Steve DuPlessie | April 30, 2019
BAPTISM IN/OF THE SPIRIT:
> All believers in Jesus have already “received” the Holy Spirit because we are ALL “baptized in/by the Holy Spirit” at the moment of Salvation…
“And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. – Ephesians 1:13b, 14 NLT
“…we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.” – 1 Corinthians 12:13b NLT
“…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” – Romans 8:9 NIV
“This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us: He has given us of his Spirit.” – 1 John 4:13 NIV
THE FILLING OF THE SPIRIT:
> While we all received the Holy Spirit at the moment of Salvation, we must choose to submit to the Spirit – who is already in us – every moment of every day, allowing the Spirit to “fill” us – to teach us (Jn 14:26), comfort us (Jn 14:26), convict us (Jn 16:8), help us pray (Rm 8:26), empower us to live godly lives (Gal 5:16-18), and produce in us the “…fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22, 23).
“…do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18 ESV). This command of God means to be constantly and continually filled, controlled, and empowered by the Holy Spirit as your way of life.
KEY POINT – I cannot control myself and be controlled by the Holy Spirit at the same time. Christ cannot be in control if I am still on the throne of my life. So I must abdicate the throne. This involves faith. As an expression of my will, in prayer, I surrender the throne of my life to Him, and by faith I draw upon His resources to live a holy and fruitful life.
Do not think that you must have an emotional experience or that something dramatic must happen to you to be filled with the Spirit. How did you receive Christ? Your emotions may have been involved. But ultimately, you became a Christian, not because of your emotional experience, but because of your faith. For the Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
The Holy Spirit is not given to you that you might have a great emotional experience, but that you might live a holy life and be a fruitful witness for Christ. So, whether or not you have an emotional experience is not the issue.
There is no place in Scripture where you are told to pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit. You are filled by faith. However, since the object of your faith is God and His Word, I suggest that you pray to Him claiming the fullness of His Spirit as an expression of your faith in God’s command and in His promise.
You Can Pray To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit Now…
Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Do you sincerely desire to be controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit? If so, I invite you to bow your head and pray this prayer of faith right now. Expect God to fill you. Without begging or pleading, just say:
“Dear Father, I need You. I hunger and thirst for a deeper, more “alive” relationship with You. I admit that I have been in control of my life. As a result, I have sinned against You.
“Thank You for forgiving my sins through Jesus’ death on the cross for me. I now confess and turn from my sins and surrender the control of my life to the Lord Jesus. By faith I invite You to fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled. You promised to fill me if I ask according to Your will. I pray this in the authority of the name of Jesus Christ.
“To demonstrate my faith, I now thank You for filling me with Your Holy Spirit and for taking control of my life. Amen.”
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