The Eternal Gift of The Holy Spirit

      This topic begins with an understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is one of the most important facts of our spiritual lives as Christians.  Some Christian refer to this as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is further explained by the idea of walking by the Spirit.

Think about your life.   

      Take a minute and think about the churches you have known.  Most of these churches have people who are living respectable lives.  Yet they struggle with so many problems, so many sins. 

      The reason for this is our flesh.  It is not our bodies.  It is a drive, a force that is in us and will always drive us to seek things like money, and power, and sex to find the peace and joy that we lack.  The flesh is a liar though.  We can never find fulfillment in those things.  

      In our previous topics we saw how the flesh works.  What it is.  We found that the flesh is completely opposed to God and His Holy Spirit.  Our flesh always will be.   It never goes away in our lifetimes.  The flesh drives us to sin.  Drive us to do the things we do not want to do, and prevents us from doing the things we do want to do.  The only way a believer can be set free from the reign of sin in his life is to deal with his flesh. 

      God has provided a way to do this.  We can rejoice in this.  For it is not up to us to defeat our flesh.  God has provided the way.

      God loves you.  He has not left you helpless and in bondage.  He wants you to have an abundant life.  If you are a believer, than you are one of God’s children.  You are part of His family.  God does not abuse His children.  God wants the best for His family.

      What God has done for us is to give Himself to us.  First, He gave Himself in Jesus Christ, to be our redeemers.  To forgive us for our rebellion form Him and to give us the opportunity to become a part of His family.  Then, once we have joined that family of faith, He does not just leave us helpless in this world.  He has once again given us Himself.

      God has given us a helper for our lives here in this world.  He has given us a comforter.  He has given us someone who will live within us and give us the ability and strength and joy that we long for.  This helper is the Holy Spirit. 

      God’s gift of His Holy Spirit is the answer.  The Bible states:  “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh  - Galations 5:16.

      When a person becomes a new believer, a new Christian, the Holy Spirit comes to live in him.  That is called the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit.  This is true of all Christians, even those living in sin.  This indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the basis from which the Holy Spirit conducts other works in the believer’s life.  From the Bible we learn that the Holy Spirit permanently indwells every believer at the time of conversion.

      The filling of the Holy Spirit, in contrast, is not permanent.  It is though the most important power in a Christian’s spiritual life.  The filling of the Holy Spirit means that the Holy Spirit gives power for doing and being what God wants.  But it depends on our cooperation.  God does not force us to trust in Him for our lives.  He does not force us to live in the Holy Spirit in our lives.

      The filling of the Holy Spirit is like a drunk person being filled with alcohol.  It is a matter of control.  In the case of the drunk he is under the control of the alcohol. The filling of the Holy Spirit controls a person in a fashion so that he can do and be things that are not possible in his own power. 

      The result of the filling - or as some would call it baptism - of the Holy Spirit is empowerment by the Spirit.  This is God’s answer, His provision for us so that we can live as God wants us to live.  We no longer are controlled by our flesh.

Please look at Ephesians chapter five.

      Here the word used for filling by the Holy Spirit is the word used for filling sails with wind.  The sails are filled with the wind when the sailboat moves across the water.  This is the same idea as filling with the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit gives power to the believer and moves her along in God’s direction.

      Filling by the Spirit would be a continuous way of life to the believer who is yielded to God.