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A Guide to Christian Theology - Lesson 25

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Filling of the Holy Spirit

Gain insight into the concept of baptism of the Spirit and its relationship with conversion. This lesson emphasizes theological agreement regarding the incorporation and dwelling of the Holy Spirit at conversion, and empowering experiences afterward. It highlights the use of various terms in Scripture, such as baptism, filling, pouring out, and receiving. It also touches on the idea of filling, distinguishing between momentary fillings and ongoing fillings, stressing the importance of believers continually being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Gerry Breshears
Gerry Breshears
A Guide to Christian Theology

I. Scriptural Study on Spirit Baptism

A. Comparison of Terms 

B. Unity of Conversion and Spirit Baptism

C. Acts 19 Exception and Pentecost

II. Filling of the Spirit

A. Filling for Special Ministry Tasks

B. Filling as a Character Trait 

C. Imperative for Believers (Ephesians 5:18)

1. Continuous Passive Imperative

2. Relationship with God and Community


Transcription
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Well, boy, that was a tough line to go through there with baptism spirit and all that chart. I left all that stuff empty there in the blanks. I want you to do your homework, okay? If you haven't done it, you're a bad boy or girl, go do it. Go do your homework. To summarize what we said there in terms of baptism of spirit, there is a full agreement that there's an incorporation and dwelling that happens at conversion. There is a full agreement that there's empowering experiences that happen subsequent to conversion, and they can be very, very dramatic sometimes, but what to call it is a big deal.

When I look at the scriptural study on where different terms you use, baptism or filling or pouring out or receiving, there are a number of different words. What I find out, and this again is on your notes, nowhere are conversion and spirit baptism separated significantly.

You say, well, what about Acts 19? Well, these are guys who have not experienced Pentecost yet. The same thing that happened at Pentecost at Acts chapter two. First time it was poured out on the group. These guys are a long ways away and they have not experienced Pentecost yet. When they hear it, oh, okay, now that's a place where it's separated, but there's a reason for it. It's an extraordinary thing. The Ephesians dozen are off Twitter apparently and just didn't get the word.

The spirit baptism, again, the term baptizo is linked with the basics of becoming a Christian. Spirit baptism is linked with the basics of becoming a Christian. Then we all want to say, I hope even if you're kind of an anti Pentecostal oriented, and there are, I mean some of you're there, I'm not criticizing this reality. The spirit empowers people for growth in Christ's likeness and doing the work of the ministry.

Again, this should be non-controversial, but it's amazing how people get touchy about things. Well, if you say this and there's a slippery slope that leads to that. We're not talking the slippery slopes, we're talking biblical things. Acts chapter two, spirits brought on everybody. 3000 people receive the spirit. There's an subsequent empowering Acts chapter four. You find Ephesians chapter five, where Paul says, keep on being filled and the results that come out of that.

I want to talk a little bit about filling, and this is a biblical term, and when we talk about filling, I want to talk about some examples. First of all, what I see happening is what we see happening, well, actually let me take it in my favorite passage for filling. I love it. Acts chapter 13 is Paul, and it's Paul in a, it's kind of an unusual sort of thing, Acts chapter 13.

They're headed down to Cyprus. When you get to Cyprus, verse six, they met Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Barjesus, attended the council Sergius Paulos. Now, Sergius Paulos, intelligent man, he sent over Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of the Lord. Okay, so here's the regional governor who wants to hear more about Jesus.

Now you can't imagine anything but Barnabas and Paul are excited to be there. This guy Limus the sorcerer, verse eight, for that's what he name means, opposed them and tried to turn the pro council from the faith. Okay, so we come down to verse nine, then Saul, who's also called Paul, by the way, don't make the silly mistake of saying Saul's name is changed to Paul. He has two names, a Jewish name Saul and a Roman name Paul, just like John and Juan would be today.

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit. There's the word, looked straight into Limus. I love this. You're a child of the devil and enemy. Everything is right. Your fall comes to deceit. You never stop pruning away the Lord. Now the hand of the lord's against you. You're going to be blind for a time. Now, I'm just curious, do you think Paul has the spiritual gift of blinding folk? I don't think so.

I want that gift by the way. I really do. All my friends say no. No, Gary, I could handle it. No, Gary, no, no, no. This is not a spiritual gift. It's not an enduring ability. He's filled with this Holy Spirit for special momentary tasks. That's the first thing I want to do is fillings are for special ministry tasks. Sometimes they're done very quickly like this one. Sometimes they're done very quickly like this one, same kind of thing you find back with Stephen and end of chapter seven where Stephen is being stoned.

Then verse 55, Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit looked in heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand and said, I see the heaven open and the son of man standing right hand of God. This is a momentary filling where he does something extraordinary. I think that is often the case with a filling. You're filled for the moment. That empowering for a special ministry task could be for a momentary task or it could be for a long-term task.

If you look back in chapter six, as we go backward here, they propose that they pick some men from among them who are full of the Holy Spirit in faith. They chose in verse five, they chose Steven, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and they presented these men. Then down in verse eight, now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power performed great signs and wonders.

This is a filling where they are full of the spirit and therefore equipped for special ministry tasks. That's a key point of filling is an anointing for special ministry tasks. I've got a whole list of these in here that's true for prophets, that's true for Jesus, as we saw back in Matthew chapter three where the Holy Spirit comes on him and anoints him for the special task of mission of the Messiah.

First idea of filling, you're fill could be for a brief moment or it could be for a long time, is being filled for special ministry tasks. A key thing there is prophets and kings in the Old Testament, but we see these deacons and I think others are anointed for special ministry tasks. I think that's true today. I think that an elder of a church, when we install elders at our church, we give them a towel to represent, they're going to wash dirty feet and it's going to be stinky. We give them a goblet with, in our case, juice. Should be wine, but it's juice representing the power of the Holy Spirit to empower them to do the work of being an elder at our church.

In front of the whole congregation, they drink it in full and then we pray over them to install them in this office. That's one thing. If you look at Acts chapter, let's do another Acts 11:24. Acts 11:24. This is talking about Barnabas. By the way, Barnabas is an outstanding pattern of what we want for pastors in our churches. Go through and do a study of the characteristics of Barnabas. He is an amazing guy.

He's the guy who arrives at Antioch. Verse 23, when he arrived and saw the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. Now here's the character of Barnabas, verse 24. He is a good man full of the Holy Spirit. There's the filling and faith and a great number of people brought to the Lord. This is defining not an anointing for a special ministry task, but the basic character and personality and his character and personality, he's a good man full of the spirit and faith.

That's not something particular for a ministry. That's his character, that's his personality. I think this is another thing where you see the filling of the Holy Spirit, and that's an ongoing filling that's related to who he is as a person. Then finally, and this is Ephesians 5:18. That's a key passage. Ephesians 5:18.

Paul is talking about how you, becoming a beautiful bride for his precious son. He says, don't get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, but instead, and here's the phrase, keep on being filled. Keep on being filled with the Spirit. Again, it's a filling, but now it's a command. This isn't a statement, this isn't a fact. This is a command. Keep on, so it's an enduring, being filled.

It's passive if something is done to you, but you have receptive peaks of it. Keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit. What comes out of this feeling is a speaking to one another. It's a thankfulness, it's a singing and making music, and it's a submission. It's a speaking to one another, singing to God, giving thanks to God and submitting to one another.

It characterizes a relationship with God on a relationship with the community. The three dimensions of filling, I'm suggesting to you in the note, filling for special ministry tasks, filling is a basic personality or character, and then an imperative for believers. Keep on being filling. You find it parallel in Colossians 3:16.

It's a continuous passive imperative. It's to command all believers, keep on being filled. The idea is you can be more or less filled, especially in pair. This is being grieving the Holy Spirit. Filling of the spirit. Short lesson, but this is worth pondering a lot because that's a command for all believers.

 

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