Willie T Posted July 31, 2018 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 4 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 528 Content Per Day: 0.21 Reputation: 102 Days Won: 1 Joined: 07/26/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) 4 minutes ago, *Zion* said: Is it bad, spiritually speaking? If so, why? Not merely from a perception point of view. Sigh. Maybe only I know what I mean I believe you know it well enough, and I also believe there is something keeping you from using plain language to express it. "Spiritually speaking" is a very general and vague term that really conveys little to someone else. Edited July 31, 2018 by Willie T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Zion* Posted July 31, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 16 Topic Count: 154 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3,245 Content Per Day: 0.78 Reputation: 2,397 Days Won: 9 Joined: 12/09/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/11/1984 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 I really don't see how I could be plainer oh well. Forgive me. I tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie T Posted July 31, 2018 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 4 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 528 Content Per Day: 0.21 Reputation: 102 Days Won: 1 Joined: 07/26/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted July 31, 2018 I can be much plainer because that was much of my life's work. But, maybe in time, you can express it differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Alive Posted July 31, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 13 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 3,028 Content Per Day: 1.32 Reputation: 1,225 Days Won: 3 Joined: 02/05/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted July 31, 2018 17 hours ago, Willie T said: I just said that. But if you find yourself in a situation where there is not the other person there to keep you looking safe, we should not fear men more than we desire to obey God. Yes. as I've said in another thread, Christianity is a "spirit of the law" belief, not letter of the law. The bible warns us about all sorts of things to be careful. Nowhere does it say that a woman cannot lay hands on a man for healing if they are alone. For me, that sums it up. It is risky, so you avoid it if you can. But if you can't, oh well... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie T Posted July 31, 2018 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 4 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 528 Content Per Day: 0.21 Reputation: 102 Days Won: 1 Joined: 07/26/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted July 31, 2018 6 minutes ago, Still Alive said: Yes. as I've said in another thread, Christianity is a "spirit of the law" belief, not letter of the law. The bible warns us about all sorts of things to be careful. Nowhere does it say that a woman cannot lay hands on a man for healing if they are alone. For me, that sums it up. It is risky, so you avoid it if you can. But if you can't, oh well... You are rare, Bluegrass, but a lot of other people still have miles to go before they will fully realize what they are feeling, let alone, why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GandalfTheWise Posted July 31, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 24 Topic Count: 40 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,459 Content Per Day: 0.59 Reputation: 2,377 Days Won: 2 Joined: 08/23/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted July 31, 2018 14 minutes ago, *Zion* said: I want to know whether a woman laying hands on a man has negative spiritual consequences, and vice versa, or not. That is all. My sense of laying on of hands is that it creates a stronger personal connection than the act of praying for someone while standing apart. I think it's often a matter of context as to whether that is positive or negative and if it is a part of the ministry God wants to accomplish. If I was having a bad day and you came up and put a hand on my shoulder and prayed for me, I'd likely appreciate it. The touch of human contact can at times communicate a sense of concern and care that words alone do not. If this was at church, or seeing each other at work, or at the store, I'd probably be fine with it. If this was you stopping by my house when my wife wasn't around, I might have some reservations. When touch communicates concern and compassion, it can be a positive part of ministry. When touch starts to invade space or impose oneself, it can be a negative thing that distracts from or corrupts ministry. I do know that some Christians believe that touch itself can transmit spiritual authority in some manner (both positively and negatively). I've run into a few web sites that advocate going to a deliverance ministry if anyone questionable has ever laid hands on you to pray for you. I've run into other Christians that believe that prayers for people are more effective if accompanied by laying on of hands. To be honest, I bounce back and forth on this. There are times I feel that touch is primarily a way of communicating more deeply with another person than words. There are times I feel that touch does somehow transmit something spiritual and that the act of laying of hands does do something. One of the things I do when I feel God is leading me to do something risky is to ask for confirmation. I recall once I felt like God wanted me to go up to a young lady in a campus ministry group and tell her something. I prayed a silent "okay God, if that's you, let her move off someplace I can talk to her privately." She was normally inseparable from her boyfriend, but as I finished that prayer, she walked over by herself to the book table at the side of the room which in a rare moment was vacant. I went over, said, "This may sound really stupid, but I think God wanted me to tell you ....". Her reaction was that she almost started crying. God knew what she needed to hear and set up a situation where I could safely and privately (in the middle of a crowd) deliver the message. If any Christian is following God's leading (and He is clearing the way for any interactions), I think there will be positive spiritual consequences. I've had times where I thought God wanted me to do something that doors clearly opened to do it. I've had other times where doors did not open so I backed off assuming that I may have been wrong about it. Perhaps I missed an opportunity for ministry, but I think it more likely I was just thinking something was a good idea to me. It's all part of the great adventure of life in following where God is taking us. If every encounter and thing we were to do was completely ordinary and always followed what we expected, we could just follow some simple rules and never need to depend on God for guidance. It is those times where we have no clue what we should do that we learn more about following God. For me, laying on hands at times fits that category. There are times (not that common) I've felt like there is an important reason to do so and that there is something spiritually vital about it. There are times (more often) I've felt like it's just another extension of human communication where I am reaching out as part of a feeling of compassion and care as I pray for someone. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Zion* Posted July 31, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 16 Topic Count: 154 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3,245 Content Per Day: 0.78 Reputation: 2,397 Days Won: 9 Joined: 12/09/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/11/1984 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Ok Willie T, at the risk of sounding really patronising (runs and hides): There is the spiritual realm and then there is the temporary physical realm that we live in. But we that are born again are spiritual beings that dwell pitiful in vessels of flesh (pitiful since the fall of man). Which means that many of the things we think say and do are from a spiritual source: Romans 8 New King James Version (NKJV) 8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be [b]carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the [c]carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies [d]through His Spirit who dwells in you. So this is what I mean by 'spiritual'. Things pertaining to our spirit, particularly in the leading of the Holy Spirit. Not paranormal or any mumbo jumbo nonsense like that. I hope this clears things up a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Zion* Posted July 31, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 16 Topic Count: 154 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3,245 Content Per Day: 0.78 Reputation: 2,397 Days Won: 9 Joined: 12/09/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/11/1984 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 5 minutes ago, GandalfTheWise said: I do know that some Christians believe that touch itself can transmit spiritual authority in some manner (both positively and negatively). I've run into a few web sites that advocate going to a deliverance ministry if anyone questionable has ever laid hands on you to pray for you. I've run into other Christians that believe that prayers for people are more effective if accompanied by laying on of hands. To be honest, I bounce back and forth on this. There are times I feel that touch is primarily a way of communicating more deeply with another person than words. There are times I feel that touch does somehow transmit something spiritual and that the act of laying of hands does do something. This is more of what I'm trying to ascertain. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Zion* Posted July 31, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 16 Topic Count: 154 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 3,245 Content Per Day: 0.78 Reputation: 2,397 Days Won: 9 Joined: 12/09/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/11/1984 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 1 minute ago, naominash said: I put one of the sentences in bold because I often fall into a pattern of wanting a rule instead of relying on God. In my opinion, it is way harder to follow the Spirit of the law rather than the letter. Is it loving? Does it please the Lord? Those are probably better questions to ask when faced with questions like the OP asked. Absolutely. Motive is always important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts