Focus: The Spirit-filled Church (Pt1.)

Text: Act.2:4

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

The Jerusalem church was the first church - a global church and Spirit-filled. The world as it was then constituted was there - people of all walks of life.

120 disciples of Christ were filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and after the coming of the Holy Spirit, at the Spirit-filled preaching of Peter, 3,000 souls were added to the church. At the second preaching, after the miracle of the lame man who walk, leaped, danced and praised God right in front of the Beautiful Gate of the temple, we read in Act.4:4, "Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand." 5,000 souls turned to the Lord.

It was a global and a growing church because it was a Spirit-filled church. Our text says that "they were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost." Everyone received the filling of the Spirit. They were powered up by the Spirit. They were fired up by the Spirit. They were inspired by the Spirit. They were led by the Spirit. They preached by the Spirit. They were taught by the Spirit.

O how we long for the fresh filling of the Spirit! In Act.2:4, they were filled with the Spirit. In Act.4:8, Peter was filled with the Spirit of God, and by being Spirit-filled, he spoke the word. We read in verse 31, "And when they had PRAYED, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were ALL FILLED with the Holy Ghost, and they SPAKE the word of God with boldness." In Act.9:17, the Lord Jesus Christ sent Ananias to Paul to get him "filled with the Holy Ghost" (Act.9:17). In Act.13:9, we read, "Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him." Paul was then filled with the Spirit, and also influenced by Him. In verse 52 we read, "And the disciples were FILLED with joy, and with the Holy Ghost…" 

When the church faced a racial situation within it, Peter said to the congregation, "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, FULL of the Holy Ghost…" (Act.6:3). Among those chosen was Stephen, whom Luke describes as a man "full of faith and of the Holy Ghost…" (Act.6:5). Here is the next thing we read of Stephen, "And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people" (Act.6:8). For being full of faith and the Spirit, he did great wonders and miracles. In his dying moments, Luke reports that "he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God" (Act.7:55). 

The church cannot function without the unction of the Holy Spirit. The effectiveness and fruitfulness of the church lie with the Holy Spirit. The church needs the Spirit to be the church - a global, a growing, a glorious, and a going church. You heard me well - a going church. Luke says, "Therefore they that were scattered abroad WENT EVERY WHERE preaching the word" (Act.8:4). They were a going church. They spread everywhere, and they kept being filled with the Holy Spirit. They were filled with the Spirit both individually and collectively. Paul writes, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit…" (Eph.5:18). Paul is saying, 'Keep being filled with the Spirit.' It's constant and continuous. You don't get filled once, but you get filled all the time.

In the second part of this devotional we will consider what it means to be filled with the Spirit.

Let us be filled with the Spirit! Let us be full of the Spirit! Talking about Dorcas, Luke says, "This woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did" (Act.9:36). He says about Barnabas, "For he was a good man, and FULL of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord" (Act.11:24). Everyone you meet in that church is filled with and full of the Spirit. No room for the flesh. Whenever the flesh reared its ugly head, the Spirit-filled leadership of the church would put it in its place. Paul tells the church, "Being FILLED with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Phil.1:11). Again he says, "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be FILLED with all the fulness of God" (Eph.3:19). 

God wants us filled with the fullness of God. Imagine the impact of every one of us being full of God! Full of Christ. Full of the Spirit. Full of God. O Lord, help us! Be a part of this spiritual army of Christ - this Spirit-filled church!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter