"The nice thing about realizing I can choose to change my inner posture from left to right brain is that I can now choose to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in one more way He desires for me to experience Him. I can be slain in the Spirit without faking it! I am still maintaining my integrity. Could I resist falling down and stay standing? Yes, because the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and doesn't force Himself upon you. It is as I choose to yield myself to the Spirit that He fills those areas I yield to Him. "Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but yield yourselves to God ... Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves to obey, you are slaves of the one whom you obey? (Rom. 3:13a, 16a). Thayer's Greek definition of this word "yield" ( Strong's #G3936) is "to present, to place a person or thing at one's disposal." I choose not to resist the Holy Spirit, since I am passionate to live and walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). I choose to yield my being to be slain in the Spirit." -- Mark Virkler
Wow. First of all, Mark Virkler has learned how to switch what side of his brain dominates! He should call the scientific journals, except he would be dismissed as a kook. Unfortunately within the church he should be dismissed as such as well. Do you see who he has placed in control in this scenario? He is! Not the Holy Spirit! So according to this theory, the Holy Spirit wants to knock Mark over so He can minister to him. But apparently the Holy Spirit has limited power due to his status as a "gentleman"; which is found nowhere in Scripture. Mark Virkler has figured out how to help the Holy Spirit. I chose to yield my being to being slain in the Spirit? Who is God in that equation?
"God did knock down Paul and make him blind for three days, and that sure looks like God used force and control to overwhelm Paul's spirit. Well, God did this because Paul's heart was in the right place. Paul's heart was after God. It is just that his head's theology was so messed up Paul thought he was doing God a favor by killing Christians. So God honored Paul's pure heart over his messed-up theology, and although it looks like forceful control, it is actually honoring and responding to a heart that was wholly God's." -- Mark Virkler
What? So as Saul was slaughtering Christians his heart was in the right place? In all my years of ministry I have never heard such a horrible interpretation. As Saul presided over the stoning of the first martyr, Stephen, his heart was pure? Why does Virkler come to this ridiculous conclusion? Because Saul thought he was doing the will of God. His intentions were sincere. Who cares? Hitler believed he was doing the right thing too! Slave owners justified their trade with the Bible. God does not care about our intentions because they come from our wickedly deceitful heart. That is why He gave us His word. So we would learn to rely upon it instead of our instincts or intentions. What Virkler has broached however is the fact that the Holy Spirit is not always a gentleman. He was not when He knocked Saul off his high horse. He did not ask at Pentecost who wanted to be filled. Beloved we are not as special is Virkler makes out. God is the one who is important and He does not need our help. If He wants to knock me down He will. Virkler concludes:
"In summary: Now I don't need to be the one left standing as others go down under the power of the Spirit. I can join the party, too. And who doesn't want to be part of a Holy Ghost party? Since a merry heart is good medicine, I choose the party (Prov. 17:22). I choose fun and thankfulness and gratitude. I choose to set aside my thinking for a bit and just enjoy His presence. It's a nice change. It's a refreshing experience. Try it. You'll like it. Always ask for more! Why not?" -- Mark Virkler
At least Virkler is honest about this phenomenon and his desire for it. He doesn't want to be the only man standing at a party where everyone falls down. I can relate as a recovering Charismaniac. Like the baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues, slain in the spirit is like a spiritual merit badge in the church. If you have not had these experiences then you are made to feel less spiritual. Some churches will go as far as to say you are not really saved. Perhaps the most disturbing analogy is that Virkler views this as a "party." This is supposed to be when the spirit really works on you but the reality is it is all fun and games. How else do you explain the very same people going up for prayer every single week and getting re-slain? Try it, I'll like it? What are we caught in a bad version of the old Life Cereal commercial? Go ahead and try being knocked down by God Himself! I know! Let's get Mikey!
Beloved you do not need to set aside your thinking to enjoy the presence of God. This is known as "emptying" and is also a part of eastern Mysticism. It has zero place in the church of Jesus Christ. The bottom line is being slain in the spirit is simply not found in the Bible. If it were important to God for us to know that we must shift our brain to receive from Him and collapse, you think He would have mentioned it somewhere? In fact the key verses today remind us that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is self-control. Meanwhile, the entire concept of being slain is a complete loss of control. There is simply no way to blame the Holy Spirit for violating the very gifts He embodies and distributes.
