“If
worms had machine guns, birds (would) be scared of them.”
Jim
Harbaugh
No,
I am not going to talk about football or Jim Harbaugh. In fact, neither are the inspiration for
today’s blog. I want to talk about a
phrase that we see repeated multiple times in the Bible, “filled with the Holy
Spirit” or “full of the Holy Spirit”. I
have been thinking about today’s blog for about a month intently; but several
years generally. Several sources have
helped me organize my thoughts. First of
all, as in all my blogs, scripture is my primary source; my secondary source,
thanks to a tip from our pastor, is an article by John MacArthur which helped
me clarify and reaffirm my thoughts.
MacArthur
relates an 1872 conversation between American evangelist Dwight L Moody and British
evangelist Henry Varley. Varley made the
statement, “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through a
man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him”. This statement reminded me of a statement by
Jim Elliot, an evangelical Christian who was one of five missionaries killed in
1956 while participating in Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador. Jim was 28 at the time
of his death.
“It makes me
boil when I think of the power we profess and the utter impotency of our
action. Believers who know one-tenth as much as we do are doing one-hundred
times more for God, with His blessing and our criticism. Oh if I could write
it, preach it, say it, paint it, anything at all, if only God’s power would
become known among us.”
Maybe now you can see where my title
ties into this blog. As Christians, we
are the worms with machine guns, and the birds are the demonic forces of
Hell. We have the power of Almighty God,
Creator of heaven and earth; Jesus Christ, the Word become Flesh; and the Holy
Spirit as our machine guns. Satan does
not have a chance; unless we give him one. Christians have the equivalent of
“the nuclear option” when it comes to dealing with Satan. We just don’t know it
or use it. In order to access this
power, Christians must be “filled with the Holy Spirit”.
I can see some readers already
getting excited saying, “what do you mean, if you are a Christian, you have the
Holy Spirit? To which, I would say,
“Yes”, but does that mean that you are “filled with the Spirit”. Many Christians are quick to tell you what it
does not mean; but, unable to tell you what it means. I think that the article by MacArthur does a
nice job for presenting a Biblically based explanation. I do not agree 100%; but, close.
To respond to those who think that
since they are Christians, they are “filled with the Spirit”, I would refer you
to Paul’s prayer for the Christians at Ephesus.
Paul prayed that God would “use
His glorious riches to make you strong. May His Holy Spirit give you His power
deep down inside you. Then Christ will
live in your hearts because you believe in Him and I pray that your love will
have deep roots. I pray that it will have a strong foundation. May you be able to comprehend with all the
saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love; and to
know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all
the fullness of God.” Is their
inability “to know the Messiah’s love
that surpasses knowledge” because of something God has failed to do? Has the Holy Spirit (not) give(n) you His power
deep down inside you? NO, anything
that they are lacking is because they are failing. Christ’s work was complete. God was not holding anything back!
Later in the same letter, Paul commands
the Ephesian Christians to “be filled with the Spirit”. He was talking to Christians and commanding
them to “be filled with the Spirit”. He
went on to tell them “speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks for
all things… submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of the Lord. Paul similarly commanded the Colossians, “Let
the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord”. As you “let the
Word of Christ dwell in you”; you will “be filled with the Spirit”.
The Greek word for “to fill” or “be
filled” in Ephesians is Pleroo. It carries with it the idea of “keeping one’s
self constantly filled”; as we empty ourselves and yield our self to the Spirit,
the Spirit fills us, pressure us, compels us permeates us. Paul tells the Ephesians to “walk worthy of
the vocation”, “walk as children of light”; the Galatians to “walk in the
Spirit” and the Colossians to “walk worthy of the Lord”. This is a decision we make. The Holy Spirit dwells in us as Christians;
but, controls us only to the extent that we yield ourselves. The more that we “let the Word of Christ
dwell” in us, the more we empty ourselves, we allow God to control us and fill
us. God will not make you or me do
anything. You and I are not puppets. We have been given a free will, allowing us
to sin and allowing us to yield.
For those of you who are still not
convinced that the “filling of the Spirit” is a process, rather than an automatic event
occurring at rebirth; I refer you to Acts 6 when the first deacons were selected. The twelve disciples instructed the church, believers
with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, to select men from among them, “full of
the Holy Spirit”. They were talking to
Christians; but obviously, not all were “full of the Spirit”. Something was unique in these men that people
could see. Luke tells us that the
apostles “were filled with the Holy
Spirit and they spoke the Word of God with boldness”.
Stephen, one of the men selected, was
said to be “full of faith and power (and)
did great wonders and miracles”. A
person “full of the Spirit” stands out.
Luke records in acts that Philip, another of the seven and full
of the Spirit, preached “the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done”. These men “full of
the Spirit” were not ordinary man!
Barnabas was also said to be “a good
man full of the Holy Spirit and of faith; and many people were “added unto the
Lord”. Something happens when people
yield themselves completely to the Spirit.
The more the “completeness of the yielding”; the more the “filling of
the Spirit”. Another extra ordinary man!
Wrong! These were all ordinary men! Just like you. Just like me.
But they were used in special ways because they were “filled with the
Holy Spirit”, wholly consecrated and surrendered to God. They were men who knew their God as Daniel
said: “the people that do
know their God shall be strong , and do exploits.”
He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these
shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
You ask me, “Do you really
believe that? Yes I do. If I can’t believe, then how can I trust John
3:16?
Once we as the body of Christ allow
the Holy Spirit to control us, permeate us. empower us; the power of God will
begin to manifest itself in today’s church.
How do we do that. We take the
first step. Do the easy part! Pray like Jesus prayed! Pray the scripture! Lay hands on the sick and take authority over
satan. Put on the whole armor of
God. Start praising God in obedience to
His command!
If we are too stubborn to raise our hands in
worship, I doubt that we are pliable enough for God to use us to do “greater
works”. If we are too stubborn to do the
simple things, how are we going to do exploits?
The old hymn, Alas! And did my
Savior bleed, reminds us that Christ died for “such a worm as I “; but now, we are no
longer the worm that we were. We are the
body of Christ to whom has been given “the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and
whatsoever we shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever we
shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. We have been given authority and a job to do.
Now
the worms don’t have machine guns, we have “the Sword of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God”.
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