Paul not only commanded the church in Ephesus to “be filled with the Spirit,” he also gave them a vision of what being filled would look like in the context of the community of believers. He is contrasting what these formerly pagan people would’ve known with what being filled sons and daughters of God would look like. His vision is of a community who expresses a melody from Heaven, thanksgiving to God and mutual submission from the depths of their hearts.
Sermons from August 2020
Have you ever wondered why Paul contrasted being drunk with wine to being filled with the Spirit? Why is being filled with the Spirit a command and how do we continue being filled?
In previous weeks we discovered that everyone who awakens to the reality that Jesus is King over all including our lives (i.e. repentance) receives God’s Holy Spirit. This indwelling of God’s Spirit is essential for all who desire to have a deeper life with God. God also commands His people to “be filled with the Holy Spirit.” In this message we shift our focus from beginning well to living well as we discover what it means to be filled with the Spirit!
The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a basic but often overlooked fact of the true Christian life. God has always wanted to dwell inside His people to give us a new heart and live out his life through us. In this way, the world will see His people living out His Life and will glorify Him as Lord of All. But, how do we begin well with he indwelling Holy Spirit?
Like our physical birth, our spiritual beginning sets the trajectory for our relationships with God, others, the world and ourselves. After investing June and July to discover many realities about God’s Holy Spirit, this week we shift to consider the role of the Holy Spirit in the beginning of our journey which Jesus describes as being “born of the Spirit.”