Hypnosis and Christianity Sermons/teachings?

Over the last week I have been trying to study scripture in reference to combating a situation that has arisen in my House Church.

Last week we had a new person came to our HC. While I was at one of our Elders homes, a middle aged gentleman called and asked to attend a HC. The Elder whose home I was at gave the phone directly over to me since our HC is not over full.

I spoke with this new gentleman a little less then an hour before our HC started. In this short converstation that we had, the gentleman stated, "I need to learn more about Jesus." After I invited him over, my Elder informed me that the man made some comment about being in hypnosis at some point in his life. Not wanting to turn away a seeker, I agreed to have him over.

During HC we realized that this gentleman has a business that uses hypnosis to "heal" people. This man is knowledgeable in the Word but is making excuses for why hypnosis is ok to use. During HC I decerned that there is something not right in what he was talking about and his interpretation of the Word. I would correct him using scripture and love.

I am asking anyone for advice, help, scriptures and/or teachings on this subject. I have searched the archives to not much avail. I have been doing some searches online on this subject, but have mostly come up with pro-hypnosis info. I have scriptures on witchcraft, sorcery and such, but I may be missing others that apply and I haven't taken notice.

Please pray for this person. His name is Brad. I do want to approach this person with as much love and gentleness to start. His heart is open to the Lord, but he is very misled. Please also pray for protection for my house, family and other people meeting in my home against attacks from the enemy. Any and all advice is welcome.

Blessings

I did a very quick search in Wikipedia, and it appears hypnosis is a state of focused mental concentration and heightened suggestion, which has its roots in Hindu Yoga practices and ancient oriental spiritual/meditation techniques. It is definitely not a Christian method and seems more like the "practice of magic arts" forbidden by God in the Bible.

But I don't think it would be necessary to even understand hypnotism in order to forbid it in your church meetings. I believe the advertisement or promotion of any product or service should be prohibited as it clashes with the spiritual intent of the church meeting. Prohibition even before or after the meeting is, I think, justified since it would call into question the very motive of a person's attendance at the church meeting.

Thank you brothers. We will be meeting again tonight for HC. If he attends, I pray that the Lord's truth will move him to repentance.

The power of hypnosis is more prevalent in Sunday church meetings in the United States than anywhere else in the world. Hypnosis - like that of its twin sister mesmerization - is often given free reign in much of what the world experiences in charismatic and Pentecostal assemblies today. I can say this as a former AG youth pastor who was well-acquainted with the traditional "youth rally" and the general Christian rock concert/conference scene which is devised to [i]pump-up[/i] the faith and boldness and fervor and zeal and conviction in those who attend the meetings.

This "pumping-up" is almost always the result of of a temporal and visceral hypnosis brought on by loudness, repetition, and appeal to emotion. All these are psychological elements well-known to gifted orators, musicians, statesmen, etc. The power of soul is both powerful...and subtle. Many speakers and "worship leaders" in Christian circles employ this power without even realizing it. It was learnt from watching other soulish preachers and their influence, and also by the proven effectiveness of the methods we see in the world.

Hypnosis is not just someone going into a trance while watching a swinging coin - that's just how the movies portray it. In reality, the mind can go into a hypnotic state through both aural [i]and[/i] visual mediums. In church assemblies it is usually the former, through corporate mantras and choruses...and I dare say, even prayer. By injecting the Name of God, and with a good speaker able to conjure and project an object of deity (usually through animated locution and syllable stresses and gesticulation), the human emotion - or soul - can become like clay in the potter's hand.

We know in the end that the soul was touched instead of the spirit, because the state of religious euphoria doesn't last, but diminishes after a few days. The high wears off, and those who attended the service finally sink back into their pre-conference ahypnotic states. It's especially tragic when we see this in evangelism! We all know of the damage caused by soulish decisions for Christ, we see it everywhere in Christiandom. In the end, the two-fold children of hell are able to wreak more damage to the Name of Christ than a legion of demons could.

Note, I am not saying every Pentecostal or Charismatic service is like this. I believe the genesis of the Pentecostal movement was at one time of God, but now that many generations have passed, [i]the strange fire of the soul[/i] now poses wholescale as what was once Holy Spirit fire and many without discernment are duped in the wake.

Brother Paul

What brother Paul said.
And

I could be wrong brother, but i believe, you have a wolf/goat in your midst.
He knew any christian would be happy to hear a seeker say they wanted to know more about Jesus.

If i may ask, what led to his talking about his business at the meeting?

Please heed the counsel to firmly state your position on the matter of hypnosis and be unyielding.

The grace of the Lord be upon you. Amen

Theophila wrote:

If i may ask, what led to his talking about his business at the meeting?

Great question. As in with meeting anyone new, people are interested in this persons background. People were trying to get to know this person and make him feel welcome. In the process of this happening, his occupation came about.

Please heed the counsel to firmly state your position on the matter of hypnosis and be unyielding.

The grace of the Lord be upon you. Amen

Yes, and yes! :-)

Dear PaulWest,

Guys, please excuse this brief question which diverts a bit from the thread, but I must ask Paul...

We know in the end that the soul was touched instead of the spirit, because the state of religious euphoria doesn't last, but diminishes after a few days.

Leo

Could you please educate me on the distinction between a soul and a spirit? It is a vague matter to me at this time. Thanks.

The terms "soul" and "spirit" are often used interchangeably as one and the same, especially in Christian lingo. But the truth is that there is a vast difference between the two - as vast as the difference between human and divine. One is earthly, the other heavenly. One originates in man, the other in God. One is Adamic and vibrant even when we are dead in sin, the other is dead until quickened by God.

We see the principle most clearly in this verse: [i]"The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit"[/i] (I Corinthians 14:45). A few verses down, in verse 47, we further read: [i]"The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven"[/i] (I Corinthians 15:47).

Adam was made a living soul, and everyone still in Adam (i.e. dead in sin), has access to all the power and capabilities of soul. Soul power is able to excite the human emotion like the wind is able to excite the water on the sea. When you see a group of girls screaming as Elvis Presley dances and gyrates his hips, you are witnessing the effects of Elvis' soul power to the seat of their emotion. Man has this tremendous power within - a power to manipulate, deceive, thrill, seduce, infuriate. These things he is able to do independant of God, and as you know, this power is often used for sinful gain and selfish indulgence. Cult leaders are masters of soul. They can easily provoke feelings of joy and fear in their their followers just by speaking. Adolf Hitler's Nazi Rally speeches are an awesome example of how the unbridled power of Adamic soul can sway others...even a whole nation. Satan's main channel to influence people [i]en masse[/i] has always been through the outlet of the soul. Whether it be through music, videos, literature or false preaching, the power of soul is able to go forth and connect in a most powerful way.

One of the things God's Word does is equip us with a filter to help divide and discern soul power from the actual power of the Holy Spirit. [i]"For the Word of God is quick and powerful...piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit..."[/i] We see from this verse two things. First, that there is a difference between soul and spirit; and secondly that the two are closely bound, like a vein and an artery running parallel in the same sheath. The Word of God is like a surgical scalpel, able to seperate the two. Without the Word of God, soul can be mistaken for spirit - and this is where we run into all kinds of problems and deceptions and counterfeits in Christianity.

Many "Baptisms in the Holy Ghost" today are emotional counterfeits, the result of a failure to discern between soul and spirit. In some cases, the person had a heightened experience, aided by music and coaching and was told to "let yourself go with the spirit" and to speak freely whatever comes to mind - even if it sounds like babble. And so they do, and so they speak, and so they believe they are baptized.

But the soul can never bring life! It instead brings a temporal vivacity....and then the stagnation. It's a cloud without rain. You see the impressive billow and hear the loud thunderclaps and see the awesome lightening...but the life-giving rain never comes. It's an illusion that vanishes like a wisp of smoke.

When a move is genuinely of the Spirit, an inner transformation occurs which you never recover from. It happens to the inner man, a precious, inutterable change that always takes us into a deeper awareness of our inward depravity and God's blessed grace. We suddenly find ourselves provoked to humility and brokeness...and through such we find abundant life in Christ. The soul condition, however, is transient, like a prognosis on the weather channel. When the soul is touched, we focus on self; when the spirit is touched, our eyes are lifted to God in humility, meekness, charity, self-control and sobriety. And through our looking to Jesus we are ever changed, progressively, from glory to glory into His likeness.

Hope this helps.

Brother Paul

Thank you, Paul. :-)

Could you please educate me on the distinction between a soul and a spirit? It is a vague matter to me at this time. Thanks.

Just to add to Paul's excellent response to your question; according to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, God made man with a body, soul, and spirit. Man was made to be the temple of God. When God gave Moses the pattern for the tabernacle the same three part division was seen.

The outer court, representing the body, the Holy Place representing the soul, and the Most Holy Place representing the spirit. God's presence was in the Most Holy Place, from there He talked with man.

The soul of man consists of the mind, the emotions, and the will and man cannot touch God with any of these, just as he can't touch God with his body, because God is spirit. If we don't distinguish between soul and spirit, as Paul West pointed out, we can be quickly deceived.

In Christ,

Ron

Some are lambs, some are goats...and the goats always butt

brotom, this is so true...I sure hope this metaphor is not lost on urban folks who know nothing or little about the behaviours of goats..

This description describes accurately the reactions of unrepentant sinners when confronted with Biblical truth.

ginnyrose

We just finished HC and the kids are in bed :-)

Brad did not come tonight. The group had a great conversation about last weeks House Church. We went into bibically why Hypnosis is not to be practiced, nor incouraged.

On a personal note, I would like to say that after taking the time in prayer this week, I am suprised at how much this issue has been weighing in on me. Over the last week I have been more stressed and pre-occupied with this situation then I should have been. I usually am very at ease with those who are lost and such, but not with this situation. Attacked from the enemy.

I pray that His truth was spoken to Brad last week and that His truth will be impressed upon Brad's heart. Please continue to pray for Brad, and for our protection.

Blessings my friends.

Dear Father,
Let your name is honored and worshiped! I thank you for your work in my brother's house. I thank you for the light of the glorious gospel that's shining through his home. I thank you that your word is yea and amen; that your word is always true.
I ask that you send angelic reinforcements within and about my brother's home; that no contrary spirit be allowed access to this home. I ask that draw him into your secret place; that you give him greater revelation in the word, that he may behold wondrous things therein.
I thank you that you're his shepherd and he does not want.
Blessed be your name, Lord, forever and ever.
In Jesus' name, Amen

The Scriptures, especially in Proverbs, warn about doing things that would put one in alternative states of mind, namely through excess drinking or gluttony. I believe that application would apply to hypnosis as well. Christians should not subject themselves to a hypnotic state of mind any more than they should subject themselves to being drunk.

One could also consider Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 14 about the gift of prophecy. The pagans that had entered the church thought that the "prophetic" gifts they saw under demonic influence were the same as under God. That is, they believed such caused them to lose control in an ecstasy like state, which allowed them to prophesy or speak in tongues. Paul says that might be the case with demonic things, but, not with the Spirit of God. When one is led by the Spirit of God, one is always under control: "the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet."

Blessings.