The inspiration for this
writing came after the death of Teacher Maslin Lawson: my aunt, and one of
the true Patriarchs of the Faith. I was inspired by her lifelong commitment
to the proper administration of all Spiritual Baptist Christian traditions.
The intent of this writing is
to capture the great spiritual benefits of Mourning and to show how it could
be used by all Christians seeking to have intimacy with Christ. Mourning is
one way the Christian can enter behind the curtain into the holy of holies,
and kiss the lips of God Himself.
The intense secrecy that
clouds the Spiritual Baptist mourning process has indirectly kept the beauty
and real purpose of the sacrament somewhat unknown.
In this text, explanations
are given to some frequently asked questions about the ritual. My hope is
that this writing will encourage stimulating discussions on the subject that
can be further addressed at Spiritual Baptist Bible Group meetings. I also
hope that members of the Faith will raise the types of critical questions,
which will encourage even deeper research into this lovely tradition.
I love you all.
Your fellow soldier and
brother in Christ,
Odelle-Vaughn Bruce.
Acknowledgements
Giving all praise and thanks
to the God and Father of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has washed and
cleansed me of all my sins by the shedding of His own precious blood.
Thank you Holy Spirit: my
Guide, counselor and inspiration. You are the true author of this work.
I must also thank my wife
Charity Karidza-Bruce, and my son Nashe Karidza-Bruce. Thank you both for
bringing me such unspeakable happiness and love.
Next, I wish to express my
love and appreciation for all my brethren of the Spiritual Baptist Faith.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the Lord according to this
divine order.
What
is Mourning?
In those days I Daniel was
mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor
wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all till three whole weeks
were fulfilled (Daniel 10:2-3).
The inspiration for this
writing came after the death of Teacher Maslin Lawson: my aunt, and one of
the true Patriarchs of the Faith. I was inspired by her lifelong commitment
to the proper administration of all Spiritual Baptist Christian traditions.
The intent of this writing is
to capture the great spiritual benefits of Mourning and to show how it could
be used by all Christians seeking to have intimacy with Christ. Mourning is
one way the Christian can enter behind the curtain into the holy of holies,
and kiss the lips of God Himself.
The intense secrecy that
clouds the Spiritual Baptist mourning process has indirectly kept the beauty
and real purpose of the sacrament somewhat unknown.
In this text, explanations
are given to some frequently asked questions about the ritual. My hope is
that this writing will encourage stimulating discussions on the subject that
can be further addressed at Spiritual Baptist Bible Group meetings. I also
hope that members of the Faith will raise the types of critical questions,
which will encourage even deeper research into this lovely tradition.
I love you all.
Your fellow soldier and
brother in Christ,
Odelle-Vaughn Bruce.
“In my first traveling, I saw
myself walking along a road called Number 4. I looked up and saw a long line
of people marching in a procession up a hill. They were robed in long white
gowns that touched the ground. I said out loud, I wonder who those people
are and where they are going? I didn't see anyone, but a voice said to me,
"They are the saints from the Mozambique channel." I knew that Mozambique
is in Africa. The dream then took me to a beach where there was a very large
building. In the dream, the person who baptized me said, "When you feel the
power of the Holy Spirit, planes will come and take you into a far away
country where you must go and preach the gospel." When I looked up, I saw a
pole in front of me that had two buttons. He told me to press the buttons.
After I pressed the buttons I heard a plane, and looking up, I saw planes
pass overhead. Then I woke up from my sleep” (Mother Sandy. Keeney. Shakers
of St Vincent).
Why is
Mourning important?
The spirit and the soul of
man are like muscles. If these muscles are not pumped and exercised on a
regular basis, they can become flaccid, weak and knotted. One of the most
effective methods that can be used to strengthen a Christian’s spirit is
secluded, effectual, fervent prayer and meditation, (James
5:16)
with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit (Romans
8:26).
In the book of Hebrews, we
are admonished to boldly appear before the throne of Christ’s grace to
obtain mercy and grace to assist us at the times we need it the most (Hebrews
4:16).
Mourning is also used as a means of preparing the soldiers of Christ for
work in His army. The book of Acts describes how Paul fasted for three days
following his conversion. After the three days of mourning, he received the
Holy Ghost and immediately preached the gospel (Acts 9:9-20).
Spiritual Gifts are also imparted during mourning periods. The bible tells
us of how Ezekiel was named a Watchman while on a Spiritual journey with the
Lord (Ezekiel
3:14-17).
The good book also tells of Jesus our Lord being led by the Holy Spirit into
the wilderness for a period of isolation and harsh fasting, where he was to
prepare himself for his earthly mission (Matthew 4- 1:2). Other
benefits of mourning include the receiving of spiritual instruction from the
Holy Spirit (Isaiah 6:1-8, Daniel
2:16-19, Acts 10- 9:16),
and being enabled to obtain the level of meekness and humility the
scriptures require of all Christians. To go into the house of God and
prostrate upon the naked earth, is to open up your spirit to his greatness
and to recognize your frailty (Psalm 8- 4:5).
What about the African
connection?
Princes
shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hand to God
(Psalm 68:31).
Christianity
experienced an early and fruitful establishment in North Africa, Egypt and
Ethiopia. The roots of the Coptic Church in Ethiopia can be traced to the
conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch, and the country (Ethiopia) remains the
oldest Christian country on the face of the earth (Mc Kissic, p38).
It is very
interesting to see how Africa
is seldom recognized in the
worship patterns of many charismatic Christians movements the world over.
Like the Spiritual Baptists, many of these Christian denominations were
founded by the descendants of African slaves, and elements of Black
spirituality clearly exist in their worship styles. In observing the way
sermons are chanted by their preachers, the call and response aspects of
their singing, the hand clapping, foot stomping, visitations by the Holy
Ghost in the form of bodily shakings and other rhythmic maneuvers, the
interpretation of dreams and visions; you clearly recognize Africanized
forms of Christian expression.
African slaves
were subject to many hardships including dehumanization and endless forms of
physical and psychological torture. During periods of isolation, the slaves
would cry out to God as a means of relieving their great tribulation and
distress. What the slaves received during these periods of isolation with
groanings, and sighings, and lamentations, was a direct spiritual telephone
line that they would use to make a call to God; and He answered.
“In
the past, when we were sad, depressed, grieving, or praying in earnest, we
would take it to the “moaning bench”. We used this method as a way of taking
away our pain, hurt and burdens. Sometimes it was not wise to speak out; so
it was better to moan” (thewaywewas.com).
In the church services of early Black
Americans, the moaning bench was used to determine if a sinner had
received God’s salvation. The sinner sat on a bench, (similar to the
Spiritual Baptist mercy seat) and prayed until he received a touch from God.
The sinner would then give a testimony concerning the operation of the Holy
Spirit upon his life while sitting on the moaning bench. Based on his
testimony, the church community would determine if the candidate is “truly
saved”, or if he needed to return to a state of seclusion to seek God
further.
What are Bands?
It could be
easily said that the most practical purpose of bands during mourning is to
serve as a blindfold, a covering for the eyes that allows the candidate to
be free of distractions and focus on Christ only. The Bible gives us a few
more indications of why bands may be so important to this prayerful
activity.
Bands are
pieces of cloth that are usually wrapped around the heads of candidates
during the mourning process to represent the strength and power of the Holy
Ghost. In Chapter 19, verses 11 through 12 of the book of Acts we see where
the Holy Ghost released pieces of cloth from the body of Paul that healed
diseases and drove away evil spirits. The practice of applying pieces of
anointed and prayer-blessed cloth to the body is now widely accepted in many
other charismatic Christian movements where Bands are referred to as the
“prayer cloth”.
In Judaism, the tallith is a prayer
shawl worn by Jews during prayer and at various religious ceremonies (Ouaknin.
P14). The Jews believe that when the Name of God is embroidered upon the
prayer shawl, the Spirit of God sends out vibrations through the shawl to
the worshiper.
In Spiritual Baptist tradition, bands are
used to represent the embalmed body of Christ, by demonstrating our death to
sin, and our commitment to focus and strive towards things God-centered.
There are two episodes in the book of John that use bands in a death and
resurrection context. In chapter eleven of his book, John tells of a napkin
that was wrapped around the face of Jesus’ friend Lazarus at the time of his
resurrection. At the resurrection of Christ, we see where the napkin that
was wrapped around his head was folded in a place by itself in the tomb (John
11:33-38, John 20:6-7).
The book of Numbers tells us of the blue cloth (representing the heavens),
the red cloth (representing redemption), and the purple cloth (representing
Kingship and Royalty), that were used to cover the holy vessels of the
tabernacle during the movements of the Israelites (Numbers 4:1-13).
So to, the Mourning ritual allows the Spirit of God to canopy and circumcise
the hearts, the minds and the spirits of Christians so that they can become
vessels for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every
good work (2 Timothy 2:20-26).
What are Seals?
And
I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with him an hundred forty
and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads (Rev
14:1).
Spiritual Baptists
believe that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit at the time of our
salvation.
In
whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with
that Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13).
In Spiritual
Baptist ritual, chalk-written seals serve as outward evidence, visible to
all, that the sealed person or object has been set apart for God’s work, has
his protection, and bears His name.
The Pointer in
the Spiritual Baptist faith serves as a spiritual mentor and guide to the
mourner, and is also responsible for writing seals upon the bands of the
pilgrims. Some commonly used seals include the Star of David, the all Seeing
Eye, the fish, and various hieroglyphics representing the many titles of
Christ.
Many of the
seals that are used are ancient Christian symbols that can be easily
recognized; others, which are much more secure, may require the assistance
of the Holy Ghost or a spiritually mature elder to unlock.
An unknown
seal is mentioned in Revelation chapter 19:12- Jesus carries a name seal
upon him that no one else is able to interpret.
And
the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he
was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with
linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; And the Lord said unto
him, go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and
set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the
abominations that be done in the midst thereof (Ezekiel 9:3-4).
Why do mourners lie upon the
naked earth?
An
altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy
burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all
places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee
(Exodus 20:24).
The
naked earth, upon which candidates are placed during the mourning process,
is based on several passages of scripture. Genesis 28:12 describes an
experience Jacob had in what was once called the land of Luz. Having only
the earth for his bed and a stone for his pillow, Jacob dreamt the Lord
standing above a mystic ladder whose base rested upon the earth and
stretched into the heavens. This is one of the earliest references of the
God of the bible revealing himself to a servant that bowed his body and his
heart to the lowest of all levels, in order to experience God for himself.
David, the great Psalmist and king of Jerusalem, laid himself upon the
earth, and fasted and prayed for seven days to seek Gods mercy for the life
of his son(2 Samuel 12:16-17). God had commanded Moses to construct
an altar of earth. Upon this earthen altar, the children of Israel were to
offer sacrifices. We lay upon the altar of earth to offer the sacrifices of
a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart the Lord will never despise (Psalm
51).
It was customary in ancient, biblical times
to cast ones self upon the earth as a form of distress seal in the sight of
God. It demonstrated to God that we are aware of our powerlessness. Dust
(the dust of the ground) is a synonym of the word Adamah from which the word
Adam, and the Hebrew word for man are derived (Ecclesiastes
3:20).
The naked earth, therefore, is a symbol of our mortality, of the fact that
we are connected to the earth, and that no one is omnipotent and omniscient
but Yahweh.
Should we seek a Vision or
Dream from the Lord?
“In
the world of the spirit, there are lines and ropes. The lines usually go
horizontally like power lines. They carry the spiritual electricity, and you
can use them to make a phone call to God. They can look like lines of light.
There are also ropes of light hanging from the sky. If you go near one of
them they can take you anywhere. These are powerful things to see. Only
those on a high spiritual path see these ropes. When you see one,
concentrate on it and go toward it. Reach for it and don't let go. It will
take you somewhere. Jesus is the Light of the world; He shows Himself in the
light” (Pointer Warren.Keeney. Shakers of St Vincent).
There are now many schools of thought
advocating the position that God no longer speaks to man through dreams and
visions. Those holding this belief, justify their positions through the use
of the following scripture:
All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
These
Christians believe that God will only speak to us through the Bible, and
will not manifest himself to man through dreams and visions. They say that
the scriptures are all that is needed to make the children of God perfect.
Spiritual
Baptists also believe that the Bible is the mind of God. However, because we
follow in the traditions of the apostles and early Christians, we also
accept this scripture:
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I
will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall
see visions:
(Joel 2:28).
The tenth
chapter of the book of Acts describes how a vision was used to lead
Cornelius, the centurion to salvation (Acts 10:1-6). The Bible also
gives many examples of spirit travel. Revelation 17:3 speaks of St.
John the Divine being carried away in spirit.
During the
Mourning process, because of the separation from things carnal (eating,
conversation, excessive movement etc), the candidate becomes extremely
“spiritually sensitive”. The fleshly desires are restricted so that the
spiritual senses may be awakened. Therefore, in this perfect environment,
the Spirit of God is able to communicate and fully manifest Himself. In
these periods of heightened spiritual sensitivity, candidates may see with
their spiritual eyes, hear with their spiritual ears, feel with their
spiritual bodies, as well as taste and smell things spiritual.
Moreover
he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest, eat this roll, and go
speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to
eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and
fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it
was in my mouth as honey for sweetness (Ezekiel 3:1-3).
What is Doption?
Likewise
the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray
for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth
what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the
saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27).
Doption
is a dialect term for the word Adoption and refers to the Adoption of the
Holy Spirit. When we pray in the Spirit, our carnal mind in most cases
cannot fully compose the level and type of prayer that we need to offer unto
God for a particular need. Doption occurs when the Holy Ghost takes
control of your vocal cords and your spirit, with the help of the Holy
Spirit interacts with God.
“When
we came together you would have the breath of God playing on human heart
strings, on human vocal cords. The notes were wonderful in sweetness, volume
and duration. In fact they were often times humanly impossible. It was
“singing in the Spirit”. It was a gift from God of a higher order, and
appeared among us soon after the Azusa work began” (Observer, Azusa Street
Revival 1906-1907).
Please note
that even though the particular doption being used may sound like vain
babblings to the uninformed, the work of the Holy Spirit is to translate
these sighs, groans, notes and sounds unto God on our behalf.
When Jesus groaned in the spirit at his
friend Lazarus’ grave, the Greek interpretation of the type of groaning he
did is similar to the sound a horse makes when it is fearful or angry. It is
used to demonstrate how emotional Jesus allowed himself to become as he
prepared to show himself to the unbelieving as the Resurrection and the
Life. Doption is one form of spirit communication. In the case of Jesus at
Lazarus’ grave, the Savior groaned as a means of reaching down and pulling
the spirit of Lazarus from the pangs of death.
Some mourners have received the knowledge
of certain spiritual instruments while traversing the realms of the spirit.
The spiritual, musical languages of these instruments may be used to praise
and magnify God verbally.
It has been
said by many elders that there are seven (7) variations or levels of A-doptions
that can be uttered. These can be doubled and arranged with each other to
reach spiritual objectives and engage in certain types of spiritual warfare.
Please consult with your church teachers and elders for more information on
the subject.
Is Prayer with Fasting
necessary?
While
Jesus fasted and prayed unto God, the Bible tells us that he did experience
physical hunger. Satan used this time as a good opportunity to tempt God the
Son. He asked Jesus to command the stones of the wilderness to become bread.
Jesus responded by saying “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Jesus understood that the same way food nourishes the natural man, fasting
with prayer was the ideal method for strengthening and developing the
spiritual man.
If as
Christians we are not able to resist a cupcake, how will we be able to
resist satan? If we do not have the discipline to resist something as petty
as gossip and idle conversations, how will we develop enough faith to
believe God to deliver us from something as simple as a headache? Prayer
with fasting provides our spirits with the type of exercise needed to meet
these challenges.
There are
certain types of strongholds, and powers, and imaginations, and trials that
cannot be destroyed without prayer and fasting. The gospel tells us of a
dumb spirit that cast a man into fire and water as it tried to kill him. The
unclean spirit tore him and caused his mouth to foam and his teeth to grind
together. The disciples of Jesus were not able to exorcise this category of
evil, because their spirits and convictions were weak and needed to be
strengthened by fasting and prayer (Mark
9:17-29).
And when he was come into the house, his
disciples asked him privately, “Why could not we cast him out? And he said
unto them, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting”
(Mark 9:17-29).
How do we resist contrary
spirits?
Let
no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire,
who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in
witchcraft, or cast spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults
the dead (Deuteronomy 18:10-11).
The intention
of the Holy Ghost during Mourning is to give the candidate a spiritual
lesson, and to reveal the perfect will of Jesus. The world of the spirit is
perhaps even more real than the natural world. Everything that exists
in the natural world is merely a physical manifestation of something that
was initiated and birthed in the world of the spirit. The spiritual world is
populated by heavenly hosts, and by numerous levels of evil and arch-demonic
forces. When satan was expelled from heaven, millions of unclean angels were
cast down with him. Some of these spirits fly in the wind. Some hang from
trees or live within and upon the earth. Some, too, make their habitations
in the deep parts of the oceans (Revelation
9:14).
The bible
plainly tells us that our battle is not with carnal man. The Word of God
says that we fight with principalities and powers, and against spiritual
wickedness in high places (Ephesians
6:12).
Thankfully, the scriptures also inform us of the spiritual armor necessary
to overcome the devil. It speaks about truth, righteousness, the gospel,
faith, salvation, and the Word of God.
The bible
tells us that any spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not of God (1
John 4:1-6). In Mourning, the Word we receive from the Pointer
represents Jesus, and is a spiritual sword that will defend us against
contrary spirits in the spirit world. We must remember that even though
Jesus was the Living and Revealed Word of God, satan still tried to tempt
him into doing things against the will of his Father (Matthew 4:7).
The purpose of visitations from contrary spirits is to lead you to
permanent separation from God by tempting you into disobedience.
If a spirit
asks you to build an altar to the honour of an angel, or a saint, or a
Prophet, or to any other entity, it cannot be the Holy Spirit. Since
the Holy Spirit inspired the scriptures, He will not ask you to do something
that is contrary to Gods Word, and which clearly violates his first and
second commandments.
There are many
who “call themselves” Spiritual Baptists and yet they indulge in rituals and
activities that are unchristian and contrary to traditional Spiritual
Baptist teachings. As true Christians, we must ensure that our rituals and
traditions are bible-based. We should also attempt to reshape those
Spiritual Baptists practicing unchristian rituals into our image, least
they, through the enticement and false thrills of their practices, reshape
many vulnerable Spiritual Baptist Christians into their contrary form.
Now
I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they
that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by
good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (Romans
16:17-18).
The
first and original Spiritual Baptists did not worship the buddha, the many
gods of hinduism, the arch-angels of the kabalah nor the spirits of the
orisas. A true Spiritual Baptist Christian will worship only the Lord God
Jehovah.
And when
they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto
wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God?
Why consult the dead on behalf of the living (Isaiah 8:19).
How does Mourning help us
become better Christians?
After
participating in the mourning process, there must be recognizable changes in
the attitudes and lifestyles of the participants. Again, the main reason for
mourning is to receive the spiritual strength and enthusiasm that is
necessary to live life as a victorious Christian. It provides us with the
momentum to live a life of holiness unto Christ, after having our spirits
refreshed in His presence.
In the book of
James chapter 1 verse 14, it tells that we are led into sin when we are
drawn away by our own lust and become enticed. Mourning must empower us to
become true over-comers of sin, so that we would receive a crown of life at
His appearing.
Selected Bibliography.
Bartleman, Frank. Azusa Street.
Bridge Publishing, 1980.
Gibbs De Peza, Hazel-Ann. My Faith:
Spiritual Baptist Christian. Multimedia Production Centre, 1999.
Keeney, Bradford. The Shakers of St
Vincent. 2001.
McKissic, William Dwight. Beyond Roots:
In Search of Blacks in the Bible. Renaissance Productions, 1990.
Ouaknin, Marc-Alain. The Symbols of
Judaism. Assouline Publishing, 2000.
