What Does it Mean to Be Filled with the Spirit?

Do not get drunk on wine when it leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the spirit. Here’s the command here, it’s one command. “Be filled.” It’s an imperative. To be filled with the spirit is an instruction, not a suggestion. It’s not a polite piece of advice. The fullness of the spirit is not an option to consider. It’s a command to obey.

You Should Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

 Every single one of us is followers of Christ, is intended to be filled with the spirit, commanded to be filled with the spirit. It’s a plural, you be filled. The picture there is plural, not singular. The spirit fills the church. Yes, individually the spirit works in our lives, but he does a corporate work. The spirit fills the church. It’s passive. Now, here’s where it’s really interesting. “Be filled.” This is something he does. We need the spirit to do in us, not us possessing more of the spirit instead of the spirit possessing more of us.

Let the Holy Spirit fill you. We yield to the spirit’s fulfilling. Yield to him without reserve to say to him, less of me, more of you. This is the whole picture of, I mentioned D.L. Moody earlier, D.L. Moody, one of my favorite stories about him, there was a town wanting to have a preacher come and preach revival and they were talking about D.L. Moody. Everybody was saying, we need to get D.L. Moody. And finally somebody spoke up and young guy said, “We don’t need to get D.L. Moody. Why is everybody saying that? It’s not like he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit.”

Everybody got quiet and an older wiser gentleman in the back corner stood up and said, “Son, you’re right. D.L. Moody does not have a monopoly on the spirit. However, the Holy Spirit does have a monopoly on D.L. Moody, and that’s why we need to get him to come.” See the picture?

Does the Holy Spirit have a monopoly on your life? It’s less of me, more of you. Be filled, passive and present continuing action. This is not just a one-time event sometimes in scripture it is. Not just a one-time event, this is also an ongoing experience. It’s like Stephen will be described as he was full of the Holy Spirit. He is walking filled with the Holy Spirit. Baptism in the Spirit is a once for all gift. It’s when the spirit comes in our lives at salvation. Filling with the spirit is a gift given multiple times for multiple purposes.

Be Desperate for the Spirit

This is what I mean when I say let’s be a people desperate for the spirit. It’s not like we’re sitting in a wasteland, in a desert waiting for something to drink because we don’t have any sense of the spirit. When we say desperate for the spirit, we want them to have more and more and more in us. Be filled with the spirit. When you look in scripture, there’s three categories where people are talked about as being filled with the Spirit.

 In general, followers of Christ. In Acts six and Acts six, three and five both talking about Stephen. Acts 11 talking about Barnabas and Acts 1352 talking about Paul and Barnabas. The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit leaders in the church. Luke chapter one, he will be great in the side of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.

Leadership In the Church

This is talking about leadership in the church. Acts 9:17, when Ananias went to Saul placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here has sent me so you may see again and maybe filled with the Holy Spirit.” This is when Paul is basically about to begin ministry, be filled with the Holy Spirit and then in specific opportunities for ministry.

Sometimes people are filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts four, Peter standing in front of the Sanhedrin about to preach the gospel. It says, “Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them,” Paul, in a time where he’s confronting a guy named Elamus. The scripture says to them, Saul, who’s also called Paul, “Fill with the Holy Spirit, looks straight at him and said these things.” When you see scripture talking about filling of the Spirit, it’s the spirit possessing more of us sometimes for specific purposes in leadership in the church, sometimes for specific instances, like we talked about those eight different times where people were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke.

The Spirit Should Monopoly Our Lives

I think there is an instantaneous sudden sovereign operation of the spirit of God when he fills us and opportunities we have to share the gospel. When you’re sharing the gospel, somebody, the place where you work and the place where you live and you begin to share the gospel. I think there’s a feeling of the spirit that accompanies that. That’s what scripture’s teaching here, but not just in sharing the gospel.

There’s a sense in which we walk full of the spirit, the spirit with a monopoly on our lives. Five results of the filling of the spirit that are emphasized in scripture in the New Testament. Number one is renewed worship. This is Ephesians five, 19 and 20, “Renewed worship, be filled with the spirit, speak to one another with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Spirit fills us for the purpose of worship, for renewed fellowship. Speak to one another, sing and make music in your heart of the Lord. Renewed submission.”

This is what happens right after this in Ephesians chapter five, verse 21, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ,” and then he goes into talking about marriage and parenting. This is huge. Marriage is dependent on the spirit’s filling. Men, you need the spirit to love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Women, you need the spirit wives to submit to your husbands is in a way that brings honor and glory to Christ. Parenting is dependent on the spirit’s filling. How many parents in this room can think of moments where their kids are thinking, “Okay, I need Spirit to have a monopoly on me right now before I do something I don’t need to do.” So, this is the picture. We need a spirit to fill us, and then renewed power for proclamation of the gospel.

When We Are Filled with the Holy Spirit We Are Renewed

Renewed power for proclamation of the gospel. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God boldly. Sometimes one time events, the spirit fills us for something specific. There’s also a sense in which this is supposed to be continuing action, where we’re continually asking God, “Fill me. I want you to possess more of me. More of me and less, more of you and less of me.”