What does it mean when you go down to the alter with a bunch of other church members to be prayed for and the pastor puts his hands on everyone's forehead and everyone falls down......except for you......and the pastor looks at you with his eye's wide open like he'd seen a ghost or something worse?
Real answers please.
2007-08-04 04:44:19 · 11 answers · asked by taniaess 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It doesn't mean anything significant.
Some pastors think they can control the Holy Spirit -- like He flows out their hands and boinks people on the forehead so they fall down. But we all know that the Holy Spirit is God and cannot be commanded or controlled by any mere mortal. He touches people as He chooses to touch them. Even if He decided to use a pastor and boink people on the head so that they fall down, He might only boink a certain number of the people there and not the others for the purposes of God's Will.
But it's often just emotional and spiritual manipulation. Usually, these services are very carefully orchestrated so as many people fall down as possible. For example, they start out with high-energy songs that are short and simple, but sung over and over and over again. This actually trains the intellectual parts of the mind to go into "rote" phase while the emotional parts of the brain are highly stimulated. You may see people dancing, weeping, laughing, etc. in ways they would never normally do in public.
After that, there may be a very emotional testimony, possibly accompanied by a soloist. Some pastors will use "prophets" here, who give some sort of word of "prophesy" that is supposed to set people on edge or even catch them off guard.
Then follows the sermon, which is typically long and marked by a dazzling interpretation of Scripture that nobody can quite bring themselves to test against other things they already know (remember, the intellectual side of the brain has been trained to rote at this point). In the end, the whole thing adds up to a highly emotional response. People flood the altar, some weeping, some desperate, some devastated. The preacher goes to each person one by one, and as the people have already been conditioned to believe that he is the source for a touch from the Holy Spirit, the pastor taps them on the forehead and they fall over willingly. Or, out of fear of condemnation by their peers, they don't feel like falling over but make themselves do it so they don't stand out.
The person whose intellect has remained intact and who is truly seeking the Holy Spirit to do the "touching" and who doesn't care a hoot whether he/she is being judged by other people often doesn't fall over. If the preacher responds with surprise, it's likely because he's convinced himself that he has the power to command the Holy Spirit and doesn't know what to do when faced with evidence that he doesn't.
2007-08-04 04:57:26 · answer #1 · answered by sparki777 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It simply means that you are in a different spiritual state than the others. For example, you simply do not believe.
You may want to find a different Pastor or denomination. One where you are comfortable about discussing this.
Jesus asked his disciples to teach all nations, not to convert everyone. This may apply to you with this particular congregation.
Answer: Don't worry about it; Pastors need their eyes wide open as seeing a ghost once in awhile.
2007-08-04 04:56:23 · answer #2 · answered by J. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any preacher who calls himself "pastor" does not study or know the Bible, so how could he know if his church is doing what the Bible commands. Anyone, preacher or not, can know if they are going to the right church by comparing them to the example that is in Acts and the epistles. In each worship on each Sunday, there must be praying, teaching of the scriptures, giving, taking of the Lord's supper, and singing without instrumental music. Anything added or taken from that is not according to the example of the Bible and is not the true church.
2016-04-01 19:05:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could mean he got a prophecy for you and he is wondering if he should say something for you ro just pray about it, some prophecy is just for the person and some is for the person to pray for you about it, especially if it is not encouraging. Porphecy is for edifying, and if it was not an encouraging word, then he should keep it to himself.
either that or he thought that 100 % of everyone was suppose to be slain in the spirit and you weren't, this is not always a fact, God does not deal with everyoen, by slaying everyoen in the spirit. At least he did not push you over.
2007-08-04 05:08:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is staged healing. It's done not for the healing but to make the pastor look like he has some divine healing power when he's nothing more than an actor. We have one locally that does this sort of thing and he gets huffy when people don't play their part.
2007-08-04 04:49:09 · answer #5 · answered by Keltasia 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are supposed to fall down and when you don't that shows you're not playing by the rules. Seriously.
Now, if he really believes in the falling down phenomenon, he will think you're not open to the power of the Lord and that means you're wicked. If he is a charlatan, he's mad because you just made him look bad in front of the congregation by showing that he can't affect you with his laying on of hands.
2007-08-04 04:53:28 · answer #6 · answered by MBC 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
IT.... MEANS.... that YOU.... are in the WRONG... CHURCH!
How about this....? There are some churches... that FALSELY Teach.... a doctrine called Slain in the Spirit!
They FALSELY Teach... that when the spirit comes upon you... you fall down! Some churches have special People... that take COVERS..... to Cover the EXPOSED UNDER GARMENTS.... of those WOMEN... with skirts on.... that are Supposedly Slain in the spirit!
The ..... IDIOCY.... that the HOLY SPIRIT... of GOD.... would do such a thing..... IS TOTALLY..... UNBELIEVABLE!
(2Corinthiansn 11:13-14-15) For such ones are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
(2Co 11:14) Did not even Satan marvelously transform himself into an angel of light?
(2Co 11:15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
Thanks, RR
2007-08-04 05:05:11 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It means someone (one of the church's high ranking officials) will be fired because they were supposed to tell you to fall. This is especially critical if the service is on TV. Now your pastor has been exposed for the fraud that he is.
2007-08-04 04:52:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because you weren't in the rehearsal before church.
You are the real person, not an actor.
2007-08-04 07:04:52 · answer #9 · answered by Brother G 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It means to him that the " Game is Up"..
2007-08-04 04:47:56 · answer #10 · answered by conundrum 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋