Spirit-filled: Living Controlled by the Holy Spirit

Being Spirit-filled means living each day under the direction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit rather than in one's own strength. This article explores what that fullness means, how it relates to the term 'baptism of the Spirit', how it is evidenced, and how it is maintained.

What It Means to Be Spirit-Filled

This term is sometimes used of those Christians who are living God-honouring and divinely directed lives who are making a vital contribution to the Kingdom of God (Act 11:24). In contrast those living for themselves and not fully submitted or yielded to the Lord can be described as believers who have the Holy Spirit but the Holy Spirit may not have all of them.

Can you see the Spirit of God at work in the lives of your fellow believers?

All true believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at salvation (Rom 8:9-11; 1 Cor 3:16, 6:19). It is up to the individual Christian to walk or live 'in the Spirit', being obedient to His direction by replacing the old sinful nature with the new (2 Cor 7:1; Gal 5:25; Eph 4:22-24). Unfortunately, many continue to walk under the dominance of their own soul without any concerted effort to submit to and obey the Holy Spirit, thus they are living carnally – 'in the flesh' – and not enjoying the abundant life of fellowship with Jesus that the Holy Spirit wants to develop – hence Spirit-filled (Jn 6:63, 10:10, 16:13; Rom 8:2,6,10; 2 Cor 3:6; Gal 6:8). We can't have a close relationship with the divine and continue entrenched in the ways of Satan (2 Cor 6:14; Col 2:20). It is our responsibility to actively co-operate to remove from our lives what is self-directed and not pleasing to Him, so there is room for more of Him. If we are full of self, there isn't much room available for Him nor can we be subject to two masters at the same time (Mt 6:24). Through humble submission we should continually be monitoring our lives so "He must increase, I must decrease" (Jn 3:30; Jas 4:7). The 'fullness' of the Holy Spirit is not something different from knowing Christ or additional to knowing Christ. The Holy Spirit will not give more than Christ, but will give more of Christ. Each is a manifestation of the Godhead.

The Purpose of the Filling: Empowerment for Mission

Being filled with the Spirit is not a mystical or emotional occurrence. Rather it comes from a regular encounter with the Holy Spirit. The effect will be outworked and observable in one's character and life choices. It is not a physical manifestation that draws attention to the individual, but is a God-centred and God exalting love for others; a vibrant Christian witness, and worship of Him.

Judging by my surrender to the Lord and lifestyle, can I be described as Spirit-filled?

When the Holy Spirit came on the believers on the day of Pentecost it was for empowering and sending out in mission, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…" (Act 1:8). Mistakenly some think being filled with the Spirit is just for their own benefit – to enhance their personal relationship with God, but it should be the energizing drive to "Go and make disciples…" (Mt 28:19-20).

The filling of the Spirit leading to empowerment is a precursor to accomplishing a task. Examples include Samson, when the Spirit came on him enabling him to defeat the Philistines; Mary's overshadowing, when she became pregnant with Jesus; and the early Christians' boldness to speak forthrightly, yet with the focus being on God, not the human channel (Jdg 14:6,19; Lk 1:35; Act 3:12, 4:8,31). Do you crave His enabling in your life by entering into the fullness of what is available? Our heart's longing for such impact is dependent on righteous living and surrender to His purposes. This added dimension is often accompanied by the manifestation of a charismatic gift (that emphasizes the ministry of the Holy Spirit) such as speaking in a language unknown to the speaker (Act 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:6; 1 Cor 14:2ff). However, Satan may also imitate this and other legitimate experiences creating all sorts of ungodly displays of exhibitionism in the life of a zealous but immature believer that discredits the genuine expressions of the Holy Spirit. The true work of the Spirit is marked not by fleshly hype, but by a calm, confident assurance that Christ is with us. Do not attempt to use hype or emotional striving to gain any experience in God. Our focus should always be on God, not any manifestation.

The Baptism of the Spirit

A term frequently used alongside being Spirit-filled is the baptism of the Spirit (or 'baptism in the Holy Spirit'). The word 'baptize' literally means to immerse, dip or saturate, so the expression pictures the Holy Spirit not merely touching a life but overwhelming and flooding it with the presence and power of God. John the Baptist announced that while he baptized with water, Jesus "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16; Jn 1:33), and the risen Lord told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were "clothed with power from on high" (Lk 24:49; Act 1:4-5,8).

Am I content with a doctrine about the Spirit, or am I living in the experience of His fullness?

Scripture presents this baptism in two complementary ways. Positionally, every true believer has already been "baptized by one Spirit into one body" at conversion (1 Cor 12:13; Rom 6:3-4; Gal 3:27). This is a once-for-all act of God that places us 'in Christ', joins us to His church and marks us as His own. It is not earned, sought or repeated; it belongs to the package of salvation, as surely as the indwelling Spirit Himself (Act 2:38; Rom 8:9). In this sense no Christian is a 'have-not'.

Experientially, however, the book of Acts also records the Spirit being poured out upon people in distinct, and sometimes repeated, encounters – the very disciples filled at Pentecost were filled again later (Act 2:4; 4:8,31; 8:14-17; 10:44-46; 19:1-6). These were not repeat performances of the positional baptism, but fresh overflowings of power for witness upon lives that already belonged to God. Sincere believers differ over whether such an experience should be expected as a separate 'second blessing' after conversion or received by faith at, and then continually after, salvation. Scripture's own emphasis, however, is consistent: the baptism and filling of the Spirit are given for holy living and bold mission, never as a badge of spiritual elitism or a trophy of superior experience.

The two terms are therefore best understood as two sides of the one coin. The baptism of the Spirit describes what the Spirit does – immersing a life into Christ and overwhelming it with divine enablement; being Spirit-filled describes the resulting condition – a life so yielded and saturated with the Spirit that Christ's character and power are evident in it. To seek the baptism of the Spirit apart from surrender is to want the gift without the Giver's lordship; to be genuinely baptized in the Spirit is, necessarily, to become a Spirit-filled believer, "full of the Holy Spirit" (Act 6:3, 7:55, 11:24). The command remains the same for every generation: "Be filled with the Spirit" (Eph 5:18).

Maintaining the Fullness of the Spirit

Jesus said, "Your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them who ask Him" (Lk 11:13). Many times in the book of Acts, before God moved in a powerful way, Scripture records that certain people "were filled with the Holy Spirit" (Act 4:8,31, 7:55, 9:17). The message of Scripture is "Be filled with the Spirit" as an ongoing reality (Eph 5:18). Some people pray for daily infilling. In humility and dependency we must realise that we are only the channel through whom God accomplishes His purposes – for "I can of myself do nothing" – and so give all the glory to Him (Jn 5:30). It is "Not by [human] might but by His Spirit" that we are privileged to help bring about His objectives (Zech 4:6).

In contrast to the early Christians who had been infused with the power of the living Christ and turned the world upside down, those whose lives make little impact for the Kingdom of God have only a "form of godliness, but deny its power" (Act 4:13, 17:6; 2 Tim 3:5). His dynamic power is still available
with life-changing ministry flowing from such encounters, yet remember the more obedient and cleaner the vessel, the greater the anointing and effectiveness.

Regularly take time to 'listen to' the Holy Spirit and follow His directives

We can quench or hinder the work of God's Spirit by sinful actions, remedied by repentance and seeking after Him, by committing our lives afresh so He can occupy every part of our lives. By continuing in submission and obedience to Him allows the Spirit to work through us, with the evidence of being filled with the Spirit is our character becoming more like that of Jesus as we outwork the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23; Eph 4:30; 1 Thes 5:19). This obviously affects how we interact with others (Eph 5:19-22,25, 6:1,4-5,9).

There have been numerous reported and validated accounts of preachers and intercessors who have been mightily impacted by significant divine encounters that have taken their ministries to a much greater level in God. Servants of the Lord such as Rees Howells the intercessor, evangelists D L Moody, Evan Roberts, George Whitefield, John G Lake, William Seymour, Charles Finney, Smith Wigglesworth and others had 'successful' ministries before experiencing specific power encounters. However, after being profoundly touched, when these 'heavenly-charged' people came into a room of unsaved people, even without a single word being spoken, there were often people falling to their knees under the conviction of their sin and crying out to be saved. Powerful ministries flow out from the place of intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.

A genuine increase of the Spirit will be God-honouring and life-giving, even if it causes conviction of sin in the lives of those not in a right relationship with God. Such conviction is not intended to condemn, but to awaken – it is the Spirit shining light into dark places, exposing what needs to be put right (Jn 16:8). It is the first merciful step towards repentance and restoration, for "godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation" (2 Cor 7:10). When hearts are tenderised in this way, consciences are stirred and people are drawn to seek forgiveness and cleansing (1 Jn 1:9). Far from being a sign that something is wrong, this response confirms that God is genuinely at work among His people (Act 2:37, 16:29-30). Any increase of the Spirit's presence should therefore be measured by its fruit – Christ exalted, believers strengthened and the lost drawn to salvation – rather than by spectacle or emotion (Jn 16:14; Gal 5:22-23). Moreover, when witnesses to such an encounter observe the unmistakable presence of Christ in His people – their love, peace and holiness of life – they are drawn by the attractiveness of what they see, and desire what they have for themselves (Act 4:13).

Recognising we need the power the Holy Spirit to help us be effective witnesses for Jesus we must open ourselves up to more of this divine enablement, not to use this power for ourselves but for His glory (Act 1:8, 2:38, 4:31).

Why not ask for a greater infilling now?

Reflection and Application:

Ask the Father daily for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13; Eph 5:18).
Surrender every area of life to His control, so there is more of Him and less of self.
Deal quickly with sin through repentance, so nothing holds back the Spirit's work in your life.
Depend on His power, not your own strength, when witnessing and serving.