HOLDING A PRAYER MEETING

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I was brought up in a trinitarian pentecostal church, prayer time was indeed when the spirit moved too, at times! The general procedure however was to pay one after another as one felt led. I remember as a child praying for my first time out loud and standing up, its was heart thumping, nerve racking time, but I felt God as I pushed through.
Later as a missionary in US I spend my first few years in Trinitarian churches, The charismatic, prayed in tongues for an hour, everyone together. Every charismatic took this format, I felt it more a shouting contest rather an education and an edification.
After I got baptised in the name, I visited many pentecostal churches, now this was an experience and a new one at that. Everyone prayed at once and prayed in English. This I enjoyed and found more uplifting and real. someone who felt the Holy Ghost would stand up and pray above the rest while the others continued to pray also. The whole format was liberating and engaging.
Today I value the pentecostal way more than anything and yes they do pray in the tongues also but at the corporate gathering of the church in their native language first. I guess this is the nearest one an be to acts style prayer and 1 Cor 1;14.
One of the Questions I was asked over the years was, Why do you pray in tongues in church? My answer was, when you feel the spirit move on you, you should pray in tongues. One sister told me "I don't agree!". I went home bothered with her response. I came to see later what Paul meant in 1 Cor 14:18-40 when he talked about praying at home and also that he meant when he said, "he who prays in tongues edifies himself." I came to see that "praying in the spirit" (1 Cor 14;15) does not mean he prays in tongues alone. For one can be in the Spirit when one prayer in English too or whatever his native tongues may be. My English can be anointed as much as my foreign language (speaking in tongues). Think of this, I don't have to preach in Chinese to be preaching in the Holy Ghost and neither do I have to Pray in another or unknown language in order to be in the Spirit.
Tongues has its place and role, when it becomes the only way people pray collectively, I wonder, what has Paul's teachings and insight in all of this. 
Your thoughts and comments welcome
this post was first posted on facebook group The Preacher Network:

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