WITCHCRAFT IN TODAY'S CHURCH.
- Thread starter Truman
- Start date
-
Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.
You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Very definitely. Such drugs as peyote (which contains the hallucinogen mescalene) have been used in the past by North American Indians to commune with evil spirits. Indeed all drug-abuse in encouraged by Satan since it destroys human lives.
And yet the US government continues to find tunnels under the southern border of the US, when a real wall should have extended 50 feet below ground level (with extremely thick concrete) to block all tunnels, and also with appropriate warning devices for any breach to be noted. A border fence is not a border wall.
Most Christians realize that it is spiritually dangerous to play with Ouija boards. That does not mean that people don't just occasionally contact benign deceased spirits. Rather, the danger is that you are opening yourself up to any kind of spirit, many of which might be evil. The same danger exists when you seek the gift of tongues. In my experience no other experience has the potential to allow such an intimate, sweet, and powerful connection with the Holy Spirit and one of my tongues experiences is BY FAR the highlight of my life. The danger comes from 2 subtle attitudes:
(1) The believer is unconsciously seeking a spiritual high like a drug high, but on the next level. Speaking in tongues can then become a kind of fetish and function much like the Ouija board. The key to seeking this is to ask God for the gift, but then focus on adoration of the Giver, not the gift. Pentecostals pride themselves in identifying evil spirits in their congregants, as if non-Charismatics leave demonic oppression unchecked. The truth is that seeking tongues in the wrong way can open the spirit to demonic inspiration, thus creating the need for deliverance!
(2) The Holy Spirit is sovereign and reserves the right to inspire authentic speaking in tongues when and where He pleases. But many Pentecostals act as if this gift can be activated on demand. They might even pressure the seeker this way: "Just speak it out in faith and the Spirit will take over." But the Holy Spirit doesn't jump just because we crack our whip. The state of surrender required for speaking in tongues might attract the wrong spirit when the seeker unconsciously or consciously tries to force the issue.
For these 2 reasons, much of public speaking in tongues is of the flesh. But the times when it really is authentic can make it extremely edifying and more blissful than the experience of the birth of your first child. For that reason, I prefer a Charismatic spirituality, despite the dangers.
(1) The believer is unconsciously seeking a spiritual high like a drug high, but on the next level. Speaking in tongues can then become a kind of fetish and function much like the Ouija board. The key to seeking this is to ask God for the gift, but then focus on adoration of the Giver, not the gift. Pentecostals pride themselves in identifying evil spirits in their congregants, as if non-Charismatics leave demonic oppression unchecked. The truth is that seeking tongues in the wrong way can open the spirit to demonic inspiration, thus creating the need for deliverance!
(2) The Holy Spirit is sovereign and reserves the right to inspire authentic speaking in tongues when and where He pleases. But many Pentecostals act as if this gift can be activated on demand. They might even pressure the seeker this way: "Just speak it out in faith and the Spirit will take over." But the Holy Spirit doesn't jump just because we crack our whip. The state of surrender required for speaking in tongues might attract the wrong spirit when the seeker unconsciously or consciously tries to force the issue.
For these 2 reasons, much of public speaking in tongues is of the flesh. But the times when it really is authentic can make it extremely edifying and more blissful than the experience of the birth of your first child. For that reason, I prefer a Charismatic spirituality, despite the dangers.
I dont think praying privately for a person who doesn't want your prayers is necessarily wrong and I certainly wouldn't call that witchcraft. We come to God with our petitions and pleas and He can either answer our prayers or not. Likewise, I see nothing wrong with encouraging others to pray and worship God, as encouragement is a gift of the Spirit.
YeshuaFan1
Active Member
The word of faith movement pretty much has brought over into the church witchcraft under the label of Christianity!
Misusing the word is always a bad idea. Intentional or not. I deal with Romans 10: 8-10 in my newesf thread if you are interested. Shalom
Why don't some of us transfer some of our albums by Casting Crowns backwards so when we play them we can count the number of times that they say "Hail King Satan!" in each song? Do you really believe that are a Christian group? 
Just like the name "methodist" was a way of deriding those who were in John Wesley's "cell groups", so was the name "quaker" given to the Early Quakers because they went into ecstatic states of quaking during their worship services. I imagine that their rigid stoic silence came as a reaction to that demeaning name observers gave to them.
Could it be that you are looking for approval or affirmation from the congregation? I would not recommend that you do this at your church service, but somewhere in the Samuels, David danced naked before the Lord, and God accepted it as worship due unto Himself.
Yes, a bit humorous, and perhaps risque, but my point is that we need to be concerned with worshiping God, and not the approval of other congregants.
If I was concerned about that, I wouldnt be raising my hands up high in worship since hardly anyone else does. I dont dance naked or would I. And I may run around the house and dance at home when I listen to worship, but at church I just raise my hands. But no, I can't say what is in another person's heart. I just feel like maybe God deserves more then just standing like a still zombee when worshipping. Heaven sure won't be like that...
But it is one of those things that I want to be careful praying and speaking about. Because last thing I want, is for someone to "fake" worshipping God.
As long as it's God's will, then pray whatever He says. Shalom
I went to a new church once. During worship, I expressed myself to God as I like to. Afterward a woman came up to me and told me how she loved the way I worshipped. So I tamed it down a lot. Shalom.
As to not distract her? I want the spirit of God to move and not worry even about distracting somebody else. Because if someone is distracted by you worshipping, they are not completely focused on God either, right? Id rather someone see someone freely worshipping God then someone just standing there picking their nose, viewing facebook, or something. I don't worship for show. The more I think about what Heaven will be like though, I just can't imagine anyone not giving their all in worship to the King; heart, soul, mind, and strength.
I just want to make sure we remember what praise and worship is about. It is not about us or anyone else. It is about God. It can be evangelism, it isnt the purpose though.
To not distract her from the Lord. I want the Spirit of God to move too. As a worship leader, I led people into God's presence without getting in the way. As an act of worship, I toned it down. I can worship freely at home. For me to not do what I did would've been to sin. Shalom.
Thanks for the explanation. When you previously posted to her, your logic evaded me because I could not connect the dots.
curious What is with the cassowary pic? They are nasty and dangerous birds, not native to Canada
Fair enough. I just don't think we can stop the Spirit of God from moving or put Him in a box. But I understand what you are saying.
It is my opinion that we (in general) are in the box. I get where you're coming from. I'll become even more undignified than this. -King David lol Shalom.
I'm getting better. Lol You're welcome. The bird is a golden eagle and I believe it is a cobra that he is about to have for lunch. This, to me, is a picture of spiritual warfare. Shalom.
Getting multiple perspectives is a good opportunity to learn something new. Shalom.
There was a young man that went away to college and attended a Pentecostal Church. During spring break, he went home to see his mother. On Sunday morning she took him to her Church for Easter Services. She went to a more "formal" kind of Church.
Sitting in the second pew from the front, they were greeted by two Deacons in the Church. Brother John, and Brother Pete, who were in the pew in front of them. The preacher started to read the resurrection story from the Bible as the text of his message, and when he paused, the young man shouted "Praise the Lord!"...
The pastor was clearly shocked and sputtered for a second... Deacon John turned to rebuke the young man and said, "Young man, we don't "Praise the Lord" here! But immediately he was corrected by Deacon Pete who said, "Deacon John! You are wrong! We "do" Praise the Lord here!... it's on page 113!
Praying for the lost is a Christian's responsibility. Encouragement is though manipulation isn't. That's a fine line. When leading worship, I found the main part of my job was to worship God. People would see me, eyes shut, singing to God. They would often do the same. Shalom.
Similar threads
