"Have you ever had a spiritual paranormal encounter?"

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mjrhealth

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Act 2:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Act 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

Act 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
 

Berserk

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Mike,

Have you read through my thread (currently 8 threads below yours) entitled "My Journal through the Lens of Spiritual and Paranormal Experiences?"
I posted only a fraction of my paranormal experiences as a young Pentecostal, but your post has inspired me to post some of my later paranormal experiences. I have not yet shared a friend's paranormal experience that is as spectacular and evidential as any Gospel miracle. But I will.

Posters have been discussing a so-called modern glory cloud here. I have never experienced that, but when I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at age 16 in a lakeside amphitheater and spoke in tongues, I experienced "the rushing mighty wind" of Acts 2:2. I initially thought it was a breeze off the adjacent Pelican Lake, but I was quickly possessed by the Holy Spirit and realized that this was the Wind of the Spirit. As the amphitheater darkened, curious observers crept in and sat in awe at what was happening to me. I asked one lady why she was staring at me and she replied, "Don't you know? Your face is glowing in the dark!" Another observer was a skeptical Lutheran pastor. He told me he didn't believe in speaking in tongues and was only there as an interested observer. But he said he could tell God was doing a special work in my life and asked if I'd pray for him. Despite his skepticism, when I gently touched his forehead, he just exploded in other tongues. I describe this life-changing event in much greater detail in the thread I mentioned. If marijuana is a gateway drug for harder drugs, my Spirit baptism was a gateway drug for many other spectacular experiences of the gifts of the Spirit.

You and I seem to have one thing in common: we both think of ourselves as a kind of spiritual oddball. If Christians asked me what I am, I usually say, "I'm a walking theological zoo without a cage who tends to emit middle-of-the road United Methodist vibes." Then if they the press me for clarification, I just say, "I'm a member of the Pentecostal Church of the Latter-Day Buddhists." That usually shuts them up!
 

Mike Waters

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Except the things at Bethel are not of God. They are of the devil.

IMO God is not limited as to the channels of conviction that he might use; especially when they are the ones that are near and handy, and to which the recipient might be most responsive.......even a 'donkey' (like me :rolleyes: ) for instance!!
 

mjrhealth

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IMO God is not limited as to the channels of conviction that he might use; especially when they are the ones that are near and handy, and to which the recipient might be most responsive.......even a 'donkey' (like me :rolleyes: ) for instance!!
If your a donkey I must be an Ass :D
 
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Heart2Soul

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If it was truly the glory of God, everyone in that room would be dead.
Why is that? I am pretty certain Scripture does not say we would die in the presence of His Glory....but it does say no man has seen His face and lived.

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”
— Jude 1:24 (KJV)
 
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Berserk

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If your a donkey I must be an Ass :D

Our student newsletter at Fuller Seminary was called "Balaam's Ass." They chose that title because of what a donkey supernaturally said to Balaam:
"Then the Lord opened the mouth of the ass and it said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have struck me 3 times (Numbers 22:28)?"
So I guess Mike and mjrhealth can quote this verse at us when we "strike" them with 3 critical replies to their posts! :rolleyes:
 
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brakelite

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What is that supposed to mean?
It means that Catholics such as yourself are so introverted when it comes to faith paradigms that they cannot possibly entertain the idea that non Catholics could experience God in ways that physically and experientially impact their lives, because that would make them equal to "Saints"... Mystics... Even in a par with the Pope and Catholics simply cannot have that at all. That would mean admitting that Catholicism is not the only shop in town offering the keys to heaven right? You don't get out much to observe that indeed protestants do experience the presence and the Providence of God, and item on the most miraculous ways...I could attest to several in my own life, I am sure other protestants and non Catholics on this forum could do likewise.
Now while miracles don't always give credence to a well balanced Christian life, they do attest to God operating supernaturally in people's lives other than the often promoted idea that one must be "special"..."holy'...a "Saint"... Etc etc. No, ordinary people of no special calling or gifts can testify to the not normal... Paranormal... Sometimes depending on circumstances, on regular occasions.
 

stunnedbygrace

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I wonder if it's the trading of these experiences, as it were, if that causes problems.

I don't think I understand that reasoning. But I also know that people chase after highs.

Epi is right that the bible is full of experiences and personal encounters with God. A lot of them wouldn't be written there if someone hadn't spoke of them, shared them, with others. How would anyone know an angel came to zecharia or what the angel said if zecharia didn't tell anyone, for example?

If God arranges for you to be with a small group of people and you start to be a body together, you have to get over your fear at some point and trust and love the rest of the people enough to share or you will be holding back to the detriment of the whole group/body.

How do you think they came to agreement to send out Paul and Barnabas? Do you think one man said he heard it from the Holy Spirit and they went with what the one man said? Or do you think the different members heard different things that...coalesced, to the point where they were confident what the Spirit was saying? One of them might have come in the morning with 50.00 and said, okay you guys, this might sound weird but...I heard this quiet voice that said give Paul and Barnabas 50.00. I have no idea what for, but I brought the 50.00, and I'm not completely sure about anything here. Then a few hours later, another person may have showed up and said, okay guys, this is going to sound weird, but I think I heard that I was to bring a new pair of shoes for Paul, I seemed to hear a quiet voice say: take a pair of shoes for Paul. And so on.

Now, it does not work, those frenzied meetings of running after a high. That's not a body working as it should, soberly (But with joy and wonder). And it requires a desire to give for the whole body, not a prideful desire to be seen as important or as one who God speaks more to.

So...no, I don't think sharing experiences or what we think we might have heard (even if we aren't sure or confident, because it's only happened once, that it didn't just come from our own head) is a problem. I think refusing to speak for fear of looking foolish would be the problem.

I just don't see a huge megachurch being able to move together, honestly. I think small groups can come to that kind of unity, and I think a few small groups can function together and visit one another's meetings and who knows how video internet might help in that? But a megachurch working and moving together in that extreme intimacy? I just don't see it, personally.
 

reformed1689

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It means that Catholics such as yourself are so introverted when it comes to faith paradigms that they cannot possibly entertain the idea that non Catholics could experience God in ways that physically and experientially impact their lives, because that would make them equal to "Saints"... Mystics... Even in a par with the Pope and Catholics simply cannot have that at all. That would mean admitting that Catholicism is not the only shop in town offering the keys to heaven right? You don't get out much to observe that indeed protestants do experience the presence and the Providence of God, and item on the most miraculous ways...I could attest to several in my own life, I am sure other protestants and non Catholics on this forum could do likewise.
Now while miracles don't always give credence to a well balanced Christian life, they do attest to God operating supernaturally in people's lives other than the often promoted idea that one must be "special"..."holy'...a "Saint"... Etc etc. No, ordinary people of no special calling or gifts can testify to the not normal... Paranormal... Sometimes depending on circumstances, on regular occasions.
I am not Catholic.
 

stunnedbygrace

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And then there's this. I waddled around for years trying to figure out what the Holy Spirit was saying when those waves and goosebumps would wash over me. I think it was just training to know He WAS speaking, or confirming, so that when He did begin to place me somewhere, and did say something, I would know I should share it without fear or confusion.

I used to come to my own conclusions of what He must be saying. I always got it wrong. But that's because He wasn't saying anything in particular as I had supposed, but was instead preparing me for moving with a body. He doesn't just speak to give something to me. He speaks to give something to the whole body. This is still quite new to me, But I am certain of this. He kept me from churches. No matter how many times I tried a new one, I could not find the intimacy in the Spirit I desired or thought there must be out there somewhere. I had to just wait alone for Him to begin to move me into where He wanted me. And now, we (I can actually say we now, which fills me with joy) wait for the others He will send us. And amazingly, we meet online because of locations, which some might say cannot develop into a body, but I don't believe it for a second! In fact, if He wanted me here or there, physically, He literally could just whisk me there. He has done that before with men.
 
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Willie T

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If they think there is God appearing in a dust cloud out of the vents, laying on people's graves, etc, yeah, they are NOT normal.
Why do we "normal" people make trips out to the cemetery to stand at the site someone was hidden six feet under? We take them flowers and even stand there talking to them. (But, that is considered sane?)
As with so many things "Christian", THEIR brand of crazy is just different than OURS. We accept and approve of ours, but we ridicule theirs.
 

reformed1689

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Why do we "normal" people make trips out to the cemetery to stand at the site someone was hidden six feet under? We take them flowers and even stand there talking to them. (But, that is considered sane?)
As with so many things "Christian", THEIR brand of crazy is just different than OURS. We accept and approve of ours, but we ridicule theirs.
That is not even close to the same thing Willie and you know it.
 

Willie T

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That is not even close to the same thing Willie and you know it.
Actually, it is.
We nibble on a piece of manufactured (usually) wafer and drink a tiny half-ounce of liquid... we close our eyes and bow our heads when told to... we either raise our hands or we definitely do NOT... we make a performance of getting dunked, usually in front of an audience... we stand and sit on que... some even kneel when told to... we recite "Responsive Readings" back to a leader... And those are only the common things. Many churches perform a heck of a lot more odd little rituals.
We really DO pick and choose what we want to call "peculiar."
 

reformed1689

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Actually, it is.
We nibble on a piece of manufactured (usually) wafer and drink a tiny half-ounce of liquid... we close our eyes and bow our heads when told to... we either raise our hands or we definitely do NOT... we make a performance of getting dunked, usually in front of an audience... we stand and sit on que... some even kneel when told to... we recite "Responsive Readings" back to a leader... And those are only the common things. Many churches perform a heck of a lot more odd little rituals.
We really DO pick and choose what we want to call "peculiar."
Those things are actually commanded in Scripture (referring to Lord's supper and Baptism). So no, it is not the same thing.
 

Pearl

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In August 2013 I had what I thought was a stroke affecting the whole of the R/H side of my face. My first response was to ask for prayer and I asked who I should ask and at church the next day I felt led to ask a young man who was new Christian.

I felt complete peace at this time but the following day my daughter insisted I went to the doctor and I was admitted to hospital I was grey and not able to smile, close my right eye, taste food, or drink without drooling. I spent four days in hospital and was diagnosed as having Bell’s Palsy and told the effects could take a year to heal.

I came home on the evening of Thursday 22nd August and only because the guy who had prayed for me had gone to this meeting I watched the Live Stream from the revival in Cwmbran on Saturday 24th As I watched I joined in the worship and listened as the speaker spoke about the faith of the centurion.

At the end of the preach he called people out for prayer and then just before he stepped off the platform he pointed at me – through the camera – and said that Jesus would heal my face and my eye. I gasped audibly and quite loudly and then a few minutes later I began to feel a tingling sensation in the R/H side of my face, especially round my eye.

I could feel the sensation trickling down the side of my face and then the muscles began to gently contract and tighten up. When Ray, who had been out of the room for a short while, came back in he was amazed at the difference in me in just a few short minutes. My face was pink again; my smile was back and could close my eye and drink properly and taste my food.

I just KNEW that God had healed me. It was truly wonderful.
 

stunnedbygrace

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Another thought came to me...
When my whole demeanor was bossy and argumentative and when my thoughts were that I would never find anyone I agreed with 100%, I was not yet ready and prepared to be in a body and would have done damage to it. I wasn't ready to listen and consider that there were some things holding me back still and things I didn't understand that were hindering me. So when my attitude was to start with the idea of it never being a possibility of coming to agreement completely, God was right to hold me where I was. If you are led by the Spirit, rather than by your opinionated self, and the others gathered are led by the Spirit, unity and agreement will follow.
 

Willie T

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Those things are actually commanded in Scripture (referring to Lord's supper and Baptism). So no, it is not the same thing.
No they aren't. The Lord's supper was a full meal, part of a celebration, not a ritual nibbling. Baptism was not a performance at the front of the church. Jesus never closed His eyes and bowed His head; He looked to Heaven. We are told to raise Holy hands, NOT to deliberately refrain from doing so. The people of Israel stood, they did not pop up and down when told to.
I don't dig the lying on tombstones either, but I won't ridicule it as being of the Devil.
 

bbyrd009

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Actually, it is.
We nibble on a piece of manufactured (usually) wafer and drink a tiny half-ounce of liquid... we close our eyes and bow our heads when told to... we either raise our hands or we definitely do NOT... we make a performance of getting dunked, usually in front of an audience... we stand and sit on que... some even kneel when told to... we recite "Responsive Readings" back to a leader... And those are only the common things. Many churches perform a heck of a lot more odd little rituals.
We really DO pick and choose what we want to call "peculiar."
word
 

bbyrd009

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Those things are actually commanded in Scripture (referring to Lord's supper and Baptism). So no, it is not the same thing.
from a certain perspective, maybe not; but there are other valid perspectives, and it doesnt necessarily negate the first one to contemplate the others, imo. We are told to do from "conviction" yeh? So imo there is no sin in taking those literally, if one is convicted to do that. Also no sin in changing your mind later, right, if it is from conviction? So yes, it might be the same thing wadr
 
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