There is a really old Carman song from the Sunday's on the Way album called, 'This thing is Real'. This was way back when Carman was playing his home church in Tulsa OK, had one song on the radio, and hadn't even dreamed of making cheesy boxing movies or playing Vegas. Like all good Carman songs, it starts out in first person narrative:
"Well I went down to the local A of G
... to look around and see what I could see
I heard somebody shout
spun myself about ...
And saw this big ole' deacon man
running straight toward me
--
His face was red
He shook his head
Looked up at me and said, This Thing is Real!"
Now this is when the backup singers start doing Doo-WAP and we go on to hear about how both he and his cousin Tony get "filled". I know that this can be a touchy subject in our circles - we all seem to have a different perspective on what is often called our "Distinctive Doctrine" - the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the initial evidence.
As I mentioned in my last post, this past weekend was the Kansas State Pow-Wow for Royal Rangers. Now I've been to a few of these and they all have the same spiritual components. Just like any good set of A/G evangelistic meetings. There are three services:
Service 1 - You need to get Saved ... Or at least "rededicated" .. or get over your pride if you don't think you need to go up to the altar.
Service 2 - You need to get Filled ... or refilled ... or filled deeper.
Service 3 - You have a mission to get other people Saved and Filled ... or to at least attend a saving, filling, mission-ing camp or services.
I think most of you already know that I think we as a fellowship put more emphasis on "the evidence" than we need to and that it has a lot more to do with distinguishing us from another denomination than being the barometer of our relationship with Christ. With that in mind, you can understand that I don't usually look forward to Service 2.
Last Saturday night was a service 2 and I was minding my own business - keeping to the back, praying and singing while the "side-show" was going on up front by the fire. (Ranger speakers have the extra good visualization of a roaring fire right up by the altar to make the tongues thing even more dramatic). The teenager sitting next to me leaned over and asked if I would pray with him .... sure I said - confident that it would be something innocuous like a family member going through hard times, direction for life, maybe even some adolescent guilt.
Nope - he wanted me to pray that they boys that had gone up front would get "filled". By the time I realized this he had already grabbed my hand and was praying OUTLOUD for those at the altars. Then he paused .... didn't say amen .... and dear lord, squeezed my hand to let me know it was my turn.
I started out pretty safely, praying for God's will in each boys life, a stronger relationship and daily walk - nice things a Baptist would pray; but then something happened. I didn't have a big message/interpretation experience like some of you might be expecting-but I felt very led to pray that God would "Send down the fire" - but not in an Acts 2 context, rather I was praying for a 1 Kings experience. I found myself praying that the water would be poured out over the offering - that it would fill the trench around the altar, so that if the fire was sent; it would be God that did the lighting.
I don't know that I've ever made that connection before. With all the sermons preached on the the Baptism, I'm sure it's not original. Still it resonated with my soul. It took me back to my own experiences that I'd pushed away long ago. I saw the fakers, the coachers, the altar pushers when I was young - but I also saw the real thing. I don't know if I saw the real thing Saturday night - I never made it up to pray with the boys that went forward, but I know I prayed for the real thing. And that was a big step for me.
"This automatic
Old Fanatic - bless Him
Got Filled
Well you may not understand
why we shout and raise our hands
It's only because this thing is real."
5 comments:
I am very sensitive to praying for the "real thing". I even have to pray that God will allow me to be open to the real thing because of my previous experiences.
I really like the I Kings reference. I've never put it into these words before, but that is how I will visualize it when I am praying for this in the future and I am sure it will be a teaching tool we use with our children.
I am glad that God will still work through us even when we are jaded from past experiences. I am equally glad that God used this teenager to lead you to pray I think it's awesome when God works things out this way.
My brother and I listened to "The Well." I still sing this to my kids sometimes. I think that tape maybe one of the few that I still have in my van! We don't get them out much so I'll have to check it out. I don't remember the song you mentioned, it's probably on the side opposite "The Well!"
Teenagers and kids will definately push you out of your comfort zone. God had something to do with it. I remember the Stars girls taking me out of my comfort zone at Stars Retreat. They were all at the altar wanting to be filled and dragging me up there to pray for them. Too often they seek the gift, but not the giver.
THat was a great prayer - to keep it real. I have also been jaded by all the fakeness. This was refreshing.
I'm a real thing kind of person (no, really). It is very easy to get disillusioned about the fakers when the evidence doctrines encourage them.
It also makes the real prayers and real experiences that much more important.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one that feels that way. It's nice to hear that others feel the same. We can all be jaded together. I'm all about keeping it real. I think deep down, I'm a Baptist. (shhhh, don't tell anyone.)
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