Praying in the Spirit

Praying in the Spirit is difficult to understand. There is delineation between Old Testament prayer and New Testament prayer. Further, there is a disagreement even among Christians about what "praying in the Spirit" consists of and how it is initiated. There is a disagreement as to what happens at the time of salvation and what can occur during prayer. All of these different components make understanding Christian prayer, specifically praying in the Spirit, difficult to understand. However, looking at the different parts of the development of prayer can help to explain the differences and give you a chance to make a decision about what you believe.

History

For the Christian the Bible is all about Jesus Christ. It is believed that He came to earth to die for the sins of those who believed in Him. His existence is not as obvious in the Old Testament but it is believed that things such as sacrifices pointed to Him as the "ultimate sacrifice." He is considered the second part of the Trinity, along with God the Father and The Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, Jews were instructed to make a sacrifice covering their sin before approaching God. Further, their "good actions" benefited them. At that time their fervency would have been directed by the Spirit but they would not have been "in the Spirit," because they would not yet have been indwelt, having to wait for the Holy Spirit to arrive in the New Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus came to earth. He was crucified, rose from the dead and ultimately ascended to Heaven. When he ascended he said that he would send a "helper" for man. This is found in Acts of the Apostles. In Paul of Tarsus's missionary journeys and subsequent epistles this "helper" was identified as the Holy Spirit. In Acts, the apostle Peter spoke "in tongues," and the Holy Spirit descended on several thousand people. This initiated the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Theories/Speculation

There are two schools of thought perpetuated by Christians. The first concept is that when people believe in Jesus Christ as their savior, they are "sealed with the Spirit." In other words, the Holy Spirit indwells them. The Holy Spirit "interprets to God " the intent of any one of the person's prayers, because essentially humanity is incapable of speaking to God. The Holy Spirit also acts as a "voice of reason" when a person is making wrong choices, or "sinning." The second theological position is that before you may approach God you must be "filled with the Spirit." This consists of getting a "new" dose of "the Spirit" every time you pray. People who believe this go so far as to say that those who do not have some magical and emotional experience are not "saved."

Benefits

When a person is "in the Spirit," they are "walking with God." Their spirit is "communicating" in a way that is pleasing to God and is understandable to them. They receive peace from the communication. Further, they can see answered prayer in their life, which gives them even more faith.

Function

Those who say you must be "filled with the Spirit" often say that God speaks to man "in tongues." This consists of one person speaking an unintelligible language, which is then interpreted by another person who translates the message in the congregation's native tongue.

Considerations

In Ephesians 4, Paul exhorts the Ephesians to grow in the Spirit. This would imply that they are not to "start over" by being re-filled repeatedly at the same spiritual level.

Warning

While there are many different thoughts as to what "praying in the Spirit" consists of, it should be noted that no human can be dogmatic about its makeup. It is best to attribute "praying in the Spirit" to a focused, quiet and reverent approach to God where you are not afraid to speak to him passionately.

Resources

• Leviticus: The Law
• Acts: Acts of the Apostles
• Christian Growth