Filled With The Spirit
Filled With The Spirit
Have you, or anyone you know, ever been "filled with the Holy
Spirit?" That expression is found numerous times in the Bible
and is badly misapplied. The worst misapplication comes from
those who equate it with Holy Spirit baptism. As we have learned
in this series of lessons, no one today can receive Holy Spirit
baptism -- no one should even desire it. Today we will go a step
further and learn what the phrase, "filled with the Spirit"
means. Please stay tuned.
But first, again let me warmly invite you and your family to
visit the West End Church of Christ today. We begin Bible study
at 9 a.m. -- just under an hour from now. During this period of
time we divide into various classes, usually by age grouping, and
some very fine teachers conduct stimulating discussion of various
biblical themes. At 10 this morning we meet for our
congregational worship. We partake of the Lord's Supper, sing
praises to the Lord, pray together, give of our means, and honor
the sacred Godhead by teaching the word of God. Then tonight we
meet again at 6 p.m. for evening worship. Wednesday night at 7
p.m. we have more classes for all ages. We urge you to come and
visit with us if you possibly can.
We also offer a free tract on the question of marriage,
divorce, and remarriage from a biblical perspective. It is one
of the best I have read. It was written by Rubel Shelley,
minister of the Brentwood Hills Church of Christ in Nashville,
Tennessee. It is true to the Bible and helpful for those who may
be bothered by some particular problem associated with marriage,
divorce, and remarriage. It is doubtful that there is a more
serious problem facing the nation today than the collapse of
domestic life. Please let us know if you would like to read it.
We will send it to you post paid. Also, if you have any other
bible theme you are interested in, we may have some material that
will help you in your studies. If we don't have it, we can
probably get it for you. So, let us know what way we might be
able to be of service to you in your studies of the greatest of
all documents, the Bible.
There are a number of references in the Bible to being
"filled with the Spirit." Of John the Baptist it is said, "For
he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink
neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the
Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15). Of his
parents, Luke also says, "And it happened when Elizabeth heard
the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit" (1:41) and "his
father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Spirit and
prophesied, saying: 'Blessed is the Lord God of Israel...'
(1:67).
It is impossible to equate these with Holy Spirit baptism.
While John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his
mother's womb, he was not a recipient of Holy Spirit baptism.
John himself told his disciples that he baptized with water, but,
he said, "He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). While John was filled with
the Spirit he could not have received that which he said would be
administered by Jesus in the future.
Often those who claim to receive Holy Spirit baptism today
urge people to open up their hearts and prepare their minds to
receive this magnificent gift. If the filling of John the
Baptist in his mother's womb is Holy Spirit baptism, one must
wonder how he, an unborn baby, opened up his heart and prepared
his mind to receive it. The simple fact is that the expression
"being filled with the Holy Spirit" and being "baptized in the
Holy Spirit" are not equals.
Those who claim that Holy Spirit baptism is possible in this
day equate several miraculous powers with it. It is not uncommon
to hear them speak of some "evangelist" as an "anointed"
evangelist. By this is usually meant, he has been baptized with
the Holy Spirit and has demonstrated several extraordinary powers
such as tongue speaking, healing physical diseases, and expelling
demons. But notice what the Bible says about John the Baptist.
Read with me from John 10:41. "Then many came to Him and said,
'John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about
this Man were true'." John was filled with the Holy Spirit, but
worked no miracles. Obviously, his being filled with the Spirit
was not Holy Spirit baptism -- and the truth, dear friends, is
simple -- those who still claim that they have been baptized with
the Holy Spirit or filled with the Spirit are in error.
But what about his parents? Both of them were filled with
the Holy Spirit. All of us understand the literal meaning of the
verb "filled." It means "fill something with something to
complete capacity." A full tank of gas is a gas tank filled to
its complete capacity. The verb is past tense -- meaning that
the filling is completed. For further study of this, if you
happen to have a copy of "Vine's Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words," consult what W.E. Vine said -- Volume I, page
96 and following. He said, "PLEROO denotes )10 to make full, to
fill to the full: in the Passive voice, to be filled, made full"
and then noted its use in regard to the filling of an individual
with the Holy Spirit. If one is filled with the Spirit, they are
filled to capacity and something happens. In the case of
Elizabeth, she spoke with a loud voice and said directly to Mary,
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?" (Luke 1:42-43). There is only one way
Elizabeth could have pronounced the blessing on Mary -- by direct
revelation from the Almighty. She said by inspiration that Mary
was the mother of her Lord. So being filled with the spirit
enabled her to prophesy.
In the case of the father, Zacharias, Luke just says, "he
prophesied, saying..." Prophesying is an act of speaking for
God, as God's mouth. Only those upon whom God sends His Holy
Spirit can prophesy. Let me read to you a quotation from R.C.H.
Lenski on this matter. It is quite revealing. "He (Zacharias)
could never have uttered what he did by his own natural powers.
It was the enabling of the Spirit that produced these prophetic
words. As in the case throughout this chapter, we have pneuma
hagion, without the articles, exactly as the proper noun that it
is. While 'and prophesied' is simply added it states the result
of being filled with the Holy Spirit. To prophesy is not merely
to foretell the future or to speak in exalted language that
resembles psalms but to understand the will and the acts of God
in their inner connection and to reveal this connection for the
hearers in their present situation and as regards the future.
Thus any man who is moved by the Spirit in the ordinary way may
prophesy (I Cor. 14:1). But in the strict sense to prophesy is
to speak as indicated, under the extraordinary influence of the
Spirit who is granted for the time being as a special gift so
that what is uttered is spoken by inspiration and bears the mark
of infallibility." Interpretation of Luke, page 99.
Those who claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit, in any
sense, either through ignorance of deception, actually claim to
be infallible -- and the sad thing is they don't even recognize
that. How could it be otherwise? If one is filled with the
Spirit, then prophesies, or speaks for God -- could it be other
than infallible? One of the things that makes me really become
fearful and apprehensive is to hear some preacher or evangelist
remark, "The Lord spoke to me directly and told me to tell you
not speak to anyone that way today. There is but one way the
Lord speaks to anyone -- through His Only Begotten Son. Listen
carefully: "God who at various times and in different ways spoke
in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last
days spoken to us by His Son ..." (Hebrews 1:1-2). My friend,
you nor your evangelist are exceptions to this statement. What
the Lord says to one He says to all -- He does not show
partiality (Acts 10:34).
Being filled with the Holy Spirit means that one is fully
filled, completely controlled, and manipulated by the Holy
Spirit. On the memorable day of Pentecost, the twelve apostles
were "all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).
What they spoke was the infallible word of God. When someone
claims to be filled with the Holy Spirit today, and begins
speaking, is there a thinking person who really believes that the
utterances are infallible? When people are filled with the Holy
Spirit from on high, it is not through their desire to seek the
gift, nor their opening of their hearts to receive it, but by the
divine intervention of God Almighty.
Some who were "filled with the Holy Spirit" had limited
powers. Take as an example, Philip. Luke says that he was one of
the seven men selected by the church in Jerusalem to "serve
tables" (Acts 6:3). Yet later he was unable to lay his hands on
others to confer this gift of the Spirit (Acts 8:14-19). Here is
a man who was "full of the Holy Spirit" who was not able to do
what apostles could do. The apostles, on Pentecost, received the
baptism of the Holy Spirit which enabled them to impart spiritual
gifts through laying on of their hands. Philip received the
filling of the Spirit but could not. Therefore, the filling and
baptism of the Holy Spirit are not equal.
There is but one place where anyone was ever told to seek the
filling of the Holy Spirit. Read with me: "And do not be drunk
with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the
Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord..."
(Ephesians 5:18). A study of Ephesians and Colossians shows the
close parallel between them. The parallel to this passage is
found in Colossians 3:16. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord." So, the filling we are to seek is the
filling of the word of Christ, which the Holy Spirit revealed
through the inspired apostles and prophets -- not some emotional
upheaval that causes us to act irrationally and mumble
unintelligible sounds. Please think about it.
If you have a question about any of these things that have
been said -- please contact us. Our mailing address is West End
Church of Christ, 1609 Parkside Drive, Bowling Green, Ky. 42101.
Well, thank you again -- we appreciate the opportunity to come
to you each Sunday on this radio station and hope you'll be back
here again next Sunday -- 8 a.m. Goodbye and God bless you.
Radio Sermon, NO. 11
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