Post Number Three
Lift
up your eyes and see!
Flora
grew up in a cult.
Read
more here (the images might be disturbing to
some)
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/raised-with-demons-how-the-potter-s-house-church-keeps-its-followers-under-control-20230410-p5cz9n.html
Growing
up in a church like this meant living a peculiar life, filled with
strange ideas about the reality around us. One of the things that
were emphasized in the cult of Potters House, was the gifts of the
Holy Spirit.
Speaking
in tongues was a sign of the Holy Spirit in you. If you didn't, well
then there was some sin in your life, something hindering you from
receiving him. Whether or not originally meant as such, it had become
a tool for classifying and judging fellow Christians.
Speaking
in tongues, all of the congregation at once, was an integral part of
every service in this church. It was "praising the lord" in
a non-existent language. It was loud, chaotic even, everyone just
speaking word porridge that they didn't even know the meaning
of.
There
were also other gifts, like profesying and receiving words of
knowledge straight from the Holy Spirit, and interpreting them.
Holy
Spirits influence on you was particularly strong if you fell down
when the hands were laid upon you. Or if you had other emotional
reactions, laughing, crying, etc.
Potters
House wasn't the only church this happened in. All kinds of revival
movements took place in many charismatic churches, Toronto Blessing
maybe being the most famous one.
The
downside of this emphasis was that it made you feel like a loser, a
bad christian. When you didn't get the same emotional reaction from
the prayer as the guy next to you, you felt guilty.
When
they touched your forehead and said "fire!" expecting you
to fall down, and you didn't, you started wondering what was wrong
with you. And you grew weary of all the expectations. Weary of the
constant demand of being on fire for the Lord.
So,
somewhere along the way, something started to break. Something inside
you started rising...
And
you'll hear all about it in our next release...
