Shouts

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by houston

Rolling on the ground?

Yep Holy Rolling!

[houston]

Originally Posted by navygoat1998

Yep Holy Rolling!

I never understood that.

[deacon blues]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

Some of what you wrote is indeed your role to teach and do damage control. You seemed to have handled that well. It also teaches the Catholic couple that you are wise and in control. It's a teachable moment all around and I'm always glad to have them.

I think that all people possess individual personalities, as such, every person will respond in different ways. We can't corral people into one personality, but they must be allowed to have their freedom of expression.

Now, it is wise to teach the proper balance in I Corinthians. Some teach what I see as an imbalance. They teach that you should not speak in tongues in the congregation, but in private. Yet, when you look closely, I Cor 14:5 says this, " I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied:..." You simply can't use Webster to define, "rather".

He is actually, by Greek definition, saying, "I would that you all speak in tongues, but in a larger degree, that you would prophesy."

So, he never says NOT to speak in tongues in the congregation, but to pray to prophesy to a larger degree.

Someone here once stated that they don't allow their people to speak in tongues in the congregation, aside from being infilled, but they do let them run and dance around the church. lol There is more scripture on speaking in tongues than the latter, so I don't know where that teaching is from.

Anyway, we've been around the block long enough to know that the church is a place of teaching and correction. And we know that the move of God has had much more positive results than those that make a display and circumvent rationality.

We are a spiritual church, given gifts to operate. Let's not try to cast that aside because of a few tares or misguided souls.

Paul is very clear. If you speak in tongues in such a way that it would create confusion to an unbeliever, then there should be an interpretation or that person needs to speak in tongues more discreetly and quietly. Unless the tongue is for a message that is to be interpreted, it is a private conversation between the individual and God. He is speaking mysteries that no one understands save God. So I don't believe blurting out in tongues is Biblical, getting in someone's ear speaking in tongues, shouting out loud, getting in the microphone and speaking in tongues, etc. Unless there is an interpretation, keep it personal between you and God, otherwise, be quiet.

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by houston

I never understood that.

I have only seen it one time in my life but it is not as common as it once was. In the minds of some all Pentecostals are "Holy Rollers and Snake Handlers".

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by navygoat1998

Yep Holy Rolling!

I've never understood the "slain in the spirit" thing either. It probably doesn't technically fall into the category of worship, although some may disagree with that.

[Cindy]

Originally Posted by houston

Context, ma'am. "If I be lifted up" is a reference to the crucifixion.

Death, burial, and resurrection are all part of our doctrine isn't it?

[Cindy]

Originally Posted by deacon blues

Paul is very clear. If you speak in tongues in such a way that it would create confusion to an unbeliever, then there should be an interpretation or that person needs to speak in tongues more discreetly and quietly. Unless the tongue is for a message that is to be interpreted, it is a private conversation between the individual and God. He is speaking mysteries that no one understands save God. So I don't believe blurting out in tongues is Biblical, getting in someone's ear speaking in tongues, shouting out loud, getting in the microphone and speaking in tongues, etc. Unless there is an interpretation, keep it personal between you and God, otherwise, be quiet.

I agree with that.

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by RandyWayne

I've never understood the "slain in the spirit" thing either. It probably doesn't technically fall into the category of worship, although some may disagree with that.

I never understand why they don't have breath mints at the altar for those people who think they must get all in your face while they are praying and laying on hands.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by deacon blues

I don't think the Upper Room was spooky. The language of that chapter doesn't indicate as much. The outsiders said "What is this?" because people were speaking in languages they understood. Some said they were full of wine, but there is no evidence outside of the spekaing in tongues that made those people say that. We have to take a theological leap that folks were staggering, passing out, falling over, etc. If that's the case why don't people vomit in the Spirit, get in fights in the Spirit, wreck their cars in the Spirit "drunk" on the Spirit? If Spirit filled people act like drunk men, why don't they do everything drunk men do? I'm not trying to be blasphemous, I'm trying to be honest. We can't add to the Scriptures things that aren't there and declare they are Biblical. What happened on the Day of Pentecost drew unbelievers, not frightened them away.

Seriously? Throwing up? That is just taking the conversation too far. lol But, I agree, we don't know anything, except that Peter said, "These men are not drunken as you suppose." They must have been loud and doing something to appear drunk. A drunk doesn't sit sedately in a chair, I don't think.

I appreciate your testimony. Your experience is your experience and no one can take that away from you. However not everyone gets saved the same way. I was raised in Pentecostal circles and although I observed many things and joined in I can say I never felt out of control, possessed with something I couldn't prevent, I never passed out, I never somehow went into some otherworldly state of mind. I have worshiped vigorously for two hours at a time, run the aisles, laid on my face weeping and crying out to God, spoken in tongues, rocked back and forth on my knees. Some of the moments I cherish, some I look back on and pity myself because I was trying so hard to please God with my worship and how long and hard I committed myself to it and how willing I was to exhaust myself doing it. What I didn't know was that my Father was already pleased with me and didn't require all of thatbfor me to worship Him and draw close to Him.

I agree that not everyone gets saved the same way. I agree that I can look back and think that I was pressured into responding more emotionally than necessary. Nothing too outlandish to cause me to cringe.

But, one time I had a teachable moment in the privacy of my prayer time. I had heard that God needs to hear our voice, lift up our voice for His Spirit to move. I wanted so badly to feel Him that morning. I began to clap and loudly praise His name - to no avail. lol I laid my head on the side of the bed and quietly I spoke, "I love you, Jesus." His Spirit filled the room and He ministered to me.

I think a huge problem we have is getting ahead of God or trying to make Him respond our way. He just wants to be with us and when we are sincerely seeking His face, waiting for Him to open that door, all is well.

My childhood and teen years were tortured oftentimes because I believed the only way to be really close to Jesus was speak in tongues. And I didn't speak in tongues throughout my childhood and teen years. Begged God for it, went to the altar over and over and over pleading with God, believing that if I would just tarry there for hours I would speak in tongues, but it would never happen. So something was wrong with me, right? Thats what I was led to believe. So I vacillated between the notion that I was loved and forgiven of my sins and the idea that I had "lost" salvation because I didn't speak in tongues.

So you see, my perspective affects my sensitivity on the opposite of the debate.

Deacon, Your experience isn't much different than my experience with the Catholic Church. You can never feel forgiven with all the repetitious prayers. After confession, it is a long set of prayers the Priest assigns before you can feel released. You leave the confessional, kneel down at a pew and say those prayers and then you can get up and leave. You can't talk to God directly, you have to say the prayers.

When I was 18, my mother got me an apartment, gave me a key and a map and told me I was moving. lol I had a rocking chair, a cot and an alarm clock, and I was alone. I lay on my cot and said, "Jesus, I hope you won't be mad at me for talking to you like a regular person, but I don't have anyone to talk to." I didn't know that Jesus and God were the same person, and so I talked to Jesus, because I was afraid of God. lol

I don't agree with everything that goes on at my church or in the organization, but like the Catholic Church, it is my journey with God. I am still on that journey, just like you are. I've made some mistakes, seen mistakes made, corrected some things, and I still have God will me. I keep Pressing-On....

[Cindy]

DB, I re-read your post. You said the damage control was about people telling a visitor or new convert they had demons in their house. What does that have to do with shouting, or how we praise?