Whole Life Seventh-day Adventist church (formerly Florida Hospital Church) is located on AdventHealth property at 2800 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL.
According to their website and email newsletter, the Whole Life Adventist Church is offering a monthly lectio divina spiritual experience program. The facilitators are:
Niesha Steinke and Paige Hinton. Both are trained spiritual companions, graduates of a 3- year program in spiritual companionship offered by Audire, the Central Florida Foundation for Spiritual Direction
Neisha Steinke is a Chaplain at AdventistHealth University.
The Audire Spiritual Direction program is designed to accomplish several things.
Foster contemplative prayer experiences (spiritual exercises)
Broaden one’s experience of God (mystical ecumenism, through shared spiritual experience)
Increase an appreciation for differences (adopt internal subjective experiences in place of external absolute truths)
Lectio divina is a Monastic Jesuit practice. Should Christians practice Lectio Divina or shun the practice for a REAL and life-changing relationship with God?
I was instructed in the Spiritual Discipline of Lectio Divina in Spiritual Formation, and because I was also close to completing my Spiritual Direction training I could also lead someone or even a group in the spiritual discipline of Lectio Divina. How very sad that as a Bible believing Christian I could do this, but I could.
This practice pretends to read Scripture and study the Bible but it’s a facade. It is nothing more than a mirage promising the thirsty practitioner an infilling of “water” that only ends up leaving one more thirsty, empty and void of the Holy Spirit than before.
Whole Life Church in Orlando (previous name was Florida Hospital Seventh-day Adventist Church).
When we isolate a passage of Scripture or just a few passages for reading then we lose context (comparing scripture to scripture as we are instructed to do) and therefore lose meaning. Sure, Satan has a counterfeit experience he offers that can make one feel good—as though one has really encountered God, but it’s also a counterfeit. He was the lightbearer in heaven and knows very well how to continue counterfeiting what we deem an honest message or emotional experience from God. But it isn’t. It is hard for our brains to decide against our feelings. We allow our feelings to drive our beliefs, but it is meant to be the other way around.
Practicing Lectio Divina steals from the Word of God as we focus on a word or a few words that stand out from a passage. Those few words, when removed from context, change the meaning and, to add to that, a practice that is void of the Holy Spirit opens the door for another spirit to drop thoughts into our minds. Then we go away thinking those thoughts are impressions from God.
Lectio Divina is practiced in conjunction with Contemplative Prayer. After we have read the passage and noticed a word or two that bubble up to the top for us to focus on then we take that word or words into Contemplative Prayer (yet another practice that is void of the Holy Spirit) to see what God has to say to us about them. Friends we need the whole passage, the whole Bible, comparing Scripture with Scripture to become whole ourselves.
God’s way of studying and reading the Bible grows us and changes us to become more like Him. Conviction occurs because the Holy Spirit is accompanying our reading but the other way—Satan’s way— removes God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. It is an attack on the Word of God, God Himself, and even on you—and all in a way that seems Biblical.
Screenshot from February 3rd Whole Life Church email update.
And yet, this practice, along with other Jesuit Spiritual Disciplines of Ignatius Loyola, is recommended to sincere Christians seeking a deeper relationship with God. Sometimes it is brought to us through our Pastors and Leaders, whom we are supposed to be able to trust. Friends, trust no one but God alone to break the Word of God to you. Test every spirit to see if it aligns with the Word of God—the WHOLE Word of God. God has promised us that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. We don’t have to fall for such counterfeits as Lectio Diniva no matter who or how it comes to us...and it WILL.
Whole Life Church at 2800 N Orange Ave Orlando, FL.
#AdventHealth and Whole Life Church: this offering and all such practices should be treated like a model of cars with a defective part ...RECALLED.
Stephanie and her husband Don live in Southern California, with their little dog, Buddy. She is the author of the book Silence no More and has a ministry to help people avoid the snare of Spiritual Formation. Stephanie is the Prayer Ministries Coordinator for her church and is incredibly grateful for the privilege of sharing what God has done in her life.