"Be Filled With The Spirit"

by G. Jarvie | Category: General | Oct 1958

"Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you (Acts 1. 5).

"Be filled with the Spirit " (Ephesians 5. 8).

The coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost marked the beginning of the building of the Church which is the Body of Christ.

It is evident that every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and this indwelling of the Spirit is the token that we are Christ's.

"If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Romans 8.9).

The coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost brought power to the lives of the disciples, according to the word of the Lord. Before His coming, they were wavering and sometimes fearful. After His coming they were bold and confident. Not only did they receive the Spirit, but they were filled with the Spirit, and because of this, power was manifest in their lives and ministry. (See Acts 1.8.)

Years later Paul urged the believers in the church in Ephesus to be " filled with the Spirit." Again the fulness of the Holy Spirit would be manifest in powerful living. Not this time in the working of miracles, but in singing and making melody to the Lord; in the giving of thanks to God; and in subjecting of themselves, one to another, in the fear of Christ. We should note the things which manifest the fulness of the Spirit. There is power in these!

The fulness of the Holy Spirit is essential for all spiritual power. Nothing can take His place. This is confirmed by Zechariah 4.6.

"Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."

No human power can be a substitute for the power of the Holy Spirit. Both the knowledge of the word, and the gift of speaking it, are greatly to be desired, but without the fulness of the Holy Spirit in our lives, our gifts and our knowledge will remain fruitless. The gifts and the knowledge are ours, but

"Power belongeth unto God" (Psalm 62.11).

The writer would suggest that there are three conditions essential for the fulness of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The first condition is prayer. So we read

"When they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together ; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit " (Acts 4.31).

So the Psalmist wrote

"Quicken Thou us, and we will call upon Thy Name,

Turn us again, 0 LORD of hosts;

Cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved" (Psalm 80.18, 19).

The fulness of the Holy Spirit is not a once-for-all experience in the life of a believer, as is the baptism in the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ. It is a day-by-day experience as the result of confession and prayer, and it is only as continuous as the prayer which brings it. But there is much prayer which does not bring the fulness of the Holy Spirit. "Much prayer-much power" is only partly true. Other conditions are necessary. The Holy Spirit can fill the emptied vessel only. He cannot fill the vessel that is already part-full of self. There must be the yielding of the whole man to God. No amount of prayer will bring the fulness of the Holy Spirit, if our lives are not yielded lives.

How foolish we are to think that we can use our lives better than God can! This is unbelief. "I beseech you," says Paul, "present your bodies" (Romans 6.18, 12.1). Yet many believers who will trust Christ for their eternal salvation will not trust Him to control and order their short lives now! All such believers lack the power and joy which can only come from the fulness of the Holy Spirit.

One other condition for the fulness of the Holy Spirit seems evident-He must dwell within us ungrieved.

We may pray much, but the power of the Holy Spirit will not be manifest in our lives if He is grieved within us. There must be cleansing from all bitterness and wrath, and from the unforgiving spirit. The vessel must not only be empty-it must be clean! We must be holy if we are to be acceptable to God. (See Ephesians 4.80-82.)

The past of our lives must be gone over. Wrongs must be put right. Debts must be paid. Debts of love as well as of money! Forgiveness must be sought, where we have sinned against others. Forgiveness must be given-from the heart to those who seek it from us. Those who have sinned against us must be prayed for in love. Unclean habits must be corrected. Then-we can yield our bodies, holy acceptable to God. Then-we can pray, and the" fire" of the Lord will come down.

There is a price to be paid for the fulness and power of the Holy Spirit. Let us pay it gladly, so that we may see His mighty power in our lives, and in our day, as He has shown His power in other lives, and in other days.

G. Jarvie | Oct 1958
General