Spiritual Gifts
Week 02: More of the Holy Spirit
In Ephesians 5:1, Paul says that we should “be filled with the Spirit.” What in the world does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? How would I know if I am filled with the Holy Spirit? And as a Christian, don’t I already have the Holy Spirit living inside of me (Eph. 1:13; 1 Cor. 6:19)? Why do I need to “be filled with the Spirit”?
This seems redundant. And to make matters worse, the original language suggests that Paul is literally saying, “Be continually filled with the Spirit.” Paul seems to think that it’s not enough to have the Spirit or to be filled once or twice… He says, keep being filled with the Holy Spirit. But why?
Let me give you a few reasons.
1. The Holy Spirit Can Be Grieved
We need to be filled with the Spirit again and again because the Spirit can be grieved. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:30 and says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” Now, being grieved is only something a person can experience. This goes without saying, but the Holy Spirit is not a power, a thing, or a force. The Holy Spirit is a person. He is the God we worship. The Holy Spirit is a person who can be grieved.
To grieve someone is to cause them distress and to put distance in your relationship. We can do things that will put distance in our relationships. These things grieve the other person… This is even true with my relationship with my wife. If I were to leave the house a mess and trash our place while my wife is gone, I could easily grieve my wife. She would come home and say, “What are you doing? You’re a grown man! Figure your life out!” She would be grieved. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit because the Spirit can be grieved.
2. The Holy Spirit Can Be Quenched
1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not quench the Spirit.” When the Bible says that the Holy Spirit can be quenched, it means that we can put out the fire of God in our lives. You could literally translate this as, “Do not extinguish the Holy Spirit.” That’s the idea. It’s as if the Holy Spirit is a fire that can be put out.
Every fall, I go on a guy's camping trip. And every night on the trip we have a big fire. But by the time we wake up, all that’s left of the massive fire is smoldering ashes and smoke. The fire has gone out because it’s been neglected. It hasn’t been stoked or fanned into flame. The fire has been quenched.
We can quench the Holy Spirit. We can lose our fire. We can lose our passion, our intimacy, or our closeness with God. We can put out the fire. We can neglect time with God. We can ignore his voice. We can fail to make space for God in our life. And when we do, we quench the Holy Spirit.
So, where are you putting out the fire of God in your life? Where have you neglected the fire? Where have you quenched the Holy Spirit?
3. The Holy Spirit Can Be Resisted
We can also resist the Holy Spirit. In Acts 7:51, Peter says, “You always resist the Holy Spirit.” There are things that God wants to do in your life and times when God begins to speak to you about something. And you’re convicted. But you say “no”. You ignore it. You shrug it off and move on.
Maybe God has been speaking to you and pulling at your heart, but you’ve overlooked it or ignored it. You’ve silenced God’s voice in your life. You’ve written off the conviction in your heart. You’ve resisted the Holy Spirit.
Where is that for you? Where have you resisted God in your life? Where have you refused to give God control? Where have you resisted the Holy Spirit?
You may need to be filled again because you’ve resisted the Holy Spirit in your life.
4. We Can Lose Sensitivity
We can also lose sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:19, Paul writes, “Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” When we lose sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, it’s difficult to feel God’s nudges and leading, and it becomes difficult to hear his voice. Maybe you don’t feel God’s presence anymore. You’re not convicted by sin like you used to be. You’ve lost sensitivity.
The scary thing is that we can say “no” to the Holy Spirit enough times that we lose sensitivity. Maybe you’re reading this right now, and you think, “I’m not convicted like I used to be. I’m not on fire like I once was. I don’t feel as close to God as I used to be. I’ve lost sensitivity.”
It’s like when you wake up in the morning, and you can’t feel your arm. You wake up, you’re like, “Dear God! My arm… I can’t feel my arm. I’ve had a stroke!” But you’ve just lost sensitivity. You’re numb. You can’t feel anything.
We can resist the Holy Spirit enough times that we lose sensitivity. We build up resistance to the things of God. Our heart becomes hard. And we need to be filled with the Spirit.
5. Be *Continually* Filled With The Spirit
You have the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” In other words, you have the Holy Spirit if you're a Christian.
Ephesians 1:13 says, “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” So, when did you receive the Holy Spirit? According to Ephesians 1:13, you received the Holy Spirit the moment you believed. So, if you’re a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit.
Every Christian has the Holy Spirit. But at the same time, you can grow in your relationship with the Holy Spirit. We are told in Galatians 5:25 to “keep in step with the Holy Spirit.” And in Ephesians 5:18, we are told to “be filled with the Holy Spirit.” To walk with the Spirit communicates relationship and depth. And to be filled with the Holy Spirit communicates growth in that relationship. You only need to be filled again and again if there’s more of the Holy Spirit to be had.
When Paul says, “Be filled with the Holy Spirit,” he means to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul is saying, “Be filled. Be filed again. Keep on being filled. And when you’re full, get filled some more!”
This is like your grandma’s advice to you when you go on vacation down in Palm Springs, and she takes you out for dinner at the Golden Corral. Once you’re full, she tells you to go and get more food. This is what Paul is saying. He is saying, “Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.” Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event. We need to be filled again and again. We need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
John Stott once said, "What we need is not more learning, not more eloquence, not more persuasion, not more organization, but more power from the Holy Spirit." I believe he’s right! We need more of the Holy Spirit. We need to be filled with his power and presence. We need to hear his voice and be led by him. We need more of the Holy Spirit.
01 – Ask. We learned last week that the Father is a good father who gives good gifts to his kids when they ask. Jesus said that the Father gives us the Holy Spirit when we ask (Lk. 11:13), so we should ask if we want more of the Holy Spirit. Spend some time in prayer, asking for more of the Holy Spirit in your life.
02 – Obey. There’s an interesting scene in Acts 5 where Peter says that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey him (Ac. 5:32). Is there an area in your life where you are grieving, resisting, or quenching the Holy Spirit? Is there an area of your life where you are not obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit? Take some time to ask the Holy Spirit to come and empower you to walk in obedience to him.
03 – Receive. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is not something we earn or work to deserve. The Holy Spirit is a gift to be received (Jn. 20:22; Ac. 2:38; 10:45; Heb. 6:4). So simply receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And the beauty is that it’s a gift that keeps on giving. So come back for more. Keep being filled with the Holy Spirit. Ask God for more of himself in your life. And simply receive it with joy!
Recommended reading: Open to the Spirit by Scot McKnight