on falling out

on falling out

From time to time I like to post something from my faith tribe. The Content Team at Patheos likes the fact that I have a Pentecostal-Charismatic background.

I’m going to isolate a common occurrence in revival-type atmospheres. Anytime a particular phenomenon is isolated and discussed, it is at best artificial. The mysterious movements of the Holy Spirit occur within the context of other movements as the community of faith opens up to the possibilities of the numenous. Nonetheless, it is sometimes good to expand on a particular aspect of the Spirit’s activities, for teaching purposes.

Sarah Groves

Glory Comes Down

for video CLICK

I will briefly discuss falling out.

falling out

In the days of my youth, we used to call this being slain in the Spirit. It is a display of the power of God. A person/s usually falls back while someone is praying for them at the altars. It doesn’t matter if the person who is praying lays hands on the person who falls out or not. Physical touch is of little consequence, so you don’t think preachers are pushing over parishioners.

Scripture, both Testaments offer plenty of examples of when people are simply no longer able to stand under the manifest presence of God. One of my favorite examples is in the garden with Jesus and the Apostles at the moment of His betrayal.

So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, ‘For whom are you looking?’ They answered, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus replied, ‘I am he.’ Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he’, they stepped back and fell to the ground. (John 18.3-6, NRSV)