Stay Filled with the Spirit (Part 1)

Have you ever known someone so full of the Spirit that it draws you to Jesus? I am not talking about a person who is so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. Those folks act super spiritual, but they are just religious and condescending. No, I am talking about those people who truly manifest Jesus. They model Jesus and make you want to know and be like Jesus too. There is an obvious character distinction between believers who are full of the Spirit and those who are born again but still carnal. 

Carnal Christians focus on the things of this world. They are led by their emotions. Their peace and happiness are controlled by the circumstances surrounding them. On the other hand, believers who are filled with the Spirit are infectious with love, joy, peace, and a positive outlook on life. They are yielded to and led by the Spirit rather than by their emotions. In life, these people model a life of trusting in the Lord rather than leaning to their own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6). Believers who are full of the Spirit are motivated by the joy of the Lord and always seem to experience a peace that surpasses their understanding (Phil. 4:7).

Being filled with the Spirit is important to our walk with Christ and our development of wisdom. It is one of the character traits the Lord looks for when selecting and promoting leaders in His kingdom. In Acts chapter 6, the apostles needed to delegate some of their administrative duties to other leaders within the church so that they could focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word. The following verse reveals what character traits the apostles looked for in those they would entrust to delegate this responsibility. 

“Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business,” (Acts 6:3).

Notice the three primary traits mentioned in this passage. These traits are essential for kingdom leadership: being of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit, and full of wisdom. But how were these traits seen? Good works and good fruit must have been manifest in each of these men’s lives or others would not have been able to attest to their good reputations. Good results tied to these seven men’s decision making must have also been obvious to reveal that they walked in the wisdom of God. So, if it was possible for others to observe and attest to the fact that these men were of good reputation and full of wisdom, it must have also been possible for others to observe in a tangible way that each was full of the Holy Spirit. And if it was possible then, it is also possible now. You and I should be able to distinguish between believers who are full of the Holy Spirit and those who are not. And like the apostles, we should use that information when considering who to promote to leadership roles. 

I also want you to notice the strong connection between each of these godly leadership traits. A good leader will possess each trait. You cannot isolate any one trait from another and become a leader God and others will trust. In light of the subject matter of this book, Walking in Wisdom, I also want to point out the connection between being full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. 

God has shown me, through my study of His Word and receiving sound teaching from other trusted ministers, there are some truths you can count on regarding what it means to be filled with the Spirit. 

As we move through this chapter, you will see that walking in wisdom is a fruit of staying full of the Spirit. But notice what Jesus said in John 20 about the Holy Spirit. This is the first truth I want to bring to your attention. According to Jesus’ words here, each of us receives a measure of the Spirit at the new birth. 

“So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” (John 20:21-22). 

I believe this pre-Pentecost account is when Jesus’ disciples were born again. By this time, Jesus had died on the cross for all sin and had risen from the dead. Prior to this, each of Jesus’ disciples had confessed Him as Lord and they now believed that He had risen from the dead. According to Romans 10:9-10, they were saved. Jesus then breathed on them and imparted the Holy Spirit to each of them. They received a measure of the Holy Spirit at the new birth. Jesus describes this aspect of receiving the Spirit in John 4. 

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life,” (John 4:14. KJV).

Notice Jesus describes this aspect of receiving the Spirit as a well of everlasting life, referencing the work of the Spirit within us at the new birth when we receive Jesus as Lord of our life. We can see from these two verses of Scripture that Jesus’ disciples had been born again and received a measure of the Holy Spirit at the new birth, yet Jesus goes on to tell them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 

“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high,” (Luke 24:49). 

After Jesus’ ascension, the disciples went to Jerusalem and waited together for the outpouring of the Spirit He had promised. And when the Day of Pentecost arrived, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. 

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. … And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance,” (Acts 2:1-2,4).

If the disciples received the Holy Spirit at the new birth as the Scripture reveals and that was all of the Spirit they needed, why would Jesus tell them to wait for another outpouring of the Spirit? The disciples received the Spirit at the new birth when Jesus breathed on them (John 20:21-22). But that experience was not equivalent to the promised infilling of the Spirit fulfilled in Acts chapter 2. 

I want to submit to you that receiving the Spirit at the new birth and being filled with the Spirit (as the disciples were at Pentecost) are two separate experiences. And the disciples needed both. It is possible for an individual to receive the Lord and never be filled with the Spirit or receive the evidence of that filling, a spiritual prayer language often referred to as tongues. Jesus references this experience in John chapter 7. 

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive,” (John 7:37-39). 

In John chapter 4, Jesus spoke of one work of the Spirit in the new birth. He compared that to a well of water in us when we receive Him as Lord. Here, in John chapter 7, Jesus speaks of another work of the Spirit, one in which we are filled to overflowing. Jesus compares this baptism of the Spirit to rivers of living water flowing out of us. These are two separate experiences available to every believer. 

“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call,” (Acts 2:38-39).

Have you been born again and become a child of God? Then this promise of the Spirit is for you. You can receive this gift right now. Simply pray this prayer with me: 

Father, I thank You that when I received Jesus as my Lord, I received the Holy Spirit like a well of water within me. But I see in Your Word that there is more of Your Spirit I can receive. Just as Your disciples received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, I desire to be filled with the Spirit so that rivers of living water can flow out of me to bless and touch others with Your love. I ask You to fill me with the Spirit right now, in Jesus’ name. And as an evidence of being filled with the Spirit, I expect to speak in other tongues as Your Word declares. Amen! 

In Acts chapter 2:4, it says the disciples began to speak with other tongues. They spoke in tongues. The Holy Spirit did not speak in tongues. They did. Neither did the Holy Spirit move their lips and tongues. They did. The disciples had to yield to the Spirit. That’s what “as the Spirit gave them utterance” means (Acts 2:4). You too have to yield your voice to the Holy Spirit and begin to speak. If you are born again and you prayed that prayer, I encourage you to lift your hands and heart to the Lord. Thank Him for filling you with the Holy Spirit. As you run out of known words to describe your thanks and God’s goodness, stop speaking in your native language and begin to speak whatever sound or syllable comes to your mind (even if it is not a sound or language you are familiar with). 

God has chosen tongues to be one of the signs we are filled with the Spirit because the tongue is one of our unruliest members (James 3:8). When we yield our tongues and lips to speak a language our minds cannot control, it is a sign we are filled with the Spirit. If you asked God to fill you with the Holy Spirit by praying the above prayer, I believe you are filled with the Spirit. You have been baptized into the Spirit, and as evidence of that baptism, you will speak with a new spiritual language from God— tongues. If you have prayed and received the Holy Spirit, please contact our ministry at info@gregmohr.com and let us know. We would love to hear what God is doing in your life as a result of receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit! 

Adapted from Greg Mohr’s Book, Walking in Wisdom