Flying Closer to the Flame Part 4

Is the Spirit’s Filling That Big a Deal?

1 Corinthians 6:19–20

“19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

Ephesians 5:15–21

“15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,

20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

-Pray

Pause a moment to consider that the one who created and controls the universe indwells your body as His sacred sanctuary.

Amazing! Nothing could be more intimate in your relationship with the Holy Spirit than the reality that He lives in you.

Paul taught about the filling of the Spirit in Ephesians 5.

The first three chapters of his letter to the Ephesian church focused on how God rescued us from sin and gave us a new identity as His adopted children.

When we believed in Christ, God sealed us as His own “by giving [us] the Holy Spirit”—God’s “guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised” (Ephesians 1:13, 14).

Chapters four through six of Ephesians focus on how to live as Christians.

Prior to salvation, we were dead in sin; but God, with His resurrection power, raised us to new life in Christ (2:5).

Now, we need God’s power to live like Christ.

We need to be filled with the Spirit—which is Paul’s pinnacle point in Ephesians 5.

“We must have the fuel of the Holy Spirit to empower us, to energize us, and to move us from where we are to where we want to be. —Pastor Chuck Swindoll”

Observation: Be Filled with the Spirit

A helpful analogy regarding the Spirit’s role in our lives is driving a car.

We know where God wants us to go spiritually (to become like Christ), and we have gas in the tank (the indwelling Spirit), but we still must start the engine for the car to move.

What must we do and not do to engage the Spirit’s power, according to Paul in Ephesians 5:18? Not get drunk…..be filled with Holy Spirit

Notice that the Spirit’s filling overflows into praise to God and service to others.

The more we are “filled” with the Spirit, the more our hearts sing in grateful worship (Ephesians 5:19–20) and the more our hands reach out in submissive acts of love (5:21).

Paul’s teaching on the filling of the Spirit links back to the beginning of chapter 5.

What overarching commands from 5:1–2 does the filling of the Spirit help us obey?

Interpretation: The Meaning of “Be Filled with the Holy Spirit”

Paul contrasted “be filled with the Holy Spirit” with “don’t be drunk with wine” (Ephesians 5:18).

Both conditions refer to control or influence—but the instrument of control could not be more opposite, along

with the effects.

We’ve listed some negative characteristics of drunkenness.

-Out of control

-Deadened senses

-Confused thinking

-Shameful behavior

-Ruined life

How are we filled by the Spirit?

In one sense, we already are filled.

The Holy Spirit indwells all believers, and our spiritual tank never needs refilling!

Paul had in mind another sense in his command, be filled,

which emerges as we examine under the grammatical microscope the Greek word, pleroo.

1. Command: The verb is an imperative, which means that filling is necessary for our obedience to

Christ and spiritual growth.

2. Plural: Paul applied his command to all believers, not just a select few for special tasks.

Imagine a whole community of believers filled with the Spirit!

3. Present tense: The verb tense implies continuous action. While the Spirit’s baptism is a one-time, unretractable event, the Spirit’s filling is ongoing and must be cultivated.

4. Passive voice: We can’t fill ourselves. We call upon God to fill us with His Spirit.

Only the Spirit can enable us to be like Christ and worship with pure hearts.

Summarize these concepts in your own words. What key characteristics of being filled with the Spirit stand

out to you?

How do you know when the Spirit is filling you?

We regularly pray, “Fill me, Lord, for this moment.

I want to be used. I want to be available.

“I make myself dependent on You.” It’s like walking. It’s just part of your life.

—Pastor Chuck Swindoll”

In addition, apart from the Spirit’s power, there would be no hope of overcoming our spiritual enemies.

What three enemies does the Spirit empower us against in these verses: Romans 8:12–14; Ephesians 6:11–18;

and 1 John 5:5–8? …Fleshly deeds, schemes of satan, the world

Second, can we be filled with the Spirit at times and not filled at other times?

Most of the Spirit’s ministries can’t be undone.

He seals us (Ephesians 1:13 NASB),

regenerates us (Titus 3:5 NASB),

gives us spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4–7),

baptizes us into Christ’s body (12:13),

and dwells in us (3:16 NASB).

But what did Paul say in Romans 8:6–8 and Ephesians 4:30–31 can hinder the Spirit’s flow of power? …Focusing on the flesh

Thankfully, confession of sin and repentance reconnect us to our spiritual power source, and, by yielding to the Spirit’s control and acting in obedience, we sense the Spirit’s filling once again.

Application: A Prayerful Mind-set

The key to starting the “engine” and engaging the power of the Spirit is a mind-set of prayer.

Paul said it simply, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NASB)—which means keep a conversation with God

going throughout your day, from your first wakeful thoughts in the morning to your final thoughts before

drifting asleep.

In his book, “Embraced by the Spirit”, Pastor Chuck Swindoll offers his morning prayer as a model:

“This is your day, Lord. I want to be at Your disposal.

I have no idea what these next twenty-four hours will contain.

But before I sip my first cup of coffee, and even before I get dressed,

I want You to know that from this moment on throughout this day, I’m Yours, Lord.

Help me to lean on You, to draw strength from You, and to have You fill my mind and my thoughts.

Take control of my senses so that I am literally filled with Your presence and empowered with Your energy.

I want to be Your tool, Your vessel today.

I can’t make it happen.

And so I’m saying, Lord, fill me with Your Spirit today.”

-Pray