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Pastor Jay's Blog

Filled By and Filled With

 

This last Sunday I preached from Ephesians 5:15-18. It is the fourth “therefore” (4:25; 5:1,7,15) and the fourth instance of “walk” (4:17; 5:2,8,15) that has been driving our sermons since 4:17. The climatic command in the passage this week is wonderfully important: “be filled with the Spirit”. However, in my studies I saw something I had not seen before. It involved the question of what “with” meant. Are we to be filled with the Spirit, where the Spirit is the content of the filling, like a hand fills a glove? Or are we to be filled by the Spirit, where the Spirit is the instrument that fills us with something else?

My conclusion was that “with” is better translated “by.” The Spirit is the instrument who fills us and there are two big reasons for this understanding. First is the Greek grammar. Normally in Greek, verbs of filling are followed by a genitive case to indicate content. But that is not what we see in Ephesians 5:18. In Ephesians 5:18, the verb is followed by the preposition “en” and the dative case. There are no clear examples in the Greek New Testament where this Greek construction would indicate content. Secondly, in Ephesians Paul has talked about “filling” four previous times. Three of those times Christ is the content of the filling (1:23; 4:10, 13), and in the in fourth instance, found in 3:19, we are “filled up to all the fullness of God” which is the final result of Christ’s full indwelling (17-18).

This last example in Ephesians 3:14-19 is significant. This passage is what I believe Paul is aiming at when he calls us to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit is doing something that results in a filling. The Spirit is the instrument who strengthens our inner man so that Christ may dwell, and when that happens we may be filled up to all the fullness of God. The Spirit is the instrument that fills us with the all the fullness of God. This is what I believe Paul is calling us to when he calls us to be filled with (or by) the Spirit. This is the life you are called to experience and live out of every day.

Does this mean that there is no filling where the Spirit himself fills the believer? No. There is, and I want to look at those instances. We see the Spirit himself filling people numerous times in the book of Luke and Acts. But I do think there is something special about this filling. Much like what we see in the Old Testament, there are times when the Spirit of God fills his people in a unique and powerful way to accomplish special things.

In Luke, we see that John the Baptist was filled while in the womb and leapt when Jesus came near (1:15), Elizabeth was filled and cried out a blessing (1:41), Zacharias was filled and spoke a prophecy (1:67), and finally Jesus was filled while he was in the wilderness temptation (4:1).

In Acts, we see even more. The upper room disciples were filled and spoke in tongues (2:4), Peter was filled and preached before the leaders (4:8), the first church was filled and spoke the word with boldness (4:31), Paul was filled and begins his ministry (9:17), and finally Paul was filled and confronts an evil magician (13:9).

All of those above instances in Luke and Acts are exceptional moments. These show us that there are moments in the lives of people and churches where the Spirit does a special work. He grants power, clarity, repentance, great effectiveness, direction or transformation in an unexpected way. This seems to be what revival is like, but more temporary and on a smaller scale, even an individual scale.

Having said this however, there are three other instances in Acts that I have reserved. There are several statements about Stephen, Barnabas, and a group of believers that I want to look at in which the filling of the Spirit is spoken of more generally and non-specifically. Yet, these are also fillings that we should consider in this brief study.

First look at Stephen. This was a very special man. When the church needed help sorting out a widow feeding program, the apostles called them to choose seven men. Stephen was the first to head the list. Not only is he said to be full of the Spirit twice (6:5; 7:55), but he was also full of faith (6:5), full of grace and power (6:8), performing great wonders and signs (6:8), had the face of an angel during persecution (6:15), and saw the Lord Jesus standing during the moment of his (Stephen’s) death (7:55).

No wonder Stephen headed this list of men. However, there was three similarities that the other six men were to have with Stephen. This group of seven men were to have a good reputation, and be full of the Spirit and wisdom. I want you to think about that. If being filled with the Spirit (content) is commanded of every Christian, wouldn’t this criteria list have been too small? Surely there would have been many others to choose. But perhaps this distinction of being filled with the Spirit was something notable. Perhaps Stephen was a special man heading a group of special men and what made them special was a unique filling with the Spirit that was recognized. If Stephen is any kind of representative of this group, then surely the Spirit was doing something special in them.

Barnabas was another who was like this. In Acts 11, the church is spreading due to persecution, but it is also beginning to grow quickly. Men of Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch and were preaching the gospel to the Greeks. Many were being saved so the leaders in Jerusalem sent Barnabas. He is described in 11:24 as a “good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” But the next word is that “considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.” Again, it seems the Spirit of God is doing something special and Barnabas is a key player in what is happening.

There is one more instance to read of in Acts. In chapter 13, Paul comes to Pisidian Antioch and preaches to the Jews. But when the Jews are jealous of the crowds, Paul and Barnabas turn to the Gentiles. Many Gentiles are saved, but Paul and Barnabas are driven out. Yet, the concluding verse says, “and the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Admittedly, this does not seem as exceptional and special as all the other moments of Spirit-filling.

So what is my conclusion? It seems to me that we are seeing two distinct events in the filling verses. In Luke and Acts, we see the special and exceptional moments where the Spirit himself fills believers and empowers them for special works of gospel ministry. This is something that happens by sovereign choice alone. When God chooses, he sends the Spirit to come upon these people for special purposes. It is something to pray for but if and how it happens is up to the Lord. I would say that many Christians can testify to moments when the Spirit filled them or someone around them in a special way and the presence of his power was palpable. The second filling is distinct. Unlike the unexpected and surprise fillings we see in Luke and Acts, what we find in Ephesians is a command. Every Christian without exception is to day-by-day and moment-by-moment be filled by the Spirit. When this command is obeyed, Ephesians 3:16 says our inner man is strengthened by the Spirit. When the Spirit, as the effectual instrument, does this strengthening then Christ, in all of his Lordship, dwells within and we know his love in its unknowable length, breadth, height and depth. The climatic result of what the Spirit began is that we are filled to all the fullness of God. This should be the daily experience of every Christian, attained by humble yieldedness to the Spirit in prayer and Scripture obedience.

Both experiences are awesome and glorious, but only one is to happen on a daily basis. I cannot think of any more awesome reality. You are called to live your Christian life from the overflow of being filled to all the fullness of God. This can happen right now, as you seek the Spirit’s inner work with your whole heart. What are you waiting for?