Big Church

I went to Hall 8 in the expo today for a church service - one and a half in fact, cause I arrived late for the first service where a special speaker preached on deliverance and a second service where the deliverances were actually conducted. Briefly, deliverance is the banishing of evil spirits who're believed to be residing in some of us.

It sounds pretty exciting actually, and although Jesus says not to seek out signs and wonders, that was exactly why I was there.

As I was brought into the church, some handsome chap befriended me and, to me, condescendingly placed his arm around my shoulder as he guided me into the church like some lost sheep finding its way back to the farm. During the alter call he asked if I feel the need to rededicate my life to God.

Ok, sub note again: Alter calls are usually designed in such a way that almost everybody has a reason to go up; everybody from non-believers, to backsliders, to strong christians who want to reaffirm their faith or seek more spiritual strength to do God's work.

Anyway, back to our handsome chap. I replied saying yes, I do feel the need to dedicate my life to God again, but not at that moment. He asked why, and I said I need to feel convicted, if not it would just be an empty gesture. Handsome chap gave a rather convincing argument against my reasoning saying that it's the act of faith, going up to the alter, that's the beginning of my repentance and my getting right with God. I told him there're several doubts and discrepancies that I find in our faith that I need to get sorted out before I can honestly seek God again.

Without asking for details, he launched into a nice speech about how he used to be like me, and that now he's different etc etc. It was pretty good, except that it made me feel that people like him categorise newcomers to their church only into 2 categories : 1) unbelievers and 2) backsliders, and they take a fixed approach for each of the categories without taking time to understand WHY the person backslidded or why a person isn't a believer. People seemed rushed into the Sinner's Prayer, much like getting married before getting to know your spouse. Shoes before socks, I would say.

Moving on, we're now into the deliverance service. According to the speaker, people sometimes engage in certain activities that open the door for evil spirits to gain access and to reside in our hearts. In fact, there's something he terms as generational curses or something along that line, where the sins of our fathers are passed down the family tree. Examples he gave were stuff ranging from idolatry and gambling to strangely, financial carelessness and poverty. Evil spirits strive to ruin our lives immediately after gaining a foothold in our hearts, and the affected people have to be delivered.

Fine. I accept that, with some reservations, but I accept that. But how bout believers who already have Christ residing in their hearts. I'm not exactly sure, but I believe I read somewhere in the bible that once Christ lives in us, no other evil spirit can invade our heart. Demons and spirits might perch themselves on our shoulders and whisper temptations into our ears but they can never gain access into our hearts. Am i wrong? Furthermore, let's say they DO gain access into our hearts, the possessed people would be unable to declare that Jesus is Lord and to admit vocally that Jesus is our savior and the only true way to God. They would be unable to lift their hands and sing praises to God. No?

The speaker proceeded to issue the first alter call for deliverance, asking for people who have dabbled in the occult, martial arts(huh?!), yoga, hooked to horror movies(wtf?), or people who have been dedicated to temples, whose parents engage in idolatry etc etc to come forth and be prayed for, to be delivered and to have the evil spirits residing in them cast out.

Throngs of people responded to that call, and soon the front of the church was filled. "Say out loud after me," the speaker commanded, and proceeded to say stuff like "I acknowledge Jesus Christ alone is Lord and Savior" etc etc, and everybody followed. No manifestations of demons as of yet. The band and choir on stage burst into song and everybody started praising God.

This other chap came beside me and asked if I wanted to go down to get delivered. I told him no, obviously and expressed my doubts about demonic possession of believers. He said sometimes people only profess to be christians but are in fact not. Fair enough, I said. I humbly and politely told him that I thought people possessed by demons can't proclaim the Lordship of Jesus, at least not without manifesting. "Look," I pointed at the crowd in front, "everybody's fine and praising God. How are they demon possessed?". His response was that not every demon possessed person manifest violently. Well .. okay.

It's interesting, demons nowadays. Or at least the demons who possessed the people who end up in that particular church. They all manifest in exactly the same ways! So much so that the church workers are prepared with tons of plastic bags because well, the demon possessed usually end up vomiting, and so they're prepared. The manifestations include screaming and yelling and a general convulsing but no obvious signs of the demon inflicting bodily hurt on the host such as gorging their own eyes out, or biting their tongues. Maybe in these end days the demons have gotten lazy; or I'm possessed by a spirit of sarcasm. Funny how the spirits in Jesus' time were a lot fiercer.

Forgive me if I have blasphemed in any way. I am foolish, and know not what I say. I do not judge, I merely observe.

Oh and I think it rocks that a church has an impressive security force clad in black polo tees with the word SECURITY printed in bold yellow font at the back. Sort of like Zouk don't you think? And some of the girls were dressed for clubbing .. not that I'm complaining or anything of course..