“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

When the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost, the disciples received power to be witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:8). They went out declaring the good news that Jesus had risen from the dead. Soon everyone born of His Spirit – not just the apostles – was giving testimony to Him, and as a result, the Gospel spread like wildfire.

Other evidence of a Spirit-filled life include:

• Wisdom to understand “the deep things of God” and discern truths hidden from the world. (1 Corinthians 2:7-16)
• The ability to wage spiritual warfare, overcoming the forces of evil (Ephesians 6:17-20)
• The ability to produce godly fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – that changes our character. (Galatians 5:22-25)
• Spiritual gifts given by the Spirit for God’s work are displayed. (1 Corinthians 12:1-30)

Of the evidence I’ve mentioned, the church as a whole has probably focused most on spiritual gifts. Maybe that’s because they are flashier or more interesting. Or maybe because we like to “discover” things that apply to us individually. We love to do personality tests for the same reason. Gifts, however, are not given for any other reason than to build up the Body of Christ and serve others. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

We may or may not speak in tongues, prophesy, discern spirits, heal, receive words of knowledge, or perform miracles. That’s up to the Holy Spirit. If our desire in being filled is to “zap” other people, draw attention to ourselves, be admired as super spiritual, or draw huge crowds, we are probably operating under another spirit.

Be Filled with the Spirit!

At first glance Ephesians 5:18 seems like a contradiction. After all, every born-again believer is given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Unlike in the Old Testament, when the Spirit came “on” people for some purpose and then left, we now enjoy His presence all the time. (John 14:17; Romans 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 John 2:27) He indwells us. We are “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16).

Why, then, does Paul tell the Ephesian believers “Be filled with the Spirit”? Aren’t they already filled? Most Bible commentators agree that the verb used here is unusual. In English, we call it a present progressive imperative, meaning the action is ongoing. We might say it this way: “Keep on being filled…”

In my life, I’ve seen how wise Paul’s advice is. Sometimes I need a fresh touch of the Spirit. He hasn’t gone anywhere, but I’ve been drawn away by other things and as a result, my relationship with Him has cooled. My witness for Jesus is ineffective and halfhearted. I’m living out of my own reserves, not His. This has happened many times in my forty year walk with the Lord Jesus. Each time I’ve had to repent, asking Him to forgive and refill me.

Now, as a matter of habit, I begin to ask for this fresh infilling as soon as I sense my heart growing cold. When I detect I’m growing tired of the “good fight of faith” or I’m so discouraged I want to quit, I know I need to pray and ask for the gift of the Spirit to be restored in me. There’s no shame in this. God is pleased when we know what we need and we ask Him for it.

Every time, without fail, when I have asked Him to fill me, He has graciously done so. And once I am refilled I wonder why I didn’t ask sooner.

What IS shameful is when we try to live for Jesus in our own power.

We simply can’t do it! We will fail every time. Jesus knew we would face many of the same challenges He did; persuading others to repent and believe the Gospel is not easy. He knew we would need the companionship, wisdom, and direction of the Spirit to keep us moving forward.

Being filled with His Spirit won’t make us weird or other-worldly.

We won’t walk around with haloes on our heads or angelic auras. The Spirit-filled believers of the Bible were common people. Mary, the apostles, John the Baptist, Stephen, and all the believers in the churches were like you and me. They struggled with the same passions and temptations we do. They weren’t superheroes who “earned” their right to be Spirit-filled. They simply received the gift and allowed the Holy Spirit to use them in whatever way He chose.

I find it fascinating that when the Israelites were constructing the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness, God helped with things we might consider merely human gifts. “I have chosen Bezalel … and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts” (Exodus 31:2-3). Oholiab and other craftsmen were also filled with God’s Spirit to make the furniture and furnishings for the tabernacle, as well as the priestly garments worn by Aaron and his sons (verses 6-11).

The Holy Spirit is a gift of grace, given out of God’s love for us. We don’t earn His presence; we simply receive the gift in gratitude and then stand ready in case we’re called upon to do something extraordinary. Like Mary, our response to that kind of call should be “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). In other words, I’m ready to do whatever you ask of me, and I trust you to provide the power I need to do it.

“We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Our human weakness doesn’t prevent God from breaking in and shining His glory through us to bless the world. He wants the life of Jesus to be “revealed in our mortal body” (2 Cor. 4:11). The gift of His Spirit gives us hope to persevere when we fail or grow weary. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (4:16).

So even at my age, I can trust that my life will be to His praise and glory, not because of what I bring to the table but because of His Holy Spirit at work in me. As I yield to Him, I can experience the life of the God’s kingdom: “Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

As Henri Nouwen put it, “Our lives are destined to become like the life of Jesus. Not only did Jesus come to free us from the bonds of sin and death; he also came to lead us into the intimacy of his divine life.” Even in these “jars of clay” – our fleshly bodies – we can enjoy this special life of fellowship with His Spirit.

So why wait? Ask the Lord for renewed power to live the life He planned for you. Continue to be “filled with His Spirit.”