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Is it to be anointed, prophetic, and spontaneous or nothing at all?

No!  Paul understood that there is room for using your mind to understand what is going on instead of instead of just being ‘clueless’ as the Spirit takes over.  As beneficial as speaking in Spirit-given tongues is in building oneself up (a) because these are unto God, uttering mysteries in/by/with the Spirit (b), and even when we proseuchomai conversationally-pray in/by/with a tongue, then the Spirit belonging to/inside us proseuchomai conversationally-prays so that our minds are unfruitful (g) (c), even if Paul gives thanks to God (d), even if he thanked God that he spoke in tongues more than all of them (e), and even if he wanted them all to thus speak in tongues (f), Paul still didn’t completely abandon himself entirely to “turning off the use of his mind’s understanding.”  How so?  <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 14:4, b) v. 14:2, c) v. 14:14, d) v. 14:16, e) v. 14:18, f) v. 14:5, g) without advantage to us.

Look what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:15, “What am I to do? I will proseuchomai conversationally-pray by the Spirit, moreover I will proseuchomai conversationally-pray with the mind (c); and/also I will psalm (a) by the means of the Spirit (b), moreover I will psalm (a) by the means of the mind (c).”  We know from 1 Corinthians 14:2, 14 that Paul’s idea of “proseuchomai conversationally-praying and psalming by the means of the Spirit” most likely meant in tongues where the “mind is without understanding” because “in/by/with the Spirit he utters mysteries to God.”  Paul isn’t saying to throw out his mind entirely by doing these in/by/with the Spirit mor to only use his mind.  It’s not either-or but both-and!  <Notes> a) psallo: “hit, twang, pluck, or twitch” out a song with/without singing, b) context: without the mind’s understanding, being a mystery unto God, c) nous: with the mind’s understanding.

The definite article “the” with “Spirit” used above in the dative case is used frequently throughout Paul’s writings as “by the means of the Holy Spirit,” so it is not accurate to translate this “by or with my spirit” especially since there is absolutely no genitive “of me!”  And the same goes true for “the mind!”  It also would make no sense to say, “I will proseuchomai conversationally-pray and psalm with both my spirit and my mind,” because Paul routinely, as all Jews do, treats “mind” (a) as not only the “conscious, intellectual thinking, understanding, and word-forming mind” but also the “complete inward hidden man, including the unconscious soul (b) and the spirit of man,” which separates man into 2 parts – mind/heart/inner man + body (c).  So, why would Paul say, “I will proseuchomai conversationally-pray and psalm with both my spirit and my mind (d)?”  Isn’t that redundant?  No!  Paul isn’t pitting the human spirit’s efforts against the human mind’s efforts. <Notes> a) nous, b) intellect, emotions, will, c) see Identity, d) intellect, emotions, will, and spirit.

Paul is simply saying he will rely on both the Holy Spirit and the human mind when proseuchomai conversationally-praying and psalming.  Although Paul is talking in the first person (“I”), he is still giving this teaching to ALL Christians, using himself as an example.  That’s why there is no genitive “of me.”  The immediate and larger context shows clearly that the issue is “proseuchomai conversationally-praying or psalming” by Spirit-power rather than by a Christian’s own “might and power” efforts and understanding.  There is something uniquely special about proseuchomai conversationally-praying and psalming in/by/with Spirit-power!  Some, like myself, see a likely connection between these 2 verses and “worshiping by [singular] Spirit and [singular] Truth” that Jesus calls all Christians to in John 4:23.

However, the problem you see throughout much of Church history is that Christians usually follow the either-or model and promptly throw out the “in/by/with the Spirit” part, because it’s really much easier to revert back to the natural man’s flesh or “might and power (ischus)” of which the mind’s understanding and will-power are 2 key elements of the soul’s (psyche) flesh with their own power (ischus) (e).  When you exclude the Spirit by favoring the mind, you are definitely “quenching the Spirit” (a), which usually shows up as not “earnestly desiring or being zealous to prophesy” and “forbidding speaking in tongues” (b). The Catholic Church systematically hunted down, persecuted, and stamped out the charismata grace-gifts around 200 AD, even though several prominent bishops and theologians argued for them, and few churches have embraced them ever since, and mock those who do!  However, you will see all of the grace-gifts prominently reappear during every single revival.  If error occurs in the Church, it’s rarely ever by going too far in the realm of the Spirit, but too far into the flesh!  So as a worship musician there is certainly a place for pre-composed hymns (c) and a place for pre-composed psalms (d). <Notes> a) 1 Thessalonians 5:19, b) 1 Corinthians 14:1, 39, c) songs without instruments, d) instrumental music with or without singing, e) see the 2 and 3 parts of man in the Identity page.

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