:: in.a.mirror.dimly ::

As we move toward a more functional vocabulary of the Holy Spirit, the first concept I’d like to tackle is that of being “filled” with the Holy Spirit. It is a rather broad concept that is assumed throughout the New Testament when speaking of more specific manifestations and works of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

There’s almost too much material to cover in this topic, but the filling of the Holy Spirit is a particularly important topic that comes up throughout the New Testament. Without the filling of the Holy Spirit the book of Acts would be a rather short read.

While I’d like to spend some time on all of the various ways we can speak of the Holy Spirit in our Christian lives, I’d like to begin with this very general idea of the Spirit’s filling our lives or the state of being Spirit-filled. What does it look like? How should we speak of it?

Christians as Naturally Spirit-Filled

Acts 8:16-18 tells of an unusual group of Christians in the region of Samaria—possibly the believers who resulted from the ministry of Jesus in John chapter 4. These Christians were not filled with the Spirit, and it was strange.

Think about that. Is it possible that the majority of the Christians in the world today would have been anomalies in the early church? It’s a chilling thought. That’s purely speculation on my part since we’ll never know in a definitive way, but keep that thought in the back of your mind as we continue with this study. If being Spirit-filled is something that is obvious and well-known, what can we say for ourselves today?

The Moment of Filling

There seemed to be moments of being filled with the Holy Spirit both at the moment of salvation, as in when Peter preached to the Roman soldier in Acts, and other times, such as Acts 8, when believers are filled with the Spirit on a separate occasion from their profession of faith.

Christians who are already Spirit-filled are sometimes filled again, as in Acts 4:31. This means we can speak of being filled with the Spirit in both an initial sense and in an ongoing sense. We should not be satisfied with the initial filling of the Spirit. Becoming a “Spirit-filled” believer is an ongoing process that requires prayer, devotion, and the initiative of God.

The Results of Filling

Spirit-filled Christians took on several noticeable characteristics that generally served the work of spreading the Gospel and made them particularly bold for the cause of Christ. The Apostles and Deacons of the church are regularly designated as filled with the Spirit throughout Acts.

Whether giving confidence, wisdom, or the right words to say, the Holy Spirit makes the church happen. In fact, each step forward for the church in Acts is a result of the Holy Spirit. If we read a Gospel such as Matthew or Luke we’ll also notice the initiative of the Spirit.

If we are reading the book of Acts and we envy the results of the early church, then we have one central question to answer, “How do we become Spirit-filled.” Being Spirit-filled did not mean out of control, manipulative, or divorced from the truth of the Gospel.

No one could lead or effectively minister in the book of Acts without being Spirit-filled. The action recorded in Acts is regularly linked with the indwelling of the Spirit among the Christian community.

Therefore, I’m convinced from this brief study that we should hope to regularly speak of our leaders and one another as “Spirit-filled.” As we continue our look at the Holy Spirit this week, I pray that we’ll experience this filling in new and refreshing ways.

Sadly, the Charismatic renewal of the church may be fading.