Title: Praying in the Spirit
Theme: What happens when a person prays in the Spirit.
Text: Acts 16:16 - 33
Introduction
If you would please turn in your bibles to Acts 16. Acts chapter 16 we will begin looking at verse 16. Acts 16 and verse 16.
I have preached on this passage many times. There have been so many angles that I have come from. Paul and Silas in prison and praising through the prison doors. Paul not letting the enemy control his testimony as he would not let them “put him out the back door, to hide him”.
It was recently in hearing a message that God pricked my heart again. Verse 16 begins with the context of the story.
(Act 16:16) Now it happened, as we went to prayer,
This is they key to the passage. What were they doing? They were going to pray. Where? In the temple.
This was their routine, but it was important to them. They had learned from Jesus the importance of prayer. He would often “go to prayer”. It could be late at night or anytime throughout the day. Sometimes even praying until His sweat became as blood.
So where did they go after seeing such growth in the church. Where did they go after experiencing the many miracles in the New Testament church? They went to prayer.
that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation."
This is an interesting part of the story. As they were “going to pray” they are met by a young girl who has “a spirit of divination”. She was possessed by the devil.
She would follow them around and proclaim, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
Why would she do this? To discredit them. The devil knew that he couldn’t beat them so he was trying to discredit them. As the old saying goes, “everything that glitters is not gold” it is the same here. Paul and Silas did not want her credit.
(18) And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed (grieved, toiled, he knew this girl was under the influence of something else), turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour.
They allowed this for many days until finally Paul looked at her and said enough, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of here.” She was delivered. Right then. It really was not about Paul or Silas it was about the name of Jesus.
James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
(19) But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. 20) And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21) and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe."
Notice a couple of things here. What were they going to do? They were going to pray. What happened? The enemy attacked them and the town rose up against them. Why? They were just going to the temple to pray and then was accosted by this demon.
Their reasoning was that they “teach customs, which are not lawful to us”. The customs they teach: 1) prayer 2) deliverance. They teach the importance of prayer and setting people free. This is not what they wanted.
(22) Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23) And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24) Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Why? Because they were going to pray. All this happened when they were going to pray in the temple.
Here is the Key!
(25) But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,
So they were beaten, thrown into the inner prison, put in stocks. Why? Because they were going to pray.
They thought they were going to pray in the temple but wound up praying in the prison.
When we pray the key is letting the Spirit lead us in our prayers. Spirit filled praying is being led by the spirit on what and who to pray for.
When you truly praying in the spirit there will often be opposition that will come. They enemy will fight you. He will try to distract you and discredit you. But we must not quit but go deeper in prayer.
There is a difference between praying a prayer list and praying in the Spirit.
When we pray a list we are maybe praying for requests or needs. Praying in the Spirit is the "next level". It is allowing the Spirit to pray.
There is nothing wrong with praying list and this is our typical prayer. But there are some prayers that need to be deeper.
Here Paul and Silas got in to spiritual warfare praying. They thought they were going to the temple to pray but they wound up praying in the prison.
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
They had an idea when then began to pray but the Spirit led them to pray deeper and more direct. Their prayer became spiritual warfare and a battle. They had an attack of the enemy that led them to being bound.
The enemy thought he had them, but they would not give in. They pressed in prayer even harder. Not only praying but now praising God. He put them in the inner cell, but the deeper they were the more than prayed.
He thought he would lock them up, put them in prison but instead he gave them an audience with people.
The attack of the enemy should drive us deeper into prayer than into despair.
and the prisoners were listening to them
Results
(26) Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.
This is Spirit filled and Spirit led praying. This is when people are set free.
What is praying in the Spirit? ANSWER
From https://www.gotquestions.org/praying-Spirit.html
Praying in the Spirit is mentioned three times in Scripture. First Corinthians 14:15 says, “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.” Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Jude 20 says, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” So, what exactly does it mean to pray in the Spirit?
The Greek word translated “pray in” can have several different meanings. It can mean “by means of,” “with the help of,” “in the sphere of,” and “in connection to.” Praying in the Spirit does not refer to the words we are saying. Rather, it refers to how we are praying. Praying in the Spirit is praying according to the Spirit’s leading. It is praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for. Romans 8:26 tells us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
Some, based on 1 Corinthians 14:15, equate praying in the Spirit with praying in tongues. Discussing the gift of tongues, Paul mentions “pray with my spirit.” First Corinthians 14:14 states that when a person prays in tongues, he does not know what he is saying, since it is spoken in a language he does not know. Further, no one else can understand what is being said, unless there is an interpreter (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). In Ephesians 6:18, Paul instructs us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” How are we to pray with all kinds of prayers and requests and pray for the saints, if no one, including the person praying, understands what is being said? Therefore, praying in the Spirit should be understood as praying in the power of the Spirit, by the leading of the Spirit, and according to His will, not as praying in tongues.
(Act 16:27) And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28) But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."
What were the prisoners doing? They were caught up in the service also. They may have not understood what was happening. They may not be able to comprehend this level of spiritual warfare and praise but they were so caught up they did not try to escape.
Have you been in one of those services? Where God is moving. Maybe it is conviction of hearts or a spiritual battle being fought.
(29) Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. (30) And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
This was so powerful that they jailer skipped all the formalities and said, “I want this”
(31) So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32) Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33) And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34) Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.
This was truly amazing but it was all about praying and battling in the spirit.
Conclusion
When they prayed at the right place
When they prayed at the right place
. . . prison doors opened
When they prayed at the right place
. . . revival happened
When they prayed at the right place in the right spirit
. . . bonds were broken
When they prayed at the right place in the right spirit
. . . The captives are set free
When they prayed at the right place in the right spirit
. . . Salvation comes to the household.
God has got something more for you, but it is time to raise the bar. It is time to not only pray but pray in the spirit.
Praying in the Spirit is mentioned three times in Scripture. First Corinthians 14:15 says, “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.” Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Jude 20 says, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.” So, what exactly does it mean to pray in the Spirit?
