We briefly looked at First Corinthians 14:16-17 earlier, but I want to revisit these verses. We need to talk about a common mistake some believers make to the spiritual detriment of people around them.
1 CORINTHIANS 14:16-17
16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
As we discussed before, when Paul talked about "he that occupieth the room of the unlearned," he was referring to those who are unlearned in spiritual things. Unfortunately, this description applies to many believers in the Body of Christ. In some cases, much damage is done to the cause of Christ because people go into excess and error in this area of praying in tongues in front of the spiritually untrained. In other words, some believers don't take into account the fact that they're in the presence of the unlearned when they speak with other tongues.
The situation is made even worse when a believer speaks in tongues before the unlearned in an especially distracting manner.
First Corinthians 14:15 tells us that we are to pray both with the spirit and with our understanding or minds. We are to pray both ways, but on the other hand, we need to know when to pray in tongues or when to pray with our minds. Verses 16-17 give us a vital factor we must consider: When we're in the presence of others, we want to do what edifies them!
I have always endeavored to obey that divine instruction. For instance, I remember years ago when I held an eight-week revival in Oklahoma and several of us were invited over to a local dentist's home for a meal. Everyone who came to dinner that night was Spirit-filled. In other words, I was not in the presence of the unlearned in spiritual things. So when they asked me to pray, I started in English—but before I knew it, I was praying in other tongues, and everyone else joined me!
We had a wonderful spiritual time praying together that night.
However, if someone unlearned had been present, I would not have done that. I would have only spoken in English.
As the Bible says, ". . . Let all things be done unto edifying" (1 Cor.
14:26). You see, we speak in tongues by the inspiration of the Spirit, but we can choose to pray or not to pray. But if someone is present who won't be edified, it would be selfish on our part to speak with tongues because it would create confusion.
Another time I held a revival meeting in Arizona, and I stayed in the home of an older couple named Brother and Sister Fisher. One night after the evening service, the couple's three adult daughters and sons-in-law came over to eat a meal with us. The women were preparing the food, and we men were in the living room talking, when suddenly a burden—an exceptionally strong urge to pray—came over me.
Everyone present was Full Gospel, so they understood when I said to our host, "Brother Fisher, I have to pray, and I have to pray now!" Brother Fisher called the ladies into the living room and said, "Brother Hagin has to pray right now." So we all got on our knees and started praying in tongues.
Now, understand this: If there had been people present who were unlearned, I would not have prayed in tongues like that in front of them. I would have found a private place to pray out the burden by myself. We need to understand some of these things so we can keep from being a stumbling block to folks.
The moment my knees hit the floor, I was in the Spirit, praying up a storm in other tongues. I prayed as hard and fast as I could pray in other tongues for about an hour. It seemed as if I didn't have anything to do with it. What I mean by that is tongues just flowed out of me like a river. I knew from the way I was praying that I was travailing in the Spirit for someone who was lost.
At the end of our prayer, the burden lifted, and I experienced a spirit of lightness. I began to laugh and sing in tongues. Then I had a vision. This was on Friday night, and in the vision, I saw our upcoming Sunday night service. I saw myself in the pulpit and heard myself preaching. I finished my sermon and gave an invitation. Then I saw myself lean over the pulpit and point to an elderly man in the second pew.
In the vision, I told the man, "The Lord shows me that you're past 70 years of age and that you were raised by parents who did not believe there is a hell. But the Lord told me to tell you that you have one foot in hell and the other one is slipping in."
Then I saw him come and kneel at the altar.
The moment I came into the church on Sunday night, I looked around, and sure enough, there sat the elderly man in the second pew, just as I'd seen in my vision.
So I preached my sermon (which was a brand-new message I'd never even thought of until I heard myself preach it in the vision!). Afterward, I spoke those words I'd heard myself say to the man in the vision. He came to the altar; then others came. After the service, the elderly man was talking to the pastor when I walked by. He stopped me and shook hands with me. Then he said to the pastor, "This preacher said I was raised to believe there is no hell. My parents were universalists, and they taught me there is no hell. This is the first time I've ever been inside a church building in my life."
The man went on to explain that he was a motel owner. Some of the motel guests who'd stayed for the revival finally convinced him to come with them on the last night of the meetings. The man thought, I guess I'll go with these people this one time just to get them off my back.
No one in the congregation that night knew to pray for this man. No one even knew he was unsaved. I certainly didn't know to pray for him—but the Holy Ghost did!
Then the man said to the pastor, "This man said I have one foot in hell and the other one is slipping in. I knew exactly what he meant. I've had a severe heart attack. In fact, the doctor said I could die at any minute." Then with tears of joy running down his cheeks, the man said,
"Oh, I'm so glad I came tonight. I'm so glad I came."
There are two things to see in this account. First, the Holy Ghost knows who we should pray for. In this case, the Lord knew travail in prayer was necessary to bring this man to a place of repentance so he could be saved.
Second, I would not have prayed in tongues that way if there had been unlearned people present. For one thing, it would have done damage by causing confusion. Perhaps it could have driven them away from seeking the infilling of the Spirit, the very thing they needed to grow spiritually in their walk with God.