Does your church still have "tarrying meetings"?
 

Well.. do they? And by tarrying meeting I mean a prayer meeting where folks seek God for the Holy Ghost. Not so much waiting for God to move according to an unknown timetable, but about seeking God in prayer and allowing Him to work out whatever we need worked out, ie getting US into a place where God can fill us.

Seems the general consensus in the church world is that "tarrying" in that sense is unnecessary and unbiblical. But practically ALL the early Pentecostals wholeheartedly believed in it.

Seems to me that as tarrying has been abandoned and replaced with a charismatic "just name it and claim it" type approach, we have become less and less genuinely Pentecostal. Many Pentecostal churches seem Pentecostal in name only. Many Pentecostals are backslid, lukewarm, worldly, uncharitable, and barely indiscernible in their attitude from the unabashedly lost.

Could abandoning the "importunate seeking after God" in favor of hurrying up to speak in tongues be responsible for flooding the world with pseudo-pentecostal "saints" and carnal imitation "pentecostal-in-name-only" churches?

What do you think?

Re: Does your church still have "tarrying meetings
 

I do notice in acts there wasn't a lot effort to receive the Spirit.

I don't understand this.

it's not biblical

Somewhat of a false dichotomy, but I'll go along. I have seen some of the name and claim stuff in OP, but nothing as extreme as that in the WOF movement. An instant society requires instant results.


I couldn't agree more. My theory is that this is the result of legalism. When all you need to do is please the pastor the bible really isn't necessary.


Yes. This implies that much of today's tongues are not real. That will get no disagreement from me. The rush to get people to speak in tongues is a result of the initial evidence doctrine.

Re: Does your church still have "tarrying meetings
 

I would say that your definition of tarrying would possibly include a prayer meeting that doesn't end until an answer is received, and a couple of examples that come to mind is the first outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, where they gathered in one accord to pray and seek the Lord until the Spirit was poured out. We see several other prayer meetings in the book of Acts where it certainly seems that the saints were in no hurry to leave, but were praying until the answer came - another example being Peter freed out of prison, and Rhoda answering the door as the group was meeting to pray for him.

So yes, I think that tarrying is scriptural, biblical, and certainly something that the church could benefit from today.

I have been a part of many such meetings, overnight prayer meetings, and meetings where people stayed and prayed until a breakthrough was reached in their need.

Re: Does your church still have "tarrying meetings
 

I am thinking that in the Upper Room, they weren't sipping chai as they awaited the power from God promised to them. I IMAGINE they were praying and singing while waiting.

Re: Does your church still have "tarrying meetings
 

I don't see it as unbiblical at all. How can someone see seeking the Lord in prayer, song and supplication be unbiblical?

The emotional stuff and snotting and rolling around and other stuff that happens in some tarry meetings is not recorded in the Bible, but neither is the gathering in church buildings. We have concepts and we have human nature and often, they collide.

Furthermore, who knows if God Himself may not be using some of the examples of humanity we see to bring a deeply personal breaking a surrendering to a soul racked by self will and pride?

I agree.

I agree but the lack of tarry services isn't directly connected to this phenomenon.


I see symptoms of sickness but not a clear cause and effect relationship you seem to be trying to point out.

Re: Does your church still have "tarrying meetings
 

It was by divine providence that it was given till day of Pentecost. All experiences in acts was a lot different.

Re: Does your church still have "tarrying meetings
 

I was not trying at all when my first experience with tongues happened. I did not know it was related to the Spirit baptism. I was a 6 week old believer who was just continually in the word and prayer. It was at work not in a tarry meeting.

Having said that Im all for tarry meetings. I remember our Chief Pastor in the Pentecostal Mission work telling he went to a full gospel business men's meeting once. He said they asked if anyone wanted the Holy Spirit. He said the did not mention repentance at all just told them to open their mouth and speak in tongues.

Re: Does your church still have "tarrying meetings
 

So abandoning the tarrying meeting/prayer meeting is a symptom along with the other things? What then would be the cause? And what would be the cure?

Re: Does your church still have "tarrying meetings
 

I love prayer time. Individual or with the church body. It's always a blessing to spend time in prayer, but in Acts, the reason the 120 were WAITING (tarrying) was because they were waiting on a particular time. And when the day of Pentecost WAS FULLY COME.