Confession: I’m “That” Guy

I have a confession to make.

I’m “that” guy.

I’m a charismatic, a pentecostal.

From my point of view, the gifts of the Spirit and the miracles of God are for today.

Yes, I believe God still heals. I believe God does supernatural things.

And yes, I speak in tongues…

A lot actually.

I prefer to call it “praying with the Spirit.”

I do this when words fail me and I don’t know what to pray for or how to pray about a particular situation.

I do this when I’m worshiping. I even pray with the Spirit while driving in my car (alone of course).

Maybe you think I’m weird. I can’t blame you if you do.

For me, praying with the Spirit isn’t about being weird.

I’m not doing it to prove something or put on a show.

Most people won’t ever hear me pray with the Spirit.

But God does.

He knows what I’m saying. In fact, it’s Him who is prompting me to say it.

My attitude about praying with the Spirit in public settings (like church services) is the same as the Apostle Paul’s: I’d rather have a few intelligible words spoken that benefit everyone than 10,000 words in an unknown language.

“I’m grateful to God for the gift of praying in tongues that he gives us for praising him… I enter into this as much or more than any of you. But when I’m in a church assembled for worship, I’d rather say five words that everyone can understand and learn from than say ten thousand that sound to others like gibberish.” (1 Corinthians 14.18, 19 MSG)

So, I guess I’m kinda weird and extremely practical.

As far as church services and other public gatherings go, I want people to understand and “get it.”

How about you?

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TO DO

—Read: 1 Corinthians 12, 14 in the Message Bible.