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I. Introduction
A.
The subject of the Holy Spirit is a touchy one in
many conservative churches.
B.
How much do you know about the Holy Spirit and His
ministry since conversion? (Acts 19:2).
C.
Do we know that when we believe in the Lord, the Holy
Spirit indwells us and shall be in us forever? (John 14:16,
17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9).
D.
The Holy Spirit had come since the day of Pentecost
(Acts 2:1-4).
E.
Jonathan Edwards’ account of a visitation of the
Spirit of God in the little town of Northampton in
Massachusetts in 1735.
II. What is the Fullness of the Holy Spirit?
A.
The early church had a crisis (Acts 6:3).
B.
What does the term “full of the Holy Spirit” mean?
(Ephesians 5:18).
C.
The selection of elders or deacons is never based on
performance but on character (1 Timothy 3:1-13).
D.
Who has the mind of Christ? (1 Corinthians 2:16).
E.
The work of God is not done by human wisdom,
intelligence, power or ability (Zechariah 4:6).
III. Exhortation to be Filled with the Holy Spirit
A.
Any Christian who is not filled with the Holy Spirit
is a defective Christian.
B.
This verse contains a negative and a positive command
(Eph 5:18).
1.
The negative command – “And be not drunk with
wine.”
2.
The positive command – “But be filled with the
Spirit.”
3.
This teaching of the continuous filling of the Holy
Spirit is also what Jesus was teaching in John 4:13, 14 and
7:37, 38.
C.
There is nowhere in the Bible that commands
Christians to be baptized by the Spirit or to be indwelt by
the Spirit (1 Cor 12:13; Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 7:55).
IV. Manifestations of the Fullness of the Holy Spirit
A.
Intoxication leads to self-destruction but the
Spirit-filled Christian is a singing Christian (5:19).
1.
Psalms are religious songs of praise.
2.
Hymns are sacred poetical compositions whose primary
purpose is to praise.
3.
Songs are all kinds of spiritual songs.
4.
Thanksgiving (5:20).
5.
Mutual submission (5:21).
B.
Submitting ourselves to one another is another sign
of one who is being filled with the Spirit.
C.
The test of our spirituality (Romans 12:10).
V. Conclusion
A Spirit-filled Christian is a dynamic Christian. He is
full of radiance. The problem with the church today is that
countless Christians do not know the Person and ministry of
the Holy Spirit. Worst still, many of them do not
experience such overflowing blessing from the Holy Spirit
because they either do not want it or they refuse to meet
the conditions God sets up to get it.
Dearly beloved, do you want to be filled with the Holy
Spirit of God all the time? One of the prayers of the Welsh
Revival in 1904 was: “Fill me, Holy Spirit, fill me, More
than fullness I would know: I am smallest of Thy vessels,
Yet, I much can overflow.”
Let us avail ourselves to the mighty Holy Spirit of God so
that when He fills us we will become vessels of blessing to
the Church and the world. Amen. |
