We didn’t expect it. Stacey and I were visiting our sending church, giving a missions update on a Wednesday evening. As the service closed, the pastor invited people forward to be prayed for—just a time of commissioning and spiritual encouragement. A woman came forward and asked Stacy to pray. Stacy, raised Methodist, respectable and reserved, gently laid hands on her. Then, to her shock, the woman started to fall.
She was being slain in the Spirit.
Now, Stacey had never seen this before. Her instinct was to hold the woman up—she thought she might be having a medical episode! Meanwhile, I was whispering, “Let her fall. It’s okay.”
I tell that story not to mock but to illustrate how disorienting it can be to encounter charismatic expressions of worship when you’re not used to them. For some, being “slain in the Spirit” is a familiar and sacred part of their spiritual experience. For others, it feels like emotional manipulation—or at best, cultural oddity. So how should we understand it?
A Biblical Perspective on Spiritual Gifts
In the book we’ve been working through, one chapter is devoted to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Every Christian receives the Spirit when they are born again, and with the Spirit comes spiritual gifts. Some of these gifts are universal: all believers receive saving faith, a desire to evangelize, and the wisdom that comes from the Spirit’s indwelling presence. These gifts empower us to live in the likeness of Christ.
But Scripture also teaches that the Spirit distributes particular gifts to individuals—what we often call “spiritual gifts.” These include:
- Teaching
- Prophecy
- Healing
- Discernment
- Tongues
- Interpretation of tongues
- Administration
- Generosity
- Mercy
- Shepherding
Not every believer receives every gift. Paul is clear in 1 Corinthians that the Spirit gives as He wills.
What About Tongues and the “Sign Gifts”?
Some Christian traditions distinguish between “sign gifts” (like tongues, prophecy, and healing) and other, less outwardly dramatic gifts. The debate often centers around whether these sign gifts are still active today.
Cessationists argue that sign gifts ceased after the time of the apostles, serving only to validate the early church’s authority. Continuationists, like myself—and like most Methodists—believe the gifts continue.
Our denomination is continuationist. We affirm that the Holy Spirit still empowers believers with gifts of tongues, healing, and prophecy. But here’s a key nuance: while we affirm their validity, we don’t always emphasize them in corporate worship. Why?
Because Paul says, “If it causes division, don’t do it” (see 1 Corinthians 14). And sadly, charismatic gifts have often been a source of division in the church.
Personally, I have a prayer language. I don’t use it often, and I didn’t seek it out—it came unbidden during a time of spiritual intensity. I’m not saying everyone should have the same experience. But for me, it’s real, and it’s been a means of spiritual encouragement in moments of deep intercession and spiritual battle.
Discerning What’s Genuine
Let’s be honest: some expressions of the gifts are fakeable and, therefore, prone to abuse. That’s part of what makes people wary. For example, when someone declares, “God told me…” it can become a power move rather than a sincere word of encouragement. That’s spiritual manipulation, and it has no place in the body of Christ.
But that doesn’t mean all experiences are invalid. We must learn to discern. Scripture, the counsel of mature believers, and our own Spirit-born intuition can guide us. If something seems spiritually off, stop and pray. Ask for clarity. The devil loves to masquerade as an angel of light, so we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
The Spirit’s Diversity in Worship
Much of what we interpret as “strange” is often just unfamiliar. Worship in Haiti includes rhythmic movement and clapping, but rarely dancing. In the U.S., charismatic worship might include raised hands, tongues, or being slain in the Spirit. In my case, the Holy Spirit met me powerfully in a moldy-pewed Methodist church during a quiet sermon—not with music or emotion, but through the intellect. God meets us in different ways.
Let’s not judge others for how they encounter God. The real question isn’t how we worship—it’s who we’re worshiping.
The Holy Spirit Is God
One last point. None of this matters if we don’t affirm who the Spirit is. The Holy Spirit isn’t an “it”—He is God. Scripture makes this plain:
- Acts 5:3–4 – “You have not lied to man but to God.”
- 1 Corinthians 2:10–11 – The Spirit knows the deep things of God, a sign of omniscience.
The Spirit possesses the incommunicable attributes of God: omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience. He is not a force but a divine person. And His work in our lives is not just about spiritual experiences—it’s about transforming us into the likeness of Christ.
Closing Thought: God Makes No Mistakes
God is all-knowing. That doesn’t just mean He has access to all data—it means He perfectly understands and wisely acts. He makes no mistakes—not in the world, not in the church, and not in your life. His wisdom is woven through your story, even when it doesn’t make sense.
So however the Spirit moves in your life—whether it’s a quiet whisper, a burst of ecstatic joy, or an unexplained prayer language—remember: the goal is not the experience. The goal is Jesus.
Come, Holy Spirit.
