Living in the Spirit: Being Filled (Ehp 5:15 and Acts 8)
Eph 5:18 The verb here in the NIV as “be filled” is a present passive imperative in the Greek.
o There are three components to this grammar that we need to understand.
• The first is the Greek Present tense. This basically means it is an ongoing process.
o Therefore the act of being filled with the Holy Spirit is an ongoing process.
• The passive verb is where the subject is acted upon or receives the action expressed by the verb.
o No volition – nor even necessarily awareness of the action – is implied on the part of the subject.
• The next part of this verb structure is an imperative.
o Which is simply a command. Paul is commanding that we do this.
o The irony here is, Paul is commanding us to do something that happens to us.
• So, you could understand this little phrase, “be filled with the Spirit” as “Be being filled with the spirit.”
• Why do we need to constantly be filled? Illustration from drinking.
• In this same verse Paul warns us not to get drunk.
• To get drunk and stay drunk you have to constantly keep drinking. You can’t just take one drink.
• Three reasons for the need to constantly be filled.
o One, total dependence on God. Nothing we can take credit for.
o Two, as we learn live in the Spirit, steward Him well, we can grow in our ability to host the Spirit.
o Three, we leak and we sin thus grieving the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:15 These folks had been baptized into the name of Jesus. This wasn’t John’s baptism.
• Even though they have been baptized into the name of Jesus they have not received the Holy Spirit.
• But the apostles considered a water baptism without receiving the Holy Spirit to be insufficient.
Acts 10:44 Here we see the Holy Spirit come on people merely at the preaching of the Word.
• They were Gentiles and they had already received the Holy Spirit.
o Yet there was also no laying on of hands.
• But what is really interesting is that they had not been baptized in water yet.
• The evidence of the filling of the Spirit was obvious to all present. It wasn’t some quiet subtle thing.
• Three important take-aways from this passage in Acts 10.
o First, we can’t try to make patterns or formulas.
o Second, at the times in certain situations the Spirit will prove Himself for the purpose at hand.
o Third, there will be visible and tangible evidence of the filling of the Spirit.
Acts 19:1 Again, the apostles considered a baptism without the Holy Spirit to be insufficient.
• Do you notice that this question about the Holy Spirit is the first question that Paul asks?
o For Paul it is a distinguishing mark that must be present.
• And again, there was the immediate evidence of the Spirit.
o Tongues were again present as evidence of the Spirit and this time we also see prophecy.