This is one of the most intriguing topics to me....
So here's the rundown:
We're all at the alter at the close of a powerful service and one of the ladies who has really been getting good with God all service passes out at the alter apparently slain in the Spirit.
There are three kinds of reactions to this event:
1) The people who keep on praying with their eyes open and keep on trying to catch the lady who is slain in the corner of their eye (but act like they don't see it)
2) The people who just stare because they can't figure out what exactly is going on (I will put myself in that category)
3) The guy who runs up quickly, takes his suitcoat off and covers the female's feet who is slain in the Spirit. (it's always like the same 2-3 guys who do it too!)
The process of step three leads to many questions:
- is there a competition amongst those 2-3 guys who are always doing the covering to see who can cover the most female feet?
- Is this a secret ministry within our church (feet covering)?
- I understand that it seems to be about modesty (the suitcoat covers immodesty), but I have never actually seen someone who is slain in the spirit who is anything close to immodest. At most we get some ankle, but no more. Is this really what we should all be in a hurry to cover up?
- Is there a verse in the bible that I am missing that discusses this ankle covering with suitcoat?
- My last question has to do with the picture I found on Google (picture above). If you notice, the ladies who are slain are being covered in sheets (not suitcoats)....and there is a lady who appears to be going around doing the covering with the sheets....Apparently the being slain in the spirit has become so popular at their church that they have developed a leg covering ministry (even though it's clear most in the picture don't need it).
- The above point leads to the most important question, at what point do we stop the "being slain in the spirit ankle covering ministry" because it starts to resemble a "tucking someone in for a nap" ministry which is completely unacceptable at the alter?
very funny lol, at my church we have purple fabric near the alter just in case someone is "slain in the spirit"
ReplyDeleteI would like to address your third question. Perhaps you have never seen anything hugely immodest due to the speed of those suit jacket coverers!
ReplyDeleteJust a thought!
This must be followed up with the rather controversial subject of dancing in the spirit!
ReplyDeleteWe have a slain-in-the-spirit-prone lady in our church - and when I start seeing her sway and eyes roll back in her head my prayers and supplications go up that someone PLEASEGOD someone will cover her. It's bad. Not sure about the influence of the Holy Ghost in that situation, but ... who am I to judge?
ReplyDeleteOften peope on the platform have a different view of those who are on the floor (same level) as those who are slain. If you have an elivated musician looking toward the audiance and slain folks with the bottom of their skirt towards the alter, then stuff can been seen...not good.
ReplyDeleteLOL!! Seen this so many times and it's hilarious!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous above, this is a very valid point I have never considered. Thank you for this insight.
ReplyDeleteI laughed so hard, I started coughing. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI once saw a visiting lady in pants get slain in the Spirit and couldn't help laughing as someone obligatorily covered her bifurcated legs! Hmmm...honey, why do u cut the end off of the ham? Momma always did.
ReplyDeleteI will admit this is a strange practice. The problem I have with being apostolic is that we "adopt" many things without wondering where the heck did this come from? why do we do it? Is it even biblical? THe only time our church did this was when a lady who was not saved received the holy ghost and fell out on the floor.. she was not wearing a bra and had on a low cut shirt, she also had on a short skirt...obvious need to be covered..great article..
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ReplyDeleteI'd like to share a true happening that occurred to me a few years ago. I was watering down the dirt infield of a softball field using what is called a Rain Bird (an automatic, plug it into the underground waterpipe and watch it go professional type of water sprayer). It was a windy day and wind makes the spray go everywhere but where you need it to go so I grabbed onto the Rain Bird and began directing the spray by hand. As I was doing this, I began to play around a bit by moving the Rain Bird back and forth thereby making a sort of "s" in the sky with a stream of water (I'm sure most all have done this at some time or other with a garden hose) and as I was doing this the sun hit the water just right to cause the stream to look like a rainbow (the myst coming off the stream of water, not the stream itself so no, I do not believe it was a supernatural phenomenon). As I began smiling at the show of colors I thought about the Lord and His promise (the rainbow) to never flood the earth again with water and as this was happening some words came to mind, "See, it is true. There really is gold at the end of the rainbow." The rainbow I was looking at had one end ending up in the sky but the other end of the rainbow was at my feet; I was standing at the end of the rainbow. Was it the Lord speaking? I believed it was, but how can I prove it really was Jesus and not a counterfeit voice? By going home, opening my bible and confirming or refuting that voice by the use of scripture : Job 23:10 "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold", Rev 3:18 "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire ...", Zec 13:9 "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried". I hope the lesson comes through and is applied, always and for everything. The Bereans did this and they had not committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit just because they did not take the apostle at his word but rather, they went to scripture to make sure what was said was the truth and doing so pleased the Lord.
ReplyDeleteWhy cover the person who is already modestly dressed? It's COLD on the floor. Some thought I was shaking under the power of the Holy Spirit but I was shivering from the cold floor.
ReplyDeleteWith today's clothes, it might not be the legs that need to be covered (but in my church, not every lady is wearing a maxi dress, so it is better to be safe than sorry). Depending on how they fall, it's also the midriff and the back that need to be covered because blouses and sweaters can ride up, and skirts & trousers that are loose around the waist can ride down. Also, sometimes the men need to be covered in their midsection. We don't need to see their bare bellies.
ReplyDeleteIts for modesty reasons, though it does seem like a bit of a weird ritual in some churches, where they just throw a coat or similar over the feet of a woman in pants!
ReplyDeleteFor many years I was the bass player at our church, so I was up on the stage. When people get slain (both men and women), sometimes its a silent and graceful, legs together fall into the arms of an experienced catcher....other times its not so graceful and they end up a crumpled mess on the floor with their legs splayed.
Im no pervert but Im certainly not an innocent alter boy either, but I can tell you that when you see a female friend or fellow christian whom you feel respectful towards as a sister in Christ, then it can feel quite uncomfortable to be seeing their underwear and realising they have no choice in the matter. So in reality, the covering is for the benefit of both the slain person and those on the stage.
Great answer.
DeleteAwesome reply. Why is it that we are so quick to criticize things that we do not understand?
ReplyDelete1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
Every church operates differently because the church belongs to God. How about let's operate within the guidelines that God has given us and encourage others to do the same.
Amen
DeleteAMEN!!!
DeleteWe use Lay Cloths in our church to cover those that go to the Alter to Pray. This stops those praying from worrying about being indecent accidentally. Not Everyone at church is always “Saved” and we wouldn’t want someone to stumble from possibly accidentally seeing something inappropriate.
We Cover Women & Men.
It Could be a Covering to be in a Space with Just You & God.
I Hope This Helps Someone!!
S Montes.
DeleteS. Montes, I liked your post!
if your dumb enough to believe that what God gives ..man can kill ..you need serious help...in this case holy spirit...knock off the weird behavior..whats the matter with you
ReplyDeleteWhat's confusing? It's not biblical...
ReplyDeleteWhen the Holy Ghost came to the 120 waiting in the Upper Room ..power moved on the people then.. They were later accused of being drunk!..
DeleteA good amount of replies here just proves that more people need to hear the Gospel.
ReplyDeleteThere are many different terms coined to explain a touch of God, such as, Slain in the Spirit, Falling Under the Power and overwhelmed in God’s presence.
ReplyDeleteThose who have not experienced God in this way judge it to either it being Ritualistic or Fake, but hardly ever as being genuine or biblical.
John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment
John 18:5-6 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.
As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
Acts 26:13-14 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Acts 19:12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Now, the questions that should be asked are the following:
Can it be Biblically proven, that being “Slain in the Spirit” is not of God?
Can it be Biblically proven, that laying an apron on a slain individual is to add modesty?
Is believing the touch of God is a real experince detrimental to someone’s salvation?
Experience is the proof to know the truth..
ReplyDelete