Ok I havent read any of the other posts on this thread... making that clear before I post in case I say something already said...
In the church I grew up in there were 2 young girls.. both mentally retarded. Such sweet girls yet they both had very deminished mental states.. one had the mentality of a 6 yr old and drs said that would never change and the other that of a 4 yr old... These girls were brought to church every service from the time i have known them until now... They faithfully sat on the 3rd row from the front... Never disruptive too much just excited to be there..
Their mother asked our pastor once if he would baptize them and he said he would.. she really felt this needed done.. same situation as that spoken of in post 1 here.. so he said yes but lets wait a little while and let me talk with the girls so that I can see if I can get thru to them and get them to understand what we are going to do. They admired him and thought of him as a grandpa.. so he spoke with them and told the parents.. lets just wait a while longer I feel it in my spirit that they will get this on their own and I want to see just a short while? So they waited.. Well on his talk with them he walked them around the church... showed them the altar.. told them this is where they pray and ask God to forgive their sins.. then he also showed them the baptismal..
One service about 3 months later.. We hear the youngest girl screaming in church... I was sitting not far so I glanced to see what she was doing... she had no speech capabilities so all her sounds came out as just noise as is sometimes the case.. but this time it was screaching squeels.. I looked and she was jumping up and down pointing at the baptistry to her mother... just screaming and smiling... Her mom asked her what she wanted.. she pointed up there and then took her mother by the hand.. walked her to the altar.. the young girl raised her hands and began to immediately speak in tongues.. She then looked at her mother in the clearest voice and said... I need to get baptized!!! Needless to say she did!
The almost exact same thing happened to her older sister about 3 months later.. I am not saying make one wait.. I am just saying follow God as I know you would but also.. Know that yes they still have the capability to know and understand this no matter how mentally incapable they may seem
Incredible! Yet this brings up another point to consider; I've seen God move deeply on mentally diminished people to the point of all kinds of responses. Do you think we sometimes 'sell them short' on the salvation experience by saying, "They just wouldn't understand"?
I've seen many of them receive the Holy Ghost as well as you and I. And, yes, I've baptized those who have and asked to go down in Jesus Name. I'd be interested to know how many others have seen this happen.
Incredible! Yet this brings up another point to consider; I've seen God move deeply on mentally diminished people to the point of all kinds of responses. Do you think we sometimes 'sell them short' on the salvation experience by saying, "They just wouldn't understand"?
I've seen many of them receive the Holy Ghost as well as you and I. And, yes, I've baptized those who have and asked to go down in Jesus Name. I'd be interested to know how many others have seen this happen.
Points to ponder...
I have too. It depends on the level of incompetence.
I have also seen the deaf and dumb receive the Holy Ghost, speaking in a beautiful heavenly languange, clearly, articulately which sometimes have been interpreted.
Incredible! Yet this brings up another point to consider; I've seen God move deeply on mentally diminished people to the point of all kinds of responses. Do you think we sometimes 'sell them short' on the salvation experience by saying, "They just wouldn't understand"?
I've seen many of them receive the Holy Ghost as well as you and I. And, yes, I've baptized those who have and asked to go down in Jesus Name. I'd be interested to know how many others have seen this happen.
Points to ponder...
Yes indeed I do...Wow... this brings so many things out that are so dear to my heart... when we were in OKC and running the halfway house ministry there.. Some of the people there were so out of their minds... some since birth.. some due to drugs and some just due to life. One thing that always did my heart so good was when one of them would get a revelation of who God was and they wanted it.. and they wanted it so bad.. I can remember one man one night.. oh there was no waiting till Sunday to get him baptized.. It was gonna be NOW and he didnt care how cold the water was or how long it took to fill the tank.. God showed him it had to be done so do it now!!!! LOL That man went down in that tank in Jesus name.. when he stepped in there he didnt have much mind to speak of. Hadnt lived on his own or with his parents since he was 7 when he lost his mind.. 32 yrs! He came up a brand new man! A full and complete mind.. A heart to serve God and he is living in his own home he is paying for with earned income.. no longer on SSI driving a car which he was never able to do until 2 yrs ago... and reaching the entire community where he lives... There are others who are still there.. the improvement is so extreme it would blow your mind.. One other man same story as above.. however he has chosen to stay there... He feels God wants him there to help with the others. When we were forced to leave due to the unfortunate circumstances he was in the process of moving out. He has since decided to stay so that they have bible studies and someone to pray with them and he works there now and lives there as staff instead of as a patient... And people say God cant deal with them?? WRONG!
Then there is the one who was there who was not only mentally insane but also deaf... Who spoke in tongues so beautifully for over an hour one night and heard himself and everyone around him and actually kept his hearing for about a month.. was able to reach so many with his testimony.. however he unfortunately lost his hearing again they believe as a trama result of a car accident he had in Dec of last year.
If I had a mentally challenged child, I would want him or her baptized in Jesus Name. I would do my best to try to explain to my child the importance of baptism, etc. Who knows -- the child may understand more than I would think he would.
We have baptized some mentally handicapped people over the years. I think they understood that they needed to do it out of obedience, but they of course did not understand why we baptized in Jesus' name. I don't think they have to understand, but they were obedient. I can't remember if any of them ever got the Holy Ghost or not.
This past sunday I prayed for a very long time with an elderly man with Alzheimer’s. He was precious. you could see the fog in his eyes but there was also clearly something there that was responding to the strong presence of God in the place.
He didnt recieve the Holy Ghost, and I am not sure that there would be a way to explain to him baptism in a meaningful way, but clearly the Lord touched him.
I dont have any answers beyond these people are in the hands of a merciful God who's judgement is a good bit better than mine.
__________________ If I do something stupid blame the Lortab!
If I had a mentally challenged child, I would want him or her baptized in Jesus Name. I would do my best to try to explain to my child the importance of baptism, etc. Who knows -- the child may understand more than I would think he would.
Yes. We don't know what they hear vs what they understand vs what physical responses they may or may not have. We can present the gospel to them, we MUST do this for them.
Just like you can play a CD for kids to learn (for a play or a program). While it is playing in the background, they are playing, reading, fighting, putting gum in each others' hair, dumping cream of wheat in someone's ear and...a week later they are singing the songs. We can't tell what is going on inside of someone if we are stuck in the box of traditional response.
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"Some may call me foolish, some may call me odd; but I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man than a fool in the eyes of God..."
This past sunday I prayed for a very long time with an elderly man with Alzheimer’s. He was precious. you could see the fog in his eyes but there was also clearly something there that was responding to the strong presence of God in the place.
He didnt recieve the Holy Ghost, and I am not sure that there would be a way to explain to him baptism in a meaningful way, but clearly the Lord touched him.
I dont have any answers beyond these people are in the hands of a merciful God who's judgement is a good bit better than mine.
Ohhhh it's so good to be a "one stepper" No longer having to tell those whom the Lord clearly touches, you didn't get "it", come back next week and try again.
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God has lavished his love upon me.
Ohhhh it's so good to be a "one stepper" No longer having to tell those whom the Lord clearly touches, you didn't get "it", come back next week and try again.
I wonder why Philip in Acts 8 or Paul in Acts 19 didn't rest along with you in your knowledge of receiving the Spirit.
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His banner over me is LOVE.... My soul followeth hard after thee....Love one another with a pure heart fervently. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
To be a servant of God, it will cost us our total commitment to God, and God alone. His burden must be our burden... Sis Alvear
My soul followeth hard after thee....Love one another with a pure heart fervently. 
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