Ephesians 5:18
Ps Paul Cheng
“…being filled with the Holy Spirit is not an option but a command…”
~5 min read
Dear Bethelites,
Verse 18 says, And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
Oftentimes we hear of the phrase, “be filled with Spirit.” But what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Being controlled by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for living the Christian life by God’s standard. We cannot follow God’s way apart from the working of the Spirit. Before God commanded us to be filled with the Spirit, He first gave us a negative command, be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (“excess” does not mean one can drink in moderation, but rather it means in wasteful and riotous living).
Indeed, getting drunk is a mark of darkness and foolishness, and instead of doing that, the believer should be filled with the Spirit so that he will be able to walk in light and wisdom (cf. Ephesians 5:8-14, 15-17). It is never the Lord’s will for a Christian to be drunk as throughout the Scriptures; drunkenness is condemned (cf. Proverbs 20:1, 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:10).
People get drunk for various reasons. Some people want to interrupt the monotony of life, others want to escape from themselves and yet others just simply want to savour the sinful pleasure from the bottle. Have you ever seen how the drunkard would behave? Typically, drunkenness brings a temporary personality change; some become giddy and weepy, others would sing and shout, yet others would laugh or cry. After a few drinks, the coward behaves like a hero, the foolish acts like a philosopher, and all of a sudden they become legends in their own mind. The drinker thinks he has a good time by losing control of his life. But in reality, drunkenness degrades and makes his life into a series of missed opportunities. A most tragic waste!
Instead of coming under the influence of alcohol, the believer is to come under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The phrase be filled is in the present passive imperative which means it is a command that carries the idea of continuation. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not an option but a command. No Christian can fulfil God’s will for his or her life apart from being filled with His Spirit. If we do not obey this command, we cannot obey any other commands, simply because we cannot fulfil God’s will apart from God’s Spirit.
What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?
a. To be filled with the Spirit involves submission
To be filled with the Spirit involves a day-by-day, and moment-by moment submission to the Spirit’s control. It is not something that we do to ourselves, but we prayerfully allow it to be done to us. To be filled with the Spirit is entirely the work of the Spirit Himself, but He works only through our willing submission.
b. To be filled with the Spirit involves surrender
When a person is filled with grief, he is no longer under his own control but he is totally under the control of that emotion. In the same way, someone who is filled with fear or anger, or under the influence of drugs, alcohol or Satan, he is no longer under his own control but under the control of that which dominates him. In the same sense, to be filled with the Spirit is to be dominated and controlled by the Holy Spirit.
One pastor gave this illustration that the Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit can be compared to a glove. Until it is filled by the hand, a glove is powerless and useless. It is designed to do work but it cannot work by itself. It works only as the hand controls and uses it. The glove only does what the hand desires. It does not ask the hand to give it an assignment and then try to complete the assignment without the hand. Nor does it boast about what it can do, because it knows the hand deserves all the credit. Likewise, the Christian is able to worship and glorify God, share the gospel, fellowship and serve one another, not because he is capable of himself but because of the Spirit’s empowerment.
c. To be filled with the Spirit is to live in the awareness of the presence of God
Will you walk into adultery with your wife beside you? Most certainly not! Are you consciously aware of the presence of God in your life? If you are, then you will earnestly desire not to sin against Him.
d. To be filled with the Spirit is to know our need for God
If you remember the account when Peter saw Jesus standing on the water some distance from the boat, and he stepped out on the water when Jesus said, “Come!” and he found himself walking on the water just like the Lord. But just when his attention turned away from Jesus to himself and the circumstances, he started to sink. When we take our eyes away from our Master, that is when we will also start to falter.
e. To be filled with the Spirit is to let the Word of God dwell in us richly
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom (Colossians 3:16). It is to let His thoughts be our thoughts, His standards be our standards, His desire be our desires, and His will be our will. As we yield ourselves to the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will lead us to say, do and think, as God would desire us to.
The best analogy of this day by-day and moment-by-moment yielding to the Holy Spirit’s control is the idea of walking. When we walk, we move one step at a time, and it can be done in no other way. To be filled with the Spirit is walking thought by thought, decision by decision, submitting every step to the Spirit’s control (cf. Galatians 5:16). A true believer who understands and obeys the will of the Lord, and is filled with the Spirit will produce the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23). He will be eager to share the gospel, and be effective in serving God, he will love God’s Word and His people, he will relish coming to church to worship God, and have fellowship with other Christians. Are you such a person? Does your life manifest a person who understands and obeys the will of the Lord and is filled with the Spirit? Let us be sober, and be filled with the Spirit so that we may glorify the one living and true God!
With love in Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
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