Shayla: Do you believe in being “slain by the Spirit”?

Meforshim:

I have seven questions I would like to ask as we seek to understand this phenomenon:

1. Are those who have this experience more spiritually successful and closer to God?

2. Does this help them in their daily Christian living?

3. If it is God's power, why does it tend to harm you? Don’t people have to catch you in order to keep you from hurting yourself? Where in the Bible do we ever see experiencing God’s presence and blessing causing someone to do harm to themselves?

4. When God says so much about our being alert, to wake up, to stand in power with God's armor, why would He want us to pass out?

5. If it's of God, why doesn't every Christian have this experience as a normal occurrence, especially if it helps those who experience it so dramatically and instantaneously? How have the majority of truly Spirit-filled Christian leaders throughout history managed to function without this experience?

6. Given the fact that He lives in the Christian (1 Corinthians 6:19), why would He choose to come from the outside through the touching, hitting, throwing, shouting, commanding, or blowing of a third party for the purpose of slaying one of His own in whom He is already at home?

7. If this is of God, why does it lead to embarrassing behavior where the possibility of being immodest forces the church to have people ready with blankets to cover the people’s nakedness?

The basic, fundamental, bottom-line question is this: Is it biblical? Was it practiced and taught by the Lord Jesus Christ? What does the Bible say about being "slain in the Spirit?" The answer is ... being "slain in the spirit" is never mentioned in the Bible.

In fact, the only time that anything like being thrown down or around by spiritual forces is mentioned, the Bible says its source is demonic!

Demonic forces caused a young boy to repeatedly throw himself down, sometimes into fire or water! (Matthew 17:14-18)

Demonic forces caused a man to be wild and unrestrained. Other people had to try to protect him from himself (though they were unsuccessful in their attempts). He cried out, yelled and sobbed. And when the demons were cast out, they instantly made the pigs they inhabit throw themselves – straight into the Sea of Galilee where they drowned! (Mark 5:2-13 cp Matthew 8:31-32)