My goodness, Laughing in the Spirit has been present to a greater or lesser extent in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles since at least 1900, and it goes further back than that. We have reports of spontaneous laughter, trembling, falling prostrate, and other "strong manifestations," occurring back in the revivals of the founders of Methodism, Charles Finney's revivals of the early to mid-1800's," the "Great Awakenings" of the 1700's and 1800's.

     In researching Missouri State history some years ago, I came across an old history book, published in 1921, which recorded the previous 100 years of Missouri history from its admission as a state in 1820 to 1920.  In 1921 when this book was published, they were not so hostile to religious matters.  They included in the book not only the history of natural harvests for the previous century, but they also included a section on the spiritual harvests in Missouri, recording the results of various revivals that had taken place in the State.  That book takes note of early revivals in Missouri, and quotes Barton W. Stone, (1772-1844), a noted minister of the era.  Allow me to share some quotes he made, which were recorded in this secular history book.  He reported::

     "The earliest campmeetings in Missouri were attended with physical manifestations...

     ...These 'bodily agitations,' as they were sometimes called, took on a variety of forms. They were described as "the falling exercise, the jerks, the dancing exercise, the laughing exercise, and so on...the laughing exercise was frequent, confined solely to the religious. It was a loud, hearty laughter... 

     ....It was truly indescribable...

     .....I knew a young physician, of a celebrated family, who came some distance to a big meeting to see the strange things he had heard of...At length the physician felt something very uncommon, and started from the congregation to run into the woods. He was discovered running as for life, but did not proceed far before he fell down, and there lay until he submitted to the Lord, and afterward became a zealous member of the church. Such cases were common...

     ...That there were many eccentricities and much fanaticism in this excitement was acknowledged by its warments advocates; indeed it would have been a wonder if such things had not appeared in the circumstances of that time. Yet the good effects were seen and acknowledged in every neighborhood and among different sects."--Barton W. Stone. (Pages 156, 157 of Centennial History of Missouri, One Hundred years in the Union 1820-1921", by Walter B Stevens, Published in 1921). 

     To summarize his words:

     "...the falling exercise, the jerks, the dancing exercise, the laughing exercise...it was truly indescribable...Such cases were common...good effects acknowledged in every neighborhood and among different sects."

     The Early Church writings and even some secular history books record that these "strong manifestations" have been present in Christian circles since the Early Church to today. Although some of these may have also occurred in a small measure among erroneous Christian groups, by and large, the majority of them took place in genuine Christian circles, and in the meetings of leaders we still revere to this day.

     When considering unusual spiritual manifestations in churches, I fall back on Brother Hagin's advice.  Someone reported t o him in the 1980's that there were meetings taking place in which oil was appearing in people's hands. When asked if this manifestation was real and of God, and if he had ever personally seen it before, he replied that he had not only seen it but experienced it several times back in the 1940's and 1950's. "But," he added, "I didn't emphasize it or focus on it lest people make the mistake of focusing on the manifestation instead of looking to Jesus Christ."

     I think that is wise.

     So, we preach and teach the Word. We lead sinners to faith in Christ. We teach the saints to place their faith in God's written Word. The emphasis first and foremost is to be placed upon God's written Word. But then also, when the Spirit of God desires to move in tongues, interpretations, the other gifts, or even signs and wonders, we accommodate those manifestations as long as they don't violate God's Word, as long as they bear good fruit, and as long as they do not exalt man or distract from the message of Salvation that comes only through the Blood of Jesus Christ.

     Many people have been burned by the New Prophetic move. I warned against it back when it first emerged in the 1980's, so did Brother Hagin, and Sister Goodwin--my mentor. For our warnings, we were roundly laughed at. We were told we were "stuck in the past...not up on the cutting-edge of what God is doing today," and so on. I have also cautioned believers against various gimmicks and errors that have floated through our circles in the last 26 years. But I haven't gone to the other extreme and thrown out all manifestations of the Spirit either.

     Now some of the Christians who fell for the erroneous New Prophetic Move and were abused by its excesses, and who experienced Laughing in the Spirit in those meetings, have gone to the other extreme and declared Laughing in the Spirit to be some sort of "false manifestation."

     To those my brethren, I would gently remind them, that I along with many others tried to warn you that many teachings promoted by the New Prophetic Move was error and nonsense, and you refused to listen.  You laughed us off then.  How about humbling yourself a little bit and listening now?

     What you are failing to see is that God is a God of mercy.  He will try to do everything He can to reach sinners, and even erroneous saints.  There will be a certain amount of genuine manifestations of the Spirit of God even among Christian groups that embrace considerable doctrinal error.  

     Just because God convicts a sinner, or saves them in response to the sinner's prayer, or even inspires laughing in the Spirit, or heals the sick in our midst or in an erroneous group's midst--that does not mean He is personally endorsing everything they teach. If God required perfect doctrine before He moved in a group, He would never move, even in our group. Our doctrine may be 99% pure, but even we do not have perfect doctrine.

     When God moves, He moves in mercy, and He moves to confirm His Word, and He moves motivated by love. His moving is not an automatic endorsement of all that is preached.  Nor is it an unqualified endorsement of the preacher.    

     There is no direct connection between God moving, and perfect doctrine or moral behavior--just ask Samson and Judas.

     Samson slew a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass.  He tore the city gates off their hinges, carried them up a hill, and dumped them.  But he did so while crawling in and out of a harlot's bed.  Did God give these miracles as an endorsement of Samson's personal life?  Of course not.  He gave these miracles in order to deliver His people from the oppression of the enemies of the day.

     Judas was a thief and a liar.  Yet when he laid hands on the sick in the name of Jesus, they were just as healed as when Peter or the others ministered to them.  Were these miracles an endorsement of Judas' theivery?  Clearly, no.  The miracles came from God's desire to heal the hurting. 

     While there is no direct connection between God moving, and perfect doctrine or moral behavior, there is a direct connection I ask you to consider:

     The less of God's written Word that is preached, and the more error that is preached, the less manifestations of the Spirit you have. 

     Has anyone heard of laughing in the Spirit, speaking in tongues and prophecy, miracles and healings, sweeping:

     The Kindgom Hall's of the Jehovah's witnesses?

     A Mormon Temple?

     A Transcendental Meditation Center?

     A meeting of Satanists?

     Anyone heard of Laughing in the Spirit breaking out:

     in a strip club?

     a house of prostitution?

     a pedophile's house?

     a crack house?

     a fortune teller's house?

     a bowling alley?

     a gambling casino?

     Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion?

     I haven't.

     If Laughing in the Spirit is of the Devil--as some people claim--why do we see it manifest only in Christian churches that are passionate for Jesus Christ?  

     An occurance in one of R.W. Schambach's meetings in the old tent revival days illustrates the point:

     Two drunks staggering into one of his tent meetings 
     They plopped down on the back row.
     A moment or two later, Schambach spoke in tongues.
     One drunk said to the other drunk, "I'll tell you! That Speaking in Tongus stuff is of the Devil!"
     The other drunk replied, "No it ain't. 'Cause if it was, we'd have it!"

     I can't argue with that.  Can you?

     If Laughing in the Spirit is of the Devil, how come the Devil's children don't have it?

     This controversial spiritual manifestation occurs only in Christian Churches, and those who experience it testify as to being tremendously blessed by it.

     So what do we do?

     Preach the Word.

     Do things decently and in order.

     Receive the advice and warnings of seasoned ministers who have been in our midst for decades and have proven trackrecords of discerning the difference between the true and the false.

     Allow the Spirit of God to move, and judge what happens.

     But also realize that what is new to us, may not be new at all. It may be an old error our forefathers in the faith resisted, or a true manifestation that the Spirit of God has done many times before, but we just aren't personally familiar with. 

     Laughing in the Spirit or other strong manifestations of the Holy Spirit will not draw us away from Christ and into error--just ask Peter and Paul. 

     Peter healed the sick and cast out devils.  Did healing the sick cause Peter to deny Christ?  No.  Peter denied Christ because of the pressure of the moment.  The Book of Galatians tells us that Peter also briefly fell off later into doctrinal error for which Paul openly rebuked him.  Peer pressure, not healing the sick, was the cause for Peter embracing error.

     Paul was used in an unusual manifestation of the Spirit.  He laid his hands on handkerchiefs and aprons that when placed on the sick, produced healing.  But this unusual healing manifestation did not lead Paul into error or immorality.  Paul remained pure doctrinally and morally. 

     Will laughing in the Spirit hurt us, draw us away from Christ, lead us into error? In and of itself, no. But if we mix in evey kind of goofy teaching, no order, be open to every gimmick and every manifestation that comes along, we will get off into error whether we laugh in the Spirit or not.