Mike,

I was wondering what you thought about this holy laughter revival movement. Have you heard of Rodney Howard Browne? People in his church are seen laughing on the ground for more than half an hour!! Do you believe this is of the Spirit?

J____

Hi J____,

Thanks for asking about ‘holy laughter. I have heard Mr. Browne blame the Devil for the death of his teenage daughter to cystic fibrosis in 2002. This alone demonstrates Mr. Browne’s ignorance of what God teaches and what He is doing in this world. Here is the Biblical truth of why Mr. Browne’s daughter died.

Exo 4:11  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Satan makes nothing and does nothing he is not sent to do. All evil is the Lord’s work through the agency of evil spirits. It is not the work of evil spirits of their own free wills. Satan’s will, just as our will, is wrapped up in God’s Will, and it is God who works in us all both to will and to do His good pleasure. We cannot so much a commit a sin if it was not first written in God’s book before we were ever born.

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.(ASV)

If it is God’s “good pleasure” to harden our hearts, then we will sin against Him. It has nothing to do with our will or the will of Satan.

Rom 9:11  (For [ the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12  It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13  As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Rom 9:14  What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16  So then [ it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [ have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth.

Sin is in all flesh “by nature”, meaning by God’s design.

Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make [ it].

Rodney Browne, also by God’s design, is totally unaware of any of these Biblical truths. Here is what the holy spirit actually teaches us about sin in our lives:

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [ how] to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

“In me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing… but sin that dwells in me… it is no more I that do it. It is a law in my members.” Who do you know who believes those words of God’s mind? Who do you know who considers us all to be sin by our very nature and composition in the hands of the Potter Himself?
God has not given man a life of ease and constant joy. God has given us all an evil experience to humble us by it.

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it. (CLV)

Mr. Browne certainly does not believe any of those verses of God’s Word, and the uncontrolled laughter which typifies his church services demonstrate that he has no understanding of this verse either.

1Co 14:32  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

These are just a couple of the many unscriptural doctrines which are found throughout this video.
Rodney Browne’s main point in speaking with the news reporter in this video was that religion wants to make people feel guilty, and He wants to make people happy.
He certainly has a point when he points out the shortcomings of orthodox Christianity, but the solution to lies that depress people is not more lies which give a false temporary sense of joy. The solution for all lies is to simply tell the Truth. That truth is not, and was never meant to be, smooth and easy. That Truth always demands of us that we repent of our sins and die daily.
I hear nothing of any of that in Mr. Browne’s sermons. It is all about blessings and joy. This too, was all “written in His book.”

Isa 30:8  Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
Isa 30:9  That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
Isa 30:10  Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

That is a perfect description to the totally false and unscriptural doctrine of holy laughter.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike>