Prayer......praying.....

[NoahsMom]

I actually attended one night of a revival, locally...heard the pastor of this church stand behind the pulpit and say," doesnt matter what you have been, where you are, what kind a drugs you have took, we want you here, God wants you.......BUT, if you are not a member of this prayer team, DO NOT pray for anybody here, ( meaning, if someone comes to the alter for prayer), if you feel you must then kneel and pray for yourself". Now keep in mind, locally Im sure there are many ppl visiting from area churches, sister churches, etc.....this just BLEW MY MIND, i wasnt aware you had to be a member of ANYTHING in order to pray for anyone, I understand things must be done decently asnd in order, got no problem with that at all, am i the only one who saw this as strange?

 

[AnandaHya]

i've seen so many strange things. I don't understand any of it anymore. we just have to pray and ask God for the answers.

My question is how do you know when God and not demons have answered? I thought I knew but the pastor I was talking to tells me that I don't so I just wanted to know HOW you know when even demons quote scripture?

 

[NoahsMom]

I ve wondered the same, guess thats where discernment comes in. I have known this church locally for like 10 plus years, tho I may not agree with alot of their doctrinal issues 100%, I just never thought Id hear someone say " if your not apart of said prayer team, you cant pray"...to me, thats like man tellin God what he can do....and thats NOT COOL. I mean even on here, theres ppl i agree with, some i dont, but, Im not gonna say your goin to hell....see, I can shake the dust off my feet and go on. It just freaked me out, cause what if someone was there for the first time, and thats the first impression they got....they would think they werent qualified to pray if they werent apart of that...just struck me as reallllyyyy WRONG.

 

[1still_waters]

You heard him say something like...

" if your not apart of said prayer team, you cant pray""

"BUT, if you are not a member of this prayer team, DO NOT pray for anybody here,"

But what did he mean?

I'm stepping back and looking at the situation here.

You got folks coming to the altar for prayer. They are coming out of their seats. Coming forward, Kneeling at the altar.

There appears to be a prayer team of people who comes to the altar to specifically pray for people. Hands on praying.

So................

When you heard the preacher say what he said..........I think what you heard him mean is.........

"You can't sit there and even pray for anyone, while you're just sitting in your seat, unless you're part of the prayer team."

But maybe what he meant was........

"You can't come forward and lay hands on these people unless you're part of our prayer team."

Is it possible you've been so umm...tweaked by church leaders in the past, that you heard him saying something he wasn't really meaning to say?

 

[NoahsMom]

he said " if you come up here and lay hands on anyone and your not one of our prayer team members....and we know who they are, we will escort you outta here"....................plain enough?

 

[NoahsMom]

I just thought it was well, disturbing, i meam yea, its their church, they can run it any way they see fit.....Im old school still, back in my day as a kid, my memories are of holdin on to my mommas dress tail, when she prayed for folks, and im sure their wasnt a prayer team.

 

[Red33]

I just thought it was well, disturbing, i meam yea, its their church, they can run it any way they see fit.....Im old school still, back in my day as a kid, my memories are of holdin on to my mommas dress tail, when she prayed for folks, and im sure their wasnt a prayer team.

Perhaps the pastor had a good reason for making that request. Did you ask him why he made that request as he did? If not, perhaps you should believe the best instead of assuming something strange. Asking others here on this site won't help, especially if they are not part of that local assembly, all it will do is make people suspicious and that is not edification.

 

[AnandaHya]

Perhaps the pastor had a good reason for making that request. Did you ask him why he made that request as he did? If not, perhaps you should believe the best instead of assuming something strange. Asking others here on this site won't help, especially if they are not part of that local assembly, all it will do is make people suspicious and that is not edification.

its an issue of discernment, even jesus told us to learn to tell the difference between true and false teachers. you have to decided with the help of the Holy spirit which is which, but you are saying anything that makes you think, question the church that is doing something not Bible based or lead by the Holy spirit and that just being "suspicious" is bad? if you don't question then your follow blindly that is how the holocaust was allowed to happen. we have to do GOD"S WILL not man's. We must READ and FOLLOW GOD's word, not any churches.

 

[PBUH]

Perhaps the pastor had a good reason for making that request. Did you ask him why he made that request as he did? If not, perhaps you should believe the best instead of assuming something strange. Asking others here on this site won't help, especially if they are not part of that local assembly, all it will do is make people suspicious and that is not edification.

Wise words

 

[1still_waters]

he said " if you come up here and lay hands on anyone and your not one of our prayer team members....and we know who they are, we will escort you outta here"....................plain enough?

Well I can appreciate and understand his desire to only have certified and trained people praying for others, hands on at the altar during a time visitors are there and they're making an extra effort to reach backsliders and the lost.

I think having a trained prayer team can guard against abuse and against some creepy person just coming up and putting their hands on random visitors/strangers/people. If I was a visitor I'd feel safer knowing there was some kind of screening to those laying their hands on me and possibly giving me spiritual guidance. We apply certain standards to other kinds of Christian work. Why not to those praying hands on and potentially offering spiritual advice at the altar?

His comment about escorting people outta there seems a bit harsh. He could have said that with more grace.

I can see your concern too. Like what if your kid went up for prayer or your husband or mom? You would LOVE to go up and pray for them since they are close to you. So with their prayer team standard, you would be left out of a very intimate and important part of a loved one spiritual experience.

I still think their prayer team standard is very wise, but they should have a little wiggle room if someone wants a family member or loved one to come up with them.

 

[EternalSpring]

I'm in agreement with some others have said in regards to the fact that

1. He probably meant it in a way that he only wanted the prayer team that he was familiar with doing the hands on praying.
2. The reasons for this can be varied, but I would think it's related to the verse saying the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Pastors can be seen as mini shepherds who tend to the flock of "the great shepherd (Christ)." In this light, it can be understood that a Pastor makes his job to see that the people who are in charge of various parts of the church (prayer team, worship team, etc) meet certain standards. It's not really to say that others are lesser or worse, but rather that the people praying by laying of hands are "certified." It's kinda like a USDA inspection sticker. Of course, the spirit can work through anyone, but this just maintains a sense of order and safety in the way that particular church works.

 

[EternalSpring]

His comment about escorting people outta there seems a bit harsh. He could have said that with more grace.

I can see your concern too. Like what if your kid went up for prayer or your husband or mom? You would LOVE to go up and pray for them since they are close to you. So with their prayer team standard, you would be left out of a very intimate and important part of a loved one spiritual experience.

I def agree about the lack of grace in his comment, it def did come out sounding a bit harsh.

As for the second concern, I think sometimes it's also important to realize that the moment going on is really between God and the person and that this is also something concerning the spirit. It's not really always necessary to be standing right there. The power of God and prayer works beyond the confines of time and space so it's still possible that one can play an important part in that moment without even being in the same room. Sometimes I find myself humbled greatly when I remember that while I walk around happy and healthy that there are people who I may not even remember who are praying for me every day. Those prayers help me just as much as the prayers of those who lay hands on me.

Of course, we still all want to be there, but it's just one of those things I guess we have to not pay as much attention to since it's more about gratifying our desire of wanting to be up there and playing our part even when we dont need to go there..

 

[loveschild]

The problem is some pastors have placed themselves and there worship team up on there own throne and they think they are god. They think they are better than everyone else. They think they have more power more anointing than anyone else. They think the rest of the low people must come through them to get to God. Isn't Jesus the way to the Father? Been in the service of God praying for a church just like you speak of. Spirit of religion, spirit of Jezebel. All kinds of demons ruling there. I asked God what was wrong with this pastor. He told me Baal and showed me this ugly snake face that looked like a snake and a man.

 

[AnandaHya]

The problem is some pastors have placed themselves and there worship team up on there own throne and they think they are god. They think they are better than everyone else. They think they have more power more anointing than anyone else. They think the rest of the low people must come through them to get to God. Isn't Jesus the way to the Father? Been in the service of God praying for a church just like you speak of. Spirit of religion, spirit of Jezebel. All kinds of demons ruling there. I asked God what was wrong with this pastor. He told me Baal and showed me this ugly snake face that looked like a snake and a man.

woah wait, clarification please, you went to a church that did what? and God said? why didn't it bother the other churchgoers? did they worship the pastor or God? those are strong words and deeply disturbing if true. how did you handle the situation? Did you rebuke the demon and pray with the pastor?

that is what I was told to do but I don't have the faith and bravery. i'm working on courage with the help of the Holy spirit to rebuke demons but i just want to run and hide most days.

Let your Light shine forth to all people.

YouTube - Newsboys (Shine)

 

[dmdave17]

I have seen something similar in a church I attended while living in South Florida, but it was done a little differently. The pastor had the members of the prayer team come forward and position themselves around the front of the church. The he invited anyone who needed prayer, or wanted to give themselves to Christ, to come forward and find a prayer partner. I found nothing odd in that at all.

It all depends on how it's done, I think. I agree with 1still_waters (dude, you gotta get a shorter name) that in some settings, a trained and responsive prayer team is probably the best way to go. You just don't have to make it sound so exclusive and harsh, as this pastor seemed to.

 

[NoahsMom]

I can see your concern too. Like what if your kid went up for prayer or your husband or mom? You would LOVE to go up and pray for them since they are close to you. So with their prayer team standard, you would be left out of a very intimate and important part of a loved one spiritual experience.

You hit it right there STILL....While I have no problem with their having a prayer team for whatever reason, sometimes kids can be reluctant with out a parent , sibling etc. As I stated before things MUST be done decently and in order, no doubt, surprisingly the first words out of my middle daughters mouth ( who has not attended church since movingout of my home and turning 18) were " wow, you have to go to school to learn to pray for ppl"...and shes lookin @ me....and the only thing I could tell he was, this is their church, they run it how they feel led, this is orderly to them, yet, I think she responded more to the harshness that could have been touched on differently, that was my whole point tho..first impressions.

 

[Consumed]

I actually attended one night of a revival, locally...heard the pastor of this church stand behind the pulpit and say," doesnt matter what you have been, where you are, what kind a drugs you have took, we want you here, God wants you.......BUT, if you are not a member of this prayer team, DO NOT pray for anybody here, ( meaning, if someone comes to the alter for prayer), if you feel you must then kneel and pray for yourself". Now keep in mind, locally Im sure there are many ppl visiting from area churches, sister churches, etc.....this just BLEW MY MIND, i wasnt aware you had to be a member of ANYTHING in order to pray for anyone, I understand things must be done decently asnd in order, got no problem with that at all, am i the only one who saw this as strange?

Gods annoited, God will handle the issue, God placed the pastor there, his house to minister how he sees fit regardless what we may think. We can go to any church and find fault with something, we submit to church authority, whether a vistor or part of a congregation.


"martha martha you trouble yourself with many things but mary has chosen the better part"