Burst of Power—Unwrapping the Gifts of the Spirit—last part, part 5

 

 

This is the wrap-up of my series on the Gifts of the Spirit. Hopefully we broke down some misconception and misunderstandings about the gift of tongues and interpretation. Remember, in 1 Corinthians 12:1, Paul began this discussion by stating his desire that we not be ignorant about these things.  We started with public speaking in tongues but mostly talked about the power of praying in the Spirit.

 

We found in 1 Corinthians 14:2 that public speaking in tongues is spoken to God, not men. The purpose of it is not for someone to interpret what God is trying to say to the people present. Instead (as was the case in Acts 2:11), the message is to bring glory to or worship God. When it is interpreted it reveals something great about God that draws those who hear it to God.  That is how we will know whether the interpretation is accurate.  In Acts the apostles spoke in tongues and the people heard in their own tongue.  I experienced this when I was in India.  People came up to pray and I decided that since I could not speak their language that I would pray in tongues.  Many of them wanted to talk back to me or showed through their eyes that they understood something God was telling them.  I know my prayer language is not Hindi, so I know God was helping them hear in their tongue like in Acts.

 

I know that is not what I have experienced in many church settings. The prayer in tongues may have been correct, but the interpretation was an admonition or was condemning of the people present — “turn or burn.”  According to what Paul said, that is not what the message of tongues is for.  That is more like the gift of prophesy — which would normally be delivered without a "tongues" version first.  Prophecy also would never be condemning and never be in conflict with the Word in any way. The prophetic message is never an addition to the Word, but an amplification.  It is meant to exhort,

 

We spent most of our time though talking about the importance of praying in tongues. We may or may not ever give a public tongue or interpretation, but praying in the Spirit is a tremendous benefit to all believers. It is a powerful tool that many do not use because they don't understand it.

 

1 Corinthians 14:2 also said that when we speak in tongues we utter "mysteries." In the Greek, that word mean "secrets between friends" and "information available only to the initiated." There are secrets about God that He only reveals to we "friends of God" that allow us to know Him more deeply and intimately.  When we pray in the Spirit, we disconnect our flesh and our soul (mind, will and emotions) and allow the Spirit to pray a pure prayer — unaltered by our own perceptions, beliefs and experiences.  We can pray a powerful prayer for someone else by praying in the Spirit for them as opposed to from our flesh.   It is also the way God creates through us. Once He gave man authority on this earth, He then "rested" and ceased directly creating. When we allow the Spirit to speak through us, we give Him permission to create in this world through us.  It is also a way we can “pray it forward.” You and I do not know what tomorrow or even the next minute holds, but God does. Make it a habit to begin every day with prayer in the Spirit. You'll be praying the prayer that will prepare the way for the day that God already knows is coming. It will help you avoid many stressful situations.

 

To listen to the entire sermon go to http://ahwatukeechurch.com/ and click on online media. To learn more about Living Word Ahwatukee, visit http://ahwatukeechurch.com/.