A week or two before I preached on this
topic at church, I met a Canadian friend who asked me about praying in the
spirit. I share it here because I
believe many Christians who have both the interest yet hesitation about praying
in the spirit should know. Below are the questions she asked and the answers I
gave her.
Q. Is praying in the spirit
the same as praying in tongues?
A.
Yes. They are the same. Let’s
refer to 1 Corinthians 14:14-15. In v14, Paul said that when he prayed in
tongue, his spirit prayed but his understanding was unfruitful. Then in
v15, he concluded that he would pray both in the spirit and in the
understanding. So, praying in the spirit is praying in tongues.
Q. Is praying in tongue the
evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
A.
There is no direct statement in
the bible that says so. But, there are 3 strong evidences here proving that
believers all prayed in tongues after they are baptized in the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 2:1-4, all the120 disciples who took heed of
Jesus’ command to wait at Jerusalem and to be baptized in the Holy Spirit were
praying at the upper room during Pentecost. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.
In Acts 10:44-46, the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentile
believers while Peter was preaching at Cornelius’ house. There and then, they
were heard speaking with tongues and magnifying God.
In Acts 19:6, Paul laid hand on his 12 newly recruited
disciples at Ephesus. The Holy Spirit came upon them, they spoke with tongues
and prophesied.
Q. Is it necessary to pray in
the spirit/pray in tongues?
A.
Let’s refer back to 1
Corinthians 14. Paul wrote that when you speak in tongues, you speak the
mysteries of God (v2) and edify yourself (v4) because your spirit prays (v14).
He wished that all spoke with tongues (v5) and gave the conclusion that it’s
beneficial to pray both with tongues and understanding (v15).
In Jude 20-21, Jude linked praying in the Holy Spirit to
keeping your faith and love strong in God.
In Ephesians 6:18, Paul told us that, after putting on
the whole armor of God, we are to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, in order to be alert in
the spirit and stand strong in this end time.
Whatever your decision is after reading this sharing, my sincere
prayer is that you will not be deprived of one of the great signs that will
follow those who believe, ‘they will speak with new tongues’ as written by Mark
in Mark 16:17.