Anybody Read This ?

[n david]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Another interesting texts that has helped me transcend mere “mental prayer” is found in the book of Acts:

Acts 10:9-11
On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and
drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to
pray about the sixth hour: And he became very
hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready,
he fell into a TRANCE, And saw heaven opened, and a
certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great
sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

Acts 11:1-5
And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea
heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that
were of the circumcision contended with him,
Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst
eat with them. But Peter rehearsed [the matter] from
the beginning, and expounded [it] by order unto them,
saying, I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a
TRANCE I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had
been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners;
and it came even to me:

Then we see the testimony of Paul:

Acts 22:10-18
And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go
into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things
which are appointed for thee to do. And when I
could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the
hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.
And one Ananias, a devout man according to the
law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt
[there, ] Came unto me, and stood, and said unto
me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I
looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our
fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will,
and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his
mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men
of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why
tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy
sins, calling on the name of the Lord. And it came
to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even
while I prayed in the temple, I was in a TRANCE; And
saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly
out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony
concerning me.

Yes, it's possible, to enter a "trance-like" state of prayer. In this meditative state of spirit called a "trance" we can hear directly from Heaven. We can receive direction, visions, dreams, and prophetic glimpses of God's plan. We can find ourselves transported to the very throne room of Heaven (John the Revelator) and see angelic realities. This is something that has been abandoned in our more "enlightened" culture. Sadly, the culture isn't more "enlightened"... the culture is more spiritually dead to the things of Spirit.

The word for "trance" translates into "amazement" or "bewilderment." It's used in Mark 5:42, Mark 16:8, Luke 5:26 and other verses where people were astonished or amazed. What we view as a trance-like state is not likely what Peter was experiencing here. Yes, people have received visions or dreams, but trance in the scripture is not the same as we know it today.

Originally Posted by Aquila

Christians today are so cantankerous. Anything that appears “supernatural” or overtly spiritual is often heavily criticized by the “traditional” Christians. And trust me, men make lots of money in their books and sermons and various “topical series” combating the “non-traditional”. Being a Oneness believer, I’m not afraid of being accused of heresy. And being a “tongue talker” I’m not afraid of deeply spiritual states and experiences, even when men want to criticize.

Yet, as with most things… one has to experience it for themselves to truly know what the issue truly is. You might remember my thread about my “talk with God”. That was one instance wherein I was praying so deeply and focusing in on why we are divided and what makes us holy. And yes, what I wrote in that post was the response that I felt pouring into me from across the shores of the realm of the Spirit. It truly revolutionized my entire Christian walk. My experiences regarding God’s presence, God’s indwelling Spirit (in me), etc. have also redefined what it means to be a born again Christian for me. Meditating on Christ’s words concerning Himself being the True Vine and we being the branches has forever changed the way I view the Christian life. Especially when I felt the Spirit whisper into my soul, “Notice, my son, the vine and the branches are a single organism. The branches are living extensions of the vine. Be ye therefore, an extension of ME.”

I do not fear the supernatural. What I fear and fight against is the entwining of eastern religions and other false doctrine with scripture. This is what I see in the writings of Foster and Merton, which now has bled into evangelical circles where now John Piper, Beth Moore, Willow Creek, Saddleback, Mars Hill and many others are using philosophies brought from Catholicism, Buddhism and Zen and are trying to wrap it in scripture, perverting the word of God.

Originally Posted by Aquila

Historically this desire for “oneness” with God is the foundational quest of what is often called “Christian mysticism”. And interestingly enough those “mystics” down through Christian history often experienced “spiritual ecstasy”, visions, angelic visitations, tongues, healing, and powerful prophetic dreams. These individuals were often deeply entrenched in the traditional churches of their day. However, their experiences would have branded them Charismatic/Pentecostals today.

I admittedly haven't read about many mystics or what they believed. There are two I've heard of and do not agree with, St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila -- both of which are used to promote contemplative prayer.