How do you live the Spirit filled life?
Discussion question for December 17, 2010.
We recently talked about power and purpose for Christian living, and how it relates to your personal relationship with God. What is necessary to live the Spirit-filled life? Is there a second awakening, or spiritual event, necessary after salvation? Is it possible to slip in and out of this kind of living? What expectations do you have of living this way?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
John the Baptist said of Jesus that He would be the one that baptized with fire as a reference to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised this to the apostles and it was given after His ascension at the time of Pentecost. Prior to that time the Holy Spirit would come upon someone (like the prophets), but this was different because anyone could be baptized in the name of the Lord and therefore be baptized by fire (Acts 19:1-6).
When the manifestation of the baptism of the Spirit began, it was with power: powerful preaching, powerful worship, tongues, signs and wonders. The people that believed were given the opportunity to change their baptism of repentance (water) to baptism of the Lord (fire). Whenever the instruction was complete, this occurred in a single event rather than requiring a second one. The key was that the person believe and therefor decide to yield their life to the Holy Spirit.
The decision to yield is the first step of the baptism, and the result is that you are “filled.” In this case you are given the Holy Spirit’s fullness by way of capacity. There is a progressive nature to this condition as you release your own agenda, surrendering that to the power of the Holy Spirit. The process of yielding means that the rate of manifestation is established by the person since God the Holy Spirit will not override their free will.
In Galatians it instructs us to walk by the Spirit, and when we do we will experience the fruit of the Spirit. This is only possible because we have been filled. So being filled is a past tense completed action, but yielding to the filling is an ongoing action.
The choice that must be made in order to be filled with the Spirit is: “I will live my life for the Lord, because He gave His life for me.” When my desire or demand for control is 100% then there is no evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit. I need my control demands to be at 0% so that I am yielded to Him.
1 Corinthians 6:17 states that we become one spirit with the Lord. This is the new math, similar to becoming one-flesh with a spouse. It is not a choice between 100% for me or 100% for the other, which would be describing a relationship built on control (codependent and enabling). It is a choice between 100% for me OR 100% for Us.
When I yield to the Holy Spirit everything becomes easy, not because I have no involvement, but because God provides the power and direction and then takes responsibility for the results. I get to participate to His glory.