Power For Living
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The Promises of God relating to abundant Christian living
The Role of The Holy Spirit in the Christian life
Explain the meaning of the filling of The Holy Spirit
Show the conditions for power for living
Promise and Source of Power
Promise and Source of Power
Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
Learning to be filled, which means controlled and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit, is the key to spiritual victory and effectiveness for a Christian
God’s promises become all the more real to us the closer and more filled we are.
Jesus promised an abundant and meaningful life for his disciples.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Personal completeness/wholeness is described by the characteristics of the fruit of The Spirit
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Galatians
The Holy Spirit is the source of Power for this kind of Christian living.
It it only when one is filled with God’s Holy Spirit that this kind of life becomes possible.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
What Does It Mean To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit?
What Does It Mean To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit?
We have our initial filling when we spoke in other tongues/languages as The Holy Spirit enabled us to speak.
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
After this point, Jesus begins to live His life in and through us in the Power of His Spirit.
To be filled with The Spirit a very real sense means to be filled with Jesus and be abiding in Him by our obedience.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Following our initial infilling, our continuing to be filled with The Holy Spirit is described for us in
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
Here Paul compares being filled with The Holy Spirit to drunkenness.
This shows that the filling is basically a matter of control.
So the question to ask is: Who or what is controlling us?
A person who is drunk is controlled by the alcohol in his or her bloodstream.
He is no longer behaving normally or with self-control.
The person filled with The Spirit is controlled by Jesus and is also not behaving “normally”.
Either way the person is no longer living a life controlled by self
A spiritual Christian is one who is allowing Jesus to control his life.
Maturity is a product of time and experience coupled with our devotional life.
How Can I Be Consistently Filled With The Holy Spirit?
How Can I Be Consistently Filled With The Holy Spirit?
There are certain conditions which must be met before one can be filled with The Holy Spirit.
These conditions are ones need to be met continuously, not just once, because the filling of The Spirit is not a once-and-for-all act, but a continuing process.
Being filled with The Spirit is not the product of asking, as much as it is a product of meeting the conditions.
Condition 1: Desire.
A person must really want Jesus to control His life.
The whole of who we are must be committed to Jesus-mind, will, and emotions.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Matthew 5:
Condition 2: Surrender of Control.
A person must make the basic decision to step down from controlling his life.
We can just at where our own choices have led us versus how following him led to better lives in The Gospels.
We must let Jesus control our lives and have the use of it, before we can be filled with His Spirit.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Condition 3: Obedient Living.
It is extremely important that we are walking/living in obedience to God’s direction and commandments.
A commitment to The Lordship of Jesus implies a commitment of our will to be obedient to Him in all things.
Our obedience is the proof of our growing love and salvation.
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Condition 4: Cleansing.
God will not fill an unclean vessel.
When one sins as a Christian, we must learn to confess it to God.
This is the way God has appointed/ordained for dealing with sin in our lives.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Confession is not merely a matter of telling The Lord you are sorry for sinning, it also includes repenting (turning from sin) and trusting God for forgiveness.
The word confess means to agree with God concerning our sin.
These are the conditions for be full of God’s Spirit.
Consistently walking in The Spirit is a product of meeting the conditions day by day.