“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20)
Before Jesus sent His disciples out to conquer the world, He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, which was and is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the disciples that this filling would be necessary for them to fulfill their mission. Through the Spirit, they received power to be faithful witnesses to His resurrection as seen in Acts chapter two.
It was so important to be constantly full of the Spirit that they experienced regular fillings from the presence of the Lord. In Acts 4:31, the word says, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” Note that they spoke the word with boldness, when they were full of the Spirit.
Should our experience differ from theirs? If we are called to fulfill the same mission Jesus gave the first disciples, and we are, shouldn’t we legitimately expect the same power from on high to come to our aid? Not only should we expect it, we should seek to be filled as they did and as the Apostle Paul instructed us in our Bible text above.
As you wait upon God, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit. Tell Him that you are available, but that you need His presence to make a difference in the world through your service. Wait for a fresh anointing.
Consider: Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 16:25; Romans 12:11
3 comments:
last night in legacy we prayed that God would fill us with His power. i even had one girl come up to me very upset that she wouldn't be able to attend the prayer meeting tomorrow because she didn't want to miss an opportunity to experience the power of the Holy Spirit. i love that!
Jesus said a lot about the Holy Spirit and His importance to the believer. Jesus, calls Him the Spirit of Truth. I envision God's church as a person who has not had enough water. We have become dry, withering away, and ineffective because of this lack of strength and power that this water gives. In St.John 7;37-39 we see that this living water is the Holy Spirit, Who springs up in you and it flows from you RIVERS of living water. It enables us to bring life to others who are life less. This water refreshes,gives strength,revitalizes,empowers,has restoring qualities,brings growth. It reminds me of the two pictures Pastor Mike showed during Sundays' message. One side, lush,flourishing, the other side dry and barren. I'm grateful to God that we are able to drink freely and be refreshed.
Its been a blessing hearing stories from several different people about the level of expectation for tomorrow night's prayer meeting. My prayer is that tomorrow is not an event, but a launching point for our church. For both those who are filled and those who have never been filled with the Spirit. May New Life be a community of disciples who are actively and passionately walking in the power of the Spirit of God.
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