Holy Laughter

[takijustin]

Does anybody believe in this?
Holy Laughter consists of
1. Uncontrolable laughing
2. Jumping and bucking
3. Oinking, mooing, and clucking like barnyard animals
4. Abnormal shaking and convulsing

I am a trinitarian Pentecostal though. I am not attacking beliefs. I really want to know.

 

[charityagape]

I think all laughter is holy, and good for you.

 

[heron]

The only time that I saw an instance where it appeared Holy Spirit-driven --


I had been praying for a certain tightly-wound televangelist. He seemed to demean his wife on international tv, set unrealistic demands on people, and seem like he was about to pop a spring.

About a week after the Lord asked me to pray for him, I saw him break out into holy laughter. He was trying to talk, seriously trying to keep his agenda on schedule, and he couldn't because he was laughing. It seemed like several minutes before he could stop.

I was laughing too -- not with him, just at him.

My conclusion was that the Spirit knows how stressed we are, and sometimes we just have to let loose. I don't see it as a manifestation of the Spirit, really, but just a thing ... a release of tension.

 

[Hisgirl]

You listed all sorts of 'manifestations'. You cannot heap all manifestations into one group and call it the exact same thing.

Wherever the Holy Spirit is, you can bet the farm the enemy will show up to counterfeit the real and genuine in hopes of tainting the real. This is accomplished by causing doubt to arise.

I've seen the Holy Spirit come upon folks and seen them shake, shiver, tremble, fall on the ground and laugh off years of depression.

I've also seen a demonic spirit take a hold of someone and seen them jerk back, shake, vomit, gag, shriek, scream and growl.

Manifestations happen when our flesh bodies have a power encounter.

This is where discernment comes in handy.

 

[heron]

I've seen the Holy Spirit come upon folks and seen them shake, shiver, tremble, fall on the ground and laugh off years of depression.

I've also seen a demonic spirit take a hold of someone and seen them jerk back, shake, vomit, gag, shriek, scream and growl.

Great comparison!

The Holy Spirit's reason for doing it is healing and deliverance.
The demons' reason is control, disabling, driving fear, distraction.
A person's reason might be attention, appearing spiritual, wanting in on the action, jealousy.

My point is, there is always a reason behind something happening. From the outside, we can judge it as an approved or disapproved phenomenon, but if God needs to do something to bring healing and relief to a person, He's going to do what it takes.

 

[Tamara224]

I think laughter can be a genuine manifestation of the Holy Spirit's moving. I have experienced an outpouring of the "joy of the Lord" that bubbles up inside you and pours out in laughter. It's wonderful, it's encouraging and uplifting.

It's the "uncontrollable" part that bothers me, frankly. In 1 Corinthians, Paul said that our services are supposed to be orderly. I've been to a service in which people were doing 'weird' things and it was the worst service I've ever attended. I honestly think the Holy Spirit was grieved by what went on there....I had a sick feeling in my spirit for days afterwards. During the service, all I knew was that God was telling me to get out of there.

There was one woman there who did the 'uncontrollable laughter' thing and all it did was serve as a distraction. There were other people yelling and screaming, blowing shofars, banging on drumbs and tamborines and just making a complete cacophony. It didn't edify the Body - meaningless sounds don't.

Futhermore, it distracted from meaningful prayer and fellowship. Another woman and I were praying for our friend at the time and all the noise and confusion distracted us from that. That other woman and I left that 'conference' early (we were supposed to stay another day) but neither of us could handle any more. We went back to our hotel room that night and discussed what had happened... we were both feeling sick and disgusted about the whole thing and realized that we both felt God was telling us to leave. We both knew it wasn't from God.

As to animal sounds... how could that possibly be from God? And the convulsing, etc, sounds demonic to me. What purpose could that possibly serve? How does that edify or build up the Body?

 

[heron]

It would be interesting to hear, if someone had felt some form of growth or healing through the noises and wrenching.

I honestly think the Holy Spirit was grieved by what went on there....I had a sick feeling in my spirit for days afterwards. During the service, all I knew was that God was telling me to get out of there.

There was one woman there who did the 'uncontrollable laughter' thing and all it did was serve as a distraction.

Isn't it strange, how a group of Christians can get caught up in something en masse that appears similar but is SO different?! I remember some distracting times too, and some bad services.

I don't like to feel like the leader is manipulating people into a frenzy, so I will walk out in the hall and start praying if I'm not comfortable. Ideally, we want all things to turn out for the good for those who love the Lord. It took me a while to figure out I don't have to categorize, but I'm responsible to help steer it back through prayer (or through leaving ).

 

[flaglady]

Does anybody believe in this?
Holy Laughter consists of
1. Uncontrolable laughing
2. Jumping and bucking
3. Oinking, mooing, and clucking like barnyard animals
4. Abnormal shaking and convulsing

I am a trinitarian Pentecostal though. I am not attacking beliefs. I really want to know.

During our revival back in 1994/5 I saw people doing 1 and 4 but never 2 or 3. And the poster left out the bending and groaning in the Spirit.

4 was - and still is - often accompanied with laughter or tears and a great release of tension followed by a period of resting in the Spirit (otherwise known as 'carpet time') and a sense of peace. I really don't think you get that from a demonic possession.

So though I never experienced those manifestations of the Spirit myself, I had no doubt of the source. It was all good stuff as far as I was concerned and brought me much nearer to God.

 

[Dynaric]

Does anybody believe in this?
Holy Laughter consists of
1. Uncontrollable laughing

I have had one time of this happening, I tend to be very conservative and don't do weird stuff. However the Holy Spirit had been dealing with me on some very stressful issues for a couple weeks and I was to a breaking point. We was in a revival type service and I answered the alter call, I was balling my eyes out praying in tongues when I began to giggle, my tears dried up and I was giggling like a little girl. It was like I was being tickled and but not physically, it then went from giggling to out and out laughter, I tried to stop a couple times but honestly could not do so. After about 20 or 30 minutes of this over joyous experience I began to weep again, but the burden of stress had been lifted and the issues that was being dealt with was gone, and have not been issues again since that time. That was about 4 years ago.

2. Jumping and bucking

I have seen people worshipping by jumping and such, but have not personally experienced it, I guess what I have seen is more like dancing before the Lord??

3. Oinking, mooing, and clucking like barnyard animals

I have heard of this and I have heard arguments from both sides of the fence, I have even heard of barking and howling like dogs... I hate the idea of putting the Holy Spirit in a box and saying He can't... but this is one I just can not agree with at this time, I can not find scripture to back this up.

4. Abnormal shaking and convulsing

I have seen people who convulse and shake while praying, I have seen people who shake worse than any palsy victim I have ever encountered, I have also seen folks who are laid out in the Spirit convulse like they have a serious nervous tick. I personally have prayed and have had muscles clenched so hard that I have shook, but I don't know if that is really what you are asking.

On the issue of a service being orderly I think the issue is discernment, does it line up with God's word? and what is the Holy Spirit telling you about this? Will some people fake it, uhh yah... Does the Holy Spirit come on everyone the same way, uhh no... Will even a genuine movement of the Holy Spirit be distracting to some, probably, I think it depends on where we are in our spiritual walk and how active our pray lives are outside of the church service. Personally I had a horrible time praying in a service if the praise team was singing at the same time, instrumental I was fine but add the human voice and it distracted me something fierce. As my prayer life became stronger I now find that it really does not bother me all that much.

Dynaric

 

[heron]

Both sides of the fence, lol...

2. Jumping and bucking I have seen people worshipping by jumping and such, but have not personally experienced it, I guess what I have seen is more like dancing before the Lord??

Now that you mention it, some contemporary dancing looks like bucking, when people jump from both feet together.

I have seen people who convulse and shake while praying, I have seen people who shake worse than any palsy victim I have ever encountered,

When I've seen shaking, it seems that the person has packed emotions and fears and rules tightly inside for years, and is afraid... and the beginning of freedom leads to shaking. I don't know if we can categorize it this way.... just an observation.

Personally I had a horrible time praying in a service if the praise team was singing at the same time, instrumental I was fine but add the human voice and it distracted me something fierce. As my prayer life became stronger I now find that it really does not bother me all that much.

Interesting. That's useful information for people who lead worship teams. It really is.

 

[Scorcher505]

I have never heard of such a thing, and I have been to several Pentacostal services before. Honestly just from the description you gave it sounds made up

 

[NewSong]

Of Course I have an opinion too!

From my personal experiences of being in the "laughing revival."

1. I cannot possibly tell what is going on in people's lives when they are laughing "in the spirit." However, I can tell you that 9/10's of the people that were in the "laughing revival" are not in church or serving the Lord, but for the small portion that were the laughers and stuck around well I am not sure they are in any better shape than they were years ago.

For myself personally, I wanted to laugh in the worst way not because laughing is fun but because a "merry heart does good like medicine," and because I wanted the "joy of the Lord, which is my strength," and I wanted God to "restore to me the joy of my salvation." In addition, I also wanted much like Psalms 126 ---where "their mouthes were filled with laughter when they came out of capitivity." I wanted laughter because I wanted my "the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;" I wanted it all because of an inner healing and I never laughed once and I went to those revival services on a daily basis, prayed, fasted, and done this for over 4-1/2 years and not once did I end up with "holy laughter." I gave up on the manifestation and haven't had a laugh in years but I haven't given up on God.

I quit looking for the manifestations and whether it is "holy laughter" or it is a result of lifting the mourning, capitivity, or some other event that GOD is doing in someone's life, I just want to let you know I don't care how God does it as long as they keep their eyes on Jesus.

Can there "Holy Laughter?" I believe anything is possible but I think it is more unusual than anyone thinks.

 

[SavedForever]

IMHO i can tell you that the shaking thing does happen. We were at a retreat this weekend and I recieved annointing there, I couldn't stop shaking. It is something you can't control when it happens. It also happens to me when I pray or speak in tongues. I also have to agree that you can't put God in a box. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[probinson]

A word about uncontrollable;

Twice in my life, I have experienced "uncontrollable" laughter. Both times, I purposely said to God, I surrender to You, and I began to laugh "uncontrollably".

The word uncontrollable will make people cite 1 Corinthians and start loudly declaring that God is a God of order. However, the thing that seems to be forgotten is that I had control. Had I not surrendered to God, the "uncontrollable laughter" would never have occurred.

As a point of interest, in one of the services where I experienced the uncontrollable laughter, it was what most would have considered mass chaos. People yelling, crying, dancing, jumping, running, laughing.... plus, it was LOUD! Yet we had a visitor tell us that it was the most peaceful service that they had ever attended. Odd.

Anyway, I guess the point is, you will almost always see the counterfit when the real manifests. But our church tends to believe that wild fire is better than no fire. There are times when someone is just clearly out of line, and that is dealt with, but for the most part, we let the Spirit have free reign.

I can nearly assure you that another poster will now say that we're using "free reign" as a synonym for "chaos", but nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[hislegacy]

Does anybody believe in this?
Holy Laughter consists of
1. Uncontrolable laughing
2. Jumping and bucking
3. Oinking, mooing, and clucking like barnyard animals
4. Abnormal shaking and convulsing

I am a trinitarian Pentecostal though. I am not attacking beliefs. I really want to know.

NO - Holy laughter does not consist of any of that.

 

[Dynaric]

Balance

NO - Holy laughter does not consist of any of that.

? I am not trying to cause a fuss, argument, or contention, my intention is to ask this in love, but I am not alway real good at making a question come out that way:o ... but I am curious as to how you would define Holy laughter? I think having your thoughts behind your statement would help takijustin (and me) more than what you put in your post. If I am off base please don't let this derail the thread. I am truly interested in another point of view in this matter and in this thread as a whole.

I will say I suppose you could take the uncontrolable laughter as that you was given no choice, and the fact that I had gone to the Lord and surrendered myself at the altar was infact a choice thus I had control??? but I took it a little different as I put in my post earlier???

Love and Thanks
Dynaric

 

[JimB]

I would be cautious of anything “uncontrollable”. Self-control is important enough to God that it is listed among the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . self-control” (Gal. 5.23).

1 Timothy 2.15 Continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

1 Peter 1. 6 Add to knowledge self-control

1 Cor 7.5 Come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

~Jim

A father is someone who carries ​

pictures where his money used to be.​

 

[JimB]

?? Whuzup with CF this morning ??

 

[flaglady]

It was sick!!

I know a lady who has an annointing for the prophetic word. She gives amazing words and insights but while she is doing it, her head rapidly whips from side to side the whole time. Sometimes her prophecies last a few minutes. When she's finished she walks away with compelte equilibrium, no unsteadiness or loss of balance.

Now I would challenge anyone to even be standing after just a minute or less of twisting their head to and fro as rapidly. Can't be done - but she does it.

 

[Dave01]

Man, that would be a crazy service to walk into, people oinking like pigs, guys running around like rhinos ramming into things,..

If I was an unbeliever, I would run out of that church for good.