Prayer that changes things | Part 2 | Praying in the Spirit | Stefan Schlogl

Victory Christian Centre, Hutt City, New Zealand

Psalm 11:3 (NKJV)If the foundations are destroyed,what can the righteous do?

• Foundation of moral decency
• Foundation of the sanctity of life
• (NZ’s foundations were built on Judeo-Christian values & principles)

Our (outgoing!) Labour-led government has passed a law to decriminalise the killing of unborn babies in abortions, right up to birth.

This ungodly law further contributes towards eroding our nation’s foundations.

Our 2020 General Elections include 2 Referendums that, if voted “yes” by a majority of people, will further destroy the moral foundations of our nation:

1. Cannabis legalisation and control referendum
2. End of Life Choice referendum (Euthanasia) [binding referendum]

Evil can only flourish when good people do nothing, or worse, when good people vote incorrectly and unbiblically.

Romans 8:26 (NKJV)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.

• The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses (limitations)
• We do not (always) know what, or how we should pray as we should
• The Holy Spirit makes intercession (prayers) for us with groanings
• This groaning is reference to praying in tongues
• He (the Holy Spirit) makes intercession for us (in tongues - through us)

1. WHEN I PRAY IN TONGUES, MY SPIRIT PRAYS

1 Corinthians 14:14 (NKJV)For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

• The gift of tongues is a hugely under-rated and under-used ‘facility’ given to us by the Holy Spirit
• Many ‘tongue-talking believers’ do not talk in tongues much, because mostly, they do not understand the benefits of this powerful gift
• Many Christians do not speak in tongues at all because of a mis-understanding of one verse of Scripture (1 Corinthians 12:30)

There are two basic and distinct applications of tongues:

1. The gift of tongues for personal edification

(personal prayer language)

1. The gift of tongues for public utterance

(a public message given in tongues, together with it’s interpretation)

• One is private and for personal edification (a.)
• The other is public and for other people’s edification (b.)
• One is a believer speaking to God (a.)

(man to God)

• The other is God speaking through a believer to a group of people (b.) (God to men)

1 Corinthians 14:4 (AMP)He who speaks in a [strange] tongue edifies and improves himself …(a.)

Jude 20 (NKJV)But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. (a.)

1 Corinthians 14:5 (ESV)Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.(b.)

1. Every believer can & should speak in tongues for personal edification (a.)
2. Not every believer will operate in the public gift of tongues for the church’s edification (b.)

Acts 2:4 (NKJV)And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.(a.)

1 Corinthians 12:30 (NASB95) All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?(b.)

When Paul said: “…All do not speak with tongues, do they?..”, he was:

• specifically referring to the gift of tongues for public utterance (b.)
• and definitely not referring to the gift of tongues for personal edification (a.)

1 Corinthians 14:18 (AMP)I thank God that I speak in [strange] tongues (languages) more than any of you or all of you put together;

1 Corinthians 14:18 (LB)I thank God that I “speak in tongues” privately more than any of the rest of you.

1. WE ARE A THREE-PART BEING – SPIRIT, SOUL & BODY

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV)Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our complete being is made up of:

1. Our spirit
2. Our soul
3. Our body

1 Corinthians 14:14 (NKJV)For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

Unfruitful – non-productive & disengaged

• When we pray in tongues, our spirit prays, but our understanding is non-productive and largely disengaged
• Our “understanding” has to do with the mind which is part of our soul

In other words, when we pray:

• we can either pray out of our understanding (English)
• Or we can pray out of our spirit (tongues)

1 Corinthians 14:15 (NKJV)What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit (tongues), and I will also pray with the understanding (English). I will sing with the spirit (tongues),, and I will also sing with the understanding (English).

• Our understanding (soul) is subject to human interference
• Our spirit is not subject to human interference
• Our born again human spirit is occupied by the Holy Spirit
• When we speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit gives us the words

1. WE ARE IN SUPERNATURAL TERRITORY

We have never been here before. We are not only in the last day before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we are also in the days where we could easily loose our freedom of speech and our legal right to preach the gospel freely in our nation.

• We need less human-inspired prayers
• We need more Holy Spirit-inspired prayers

Acts 2:4 (NKJV)And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.