Welcome!
Today: Stay filled!
Passage: Acts 1, Eph 5
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV 84)-emphasis added
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 5:18, NIV 84)-emphasis added
As gasoline prices are going up, people say, it is better to stay filled all the time instead of waiting to be “empty”
In Ephesians 5:18, Apostle Paul encourages every believer to be filled with the Spirit of God
The baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) is a one-time experience; being filled with the spirit should be an ongoing one, on a daily basis
Each day, we need to make sure we are living in the control of the Holy Spirit
Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of a person “drunk” with wine, so that we can better understand, what it means to be “filled with the spirit”
We have seen what happens when people get “drunk” with the “spirit” that is available in the stores. In long island, New York, there has been so many accidents because of “drunk” drivers, in the past few months; people even drove the wrong way on highways. They were controlled by the substance and lost control of themselves!
When you are filled by the spirit of God, you are being controlled by the Spirit of God; you never go “out of control”. The spirit of God is a spirit of love, power and sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). I like that word “sound mind” very much
If people act “out of their mind” and say they are “filled by the spirit”, the question is, “filled by which/what spirit?”
Now, how to be filled with the Spirit?
The word of God and prayer helps to stay filled
How do we know that? Read Ephesians 5:18 and see the results of being filled
We talk to each other and we talk to God. Encouragement/exhortation, praying for each other, praise and worship happens there
Be filled by the Spirit of God; it is a command. If not, we will fall into all kinds of troubles. One wrong word/action can ruin everything
God bless. Stay filled
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to stay filled with the spirit of God, every day, all the time. Thank you for your promise, presence and guidance. Help me to use that great resource of your spirit, more than I use my phone. Amen.