The Mandate to Be Filled with the Spirit
The purpose of this series of posts is to present to you several compelling reasons why you and I, and our churches and ministries, must be filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul urges us,
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-18, ESV).
Be filled with the Spirit.
The Greek New Testament verb for “be filled,” plēróō, is in the imperative mood. That means it’s not an optional suggestion, but an authoritative command. It’s addressed to all the believers, not just one. The verb is in the passive voice, as in let the Spirit fill you. And, it is present tense, which connotes an ongoing filling, multiple fillings – continuously being filled by believing and appropriating what God has given us.
We pull out the rocks and the weeds in the garden of our souls, and we let Him fill us. Paul is saying that we must allow the Holy Spirit to fill us, because we cannot possibly live this Christian life effectively and victoriously without Him. The days are evil, and in order to make the most of every opportunity in these days, we must be filled with the Spirit!
When pondering what it means to be filled with the Spirit, I thought of how a natural-gas water heater works. Have you ever turned on a shower on a cold morning and waited for it to get hot, but it never gets hot? Somehow the pilot light has gone out. So, you turn off the water, and go relight the pilot light. Then, you wait an hour, and turn on the shower again. But it’s still cold! Why? What did I fail to do? Wasn’t lighting the pilot light enough?
When you accept Christ, it’s like lighting the pilot light. Jesus said,
Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:3-6, NKJV).
You received Christ, the Holy Spirit gave birth to your human spirit, and you became a child of God. But does that mean you are filled with the Spirit? Returning to the water heater analogy, yes, the pilot light is lit. But the water is still cold! What do you have to do now to make it hot? You’ve got to go back to the water heater where you see a red knob that has different settings, MILD…MEDIUM…HOT. If you want hot water, you must turn the knob up to HOT. You’ll hear the burning gas go whoosh as it moves throughout the base of the water heater and begins to heat the water. After a while, you get back in the shower, and YES, It’s wonderfully hot!
Sisters and brothers, if you have accepted Christ, you’ve been born again, and the Holy Spirit dwells in you. However, if you want to make an impact for God’s Kingdom, that’s simply not enough. To make a real difference for Christ in this world, it will take far more than your human abilities, ingenuity, intellect, and eloquence. It will take the Person, presence, and power of the Holy Spirit working in and through you — and in, among, and through our churches. That means we have got to turn the knob to HOT! We must earnestly pursue a deeper filling with the Holy Spirit!