Power Up!

Aug 31 2022 - Eric Buresh

The Holy Spirit is sometimes an under-appreciated member of the Trinity that occupies a few catchphrases in our prayers but otherwise is given little thought. There are at least a couple of reasons. First, it is the Holy Spirit’s very nature and role to be deferential to God the Father and the Son. One of the Spirit’s primary actions is to open our eyes more and more to the beauty of Jesus Christ and thereby bring about the transformation of believers into the image of Jesus, i.e., to bring God’s children to holiness. In turn, when our eyes are opened to the beauty of Jesus, we most clearly perceive and appreciate the glory and infinite perfections of the Father. The Spirit is the wind in the sail that powers both regeneration and sanctification, but He is always pointing our affection to the other members of the Trinity. It is natural, then, for us to focus more where the Holy Spirit is pointing (Jesus) than on the Holy Spirit himself.

Second, many of us have seen false teachers and deceivers shroud themselves in Holy Spirit-jargon and abuses of the spiritual gifts. As a result, some have, in effect, thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Some are afraid of, or even reject, any exercise of spiritual gifts even though the Bible very plainly tells us to desire such gifts (1 Cor. 14:1) because they are for the common good and edification of the body (1 Cor. 12:7). More fundamentally, though, some have eschewed any felt experiences of the essential power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, as if experiencing the Spirit’s power in us is somehow a slippery slope to pagan worship. The Holy Spirit is not just a doctrinal concept to be understood. He is the person of the trinity that delivers the transformative power that absolutely should be experienced by a believer.

In Jesus’ words, we are to “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8. Or, as Paul prayed, “according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” Ephesians 3:16. We need this power to understand the love of God in Christ more fully. We need this power to have transformed minds. We need this power to be bold in witness. We need this power for effective service. We need this power to suffer with joy. We need this power to pray effectively. We need this power to exercise spiritual gifts. We need this power in so many ways! And we only have this power to the extent we are “filled with the Spirit.”

What does it mean to be “filled with the Spirit?” When I use this phrase, I am NOT referring to the indwelling, the sealing, or the baptism of the Spirit. Every believer, at the point of salvation, is indwelt and permanently sealed by the Holy Spirit. This moment of indwelling is sometimes referred to as the baptism of the Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:13 states, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” While every believer has the full Spirit indwelling them from the moment of salvation, not all believers are full of the Spirit.  

The phrase “filled with the Spirit” comes from Ephesians 5:18: “do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Similarly, 1 Cor. 12:13 explains we are given the “Spirit to drink.” Both versus present the same metaphor – if you want to be filled, drink up. How do we drink the Spirit? Drink in the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17) -- let the Spirit wield His sword in you as He sees fit to cut away your old-you resistance so that He becomes the driving power in your new-creation life. Do not quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19). Yield to His work in you. Pray to God and ask Him to give you the sensitivity to experience the power of the Holy Spirit more fully. As you fill up on the Spirit (and the room for your flesh decreases), you will experience real power – you will feel it and you will recognize the fruits of it. The Spirit’s power in you may not manifest how you want; His power will manifest how He wants, and He knows exactly what power you need in every moment for God’s greatest glory and your greatest good. In full trust that He is faithful and true and in full submission to His lead, Power Up!