No Vacancy!

Why Do I Need to be Filled with the Holy Spirit?

1. To Fulfill the Purpose of God and the Stewardship of Your Ministry Calling.  

Luke 4:1-2,13-19, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry…13 And so when the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.

14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding region. 15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. 16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives,

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set free those who are oppressed,

19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

• Living in a State of Readiness & Expectation Under the Leadership of the Holy Spirit

• “Full” is an Adjective, therefore, this points to ‘state of being’ or ‘disposition’ ; a measure that can’t be increased. “Thoroughly PERMEATED”; He could not get “more” of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was ‘fully occupied or possessed with the Holy Spirit’ for the season of wilderness training and temptation before His public ministry was inaugurated.
• Being “full” means to have No more room or capacity/space for anything or anyone else;
• John 1:14: Jesus “full of grace and truth”
• Deacons/ Stephen ( Acts 6:3,5,8); “full of the Holy Spirit, full of faith” ; a qualification for servanthood/ministry; suggests a ‘maturity’ necessary for leadership
• Negative: full of wrath, anger, rage, deceit
• The born-again, blood washed believer is ‘full of the Holy Spirit’; All Christians have the person of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them through the new birth. 

QUESTION: What steps of obedience do I need to take to place myself in a ‘state of readiness’ to fulfill my calling? What is the difference between being “filled” with the Holy Spirit and living/walking in the “power” of the Holy Spirit?  

2. To Complete and Execute the Immediate Task In Front of Me

Acts 13:4-12

4 “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper. 6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, 10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? 11 Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord.”

• “Filled with the Holy Spirit” (Aorist;participle; passive) the syntax and grammar suggest Paul “had just been filled with the Holy Spirit” at that particular moment or point in time. 
• The missional mindset is to press through all barriers, disruptions  and opposition. 
• God’s Spirit can fill us instantly to deal with problems when we are doing His work His way.

QUESTION:  What task am I immediately facing that I need to ask the Holy Spirit to fill me in order to glorify God?

3. To Be Conformed to the Likeness of Jesus Christ…Resist & Overcome Evil in My Walk with the Lord in this Fallen World & Change the Narrative from Negativity to Rejoicing , Victory and Thanksgiving

Ephesians 5: 15-21: Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

• “Be continually being filled with the Spirit “ (verb,present, participle, passive) We can’t fill ourselves but we can receive and ask and wait in prayer believing His promises to fill us with His Spirit to saturate and influence our motives, minds, words  and works.

• Individual Lifestyle that builds character (fruit of the Spirit, Gal.5:22 )and releases gifts of the Spirit (I Cor.12-14)
• Carefulness & Wisdom (v15)
• Efficiency and Sense of Timing and Divine Appointments (vv16-17)
• Sobriety (v18)
• Environment of Celebration Marked by Gratitude & Humility (vv20-21)

QUESTION:  Where am I being careless or even wreckless in my attitude or behavior that is counter productive to becoming a man of God?

4. To Partner with the Body of Jesus Christ in Joyful Obedience

Acts 13:48-52: “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

• “Continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Imperfect, indicative , passive/middle); Syntax and grammar reveals that the Gentile Christians in Pisidian Antioch were living together and were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit on multiple occasions over an indefinite  period of time.
• “Disciples”; Followers of Jesus get Filled as they seek to obey His commands
• Corporate Lifestyle or Corporate Culture developed at a community level

QUESTION: How can I adjust myself to be a more dynamic brother/sister in the Lord?