How do you become filled with Holy Spirit

Intro

How do you get filled with the Holy Spirit?

A question I believe is as important as

How do I become a Christian.

Well to become a believer in Jesus Christ we can use the ABC method.

Salvation

Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins

Believe God loves you and has forgiven you

Confess Jesus as Lord of your Life

to be baptism in the Holy Spirit is very similiar

Holy Spirit Baptism

Ask Holy Spirit to fill you

Luke 11:13 NASB95

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Believe the Holy Spirit has filled you

John 14:17 NASB95

that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

Conform to the Holy Spirits Instructions

Galatians 5:25 NASB95

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Holy Spirit dwelling vs Being filled with Holy Spirit

As I stated last week, At the point of salvation the Holy Spirit comes inside of you

He begins the regenerative work of bringing your spirit back to life.

In the New Testament, it is clear that the Holy Spirit permanently dwells in every true believer

Romans 8:9 NASB95

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

So every believer does have Holy Spirit dwelling in them!

there is a difference between having the Holy Spirit at conversion coming and dwelling within you and being filled with Holy Spirit.

these are distinct events

not saying that they cannot happen at the same time, but they are unique to one another.

Acts 19:1–7 NASB95

It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. There were in all about twelve men.

We can see from this passage that there were 2 distinct events. Conversion followed by baptism.

I feel this is where many Christians get hung up. They repent and receive Jesus forgivness for their sins

but they need someone like Paul to come to them and ask

“have you received the Holy Spirit when you believed”

the way Paul asked this question leads me to believe You can receive Holy Spirit when you beleive.

Its not like you have to wait 6 months after you receive forgiveness to get baptismed in the Holy Spirit,

but it also tells me that you can receive salavation with not actualy being baptised in Holy Spirit.

That is my deepest cry for the modern church.

That those who beleive would be filled with Holy Spirit

I hope to show you why I believe this is so important.

Body

Biblical Examples of being being Filled with Holy Spirit

Old Testament

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit filled a specific person…for a specific time…for a specific task

Bazalel

Exodus 31:3 (NASB95)

“I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,

Moses & the Elders

Numbers 11:17 NASB95

“Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 3:24 NASB95

The Spirit then entered me and made me stand on my feet, and He spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself up in your house.

New Testament

John the baptist

Luke 1:15 NASB95

“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.

Elizabeth

Luke 1:41 NASB95

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Zacharias

Luke 1:67 NASB95

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

The disciples

Acts 2:4 NASB95

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

Acts 4:31 NASB95

And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

Paul

Acts 13:9–11 NASB95

But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? “Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.

So if all we have to do is Ask Believe and Obey to be continually filled with Holy Spirit

How do you know your filled with the Holy Spirit?

A) TRANSFORMATION

The Holy Spirit works in us and helps us mature as believers, and brings about the transformation of our hearts and minds.

Titus 3:4–6 NASB95

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

When you are transformed, others notice the change in you. That is why when someone gets saved, others can see a difference in them, though they may not know what caused the change. A person with the Holy Spirit in them, will be like a new person.

Proverbs 26:11 NASB95

Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly.

B) GROWING IN THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22–23 NASB95

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The more time we spend with God, we grow in love, joy, peace, and the other fruit listed in this Scripture.

When you see someone grow in the fruit of the Spirit, then you know that they have allowed God to work in their hearts.

The journey of salvation is lifelong, and it takes time for the fruit to fully manifest in our lives.

Sometimes you will find that you are not as joyful or kind as you should be, and you can pray and ask God to help you

C) OPEN TO THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Romans 8:14 NASB95

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

When a believer is led by the Holy Spirit, they will obey God’s Word, and go in the direction that He wants them to go. God speaks to us in our hearts and shows us the way we are to go

When you don’t know what to do in a given situation, you can ask the Holy Spirit and He will give you the solution. You will make fewer mistakes in life when you make it a habit to listen to what God wants you to do.

Many times we want to know the will of God for our lives and the only way we can is by listening to His Spirit.

D) SPEAKING IN TONGUES

More on this later....but just to scartch the surface

Acts 2:4 NASB95

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

Mark 16:17 NASB95

“These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;

There are a variety of tongues listed in the Bible

one of the more common issues is when someone with a pre-conceived position against the speaking in tongues uses verses not intended for that type of tongue

Tongues of men and angels

1 Corinthians 13:1 NASB95

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Tongue spoken in a unknown earthly language eg.

Day of Pentecost

Acts 2:10–11 NASB95

Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”

Angelic language

Tongues as a prayer language

Paul

1 Corinthians 14:18 NASB95

I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all;

Ephesians 6:18 NASB95

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

Tongues requiring a interpretation in a corporate setting

1 Corinthians 14:27 NASB95

If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret;

Tongues as a form of Praise

1 Corinthians 14:15–16 NASB95

What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

Speaking in tongues is where your Spirit joins with Holy Spirit and speakes without your mind getting in the way

Romans 8:26 NASB95

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;

Tongues Builds the speaker up

1 Corinthians 14:4 NASB95

One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church.

E) GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

Romans 12:6–8 NASB95

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Corinthians 12:7–10 NASB95

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.

1 Peter 4:11 NASB95

Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Conclusion

Ephesians 5:18 NASB95

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

Continually Filled

Acts 13:52 NASB95

And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

The Level of filling is directly tied to obedience

Acts 5:32 NASB95

“And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”