Being Controlled By The Holy Spirit

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall

enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does

the will of My Father in heaven.

Many will say to Me in that day,

‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in

Your name, and done many wonders in

Your name? And then I will declare to them,

“I never knew you; depart from Me,

and you who practice lawlessness!”

Matthew 7:21–23

            The above Scripture should cause a person to examine all that they do in the name of Jesus Christ. Many people claiming to be following the Bible as shown by various manifestation, they claim, of the Holy Spirit, that they are “filled’ with the Holy Spirit, may not actually be following Scripture. In fact, they have assumed that they are demonstrating being “filled” with the Holy Spirit and yet never taking time to personally examine that which they are doing. Why fear this Scripture? Jesus said: “I never knew you; depart from Me,” (vs. 23). The word “never” in Greek is 2^nd Aorist, Indicative, Active, and is pointing out that in a period, a point in time, Jesus did not know them. Then Jesus connects their actions of saying and showing various manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and their prophesies, that they have connected to Jesus Christ are not so connected to Him, and this He says: “you who practice lawlessness!” (vs. 23b). This practice of conjoining these, and sometimes outlandish, actions as being filled with the Holy Spirit may not necessarily be so; therefore we must examine the “filling of the Holy Spirit.”

            What then is the filling of the Holy Spirit? Paul writes: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation (excess); but be filled with Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Paul did not say, “be Baptized with the Holy Spirit, rather, he said to be filled with Spirit. Notice the comparison with being drunk, and with being filled with Spirit, as the next verses explain what this means: “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord giving things always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:19–21). Did Paul say to the Ephesians to be acting drunk, to be so filled with Spirit to dance around feverishly, shouting, and fainting, and being slain, or to perform healings, or raising the dead, or to be passing through tunnels of fire as is done at the Bethel Church in Redding, California. No! The illustration by Paul is that we are not to be controlled by anything else except to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is interesting to look at how being drunk with wine was considered by non–Christians, especially the Greeks. They held to the idea the alcohol was the “drink of the gods” and alcohol and a certain affect on man and that affect was the power of God which enabled the drinker to receive power, great power, and awareness or inspiration. Paul, first century person understood the mind of the first century people and this illustration not be lost on those to whom he wrote and should not be lost on us. So, in contrast: allow the indwelling of the Holy Spirit control you.

            To be “filled with the Spirit,” means then, to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Examples in the New Testament:

1. Jesus, in Luke 4:1, said he was "full of the Holy Spirit."
2. Stephen, was "full of faith and the Holy Spirit" Acts 6:5, 7:55.
3. Barnabas, also was full of the Spirit. Acts 11:24.
4. Peter, preached in Acts 4:8 "filled with the Holy Ghost."
5. The first deacons, in Acts 6:3, to be qualified must be men "full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom."

It is clear from Scripture that to be “filled with the Spirit” and the “Spirit’s” influence was for empowering a person to manifest Christianity by living as God, and His Son, so clearly pointed out, that we are to live according to the commands of God as found in the Ten Commandments. We are to apply those commands in every circumstance we find ourselves in this life. We are to be ready to speak the Gospel, we are to be Christian and not some fanatic, or perform some fanatical experience. Nowhere in Scripture is a believer in Jesus Christ, one who has converted to Jesus Christ, has a command to be “Baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Jesus did

 command: “be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Read Romans, chapters 6 & 7, and you will find that we, as Christians have two natures; one that is carnal, and the other a new nature, a spiritual one. A Christian can allow the old carnal nature to control him and sin: “If wee say that we have o sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1John 1:8–10). Or, we can allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. The question: who is controlling you? Who are you in submission too? Is it your lust for carnal things or is it our desire for spiritual things?

Do not love the world,

            Or things in the

World. If anyone loves

            The world, the

Love of the Father

            Is not in him.

                        1John 2:15

Love God, live life

Richard L. Crumb