“Slain In the Spirit” and Other Oddities
All I can believe is our spiritual beings are not wired for God’s full
power, and when we plug into that power, we just cannot survive it. We are wired for low voltage; God is high voltage through the Holy Spirit!-Kathryn Kuhlman ¹
Once I was in a meeting with a well known preacher who was noted for his strong “anointing.” I went down front for prayer and was standing on the far left end of the line. The preacher stood next to me, we made eye contact and I noticed a large ring on his right hand. Suddenly, he whirled around, yelled out “IN THE NAME OF JESUS ” and slapped me in the head with the ring. Yes, I did fall to the floor but it was more under the power of the ring than the power of the Spirit.
Through the years I have been pushed, slapped and otherwise manipulated many times in attempts to get me to fall over. Yes, that has raised my level of skepticism in the area. However, does that mean that the experience is never legitimate? Not at all.
The Presence
The overwhelming presence of God is a very real phenomenon. Throughout the Bible, whenever the Holy Spirit’s presence shows up in a tangible manner, unusual physical
manifestations are not uncommon. These include:
- Shaking (Genesis 42:48; Exodus 16:16 Psalms 2:11; Isaiah 66:5; Matthew 28:4; Acts 7:32; Hebrews 12:21)
- Exuberant joy and drunken-like behavior (1 Samuel 1:12-17; Acts 2:13-15)
- Spontaneous outbursts of praise to God (Luke 1:46-55, 5:25, 17:15; Acts 3:8-10)
In the Old Testament, it is interesting to note that the Word “glory” in Hebrew, can also be translated “heavy,” or “heaviness.” When God’s glory manifests, it is often sensed as a heaviness (in a wonderful, holy sense). Sometimes people are simply overcome by this heaviness, and fall to the floor as a result.
One of the most graphic Biblical examples of this is found in 2 Chronicles chapter 5, which tells the beautiful story of the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. When construction of the Temple was completed, King Solomon led the Israelites in an incredibly joyful worship service, climaxing with the bringing in of the Ark of God’s Covenant (verse 7). Innumerable offerings were given (verse 6 ), exuberant music filled the air (verses 12-13), and the glory (heaviness) of God filled the building so intensely that the priests couldn’t stand to minister (verse 14)!
The Bible contains several other examples of people who were, in one way or another, overcome by the power and glory of God, sometimes resulting in them falling down or having some other related effect. Each of these cases was unique and happened for different reasons with different results. Yet they serve as a reminder that falling to the ground under the Holy Spirit’s power is not without precedent in the Bible. Consider the following:
- When Jesus identified Himself to the mob that had come to arrest Him, the impact of that proclamation knocked them all to the ground (John 18:6).
- When Saul of Tarsus had his dramatic encounter with Jesus on Damascus road, the brilliance of the vision knocked him to the ground (Acts 9:4).
- Similarly, when Jesus appeared to th.e Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, John “fell at His feet as one dead (Revelation 1:17).”
The Experience Today
Although it is generally associated with the Charismatic movement, being “slain in the Spirit” is by no means an exclusively Charismatic phenomenon.
For example, Catholic contemplative prayer literature contains references
to “swoon states.” In addition, many great preachers of the past, such as John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield all testified to people falling under the Spirit’s power in their meetings, often in large numbers! From what I have read, some of their services make modern Pentecostal meetings look pretty tame!
One example can be found in a journal entry dated May 1, 1739 in which Wesley reports “Immediately one, and another, and another sunk to the earth; they dropped on every side as thunderstruck.”
Further, in A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God (1737), Edwards describes people weeping, crying out, and even fainting under conviction. Regardless, Edwards refused to fall prey to gullibility. In Religious Affections (1746), he wisely calls for discernment: “There may be a very great outcry in a town, and many people deeply affected, and yet the work be a delusion.”
When the Spirit Hits the Fan
Some of you may remember the Toronto Blessing that was the big rage about thirty years ago. If not, it was a revival that prominently featured things like holy laughter and people making animal noises. I really was never quite sure what to make of it but I was hesitant to make any hasty judgements without seeing it firsthand.
One night I was watching a panel
discussion about it on a Christian TV program and one of the participants raised a good
point. He suggested that the Holy Spirit was coming upon people who may not have been trained on how to operate in the gifts and simply did not understand how to respond. Still, God moves through flawed, flesh and blood human beings. Does He always approve of what we do with it? Obviously not but He still chooses to work in and through us in spite of ourselves.
This is important to remember. Just because there may really be excess and abuse in a movement does not necessarily mean that God is not in it.
Excess and Abuse
In the Book of First Corinthians, we see a church that featured lots of spiritual manifestations such as speaking in tongues (chapters 12-14). Yet the apostle Paul still had to scold them harshly for being carnal (3:3). Corinth
was a very immoral city that has been called the “Red Light District” of the ancient world.
Unfortunately, the church there was not exempt from that either. We further read that people in this church were getting drunk at the communion service (11:17-34) and everyone tolerating a man having an affair with his stepmother (chapter 5)! Yet in spite of these horrible abuses, notice that
Paul never said that the manifestations they were experiencing were not real. The Holy Spirit still mercifully operates in spite of human imperfections. This is something anti- charismatic ministries would do well to remember.
In conclusion, whether we stand, kneel, fall, or weep, the ultimate goal of any spiritual experience must be to magnify Jesus Christ. Being slain in the Spirit is not about the sensation—it’s about the Savior. If we are truly touched by the Holy Spirit, the lasting fruit will be deeper repentance, greater love for Christ, increased holiness, and a burning desire to glorify Him with our lives. Let every encounter with the power of God lead us to the cross, where mercy flows, and to the empty tomb, where victory reigns. May we be a people who not only experience His presence but are transformed by it—into bold, humble, Spirit-filled witnesses for our risen Lord.
Keep It Real,
James
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1-Quoted in the book Slain In the Spirit: Fact or Fiction? by Ezra Coppin.
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