The Fullness of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in empowering believers to live holy lives, serve with boldness, and bear fruit. It urges Christians to seek the fullness of the Spirit for spiritual strength and victory over sin, emphasizing the need to have the right motives in doing so. The chapter calls for faith, obedience, and openness to the Holy Spirit's work in their lives “ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit .” (Ephesians 5:18) Nothing can compensate the church, or the Christian, for the lack of the Holy Spirit! What the full stream is to the mill wheel that the Holy Spirit is to the church. What the principle of life is to the body that the Holy Spirit is to the individual. We will be helpless and ashamed before our troubles and enemies. Until we learn what He can be, as a mighty tide of love and power in the hearts of His Saints.

Some readers may suffer from spiritual weakness. It is due to a lack of the Holy Spirit. They are not completely without Him. If they were, they wouldn't be Christians. But, within them, He is only a faint presence, like a silver streak or a shallow brook. Why should we be content with this? The fullness of the Day of Pentecost, the endowment of power, the baptism of fire, are all within our reach.

Let us inspire ourselves with a holy ambition to get all that our God is willing to give. It is not difficult to show this contrast by analogies drawn from the Word of God. Can we not say, with reverence, that our Lord's ministry owed much of its power to His baptism? The Holy Spirit filled Him from His birth, but they anointed Him anew at His baptism. People said, with marked emphasis, that He filled with the Spirit. “ And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness .”(Luke 4:1).

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. (v. 14). 14), and stood in the synagogue of His native town. He claimed the ancient prophecy and declared that the Spirit of God was upon Him. T he Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, (v. 18). His wondrous words and works come from the Holy Spirit's marvellous work on His human life. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. (Acts 10:38).

Do you lack assurance? Sometimes you have felt happy and content.

But, those happy hours have fled. Someone breaks your rest. The mountain lake is overcast and ruffled by a gathering storm. You need a settled peace. You can find it in two things. First, you must understand what Jesus has done for you. Second, you must have the sealing of the Holy Spirit.

It is His sacred office to witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. He is the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, “Abba, Father!” Do you lack victory over sin? You should not wonder at this if you neglect the Holy Spirit. He is the blessed antidote to the risings and dominion of the flesh. He wars against the flesh, so that we may not fulfill its lusts. His glory fills the heart. Temptation's suggestions quench like sparks in the ocean. Sin cannot stand against the Holy Spirit. Darkness cannot resist the morning light.

If He feels grief, faces resistance, or gets quenched, His power and presence will hold back. There is no escape for the spirit. No remedy for its bitter remorse. Fasting, self-torture, and regrets will not help. The law of the spirit of life, which is in Christ Jesus, can alone make us free from the law of sin and death. But it can, and it will, only if we yield ourselves to its operation. Do you lack the fruits of holiness? Some we know are so righteous, they praise God.

We are instinctively drawn to them. Their faces are bright with the presence of the Lord, although they drink from the cup of His sorrows. They have a tender spirit. Their sweet, unselfish nature shines with a childlike humility. This creates an indescribable beauty in all they do. We lack these graces. There is little in us to attract men to Christ, much to repel. Locusts have stripped our boughs, leaving them naked and bare. And the reason is evident.

We have not let the Holy Spirit have His way with our inner life. If His presence had been within us, we would have borne much fruit. It would have been impossible not to. Do you lack power for service?

You have no burning thirst for the salvation of others.

You are not on fire for souls. You have never been in agony over the alienation of men from God. And when you speak, there is no power in what you say. The demons laugh at your attempts to exercise them. The sleeper turns for a moment, feeling restless, but soon falls into a deeper slumber than ever.

The home, the class, and the congregation yield no results. No handpicked fruit fills your basket. No shoal of fish breaks your nets. No recruits accept your call to arms. You cannot expect otherwise until you gain the power our Lord promised. He said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). When the Holy Spirit filled the early Christians, they spoke the Word of God with boldness.

They bore strong witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We would meet these and many other deficiencies if only the Holy Spirit filled us. If we sought only the full indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we would find joy, power, and a consciousness of Jesus. We would also find a habitual rest in the will of God. This would be a joyful discovery. Mr. Spurgeon once said he felt the Lord's presence every moment he was awake.

When the Spirit fills the heart, Jesus feels real and close. What is He to you? Do you awake in the morning beneath His light touch and spend the hours with Him? Can you often look up from your work and perceive His face? Do you seek power, grace, and direction from Him on a consistent basis? If He is but a fitful vision, you have not realised the first mark of the gift of Pentecost.

Total dedication to the Lord Jesus is a big step for most Christians. But, even that is not enough. It is often negative. But, we need something positive to meet our hearts and our times. We must seek this in our entire possession. It is for that mighty Spirit whose advent at Pentecost began a new era for the church and the world. Of course, He was always in the world. It was the Holy Spirit of Pentecost. He brooded over chaos. He spoke through the prophets and holy men. He gave nerve to the heroes and saints of the Old Testament.

The Day of Pentecost did not introduce a new Spirit into the world. It began an era in which even the weakest saints might have Him as much as those who lived before it. Before that day, only a few elite people had His fullness. They were the Elijahs, Isaiahs, and Daniels. Since then, He has poured out His plenitude on the many. This includes women, children, obscure thinkers, hidden workers, handmaids, and servants. It is for all who are ready to meet the conditions and accept the results. Why not on us? We are willing to admit that the special gifts of the Holy Spirit belong to the apostolic age. Given for a specific purpose, they are now withdrawn. It is a serious question. Would they have continued if the church had been more faithful to her sacred trust? But the special gifts of the Holy Spirit are altogether apart from His blessed fullness. That is not the exclusive right of any age.

Confined to no limited era or epoch in the history of the church, His fullness pours its tide of light, and it is as powerful as the Nile in flood. It will reach every remote plot and garden. If we keep the channel clear, it will fertilize and enrich them.

Alas, many believe the Almighty, like a bankrupt builder, built His church's portico with marble and finished it with common brick!

“ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ” (Ephesians 5:18) is an injunction as wide-reaching in its demands as “ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her , ” (v. You can find 25) on the same page. It is a positive command, which we must obey for our good, and all God’s commands are enabling.

In other words, He prepares us to become what He tells us to be. On the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter spoke to the crowds. His words are our charter to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. He told them that the ascended Lord's sudden fullness fulfilled an ancient prophecy. It was not for them only or for their children, but for as many as were afar off. It was for those whom the Lord God will call. Are you one of His called ones? Then rejoice because that fullness is for you! Be not faithless but believing! Claim the covenant part at once. Thank God for your lot in an age of such marvellous possibilities.

Excite the Holy Desire by Considering What the Fullness of the Spirit Means.

We cannot expect to have it if we are quite content to live without it. Our Father is unlikely to trust this priceless gift to those indifferent to it. If desire is weak, do not expect the Holy Spirit's fullness. A fleeting desire is not enough. It may burn bright today, but it will lie dormant for months and years. There must be a strong purpose. It must withstand ten days of waiting and the silence or denial that may come.

And yet the flame of desire needs fuel.

We must muse before that fire can burn. So, we must, by quiet thought, stir up the gift within us. This is what it means to be Spirit- filled.” There is no book that will so move us in this direction as the Acts of the Apostles. It is a marvel to see the impact this fullness had on those who first received it. Cowards became brave. Dull minds, once stumped by simple truths, now grasped the Master's plan. Rivalry, suspicion, and a desire for power had once stirred their bosoms. Each thought herself superior and sought to excel in her service to the saints. Their words held such power that crowds became congregations. Christ's murderers became His worshipers and friends.

No council of clever men could withstand the simple power of facts. Shook towns and countries. Thousands converted to the unlearned but eager preachers of the Cross. This was due to the power that the whole church now owned. And there is not a fragment of reason that it should not do so much for us. As we compare that success to our slow progress, won't we long for Him to work similar results through us?

Studying the biographies of recent, saintly men may yield the same results. Happy the person within reach of a library, the shelves of which are well lined with books of holy biography! He will never lack for more stimulus. He will read the stories of McCheyne and W. C. Burns, of Brainerd and Martyn, of Jonathan Edwards and others. He will not envy or complain. He will, instead, pray to heaven. He will ask that he may do much. Moreover, the promises of the Scriptures are enough to incite us to the uttermost.

Rivers of living water should flow from us. We should never be anxious about our words. They would give them to us.

We should teach ourselves all things and lead ourselves to the truth. We should know Christ and change into His image. We should have power. It is all so fascinating. One can't help but want the Holy Spirit to charge them, like a jar with electricity. And, if need be, we will prepare to bear the test of long waiting, as the faithful few did in the Upper Room.

Seek This Blessed Fullness from the Right Motive.

If you seek this fullness to attract people or transform a difficulty, you may miss it. You must be set on the one purpose of magnifying the Lord Jesus in your body, whether by life or death. Ask that you destroy all inferior motives and that this burns strong and clear within you. God will not find water for us to use to turn our own waterwheels. He will do nothing to minister to our pride. He will not give us the Holy Spirit to gain celebrity, a name, or an easy, self-satisfied life. If we seek the Holy Spirit only for our happiness, it is unlikely He will be given. His one passion is the glory of the Lord Jesus, and He can only make His abode with those who are willing to be at one with Him in this. “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” (Amos 3:3).

But, if you desire to magnify the Lord Jesus in you, rejoice. If you long, above all, for men to turn to Him, as they did from John the Baptist, then rejoice. You are near a blessing beyond words to describe. If your motives fall below this standard, trust Him to purify them. Offer Him a free entrance within.

It will not then be long before there shall be a gracious response; and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, and He shall sit as a refiner of silver, that ministers may offer an offering in righteousness.

“ Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.” (Malachi 3:1–3).

Consider That Holy Scripture Is His Special Organ. A subtle danger besets the teaching of this most helpful doctrine, and it is one that we need to guard against. Some earnest people have overemphasized the Holy Spirit's inner light and guidance. They have neglected the Word He gave, which still works on human hearts. This is a great mistake and the prolific parent of all kinds of evil.

If we ignore the Word of God, we open ourselves to many voices in our hearts. We then lack a test, a standard of truth, or an appeal. How can we know the Spirit of God in complex cases brought to the court of conscience, without a judgement based on the Word of God?

We must not be content with the Spirit without the Word, or with the Word without the Spirit. Our life must travel along these two, as the locomotive along the parallel rails The Word is the Spirit's chosen organ. Only through devout contact with it can we detect His voice. The Spirit will enter our hearts by the Word. It is like the heart of the sun passing into our rooms with its beams of light that enter through the open window. We need a widespread revival of Bible study. These mines of Scripture, lying beneath the surface, call for investigation. Those who heed this call and study the Word's inner meaning will soon find the fulfillment they seek.

"To commune with God, there is no better way than to walk in your room or in the open air, with your Bible in hand. Meditate on it, and turn its precepts and promises into prayer." God walks in the glades of Scripture, as of old He walked in those of Paradise.

Be Prepared to Let the Holy Spirit Do As He Will with You. The Holy Spirit is in us, so Christ is too. He dwells in us by the Spirit, as the sun dwells in the world by the atmosphere vibrating with waves of light. But we must yield to Him at all times, just as water conforms to the shape of the containing vessel. This is not easy. It requires constant self-judgment and a deep shame of our own lives. What is our position before God in this respect? We have chosen Jesus as our substitute, but have we also chosen Him by the Holy Spirit as our Life?

Can we say, like the apostle: “ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ” (Galatians 2:20). If so, we must be prepared for all that it involves. We must be willing for the principle of the new life to grow at the expense of the self-life. We must consent to one increasing while the other decreases, through painful processes. Nay, we must be ever on the alert. We must hasten the processes of judgment, condemnation, and crucifixion. We must keep true in our allegiance to the least behest of the Holy Spirit, though it costs tears of blood.

The perpetual filling of the Holy Spirit is only possible to those who obey Him and who obey Him in all things. There is nothing trivial in this life. Neglecting small commands may soon let a soul escape the sunlit circle. It would then lose the Spirit's full, gracious power. A look, a word, a refusal may suffice to grieve Him in ourselves and to quench Him in others. Count the cost, yet do not shrink back, afraid of what He may demand. He is the Spirit of love. He loves us too much to cause grief, unless there is a reason. We would approve of it if we knew as much as He.

Receive Him by Faith. “ Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or concerning a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath .” (Colossians 2:16). Faith is the one law of the divine household. You once obtained forgiveness and salvation by faith. So, now claim and receive the Holy Spirit's fullness.

Fulfill the conditions already named. Wait in silence before God in prayer. He gives His Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Next, accept this gift with reverence. Then, rise and go on your way.

Trust that God has kept His word and that you are now filled with the Spirit. Trust Him day by day to fill you and keep you filled. According to your faith, they will do it to you.

There may not be at first the sound of rushing wind, or the coronet of fire, or the sensible feeling of His presence. Do not look for these, any more than the young convert would look to feeling as an evidence of acceptance. But believe, despite your feelings, that you fill yourself.

Say over and over, “I thank You, O my God, that You have kept Your word with me. I opened my mouth, and You filled it, though yet I am not aware of any special change.” Over time, the feeling will penetrate your mind. You will rejoice with great joy. Then, the fruits of the Spirit will show themselves.

But remember, you must not fill yourself once for all. Like the apostles of old, we must seek perpetual refillings. The second chapter of Acts filled those who filled again in the fourth. Happy is that man. He never leaves his chamber in the morning without the Spirit's fullness! He must be a skilled scholar in God's school. The anointing he has received, like fresh oil, will stay in him and teach him all things. Above all, he will be taught the secret of abiding fellowship with Christ, for it is written, “ But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you.

But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.” (1 John 2:27). When you sense a leak, or when your energy is low, seek a refill. Also, when a new talent or ministry emerges, seek a recharge. Go to the same source for spiritual power and a fresh anointing by the Holy Spirit. The Acts of the Apostles uses three tenses about the filling of the Spirit. They have modern counterparts: Filled: a sudden experience for a specific work. “ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers of the people and elders,” (Acts 4:8). And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 13:52). And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. (Acts 6:8). Of course, this writer does not realise all that is in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

The fiery baptism of the Holy Spirit may be something far beyond. Let us not be content to miss anything possible to be redeemed men. But, leaving the past behind, let us press on to the future. Let us strive to grasp all for which Christ Jesus has apprehended us.

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