 what does it mean to pray in the spirit? Well for many people you'll find out that they have a bad misunderstanding of this term. Here's this term pray in the spirit a lot. The issue is though this phrase is only found once in the bible and the problem is that people have made this phrase to be something that it's not. When we look at the bible and we were going to look at different examples of where in the spirit the phrase in the spirit is used not praying in the spirit but other times it's used just in the spirit. We'll see how it's used and see how people have this misunderstanding because they may believe that this refers to praying in tongues. Now the one time that we see this this phrase pray in the spirit it's not even really pray in the spirit the the actual phrase is pray in the holy spirit. Let's go this in Jew 20 and he says that but you beloved building yourselves up on your most holy faith praying in the holy spirit and so what is he saying? Well he says you yourselves and he's it's not singular it's plural he's saying you you all everyone you guys building you others yourself this is also plural this word for you this word for yourself is also plural so he's saying you all build up each other and he says so how on your most holy faith praying in the holy spirit what this phrase is in the holy spirit is not in tongues we'll see why we get this or someone has this understanding of it or think that it might mean in tongues but it simply means according to in the power of or by however the holy spirit is whatever the holy spirit is doing that's where you ought to be how you ought to be praying that's the guys that's the direction according to his power the same thing can be said in the name of Jesus according to based on what he's doing by that power not necessarily in the spirit where a lot of people get this misunderstanding about praying in tongues one because with the rise of Pentecostal Charismatic Movement you'll see a lot of people who are just one not reading the scriptures correctly and interpreting because they have this belief that we're to be speaking in tongues we're all supposed to even though Paul said not all speak in tongues but they believe that praying in tongues is different though there are no such passages that even speak about praying in tongues there is in 1st Corinthians 14 where the people where the person might pray in a tongue and then Paul corrects him because Paul's already stated that he didn't want us to be ignorant of spiritual things or spiritual gifts and so we should be doing things knowingly and oh by the way he also says in verse seven of chapter 12 that every spiritual gift these giftings are for the benefit of everyone else for the common good we see Peter also reiterate that in 1st Peter we see Paul also state the same thing again about four or five more times in 1st Corinthians chapter 14 and so in chapter 14 is where we see this passage in verse 10 he says there are perhaps many kinds of languages in the world and no kind is without meaning if then I do not know the meaning of the language I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian and to the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me so also since you are zealous for spiritual gifts look what he says seek to abound for the edification of the church or the edification of the body and so before I get to this point Paul is stating again since you are so zealous be zealous seek to bring about the edification of the body which is what he says earlier in chapter 14 as well as what he's already stated in chapter 12 the purpose of these gifts are for the edification not of yourself but of the body then as we go down to the next verse look what he says in verse 13 says therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he might interpret and this point is this interpret means to explain to understand so that if you speak in the tongue that pray that there be some sort of understanding again Paul's point is that there be understanding with whatever you do again self-control is important and you cannot have self-control if you don't know what you're doing continuing in verse 14 he says if I pray in a tongue my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful so if a person is praying in a tongue and Paul is writing to address this issue of this misuse of gifts particularly we see him bringing out tongues here in chapter 14 and 12 as well he says if a person were to do that if I pray in a tongue notice what he says he says that my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful in other words yeah my spirit is there's something going on with my spirit however I don't know my mind is unfruitful I have no idea what is going on is that what it's supposed to be well we know this is a problem because Paul in the next verse brings a solution you don't bring a solution when there's no problem but Paul brings a solution and I want you to notice what's missing from his solution in the next verse he says what then is the outcome I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also otherwise if you bless in the spirit only how will the one who fills in the place of the ungifted say the amen so his point is if I am going to pray he didn't say pray again in tongues no he says the person who did that what you ought to do instead of praying in a tongue is to pray in the spirit and then pray with understanding notice what is missing praying in tongues there's no command to do so as a matter of fact there's no need to do so since we believe that speaking in tongues the gift of tongues is for the benefit of the unheard gospel to the person who doesn't speak a language that you speak so that person can hear the gospel in their language and so this inward acting of the gift for you to benefit you because some believe that this speaking in tongues or praying in tongues to yourself edifies you but Paul has already stated several times before that we should edify the body there's never a verse that tells us to edify ourselves including you 20 which he's saying you all edify others and so we don't see that this passage is is telling someone to pray in tongues and it certainly doesn't say it certainly doesn't say pray in the spirit means or quates praying in tongues because he kind of juxtaposes it to a person who prays in tongues and I believe that person is being rebuked for that and then he says the right the remedy is to pray with the spirit or pray in the spirit now this phrase how we know does not mean in the spirit does not mean in tongues let's look at the other times where the this phrase in the spirit shows up in Matthew 2243 he says then how does David in the spirit call him lord well look at the phrase it says in the greek it's in nummati we don't believe that David was in tongues calling him lord that that that didn't make very much sense and Luke 117 it is he who will go as a forerunner for him in the spirit and it's the same phrase in nummati well clearly it's not talking about john the baptist coming as a forerunner in tongues and all throughout the bible as we look at this this phrase in the spirit Luke to 27 acts 19 21 after these things were finished Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem doesn't mean that Paul purposed in tongues to go to Jerusalem no so this phrase does not mean in tongues so why is that important because we're not going to take a phrase that we see in Jude and make it mean something for the first time ever make it mean something that it's never meant before throughout scripture no but this understanding of by the power or in the power or according to the power of the holy spirit that makes sense as a matter of fact if you apply that same rendering to the other pastors I just read well now it makes sense David by the power of the holy spirit john comes in the holy spirit Paul purposed in the power of the holy spirit that's what that simply means so when you pray you pray according to the power of the holy spirit and we all should do so we all should want to do what he's wanting us to do according to his purpose we should not pray and this is how how you pray in the spirit you should not pray for the Lord to give you what you want you should not pray for the Lord to bless your prayers you should pray that your prayers are in what he's blessing that you are in line with what he's doing the power of the holy spirit is what we want to be under as we pray and so we would do so in his will according to what he is trying to accomplish right with me and so that's what it means to pray in the spirit for the benefit for the purpose of the body for God being magnified through Christ amen