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Question: I have attended a church when at altar calls two women will pray over an individual and at times the person being prayed for is slain in the spirit. The two ladies will be talking in tongues over this person moving their hands over the person like from head to toe in a swaying motion several inches above this person. This happens almost at all services and I really have a check in my spirit about this and I now find myself not going up for prayer because of this. I have also been invited to stand in line, which I refused, to be slain in the spirit as often as one wants. I have been slained in the spirit,healing occured,and it was the most awesome experience but I find myself really backing away from whets happening at my church and I have kept this to my self since these two ladies are friends of mine as well. Please, can you give me insight on this.Answer: I really appreciate your honesty and sincerity in asking such a question as this. I share your sympathies concerning your fears of going to the altar for prayer when it appears that you may be converged upon by a couple of well-intentioned ladies who'd like nothing more than for you to be slain in the Spirit.
I certainly do not question the sincerity of these altar workers, but there appears to be some misunderstanding about the means of the Spirit's working in the lives of earnest seekers in His presence.
There are various reasons why we go to the altar. Allow me to narrow them down to just a few...
- It may be in response to the gentle tug of the Holy Spirit in our spirit following a fiery word from the Lord through the man of God in the pulpit.
- Our response to the altar call may be to give something to God. (our heart, recommitment, confession, etc.)
- Our response to the altar call may be to receive something from God. (salvation, baptism in the Holy Ghost, a fresh or renewed touch, healing for us or someone else, etc.)
- We may just need to talk to the Lord.
I have witnessed men and women being slain in the Spirit, and I do not doubt that we can be drawn into such an overwhelming presence of a holy God that our physical bodies will fall prostrate before Him. We know from the record of God's word that this has happened on more than one occasion to men even at the appearing of one of God's mighty angels.
However, I have been raised in Pentecost all of my life, and I have never seen such an emphasis upon some of the so called "manifestations" of the Holy Spirit as I have seen (especially in the charismatic movement) in the past 10-15 years. It appears to me that there has been a push for a supernatural act to be performed rather than to receive what we are really needing in the altar (salvation, healing, baptism in the Holy Ghost, etc.).
Please understand... While it is possible to receive what we need from the Lord while being slain in the Spirit, our ultimate desire should be the gift we are to receive from God and not the package it may be wrapped in. In other words, we go to the altar for salvation, healing, an infilling of God's Spirit, etc., and not just so we can be slain in the Spirit.
Please note that Paul had plenty to say about salvation and how to be saved; plenty to say about the Holy Ghost, His work and ministry in our lives, the gifts of the Spirit and how to be filled; plenty to say about holy living etc.; but he never once instructed the New Testament church to be slain in the Spirit.
My advice to you would be to follow the example of God's Word. Paul wrote in 1Cor. 14:33: "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." He then wrote in verse 40: "Let all things be done decently and in order." The same Holy Spirit who "moved upon the face of the waters" in creation and brought order out of chaos (Gen. 1), always brings order. Though some may not understand God's order and may act contrary to the way God intends to work, it in no way takes away from the genuineness of His presence. Satan cannot counterfeit something that is not genuine!
Just a note concerning the practice of these ladies... You said that these two ladies will be speaking in tongues while "moving their hands over the person like from head to toe in a swaying motion several inches above this person." Where is the formula for these actions found in God's Word? Again, I do not doubt their sincerity, but I believe that they are copying what they have seen done by others. It also seems to be very close to the practice of new age holistic healing gurus. Am I saying that they are wrong in praying over people while moving their hands up and down inches from their body? Absolutely not. But we should be more conscientious concerning patterning our lives after biblical patterns.
In conclusion, the Word of God ought to be our standard and should take preeminence over any other practices no matter how traditional they are. I encourage you to feel at liberty to go to the altar for whatever your personal needs may be. God knows your heart. An individual who comes seeking God with a pure heart will always find Him, and if we keep the principles of God's Word as our standard (pattern), we will never go wrong.
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