 'slain in the spirit' and have seen people done so." ..... Prayon, this simply is not scriptural proof. If you or anyone reading this page can make a solid biblical case for the practice -- "a biblical case" meaning adequate evidence from God's word, not from subjective and error-prone personal experience or observation -- I will be glad to read and study it, and if it shows clearly that my position is in error, I will be happy to retract every word I've written in disfavor of the the practice. ..... Post 5184, which you offered as a reference, contains nothing but an account of an alleged "personal experience." It contains not one word of Scripture. What are Christians supposed to do, base their belief and practice on their own feelings opinions, and experiences -- and the feelings, opinions and experiences of others -- or base what they believe and practice on the clear and inerrant teachings of the Word of God? Have we come to regard 'sola scriptura' as a musty relic from the past? Is 2 Timothy 3:16,17 outdated? Do we need something more, a new experience, a new kick to quicken us? Must we insist on inventing new and exciting experiences such as being 'slain in the spirit' to add glitter and dazzdle to the Christian journey? Must we measure the worth of the Christian committment by the degree of health and the amount of wealth we can acquire when we vacuously presume to play the muddle-headed 'name it and claim it' game with the Sovereign Holy God? What a farce! How far so much of modern Christendom errs from "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints! (Jude 3). ..... Dear sister, this post is about principles, not personalities; hence, while I disagree vigorously with your position, I love you all the same as a fellow believer, a sister in Christ; and may we seek not to disagree agreeably, but rather to search for God's truth about which we may both agree without reservation. --Hank |