Posted by rayww on August 25, 2003, at 10:06:43
In reply to Re: trying to define spiritual experience (clumbsy), posted by Tabitha on August 24, 2003, at 13:07:38
Those must have been awesome experiences for you. Your mind was certainly illuminated.
I participated in a Christian bible study group several years ago, and some very good friends from that group invited me to attend their worship services. Each member of that Bible Study worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ, and I was very curious about the similarities and differences in the spiritual experiences they were talking about. I wanted to know what was there, what spirit they felt in their meetings, and make it all fit into the same Christian scene. I remember one Pentecostal meeting in particular. There was music and dance. Everyone was standing and sort of moving to the music. It was fairly loud and exciting. Being spiritually sensitive, I was particularly interested in the spirit part of their meetings, so I tried really hard to be a part of what was happening.
The true spirit is a living entity that will continue to burn and edify and swell our understanding and faith after the meeting is over. There was definately "a" spirit and an emotional feeling in every one of the meetings. Mennonite, United, Catholic, Pentecostal. I have also attended funerals in many churches, with this same desire of discerning / discecting the spirit from emotion, and trying to feel and see from the perspective of the group.
Although there is much in common, there is a distinct difference in
poster:rayww
thread:253565
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20030530/msgs/253838.html