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an account of being slain in (well technically it should be 'by') the Spirit: Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira 1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. 3Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." 5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. 7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." 9Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." 10At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. ------------------ i am a sceptic. yes, i have fallen before. however, i do wonder whether it was just a physchological reaction of wanting to be slain or not. well...hmm. i have no wish of being slain by the Spirit now though =| "Neutral observers point out that this type of phenomenon is not at all new. Nor is the resistance to the movement by the average churchgoer who may be unfamiliar with religious experience per se. The ability of charismatic leaders to condition mass numbers of people through suggestion is a well-documented psychological phenomenon." ------------------- and from http://www.thebereancall.org/Newsletter/html/1995/may95.php l've just posted a little teaser here... "Jesus characterized the days just prior to His return as a time of great religious deception (Mt 24:4,11,23-24). He said that many would claim to be uttering prophecies, casting out demons, and performing miracles in His name, yet they would be evildoers (Mt 7:22,23). He declared that seeking after signs was a trait of "a wicked and adulterous generation" (Mt 16:4). Paul also warned that the last days would be a time of preparation for the takeover by the Antichrist and would involve satanic "power, signs and lying wonders" (2 Thes 2:9). Inevitably, the consequence of this religious deception will be the development of a false, experience-driven church which has surrendered doctrine to feeling. " a few paragraphs down... "That trend may be clearly seen among those who express confidence that the "laughing revival" is of God. When pressed for an explanation and for scriptural support, the responses sound more wishful than sure. Rodney Howard-Browne, a major figure in this movement, reflects its experiential nature: "You can't understand what God is doing in these meetings with an analytical mind. The only way you're going to understand what God is doing is with your heart." 4 His sentiments are echoed by Episcopal rector Hugh Williams, who was changed by the experience and endorses it with this unwitting indictment: "Words [including God's Word?] have become meaningless in our society. Signs and wonders are what must capture our attention." ------------------------------------- how bout this site? http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/ ------------------------------------ hmm....13 cents on NetLogin. a sign that i should start reading notes and doing my asst? hehe....hmm ------------------------------------ why is manifestation of the Spirit disruptive? is not our God a God of order? of precise timing and planning? is not chaos spoken against in the Bible? ------------------------------------ Peter Popoff. a total nuthead. popped off his own skull. yet, i think there is a possibility and huge likelihood that given certain circumstances, i could fall for everything he says... ------------------------------------- has the devil's lies about 'if you want it, you get to have it now' idea (think vodafone's "make the most of now" etc etc) reached the church? now now now now now. personally speaking, i have experienced God move faster than a bullet, and slower than a tortoise. yet even those times that God moved faster than superman, there was definitely some trudging around.... ------------------------------------- a balance...a balance. between being a Sadducee and a feel good church addict. ------------------------------------- and finally, i end with the well-known Acts 17:22: "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." 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