Praying with Paul- Praying in the Spirit

Intro:

1 Corinthians 14:15 NKJV

15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

Tonight, we will continue [Praying with Paul]. The subject of my message is, [Praying in the Spirit].

There are over 7,1000 known languages in our world. Over 3 billion people in our world are bilingual. But only 21% of people in the United States know and speak more than one language.

Learning a new language is difficult. I have worked on becoming conversational in Spanish. I am still a work in progress. But when I do, I have to reverse the way I think.

For instance, we say White House, in Spanish, it is House White.

Or Current River, they would say River Current.

We say, I am hungry, they say, I have hunger.

There are two different words for I am, one is temporary, I am tired, this will change after a nap, the other is permanent, I am from Oklahoma, which will never change.

When people asked, where are you from, I would answer, I am from Oklahoma, but I live in Missouri.

When I have been to Central America, I have prayed in English, but I have also prayed in Spanish, very short prayers. At some point, I had to switch languages because I cannot speak in English and Spanish at the same time.

But what struck me is that I would often sing/pray in English while the congregation would sing/pray in Spanish. For some that might have been confusing, but not for God.

He understood both languages at the same time!

But what amazes me is that though 21% of Americans are bilingual, 25% of Christianity is bilingual.

I could say it this way— 1 in 4 Christians are Pentecostal/Charismatic. There are 655 million Pentecostals, one-fourth of all of Christianity.

With that begin said, there are so many questions about speaking in tongues. There is much confusion about praying in the Spirit. But we are not alone, The Corinthian Church also faced confusing about the role of tongues.

Paul dedicated an entire chapter to this confusing, yet beneficial subject. Tonight’s message is not about the use of tongues and interpretation, it is about praying in the Spirit in private.

But, I will summarize Paul’s guidelines for tongues and interpretation:

Messages in tongues require an interpretation

The one who gives the message should pray they interpret

If I give a message and am not confident that God will give the interpretation, I should not give the message

There should not be more than three messages in tongues in a service

There is a difference between the gift of tongues and privately praying in the Spirit.

Messages in tongues require an interpretation, praying privately in tongues does not.

Tonight, I want to focus on praying in the Spirit. I pray this message will bring clarity and help on this important aspect of our walk with God.

I have three points, [An Exhortation on Praying in the Spirit], [Edification by Praying in the Spirit], and [Encouraged to keep Praying in the Spirit].

1. An Exhortation on Praying in the Spirit

1 Corinthians 14:1–2 NKJV

1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the Corinthian Church had many problems. They were sincere, but also spiritually immature. Paul had to address the way they operated in the Gifts of the Spirit.

But notice, even though they had their issues, Paul did not discourage the use the of the Gifts. In fact he exhorted and urged them, to desire Spiritual Gifts.

To desire means to be zealous, to burn for, to pursue ardently, and to want intensely the gifts, especially to prophesy.

Why did he prioritize prophecy?

Prophecy helps the entire congregation for it is in their language. Tongues helps the individual. When we pray in tongues, we do not pray to each other, we pray to Gd.

Literally, we speak mysteries. If we do not know what we are saying when we pray in the Spirit, what is the purpose?

Romans 8:26–27 NKJV

26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Paul informed the Romans,

When we pray in the Spirit, God makes intercession for us and prays through us.

Mysteries could also be translated as secrets which have been divinely revealed. Let me give an example:

I love our Wednesday Family Night. It is encouraging and exciting to see so much of our congregation here on Wednesday. I remember when God laid this on my heart.

It was in 2017 during our fast in January. I was at the altar, praying in the Spirit. As I prayed, the Lord spoke to me about our midweek service.

Up to that point, I had not given it much thought. We had the same twenty-one people there every week, no one new came.

I believe as I prayed in the Spirit, the Lord was interceding through me for our families and congregation, seeing the need and value of meeting with God throughout the week.

Paul urges them to desire, then explains, when we pray in tongues, we pray to God and He prays through us.

2. Edification by Praying in the Spirit

1 Corinthians 14:4–5 NKJV

4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

Edify in the original language means the process of building or spiritual strengthening.

When someone gives a prophecy, they build and strengthen the entire congregation.

When we pray in the Spirit, it builds and strengthens us spiritually.

Why does praying in tongues strengthen us spiritually?

Remember, when we pray in the Spirit, we pray directly to God, we pray mysteries, and the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us.

One commentary explains, “The use of tongues is a means of private self-edification. This practice does not denote selfishness, but rather, spiritual strengthening.”

That is why Paul told them, I wish you all spoke with tongues.

Now in Church, for a public gift, he preferred prophecy, unless the message in tongues is interpreted.

But in private, Paul shows that God edifies us when we pray in the Spirit.

How does that work?

I cannot tell of the times that I beed burdened, discouraged, or needing direction. I will begin to pray in the Spirit, and I will notice that the burden gets lighter, I feel encouraged, and I have sense of what God wants me to do.

Jude 20 NKJV

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

Supernaturally, God strengthens us when we pray in tongues.

Paul exhorts us to pray in the Spirit for it edifies us when we pray in the Spirit.

3. Encouraged to keep Praying in the Spirit

1 Corinthians 14:14–15 NKJV

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

Paul once again shows that when we pray in the Spirit, we do not know what we are saying.

I think this perhaps might be a hangup for many people. Why would I need to pray in a way where I do not know what I am saying?

First, we must remember, speaking in a new language is different. I took four years of Spanish in school, but it was not until my first mission’s trip that speaking in Spanish made sense.

Even now, I have hard time using the limited Spanish I know whenever I am in the US. It feels awkward and I get embarrassed that I might say something wrong.

The more we pray in the Spirit in private, the more we get comfortable hearing ourselves pray in tongues and the more confident we will become.

Why?

Because secondly, the more we pray in the Spirit, the more we will see how God edifies us and spiritually strengthens.

We will see that God will help us in supernatural ways. Paul acknowledges that we do not understand what we say when we pray in tongues, but he adds:

This is in the conclusion, pray with words you understand, pray in the Spirit. Sing with words you understand and sing in the Spirit.

But Paul did not encourage them to do what he did not.

1 Corinthians 14:18–19 NKJV

18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

He rejoiced that He prayed in the Spirit.

I have heard this passage used as a reason to NOT pray in tongues. But that is not what Paul said. He explained, if I have the choice in public, I want God to help me prophecy.

But in private, meaning alone, or praying in the Spirit as I pray/sing in a service, I thank God I speak in tongues all the time!

Close:

Praying in the Spirit.

Paul exhorts us to pray in tongues, because it edifies and encourages us.

The more I pray in the Spirit and the more I study its importance, it makes sense why the enemy would prefer people to remain confused.

I do not belittle questions or confusion concerning praying in the Spirit. But thankfully, God has included Scripture to help us walk in the Spirit-filled life.

When I thank God for all He has done for me, I always like to start by thanking Him for saving me and filling me with the Holy Spirit.

Praying in the Spirit is not a badge of superiority. No one is better if they pray in tongues and no one is inferior if they have not.

Instead, we should all collectively seek God and desire for the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.