Filled with the Holy Spirit… What does it really mean?
We find people saying that being filled with the Holy Spirit means to talk in tongues, feeling wild ecstasy, being overcome with great joy, being slain in the spirit, having the ability to prophesy and also being able to interpret ‘tongues’.
Other Christians never have any of these, but they are often referred to as ‘Spirit filled’. They believe that a Christian can be filled with the Holy Spirit as he lives his day-to-day life. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were praying together when they suddenly heard the sound of rushing wind, saw tongues of flames, and spoke in tongues that they never learned. As a result, 3000 people in Jerusalem trusted Messiah the same day. These people, empowered with strength from above, went and preached the gospel in such an effective way that even their enemies spoke of them as men ‘who turned the world upside down’ (Acts.17:16). Many of us wish to be filled with the Holy Spirit and have the same experience, the same victory or the same power as these early apostles, but we fail miserably. So we wonder how we can be really filled with the Holy Spirit.
Before we proceed further, let us understand who or what the Holy Spirit is.
The Holy Spirit is a person. Messiah spoke of the Holy Spirit as ‘He’. In John.14:16, He said, ‘I will pray the Father and He will give you another Comforter, that is the Holy Spirit, and he (the Holy Spirit) will abide with you forever. The Holy Spirit has intelligence. He knows the deep things of Yahweh and reveals them to us (1 Cor.2:10, 11). The Holy Spirit makes decisions and gives gifts to the Lord’s people ‘as He wills’ (1 Cor.12: 11). The Holy Spirit has emotions. He feels love (Rom.15: 30) and grief (Eph.4:30). He speaks (Rev.2:7), He intercedes (Rom8: 26), He teaches (John 14:26), He leads (Rom 8: 14), He appoints (Acts 20: 28) and He also empowers (Acts 1:8).
The filling of the Holy Spirit should be the desire of every Christian. But listening to the way some people talk, one gets the idea that it is reserved only for some privileged, special people. However the filling of the Holy Spirit is for everyone. But there are two conditions. You must be born again. (John 3:5, 6). It is the Spirit who gives life (John. 6:63). Anyone who does not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is not a Christian (Rom.8: 9). To be obedient to the command to be filled with the Spirit (Eph.5: 18), a person must want the Spirit’s filling and then be willing to yield to His control.
On the day of Pentecost, people who heard the apostles speak in different tongues thought they were drunk. In those days, worshippers of heathen gods would get drunk to have a religious experience. But this was not the case on Pentecost day. A person who is drunk with wine walks differently, talks differently, acts, thinks and feels differently. His judgment is faulty. A person who is filled with the Holy Spirit also walks talks, acts, thinks and feels differently. But his judgment is clear. We are influenced by what fills us. If we are filled with anger, it fills us to such an extant that we may say and do things which we may regret later. Anger will control every aspect of our lives. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit controls us to such an extant that we will reflect Yahweh’s moral character and be strengthened by His power. We will be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled, virtues that are called the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5: 22,23)
Paul told the believers at Ephesus, and also us (Eph.5: 18), to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He is telling us that everything we think and do is influenced or controlled by Him. Being filled with the Holy Spirit involves 4 essentials. 1) be Messiah centered, 2) be in the Word, 3) be submissive, and 4)be confident.
The first essential is to be Messiah centered is to center our lives on Yahshua Messiah. In all we do we should make him our example. When we are Messiah centered we are pleasing the Holy Spirit because that is what he wants. The Holy Spirit derives great pleasure from seeing us cooperate with him in glorifying Messiah. We can glorify Christ by making Jesus (Yahshua) our example (John.13: 15), observing the Lord’s Supper to remember Messiah in his suffering and death, being comforted in the knowledge that He is our intercessor, looking forward to Messiah’s rule on earth.
The Christian who wants to be Spirit- filled should spend time in studying the word of Yahweh . Paul said, ‘do not be drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit’. (Eph. 5: 17). How do we know His will? Through the scriptures. Luke.2:52 states that Yahshua Messiah increased in wisdom. How does one increase in wisdom? By reading the scriptures. The Bible is the inspired word of Yahweh (2Tim.3: 16). Read the Bible. Study it, be instructed by it. Obey its commands, let it correct you. The word of Yahweh has been given to make you a complete, well equipped Christian. You cannot be Spirit filled without it!
The third essential is to be submissive. It is only when we are submissive to the Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit will continuously fill us. Col.3:15-4:10 tells how to be submissive. You place yourself under Yahweh’s influence and control when you do these things. You place yourself under the authority of the Bible when it tells you to put off and put to death the sins of the flesh and put on Christian values. (Eph 4:17- 5:7). You submit to others as an expression of your love for Yahweh thus becoming a good citizen and a good Christian.
Be confident. Do not keep worrying if you are filled with the Holy Spirit. Do not compare yourself with others. Do not waste time waiting for some spectacular sign from heaven. You need not wait for a temporary feeling of excitement to fill you. Be confident that you are doing his will. People may say many things but when we are confident, we need not worry. This confidence produces spiritual victory because we are continually aware of the Spirit’s presence (1Cor.6:19, 20); we depend on his will (Eph.5: 18); accept the Spirit’s help in fulfilling the law of Yahweh (Rom.8: 4)
A person who is filled with the Holy Spirit shows the following four in his life.
Joyful fellowship: Eph.5:19. Paul described it as speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Spirit-filled persons would rather spend time in good Christian fellowship than wasting time in useless pursuit of worldly pleasures.
Heartfelt Praise: The second evidence is heartfelt praise to Yahweh. That means that you will be singing and making melody in your heart. It also means singing and praising Yahweh with a sincere heart.
Gratitude: You will give thanks always for all things. (Eph. 5:20) Paul repeatedly gave thanks to Yahweh and exhorted us to do the same (1 Thes.5:18)
Reverent submission: Submit to on another in the fear of the Lord (Eph.5:21) A Spirit-filled person is humble, gentle and meek. He is not proud, aggressive or arrogant. As a servant of Yahshua Messiah, he possesses a servant’s spirit.
Is your life Messiah-centered? Do you study the Bible? Are you submissive to Yahweh? Are you confident that you are Spirit-filled? If you answer ‘Yes’, then you will have the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22) and the gifts of the Holy Spirit and people will see that you are Spirit-filled. |