Being "In The Spirit"???

[ILUVPENGUINS]

Ok,
I have a question. I have grown up in a christian family, have gone to a non-denominational church my entire life, except during college when I went to a baptist church. I have always been close to God and I feel I am living my life for him, but lately I have been making new christian friends, and a lot of them are saying things like "being in the Spirit" and "praying in the spirit". What exactly does this all mean? Am I just confused, or am I doing something wrong? I pray that God allows me to be filled with The Holy Spirit each day, and I can feel God working in my life, but now that i hear all my friends saying these new things, I feel like I am missing something. They also talk about laying of hands and speaking in tongues. I have heard of speaking in tongues before, and my church believes in it, but no one practices it. But the laying of hands has been pretty new to me also. Am I missing out on something great????

 

[Beauty4Ashes]

errr i'm tired and don't really have the words to explain this right now. But maybe check out the charismatic room, there are a lot of discussions on these things. And if no one else replies. I will return when I'm more "with it" and try to answer.

God bless

 

[Rafael]

Paul prayed "in the spirit" and with understanding in 1 Corinthians. Each person has different gifts and speaking tongues is considered one of the lesser gifts according to the chapters in 1 Corinthians and the way it is used in the Church and as a seperate prayer language when words of understanding are not enough and where the Spitit intercedes with groanings unutterable.
When hearing others speak in tongues, many with conclude it to be gibberish, but think of all the dielects and languages spoken by man in the world and then know there is no sound produced by the tongue that probably doesn't have a meaning in one of them. Besides, the mysteries spoken unto God are interpreted only by God's Spirit as an act of faith by the one controlling the tongue in an act of submission to God.
The implications of Paul on chapter 14 are that speaking in tongues can be used as a prayer language, as part of a function in Church if used with interpretation, and really doesn't box it up other than the restrictions given for use in Church. It is also a sign to unbelievers.
Now you may get lots of flack for believing in speaking tongues and people may even riducule and explain it away and out of scripture as useful, but I haven't seen one explanation, yet, that can truely tell me that it is not for today's Church. The Church desperately needs all the gifts of the Holy Spirit operating today, IMHO.
Read the chapters of 1 Corinthians around chapter 14 and do a few searches and dictionary word meanings to seek out the truth, and then make up your own mind what God's Spirit tells you. Then ask of God, wait on Him, and receive. As mentioned earlier, the Charsmatic forum may help you more.

1 Corinthians 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

1 Corinthians 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.


Paul goes on in the 14th chaper to instruct the order in how this gift is to used in the Church. The stress on order being maintained shows that it was abused back then to the point of confusion, and that the same problem of abuse exists today when it is not properlly controlled in the Churches - for God is not the author of confuion.

 

[Protestant Minister]

I'm sure glad you wrote that last line.The Holy Spirit has now told me repeatedly that is what you need.So YES you are missing out on something great!So here's what you need to do:on Monday make some phone calls from your Yellow Page directory to local churches.To save time,look for churches that advertise a weekly healing service.Then just call them up and ask to speak to the minister WHO LAYS HANDS ON PEOPLE FOR THE HEALING OF THE SICK.The Holy Spirit is telling me this so write this down.When you connect with him,tell him the Holy Spirit has told you to have hands layed on you for the RECEIVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.This is really amazing.God is setting you up to change your life.STOP RIGHT NOW.
CLOSE YOUR EYES RIGHT NOW AND JUST PRAISE GOD FOR HIS LOVE AND MERCY.Ok final step:MEET WITH THE MINISTER BEFORE THE SERVICE STARTS.Don't let him tell you he's busy.Tell him the Holy Spirit told you to meet with him.Prepare in advance what you're going to say to him.What you need to do is tell him is how much you love God and how much God has done for you in your life. This is a REALLY important instruction.You're about to meet God in a way that will literally blow your mind.Get ready!
Thank you God!

 

[Alternate Carpark]

A lot of people treat being filled or baptised with the Holy Spirit like it's some sort of accessory that you just whack on after you are saved.

The Holy Spirit is a person equal to God the Father and Jesus.
So being filled is far more than just recieving the gifts that accompany the filling.
As for being spoken to or led by the Spirit, that should be based on your personal relationship with God and not someone elses. The only time you should believe what someone is saying to you when they say "the Holy Spirit has told me" is when it's a confirmation only.
God will speak to you first concerning what He has for you, in proportion to you seeking His will for your life and He will sometimes confirm His words to you through someone else.
We are to be led by God , not man, no matter how convincing they sound.
we are admonished to test everything to see if it really is from God or not.

In the 9 amazing years I have been privileged that God has shared His life with me, I am yet to experience the "Filling of the Spirit" and even so I do not feel I have missed out on what God has for me. I just look at it this way.
I am overwhelmed by God daily and yet He has more for me. But I allow Him to set the time for when He gives me more, not by what others are experiencing in their lives.

And why is there this over emphasis on speaking in tongues when Baptised.
Is it not written that The Holy Spirit determines who receives what gift ?
Does not the Apostle state that what good is it if everyone had the same gift.

 

[Rafael]

A lot of people treat being filled or baptised with the Holy Spirit like it's some sort of accessory that you just whack on after you are saved.

The Holy Spirit is a person equal to God the Father and Jesus.
So being filled is far more than just recieving the gifts that accompany the filling.
As for being spoken to or led by the Spirit, that should be based on your personal relationship with God and not someone elses. The only time you should believe what someone is saying to you when they say "the Holy Spirit has told me" is when it's a confirmation only.
God will speak to you first concerning what He has for you, in proportion to you seeking His will for your life and He will sometimes confirm His words to you through someone else.
We are to be led by God , not man, no matter how convincing they sound.
we are admonished to test everything to see if it really is from God or not.

In the 9 amazing years I have been privileged that God has shared His life with me, I am yet to experience the "Filling of the Spirit" and even so I do not feel I have missed out on what God has for me. I just look at it this way.
I am overwhelmed by God daily and yet He has more for me. But I allow Him to set the time for when He gives me more, not by what others are experiencing in their lives.

And why is there this over emphasis on speaking in tongues when Baptised.
Is it not written that The Holy Spirit determines who receives what gift ?
Does not the Apostle state that what good is it if everyone had the same gift.

I agree with your concerns that it can be focused on too much, and that is why I pointed out that Paul considered it a lesser gift. However, I want anything God has to offer, just speaking personally, and that may mean I am a little lesser than others. Some people have giant callings from God and know His voice to follow it without this gift of tongues and may display the greater ones such as prophecy.
I see nowhere in scripture that tells us to seek out the gifts, but equally I don't see it telling us not to or to not desire them all. They may all be used in a person's life, eventually at some time, as the Spirit directs and gives.

 

[Alternate Carpark]

1 Cor. 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1 Cor. 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1 Cor. 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
1 Cor. 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1 Cor. 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1 Cor. 12:30-31 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? [31] But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
1 Cor. 14:1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
1 Cor. 14:12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

I'm not saying we shouldn't seek the filling, of course seek everything God has for us.
But the motive of why we seek is the issue I'm concerned about.
When I used to go to church, they were always going on about speaking in tongues as if it was the best thing ever , yet I do not speak in tongues but have been gloriously led by God for many years now .
Do they ever say be filled and prophesy or do great miracles ?

But erm, this is detracting from the original post so I'll stop now.

 

[PottersClay]

I'm not saying we shouldn't seek the filling, of course seek everything God has for us.
But the motive of why we seek is the issue I'm concerned about.
When I used to go to church, they were always going on about speaking in tongues as if it was the best thing ever , yet I do not speak in tongues but have been gloriously led by God for many years now.

Excellent council AC, though I have to ask, you arent under the assumption that just because you didnt receive the gift of tongues that you arent Spirit filled, are you? Because having read your responses and posts on the various threads, it is obvious you are certainly filled with the Spirit.

I understand that in several places in Scripture, speaking in tongues was an evidence that someone had received the Holy Spirit however, as the verses you pasted clearly shows,

1 Cor. 12:30-31 "Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?"​

not all receive the gift of speaking in tongues. If having the lack of the gift of tongues was evidence of not being Spirit filled, then that passage would imply that the Lord only allows some to be filled with the Spirit. We know by Luke 11:13 that is not the case

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"​

Does the fact that someone has not been given any particular gift make them less effective? Hardly. And yet, there are many churches that would make a Christian who does not speak in tongues feel like a second-class believer. That's always been a sore spot with me. I'm sorry, but I dispise that question "are you filled with the spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues?" I think that question, and that thinking has done great damage. It's caused the condemnation of many a true believer and caused a lot of division in the Body.

All of the gifts are important because they are for the purpose of ministering to the church and those who do not yet know Jesus. I, personally have prayed to operate in all the gifts simply because I want to be always available to do whatever the Lord needs at any given time.

I think the reason tongues is called a lesser gift, is because it is one that benefits the recipient of the gift more than it can benefit others. OTOH, the aspect of allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through us when we dont know how to pray is especially helpful for those with a heart to pray for people and in spiritual warfare.

The bottom line, ILUVPENGUINS, is that being spirit-filled is a continuous thing (be being filled with the Spirit) where you allow the Holy Spirit to fill and control your heart and desires. It's been said that when we get saved, we get the Holy Spirit, but being Spirit filled, He gets all of us. So, surrender yourself completely to the Holy Spirit the way you surrenderred to Jesus when you got saved. Live a life of surrender to Him, and trust Him to give you the gifts that He wants you to have.

 

[Alternate Carpark]

Thanks for that PottersClay.
Argh..been renewing my mind from all the rediculous things they taught in 'church buildings".
Filled or not filled is something I am not clear on yet.
But is not an issue with me, it's just sometimes I cannot see clear definition of me being filled like what the Word says.
This of course is my perfection/exactness mindset that needs adjusting.
And this is as you say maybe just my error in interpreting it all.
My role or position in my relationship with God is vague sometimes regarding ministry and gifts. But we are making headway on this as time goes on.

And yeah, we never arrive do we..it's a continuous process of growing.
And it's a marvellous process. Becoming more and more Christlike each day.
What an adventure this pilgrim's progress is.