Focus: The Spirit-filled Church (Pt.2)

Text: Act.2:4

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost."

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? The disciples of Christ were filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. In chapter 4, after they prayed for divine assistance to continue being witnesses of Christ amid great challenges and persecution, they were filled afresh with the Spirit. They were constantly and continually being filled with the Spirit, both as individuals and as a collective body.

In chapter three of Acts, the people witnessed the miracle of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and "they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him" (Act.3:10). Paul calls on us to be filled with the Spirit on a continuous basis. 

So we ask again, what is the implication of being filled with the Spirit? To be filled with something means to be controlled by that something. We know what happens when someone is filled with booze or alcohol; he is controlled by it. Whatever you are filled with, controls you. Peter says to Ananias, "Why hath Satan FILLED thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost…" (Act.5:3). Satan filled his heart and made him lie. He was controlled by what he was filled with. 

In early days of the church, we read, "Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were FILLED with indignation…" (Act.5:17). The Jewish authorities said to Peter and John, "Behold, ye have FILLED Jerusalem with your doctrine…" (Act.5:28). The city of Jerusalem was agog with the story of Jesus Christ. The news of Jesus Christ was spreading everywhere in the land. Through the disciples, the people were filled with the wonders of Christ, and they went everywhere talking about Him. 

In Acts 13, the Jews "were FILLED with envy" when they saw the multitude coming to hear the word of God from the lips of Paul, and out of envy they started concocting lies against Paul and others (Act.13:45). In chapter 19 we read that "the whole city was FILLED with confusion…" (Act.19:29). In chapter 13, Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and set his eyes on Elymas, and said to him, "O FULL of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" (Act.13:10). He was not only filled with all subtilty and mischief, he was full of it. We read in chapter 19, that "when they heard these sayings, they were FULL of wrath, and cried out…" (Act.19:28). You can see that they were all controlled by what they were filled with.

So to be filled with the Spirit means to come under the influence and control of the Spirit.

The disciples of Christ experienced the Spirit and became influenced by Him. Poet Keats says that "nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced." Interestingly, Dr. John B. Wright writes that "whatever we are full of is what spills out when we are bumped." How true that is!

We need a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. We need a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit. We need the Spirit's power and His control of our lives. Interestingly, the Spirit does just give us power; He is the power of God, and as the power of God, He influences and controls our lives - our steps and stops, our choices and actions, and our talks and walks. Let's be the Spirit-filled church - and the Spirit-controlled church!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter