The Filling of the Holy Spirit Posted on August 6, 2013 by Bro. Kelly Jack The filling of the Spirit is a step beyond the sealing of the Holy Spirit on a believer and it is a constant way of life for the believer that is carried along by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Sealing of the Holy Spirit upon a believer is an action God took at the point of our new birth as Christians while filling of the Spirit is a moment-by-moment, repeatable action and it is not a static event. A believer (follower of Jesus Christ) is someone who is filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. This calls for all Christians to labour for a plentiful measure of the graces of the Spirit, that would fill our souls with great joy, strength, and courage, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in their hearts to the Lord and giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and also submitting to one another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:18-21New International Version (NIV) 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Before the day of Pentecost, in the Old Testament the filling of the Spirit was rare and it was usually related to the ability to serve in some particular area of service or field of endeavor. The filling of the Spirit of God in the Old Testament gave men wisdom (Gen.41:38-40; Num.27:18; Judges 3:10). The Lord designated specifically Bezalel as the principal artisan for the building of the tabernacle and filled him with the Spirit of God (Exod.31:1-3). The Lord also filled Joshua with the Spirit of wisdom which made the children of Israel to heed to his rule over them (Deut.34:9).While in the life of Samson, we see the Holy Spirit’s filling gave him superhuman strength and do the things that God wanted him to do (Judg.13:25; 14:4,6,19;15:14). In the New Testament, we see that even before the day of Pentecost that there were many people who were filled with the Holy Spirit such as John the Baptist (Luke 1:15-16), Elizabeth who was filled with the Holy Spirit when she met Mary (Luke 1:41) and Zachariah the father of John the Baptist was also filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:67). After the day of Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus Christ who were assembled together in Jerusalem after Jesus death were filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:2-4). Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit when he went before the Sanhedrin concerning his testimony for Christ (Acts 4:8) All the believers who gathered together for prayers were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31).Stephen was a man filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3,5,8,10; 7:55). Paul shortly after he gave his life to Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17). As Christians, we are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit as is stated in Ephesians 5:18-21New International Version (NIV) 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The outcome of being filled with the Holy Spirit in a believer is quiet great and we will like to use this medium to humbly encourage every Christian to desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit daily by God. Below are some of the effects of the filling of the Holy Spirit : Utterance: The filling of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer gives that believer the ability to speak in languages that they had not previously known (Acts 2:4). Conviction: The Spirit of God brings conviction to the audience of a speaker who is filled with the Holy Spirit like Peter in (Acts 2:37-41). Boldness: The filling of the Spirit brings boldness for God’s work (Acts 4:8-13, 31). Powerful Witness for Christ: Stephen was full of wisdom, full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith and power. He had the gifts, the boldness, and the brilliance to be a powerful witness for Christ (Acts 6:3-10). Consumed with pleasing God: Stephen at the moment of death was full of the Holy Spirit, which was evidenced by the fact that all he wanted to do was please God. He was consumed only with doing God’s will (Acts 7:55). Soul winner: The filling of the Spirit enabled Barnabas to add many more people to the Lord (Acts 11:22-24). Rebuke and Judgment: Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit was able to rebuke and pass judgment on Elymas, a false prophet for deceiving and defrauding the people (Acts 13:6:13). Singing and making melody: One of the natural outcomes of being filled with the Holy Spirit is singing and making melody to God (Ephesians 5:19). Giving thanks unto God: When one is filled with the Holy Spirit, they are always seen to give thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20). Submission one to another: When believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, they are seen to submit one to another in love as unto the Lord. Submitting oneself to another person does not refer to being under the absolute control of another but to voluntarily placing oneself under authority as unto the Lord.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 07:34:06 +0000