Quote:
Originally Posted by OBW
I cannot say that it is a bad thing to do that.
But it is not something prescribed in the scripture. So the fact that so many do not practice it is hardly unexpected. It is not the observed practice.
And it stands opposed to the limits that Paul actually put on the Corinthians concerning several practices, including "prophesying."
So, as Terry suggests, it needs oversight. And it is probably somewhat of a spiritual risk to make it such a regular and even major thing in your meetings. It is quite possible that the most significant "edifying" (meaning "building up") that is going on is the building up of personal emotions and sense of self worth (as opposed to worth in Christ) from engaging in the practice. In other words, the "edifying" may not be spiritual, but fleshly.
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The oversight is provided by the leading brothers in many cases. Many a time a leading brother has stood up and requested that we prophesy in a certain way, or to clarify something someone has said.
Anything can be fleshly and not spiritual, I think we all know how much focus Lee put on one being in their spirit and not in their mind/flesh. So your concern is shared but also well understood and your concern sounds more like something Lee would say. If it should happen, I don't see anything wrong with building up one's emotions and sense of self-worth by sharing their experiences with others. God treasures us very highly and so I don't think self-abasement is necessarily a good thing. I still think this is a better situation than a church which muzzles its congregation. The solution to the problem of people speaking from their flesh is not to stop people from speaking. And sometimes it is not so cut and dry. For example, a person may speak something very much from Christ for 30 seconds and then at the end tell a funny joke which gets them back to the flesh. Or they may start in their flesh and then the Spirit takes over.