Are You "Filled with the Holy Spirit"?

Are you “filled with the Holy Spirit?”

And what does “full of the Holy Spirit” mean, anyway? What does "the filling" look like?

I’d like to tackle those two questions in this post and the next one. And to do so, I’ll rely upon the most definitive passage on this subject in the Scriptures, Ephesians 5:18-21.

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.

So first, what is the filling of the Holy Spirit?

Here are four key words that summarize my understanding of the Holy Spirit's filling: 1. Contrast. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but…Paul points out a striking difference between two experiences: alcoholic drunkenness versus Holy Spirit filling. Instead of of abandoning ourselves to a drug, we are to yield ourselves to the Spirit. Instead of being an embarrassment (debauchery) to the name of Christ, we are to be under the sway of His Spirit.

2. Control. Essentially Paul is talking about who or what is the dominant influence in the life of believers in Jesus. When we repent of our sins and believe in Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives (see Romans 8:9). He is the one who supplies the power to live our faith in Jesus. Spirit-filled Christians are people who submit to the Holy Spirit.

3. Command. Be filled with the Spirit. Scripture lists the fullness of the Spirit not as a suggestion or a good idea to investigate, but as God’s directive for all His children.

4. Continuous. Literally, God’s command is “be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.” Some people speak of the Holy Spirit’s filling as an event that happened to them, but God’s word describes it as an ongoing flow of life. More like water flowing through a pipe than water being poured into a container.

The filling of the Holy Spirit is God’s desire (His command) for all believers in Christ. Obeying His command that we be filled is not complicated. Simply pray, confess any known sin, and yielding by faith to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

And for next time, let’s talk about the evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit. 

"Have You Been Baptized in the Holy Spirit?"

The summer after my freshman year of college, I was excited about sharing my Christian faith. Some friends and I decided we should have evangelistic meetings in the small city park in my home town.

I’m pretty sure we didn't talk to anyone “official” about our plans, or apply for a permit. We just told everyone we could that we were going to have “meetings” in the park that weekend. We loaded a piano into the bed of a pickup and that became the stage. We drove the pickup onto the lawn at the park, set up some folding chairs, and we were set. Somebody played the piano, someone else led singing, and I stood up to preach the gospel.

It wasn't pretty, but when I gave the “altar call” there were some folks in the audience who turned to Christ.

But a strange thing happened in the middle of our evangelistic zeal. Somehow word of our outdoor evangelism had reached a group of Christians in a nearby town. They showed up on one of the nights, and after I preached, a group of five or six of them asked to speak to me.

They pulled their chairs in a circle, with me in the middle. The spokesman, a young guy with a wispy beard about ten years older than I, asked me a question: “Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit?"