01.02C. The Purpose of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit.
C. The Purpose of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit. The purpose of Spirit-filling is not the same as that of baptism with the Holy Spirit or of being full of the Holy Spirit. Spirit-filling is the very power of God energizing the faculties of our inner man for the accomplishment of the work to which God has called us. To be Spirit-filled is to experience divine power to do all kinds of ministry and to overcome our ignorance and weaknesses. Concerning this point, F. F. Bruce explains, “The Spirit of God can energize men and impart to them physical power, mental skill, or spiritual insight that they would not otherwise have.”7
It is evident that God gave Bezalel and his fellow artisans Spirit-filling to endow them with wisdom to design the articles for the tabernacle and the ability to execute their designs (“He has filled [Bezalel] with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship…to know how to perform all the work in the constructing of the sanctuary,” Exodus 35:30-35; Exodus 36:1). Moreover, Spirit-filling qualified Bezalel and Oholiab to instruct other workmen in all the skills needed to make the articles for the holy tent (“He has also put in [their hearts] to teach,” Exodus 35:30). Jesus taught this same principle when He promised that Spirit-filling obtained through prayer (“How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him,” Luke 11:13) would enable believers to answer effectively when wrongfully accused in court (Matthew 10:17-20) and to witness everywhere with power (“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses,” Acts 1:8). His promise was wonderfully fulfilled when the apostles preached at Pentecost with great boldness and liberty (Acts 2:6-11; Acts 4:31), and when Paul powerfully rebuked Elymas the magician (Acts 13:8-12).
Spirit-filling need not be accompanied by supernatural manifestations or unusual activities, although in some instances it may produce external manifestations. The wind blows wherever and however it wishes, lightly one time and strongly the next.
Sometimes it may be merely a mild breeze bending the long stems of wheat or corn so that the field appears to be a gently rolling sea of vegetation. On other occasions the wind may become a powerful tornado, uprooting large trees and sweeping houses off their foundations. No one would say that a gale force storm is the wind and a mild summer breeze is not. Actually tornadoes and summer breezes are the same wind manifested in different forms arising from different conditions. The difference between a gale and a breeze is in the intensity of the wind. The same principle applies to being filled with the Spirit. Unfortunately, many Christians believe that being filled with the Spirit must always be accompanied by tornado-like manifestations. Every Christian should be repeatedly filled with the Spirit; however, the degree of intensity and the outward manifestations will vary because of differences in each individual’s understanding of Christ, because of variations in the believer’s obedience to Him, and because of the Spirit’s purpose at the time.
1. “To be filled with the Spirit” is for all kinds of duties. In the days after Israel came out of Egypt, God put His Spirit upon the seventy elders so that they could share Moses’ and Joshua’s responsibilities in shepherding the people (“He took of the Spirit who was upon [Moses] and placed Him upon the seventy elders,” Numbers 11:25-29). It was in this same period that Bezalel and others were filled with the Spirit of God to give them wisdom to construct the tabernacle with all its various utensils and furniture (Exodus 28:3; Exodus 31:1-11). “The Spirit of the Lord came upon” Jephthah, Samson and various other judges in order to deliver the Israelites from their enemies (Judges 3:10; Judges 6:34; Judges 11:29; Judges 15:14); upon Saul (“Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily,” 1 Samuel 11:6) and David (“The Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward,” 1 Samuel 16:13) so that they could rule the entire nation of Israel competently. He also descended upon the prophets so that they could speak for Yahweh, the LORD (“Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Johoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said unto them, ‘Thus God has said,’” 2 Chronicles 24:20). In the New Testament times, the Holy Spirit came upon John the Baptist to call the nation to repentance and salvation, and to rebuke the common sins of Israel (Luke 1:13-16). Elizabeth and Zacharias, parents of John the Baptist, were filled with the Holy Spirit to witness for the Lord (Luke 1:41-42; Luke 1:67). The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus to anoint Him to preach the gospel and perform His entire ministry (Luke 4:18-19; Acts 10:38). In the book of Acts, the phrase “filled with the Holy Spirit” is mentioned six times. Each passage, except the last, states unequivocally that those who were filled with the Holy Spirit also witnessed for Christ.
Even in the last account, we may also be sure that the believers at Antioch witnessed for the Lord through their joy. Likewise, Paul, the chief apostle, was filled again and again with the Holy Spirit to do God’s work with power and effectiveness (Acts 9:17; Acts 13:9), and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he commanded that all Christians “be filled [often] with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
Some Scripture verses say “the Spirit came upon or fell upon him” whereas others say “he was filled with the Spirit.” This is simply a matter of grammar. When the Spirit is the subject of the sentence, the verb must be in the active voice; but when the believer is the subject, the passive verb is used because he certainly cannot fill himself. In most Old Testament passages, either the Spirit or God is the subject used with the active verbs “came upon,” “fell upon,” “poured out,” or “filled with.” In the New Testament, most verses have the believer as the subject, so naturally the passive verb “be filled with” is used. But even in the New Testament when the Holy Spirit is the subject of the verb, “came upon” or “fell upon” is used (Luke 2:25; Luke 3:22; Acts 8:16; Acts 10:44; Acts 11:15). In other words, “came upon” or “fell upon” and “be filled” are two different views of the same action, and thus the Scriptures do not teach that the Spirit “came upon” only in the Old Testament and “filled” only in the New. For example, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at His baptism (Matthew 4:16) that resulted in the same manifestation as Spirit-filling.
Subsequently, He was led by the Spirit (Matthew 4:1) and performed His ministry in the Spirit’s power (Luke 4:18) and by the Spirit’s anointing (Acts 10:38). Remember, too, that Bezalel, Oholiab and their associate artisans were “filled with the Spirit of God” to do God’s work (Exodus 35:30-35; Exodus 36:1), and all the Old Testament prophets had the indwelling Spirit of God enabling them to proclaim God’s Word with life and power (“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow,” 1 Peter 1:10-11) in much the same manner as New Testament saints who had the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1-6), which is “declaring the mind of God in the power of the Spirit.”8 In principle, the Holy Spirit’s work in the individual is the same in both the Old and the New Testaments, although the manifestation of filling is somewhat different because of the progressive nature of God’s revelation.
2. “To be filled with the Spirit” is for preaching God’s message with spiritual life and power. Because Spirit-filling is mainly to empower believers for works of ministry, any worker who is not filled with the Spirit will lack the right degree of ability in the gospel ministry-to be kind and affectionate in serving the Lord, to have good spiritual results in teaching, preaching, shepherding the sheep or in edifying and building up the flock. I know of a young Christian who was asked to pray during a special service. In his prayer he asked God the Holy Spirit to anoint the speaker with liberty and power so that God would be glorified and the people edified. After the service the pastor rebuked the young man, saying, “We don’t have to pray for the Holy Spirit to come. He’s already here.” Yet to be filled with His Spirit is essential for effective service in the work of the Lord. It is little wonder that Christ did not permit the disciples to go forth to be witnesses for Him until they had received power from on high, telling them not to leave Jerusalem, “but to wait for what the Father had promised” (Acts 1:4).
D. L. Moody illustrated the importance of Spirit-filling for effective service by this example from his ministry: The great question before us now is, Do we want it [Spirit-filling and anointing for service]? I remember when I first went to England and gave a Bible reading, I think about the first I gave in that country, a great many ministers were there, and I didn’t know anything about English theology, and I was afraid I should run against their creeds, and I was a little hampered, especially on this very subject, about the gift of the Holy Spirit for service. I remember particularly a Christian minister there who had his head bowed on his hand, and I thought the good man was ashamed of everything I was saying, and of course that troubled me. At the close of my address he took his hat and away he went, and then I thought, “Well, I shall never see him again.” At the next meeting I looked all around for him and he wasn’t there, and at the next meeting I look again, but he was absent; and I thought my teaching must have given him offense. But a few days after that, at a large noon prayer meeting, a man stood up and his face shone as if he had been up in the mountain with God, and I looked at him, and to my great joy it was this brother. He said he was at that Bible reading, and he heard there was such a thing as having fresh power to preach the Gospel; he said he had made up his mind that if that was for him he would have it; he said he went home and looked to the Master, and that he had never had such battle with himself in his life.
He asked that God would show him the sinfulness of his heart that he knew nothing about, and he just cried mightily to God that he might be emptied of himself and filled with the Spirit, and he said, “God has answered my prayer.” I met him in Edinburgh six months from that date, and he told me he had preached the Gospel every night during that time, that he had not preached one sermon but that some remained for conversation, and that he had engagements four months ahead to preach the Gospel every night in different churches. I think you could have fired a cannon ball right through his church and not hit anyone before he got this anointing; but it was not thirty days before the building was full and aisles crowded. He had his bucket filled full of fresh water, and the people found it out and came flocking to him from every quarter.9
Jesus wants His disciples to perform their ministry with the same power in which He accomplished His work. As the Scriptures testify, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit…and He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all” (Luke 4:14-15). For this reason, before beginning their gospel ministry following Jesus’ ascension, the disciples prayed earnestly and fervently for this heavenly endowment.
Likewise, Paul asked the Colossian believers to pray “that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ” (Colossians 4:3). Herbert M. Carson thinks that Paul’s request “may be viewed as a desire that he may be given by the Spirit that ability to preach the gospel which is beyond the unaided natural powers.”10
Truly, preaching the gospel “is beyond the unaided natural powers.” E. M. Bounds explains this further, “The power of preaching lies not simply or solely in superlative devotion to God’s Word, and jealous passion for God’s truth. All these are essential, valuable, helpful. But above all these things, there must be the sense of the divine presence, and the consciousness of divine power of God’s Spirit on the preacher and in him. He must have an anointing, an empowering, a sealing of the Holy Spirit, for the great work of preaching, making him akin to God’s voice and giving him the energy of God’s right hand …”11
D. L. Moody, the Spirit-filled evangelist, spoke again about the need of the gospel servant to be Spirit-filled, writing, “I have lived long enough to know that if I cannot have the power of the Spirit of God on me to help me work for Him, I would rather die than just live for the sake of living.”12
Spurgeon had similar thoughts, saying, “Let the preacher…burn his manuscript and depend upon the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit does not come to help him, let him be still and let the people go home and pray that the Spirit will help him next Sunday.”13 From his statement, one realizes that Spurgeon knew well his need for the Holy Spirit as the Helper. He preached to thousands of people each Sunday at a time when most congregations were only a handful of people. He founded a school and stood for righteousness, morality and the truthfulness of the Bible. Although he has been dead for over 100 years now, more of Spurgeon’s sermons are sold annually than those of any other preacher, living or dead. He was indeed a mighty man of God and realized that the source of his power for effective preaching was the Holy Spirit as his Helper. God knows that in our natural weak self we could never carry on His work, so He gave the Holy Spirit to help us (see John 14:16; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7 where the NASB translates the Holy Spirit’s name parakletos as Helper).
Commenting on the two witnesses in Revelation 11:4 (“These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth”), Mounce gives this meaning: “By these two metaphors John is emphasizing a truth concerning the church which has always been true but is especially appropriate in times of persecution-that the power and authority for effective witness lies in the Spirit of God.”14
3. “To be filled with the Spirit” is for all Christians who would be effective disciples. The previous discussion does not mean that Spirit-filling is God’s special privilege exclusively for pastors. It is for all believers. As Moses said, “would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them” (Numbers 11:29). God later promised this very thing, “I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…Even upon my bondslaves, both men and women; I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy,” (Acts 2:17-18). Our gracious Lord gave an invitation in the temple to the same end, “He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38). So God has granted to every believer the privilege of being filled with the Spirit. Not only Peter and John but the entire body of believers who prayed with them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:23-31). The examples in Samaria, in Cornelius’ house, at Ephesus, and of the disciples at Antioch of Pisidia are all clear indications that Spirit-filling is a heavenly gift granted to all God’s children (“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,” Acts 2:4). By repeatedly using the term “the gift of the Holy Spirit” throughout the book of Acts (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:20; Acts 10:45; Acts 11:17), the apostles emphasized the gift character of His presence.
Spirit-filling is the help every believer needs to be an effective Christian. By being filled with the Holy Spirit our natural abilities are energized so that we may perform every ministry He gives with liberty, life, authority, and effectiveness. Thank God for the Holy Spirit who Himself is the help we need in order to live an overcoming life and be effective in our ministry. Sadly, not every believer takes advantage of the help and power God offers through being Spirit-filled.
4. “To be filled with the Spirit” and emotions. When a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, his emotional feelings may become excited, but they should not race as a wild stallion across the valley floor. When a medium or witch doctor falls into a trance at a temple or shrine, he is possessed by demons, and will dance, shake, become semiconscious, and uncontrollably utter demonic-given unknown tongues. Such loss of control will never occur when the Holy Spirit fills a believer, yet lost of control regularly happens in some Christian gatherings.
Regarding emotions in spiritual matters, two extreme views presently prevail. One view holds that human emotions belong to the flesh, are degraded, and that under no circumstances should they ever play any part during the Spirit’s work. The life of a Christian, they feel, should be solemn with all expression of joyful feelings suppressed. Otherwise, they think, the believer does not display a desirable Christian model, but is an emotionalist or exhibitionist. The other view is exactly the opposite, and equally extreme. These Christians let their emotions run loose, or amok, and forget that they are rational beings. When praying, worshipping or preaching, they allow their emotions such free rein that they sometimes become semi-conscious. At times, they deliberately empty their minds that leaves room for Satan and can lead later to all sorts of unfortunate results.
Some reach such a high level of emotional intensity that they no longer care whether their actions are normal. As long as they can sustain an emotional high, they are satisfied and even exhibit a holier-than-thou attitude because of their self-induced state of excitement.
They fall into an egomaniacal trap, deceiving others about the Spirit’s work and cheating themselves by accepting an illusion rather than reality. This is not only pitiful; it is tragic. Neither of these extreme views agrees with God’s truth because God Himself created emotions, together with reason and will power, and gave them to us in order that we might be psychologically well balanced. As long as we use and develop each part of our personality according to God’s ordained rule, everything will be beautiful. Believers should develop and use each part in proper proportion, in order to maintain psychological equilibrium and to help prevent mental problems. During Spirit-filling the believer should not overthrow either reason or will and let emotions run wild. True Spirit-filling makes one’s intellect more logical, one’s will more sturdy, and one’s emotions more rich, “for God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). When the saints are edified by our teaching, when the church is strengthened and blessed by our preaching, when sinners are converted by our witnessing, when our family life is stabilized and flourishes, when our jobs become a joy, and when our relatives and neighbors become our friends, we have the objective proof of the Spirit-filling for which we prayed. These manifestations will be accompanied by joy in our hearts and a sense of the presence of God. But how can we receive power to accomplish these humanly impossible tasks? The Bible plainly sets forth the conditions for us to be Spirit-filled.