Hopefully by now I have your attention. In this portion of the letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul is teaching the believers how to walk in love. We learn how to walk in love by being imitators of Christ. And we become imitators of Christ when we learn how to be filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit of God is not a one time event. The way this verse is constructed in the original language tells us that we are to be continually filled. That's why Paul follows up the statement "do not be drunk with wine" with "be continuously filled with the Spirit." Is it starting to make sense? You and I will be able to walk in love as much as we are willing to be filled with the Spirit of God.
Read the Gospels with the sole purpose of viewing the life of Christ. You will discover that at His baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. You will also discover that Jesus constantly withdrew Himself to a private place to pray and commune with the Father. Jesus' life is the example for us of what it means for a man to live rightly related to God. Anytime Jesus came out of His time with the Father there was always something significant that took place. Why? Something significant would happen because Jesus was continuously being filled with the Spirit of God.
You see this same approach in the book of Acts. Anytime something significant begins to take place in the lives of the Apostles, the Bible tells us that they were filled with the Spirit of God. Therefore, the Christian life is a continuous filling of the Holy Spirit that is marked with significant activity in the power of God. This filling of the Holy Spirit is not regulated to church services but is a vital part of the intimacy we have with Christ. The problem we see today is that too many people are waiting to "get to church" to get their fill. In other words, we have not learned how to draw from the well of the Spirit on a daily basis and somehow think if I can just get into the "filling station" then I'll get enough for another week. Sad to say but most Sunday mornings people look like they are coasting into the building on fumes and are desperate to get the tank filled.
It sounds horrible to say it but I have met a lot of social drinkers as it relates to the Holy Spirit. In other words, the only time they drink is when they are in the presence of those who drink. The early Christians knew nothing of this type of experience. For starters they did not go to church - they were the church. Secondly, they were not dependent on people to fill them up because they were brought up to understand their relationship with Christ along with their function within the Body of Christ. I'm not saying that they didn't experience different levels of anointing or fillings when they would fellowship with other believers. What I am saying is that the Christian experience was very different.
You and I must get out of this mentality. While I am grateful for the opportunity to worship and fellowship with other believers, I do not "go to church" to get filled. I have learned how to live in such a way that the Holy Spirit can continuously fill my life. This does not imply that I am perfect or that I always get it right. It simply means that I have learned how to "drink" on my own.
Let me encourage you to:
Read the Bible - You will be amazed at how much the Lord can teach you on your own.
Pray - This is vital to experiencing Christ on a daily basis.
Meditate - Allow the Word of God to permeate your being. Listen to Lord.
Get Ready - God will continuously fill your life with His Spirit.
And as always - Enjoy the journey!!!
1 comment:
Nice
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