BE FILLED With The Spirit SECTION 1: A Story of Being Filled Read Acts 4:5-12 1 LESSON 1 Jesus disciple Simon Peter loved Him and was anxious to be involved in anything that He was involved in. He listened intently to Jesus teachings and desired deeply to please Him sometimes he succeeded, sometimes he didn t. You see, Peter was capable of tremendous successes when he trusted Jesus, as well as tremendous failures when he didn t. Peter was a man who prophetically and accurately identified Jesus as the Christ and the Son of the Living God. He was a man who walked on water with Jesus and a man who went into towns and villages in Palestine preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and healing the sick in Jesus Name. But this was also a man who carnally asserted that there was no need for Jesus to go to the cross; a man who, at times, exhibited little or no faith in Christ; and a man who, out of fear, denied Jesus three times after Jesus was arrested by the Jews. But later, after Jesus crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, we find this same Peter preaching boldly and fearlessly to thousands on the Day of Pentecost. We find this same Peter calmly commanding a lame man in Jerusalem to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ. And we find this same Peter facing threatening religious leaders, looking directly into their eyes and courageously confessing Christ regardless of the consequences. So what made the difference? How did this man go from inconsistency to consistency; from fear to faith; from cowardice to courage? Quite simply, Peter had been spiritually transformed. He had believed on the resurrection of Jesus and had been born again, and on the Day of Pentecost, Peter had been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. This filling of the Holy Spirit made a tremendous difference in his life. He was now operating in the full power of Christ. He was anointed by and filled with the same power that Jesus had walked in. Now as Jesus led Peter into greater and greater levels of ministry challenge, he would be freshly, newly and continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter never looked back! The Definition What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Read Ephesians 5:14-21 and Acts 1:8 Paul admonishes the Ephesians to understand that the days they were living in were evil, how much more are we living in evil days! You are called to redeem the time, walk wisely and understand the will of the Lord. The way you are going to do this, Paul states, is by not being filled with the wine of the culture, but by continually being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for the phrase be filled is the word pleroo [playro-o]. Pleroo means to make full, to fill up, to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally, to complete. God desires for you to be made mature and complete by the power of His presence, the Holy Spirit. You must, as the Greek tense of this word literally says, be, being continually filled with the Spirit. When you are full of Him, you will abound and will be made complete. Worship will be on your lips, gratitude will flow out of your heart and you will relate properly to those around you when you are ongoingly filled with the Holy Spirit. Why do I need to be filled with the Spirit? Read Romans 15:13, Acts 4:31 and Acts 5:32 You need to continually be filled with the Holy Spirit so that you can fulfill the will of the Lord and advance the Kingdom of God on the earth. This is the only way you can be the person you are called to be and do the things that our Lord calls you to do. To be the person He has called you to be, the work of the Holy Spirit has to be at work within you. You want peace? You want joy? You want hope? Love? Power? Victory? To know the will of God? You must be filled with the Spirit. Boldness for witnessing, speaking in other tongues, ministering the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and fulfilling the Great Commission work will all be possible as we are regularly filled with the Spirit. In Acts 4, the believers (including the Apostles!) asked to be filled with boldness and God answered by filling them with the Holy Spirit. 2
The way you will have the power for living and doing what He has called you to in a greater capacity, is by daily being filled with the Holy Spirit. How can I be filled with the Spirit? Read Acts 8:17, Luke 11:13 and Acts 2:38 Being filled with the Spirit begins with being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Then you can receive daily, fresh fillings of the Spirit. As the Apostles and early believers received Him, so should you. They were told who the Spirit was, to wait for Him and that He would come upon them and fill them. They believed and received Him. They did not doubt. They did not resist. They did not question if it was for them. They simply believed and received the Spirit into their lives and He came upon them in power. Daily. You must daily surrender to the will of God the Father and ask for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. To be the person that walks in a manner worthy of Christ, you must receive a continual filling. To accomplish the Kingdom work He has called you to do that day, you must be filled daily. Take 10 minutes to evaluate what fills your life. What is the first thing you seek when you wake up? What do you long for throughout the day? What things make you falsely full, resulting in a lack of hunger for a greater filling of the Holy Spirit? Using the journal pages provided, write down what you hunger for the most in a typical day. Is it music, movies and sports? A favorite hobby? Texting and TV? Or do you pine for the Word of God? Keep track of anything that has potential to falsely fill you. After the Holy Spirit shows you what you ve sought to replace Him, confess and repent for satisfying your appetite with earthly, soulish, secondary things. Starting today, ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh filling. Make it a daily priority to be filled afresh and anew. Ask for the Holy Spirit to fill you continually throughout the day. Jesus was filled with the Spirit on a moment-by-moment. His disciples were filled with the Spirit on a moment-by-moment basis. This is why both Jesus and His disciples daily saw people saved and set free. If you are to be continually filled, you must seek to obey and abide in His Spirit. Ask for Him. Pray continually in the Spirit. Abide in His presence. Being filled with the Spirit makes way for you to receive grace that enables you to live righteously. 3 4
SECTION 2: Inductive Bible Study Worksheet The Study This inductive Bible study will help you respond in obedience to the truth of God s Word. Use the Inductive Bible Study Guidelines for Examine, Express and Exercise at the beginning of your handbook and the worksheets provided on the next pages to help you. As you look at each passage of scripture below, examine what it says, express what it means, and consider how you will exercise it in your life. Read Ephesians 5:14-21, write it down using the journal pages provided, and specifically follow the instructions at the beginning of your handbook entitled Inductive Bible Study Guidelines: EXAMINE. Now read these scriptures aloud and declare your commitment to the truth of them in your life. Use the worksheets provided to rewrite these scriptures in your own words. Write down 2-3 action steps that you will take based on the truth of Ephesians 5:14-21 using the journal pages provided. 5 6
Inductive Bible Study Worksheet Inductive Bible Study Worksheet 7 8
SECTION 3: The Memorizing of Scripture Follow these guidelines as you commit Ephesians 5:14-21 to memory. 1. Set aside the time you need each day to memorize scripture. 2. Pray and ask the Lord to help you commit scripture to memory. 3. In addition to the help you ll receive from the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), the key to memorization is repetition, repetition, repetition! 4. After locating the scripture in your Bible, read out loud through the chapter, and if helpful the book, where the scripture is found so that you understand the context of the scripture. 5. Speak the scripture aloud several times, saying the scripture reference before and after. 6. You may find it helpful to break up the scripture into smaller portions, repeating those portions by themselves, and then putting them together. Or you might utilize the help of 3x5 note cards or sticky notes to write out the scriptures so that you can keep them before you each day. 7. Once you have memorized a scripture, dedicate yourself to living what the scripture says, as well as sharing the scripture with those in your sphere of influence. SECTION 4: The Discussion Use the journal pages provided to write your response to each of these questions in preparation for a group discussion. Examine this past week. Did you walk continuously filled with the Spirit? If not, share an instance where you were not filled with the Spirit. What was the outcome? How would being filled with the Holy Spirit have changed the outcome? The way we will have the power for living and doing what He has called us to, is by daily being filled with the Holy Spirit. Share with the group the 9 obstacles and challenges you face in daily being filled with the Holy Spirit. Are there specific situations or distractions that tend to steal your peace, joy, and hope? Pray together for fresh strategy of overcoming the enemy s devices, through being filled with the Holy Spirit. SECTION 5: Commit to the Lord that you will continually live being filled with the Holy Spirit moment-by-moment, day-byday. What steps will you specifically take in order to be immersed with His Spirit? Share these steps with the group. The Marks of Maturing These are the Marks of Maturing as someone who is filled with the Spirit. How well do they describe you? Use the journal pages provided to write your response. SECTION 6: Go Further A disciple is someone who daily surrenders to the will of God the Father and asks for a fresh filling with the Holy Spirit. A disciple is someone who lives in victory and power and is effectively ministering in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. A disciple is someone who lays aside their own agenda and continually seeks to advance the Kingdom of God on the earth, living life by the Spirit. Here are some additional readings for you as you are filled with the Spirit: He exhorts them to be filled with the Spirit. Those who are full of drink are not likely to be full of the Spirit; and therefore this duty is opposed to the former sin. The meaning of the exhortation is that men
should labor for a plentiful measure of the graces of the Spirit, that would fill their souls with great joy, strength, and courage, which things sensual men expect their wine should inspire them with. We cannot be guilty of any excess in our endeavors after these: nay, we ought not to be satisfied with a little of the Spirit, but to be aspiring after measures, so as to be filled with the Spirit. Now by this means we shall come to understand what the will of the Lord is; for the Spirit of God is given as a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding. And because those who are filled with the Spirit will be carried out in acts of devotion, and all the proper expressions of it, therefore the apostle exhorts, to sing unto the Lord, v. 19. Drunkards are wont to sing obscene and profane songs. The heathens, in their Bacchanalia, used to sing hymns to Bacchus, whom they called the god of wine. Thus they expressed their joy; but the joy of Christians should express itself in songs of praise to their God. In these they should speak to themselves in their assemblies and meetings together, for mutual edification. By psalms may be meant David s psalms, or such composures as were fitly sung with musical instruments. By hymns may be meant such others as were confined to matter of praise, as those of Zacharias, Simeon, etc. Spiritual songs may contain a greater variety of matter, doctrinal, prophetical, historical, etc. Observe here, (1.) The singing of psalms and hymns is a gospel ordinance: it is an ordinance of God, and appointed for his glory. (2.) Though Christianity is an enemy to profane mirth, yet it encourages joy and gladness, and the proper expressions of these in the professors of it. God s people have reason to rejoice, and to sing for joy. They are to sing and to make melody in their hearts; not only with their voices, but with inward affection, and then their doing this will be as delightful and acceptable to God as music is to us: and it must be with a design to please him, and to promote his glory, that we do this; and then it will be done to the Lord. 1 But be filled with the Spirit: Paul contrasts the effect of the Holy Spirit with the state of drunkenness. Alcohol is a depressant; it loosens people because it depresses their self-control, their wisdom, their balance and judgment. The Holy Spirit has an exactly opposite effect. He is a stimulant; He moves every aspect of our being to better and more perfect performance. We find it here imbedded amongst precepts laying down the great laws of self-control, and it comes just before the special directions which the Apostle gives for the quiet sanctities of the Christian home... But then, all the while, it is a thing supernatural. It is a state of man wholly unattainable by training, by 1 www.blueletterbible.org, Mathew Henry, Commentary on Ephesians 5 Added March 1996 11 reasoning, by human wish and will. It is nothing less than - God in command and control of man s whole life, flowing everywhere into it, that He may flow fully and freely out of it in effects around. (Moule) 2 Be filled with the Spirit Within the Greek language is an indicative mode, which is the statement of fact, and an imperative mode, which states a command. Ephesians 5:18 is an emphatic imperative, and is literally translated, "Be being kept filled with the Spirit." It is a command that includes the idea of conscious continuation. Being continually filled with the Spirit is not an option for the believer but a biblical mandate. No Christian can fulfill God's will for his life apart from being filled with the Spirit. Misconceptions of Being Filled with the Spirit Much material is in print today that states you can be a Christian but you don't necessarily have to be obedient to God. Some teach that simply getting into the kingdom is all that really matters. They consider one might do in obedience to the Lord through the power of the Spirit is merely some sort of spiritual "extra credit." However to resist the filling and control of the Holy Spirit is flagrant disobedience, and to deny or minimize its importance is to stand rebelliously against the clear teaching of God's own Word. Every Christian falls short of God's standards and will sometimes fall into sin and indifference but those who continually exist in such a state are obviously not Christians. The Holy Spirit has given us a new nature! 3 Christians are guilty for not being filled with the Holy Spirit as sinners are for not repenting. They are even more so, for as they have more light, they are much the more guilty. 4 Men ought to seek with their whole hearts to be filled with the Spirit of God. Without being filled with the Spirit, it is utterly impossible that an individual Christian or a church can ever live or work as God desires. 5 2 www.blueletterbible.org, David Guzik, Study Guide for Ephesians 5 Added July 7, 2006 3 www.gty.org, John MacArthur, Recording of Be Filled With The Spirit Part I, December 3, 1978 4 Charles Finney, Presbyterian and Congregationalist, 1792 1875 5 Andrew Murray, South African Write, Teacher and Christian Pastor, 1828 1917 12