I am used to being filled… with food, using my senses to enjoy the sight, sound, smell, texture, and taste of good food for the stomach. I can hear the sizzling goodness of a piping hot steak on the grill. I confess, I am a recovering sugarholic. But, in my defense, when I was a kid, the churches of Christ were known for three things; knowing their scripture, good singing, and great eating. I excelled at the last two.
We were not, however, known for our knowledge of the Holy Spirit, quite the contrary. We ignored it and pretended the scriptures did not discuss it. We emphasized what we understood; hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized, and go spread the good news. I am candidly uncomfortable with how many times the Holy Spirit is discussed in scripture, and even more uneasy about what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And to maximize my anxiety, there is this phrase ‘filled with the Holy Spirit and with power.” What on earth does that mean?
It is taught we receive the Holy Spirit when we come up out of the baptismal water, having confessed our sins and proclaimed Jesus as our Lord. I agree it can happen then, but does it always happen then? There are various examples of the Spirit filling people to speak or to act on the Lord’s behalf, and while most are important people like judges, prophets, priests, and kings, Jesus said the crowds who ate of the fish & loaves sought him out because they were filled. I believe it is an intentional double entendre. Those filled with the Holy Spirit want to be near God, serve God, and long to be with Jesus. They are fed not only by fish & loaves, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. They know Jesus’ voice, and they willingly follow. Have you had any fish, loaves, or Godly words lately? Come taste and see that the Lord is good.
Grace & Peace, Charles.S