Bill Brady

2/14/2019

Page 2 of  “How to Begin your Journey”

Your Journey will include developing a relationship with each member of the Godhead.

• With the Spirit of God.
• With the Son of God (Jesus).
• With Father God.
• Beginning with the Spirit of God.

Who is the Spirit of God?

• The Spirit of God has many names.
• The Spirit.
• Holy Spirit.
• And others.
• Each is a name for the same Person.

Your relationship with the Spirit of God began when you received the Spirit.

• That wonderful feeling that you felt was because you were filled with the Spirit.
• Filled like a glass filled with water.
• You are the glass.
• The Spirit is the water.
• You are filled with the Spirit.

You can be filled with the Spirit anytime that you want to be filled.  

• It’s just like receiving the Spirit over again.
• Only you aren’t receiving Him again.
• You are being filled with Him again.

“…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…”  Ephesians 5:18-19

“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken;  and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”  Acts 4:31

• Whenever we are filled with the Spirit we speak.
• We preach the word of God.
• We teach.
• We speak prophecy.
• Or we speak in tongues.

You may begin to experience prophecy or tongues soon after receiving the Spirit.

• Some people experience one or the other, or both, right after receiving the Spirit.
• Some don’t.
• Those who don’t can ask for them.
• Ask and you will receive.

“… the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all…”                            1 Corinthians 12:7

What is a manifestation of the Spirit?

• A manifestation of the Spirit shows the presence of the Spirit in your life.
• There are 9 manifestations of the Spirit.
• Each reveals the presence of the Spirit in your life.
• Each is given for the benefit of yourself and others.

The two most common manifestations of the Spirit after receiving the Spirit are:

• Prophecy
• Speaking in tongues.

Now we will look at both prophecy and speaking in tongues.

• Beginning with prophecy first.

“But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.”                  1 Corinthians 14:3

• We frequently think of prophesy as predicting the future.
• Prophecy may predict the future.
• But only with the presence of one of the other of the 9 manifestations of the spirit.

Simple prophecy is speaking to do one of 3 things.

• Edification – To edify means to build up, to instruct or to teach.
• Exhortation – To exhort means to strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.
• Comfort – To comfort means to ease the grief or distress of; to console.

Parts of these definitions are from the Oxford Dictionary

How do we experience prophecy?

• We receive a revelation.
• The revelation may be experienced as a vision.
• Or as a single word.
• Or as a phrase of words.
• Then we begin to speak what we saw or heard.
• We begin to speak a flow of words.
• We know in our spirit when the prophecy is done and stop speaking.
• The result is that the one(s) who hear are edified, exhorted or comforted.

What is speaking in tongues? 

• Speaking in tongues is sometimes called speaking in other tongues.
• This distinguishes it from speaking in a language that we do understand.
• We speak and syllables that mean nothing in a language that we know come from our mouth.
• It may initially be only a few syllables that we repeat over and over again.

Some tongues are a message to someone else who is given the ability to understand.

• Some are meant only for us.
• When they are for us we may or may not understand the meaning.

Understanding what is said in tongues requires another manifestation of the Sprit.  

• That manifestation is called interpreting tongues.
• Interpreting tongues gives you understanding of what is being said in tongues.
• Functioning in interpreting in tongues you can interpret what you or others say in tongues.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”  1 Corinthians 13:1-2 

• It is very important to function in any manifestation of the Spirit with love.
• Love is more important than manifestations of the Spirit.
• Love with manifestation of the Spirit is a very powerful force.

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual (manifestations), but especially that you may prophesy.”  1 Corinthians 14:1

• We are told to desire manifestations of the Spirit.
• We are told to especially desire to function in prophecy.

“Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.”  1 Corinthians 14:13

• We are told that if we speak in tongues we are to pray that we may interpret.
• Makes sense, right?
• How can you be edified, exhorted or comforted if you don’t understand what is being said?

Do you want to speak in prophecy or tongues or to interpret tongues?

• Simply for it ask in prayer.   
• Receiving a manifestation of the Spirit is just like receiving the Spirit to begin with.
• Ask and you will receive.
• Then practice.
• It’s just like riding a bicycle.
• The more that you practice.
• The easier it is.