Why and How to be Filled and Full of the Holy Spirit (Part 1)

[Preached by Pastor Kenneth Chin at Acts Church Malaysia on 17 September 2017]

Can we be disciples without being filled by the Holy Spirit?

Read | Acts 19:1-2

When Paul asked some disciples at Ephesus whether they had received the Holy Spirit after they became believers, they replied that they had not even heard about the Holy Spirit.

Therefore we see that it is entirely possible for a believer to be a disciple, but not know the Holy Spirit, nor have His power. Without power, it is very difficult to have victory over sins and bad habits in our lives, for example, pornography, or smoking.

Yes, it is possible to exist and survive without the Holy Spirit – but we will not have power in our lives! We do not want to be Christians who only have a form of religion without God’s power.

And can you be filled without being full?

We can fill our cars with petrol, but we might not fill the tank up completely. Likewise, we can also be filled with the Holy Spirit – but we might not be filled up completely.

Read| Matt 3:11

John the Baptist tells us that Jesus came to baptise us with the Holy Spirit, and with fire.

The definition of baptism (or baptizo in the Greek) means to be immersed, where a person is fully immersed or fully dipped in water. This can be illustrated using ice-cream and melted chocolate.

When the server only dips your ice-cream halfway and hands it to you, how do you feel? Surely you will not be satisfied because you want the ice-cream to be fully immersed in the melted chocolate!

To experience our breakthroughs, it is of utter importance that we fill ourselves to the full with the Holy Spirit.

In the same way, we must desire to be fully dipped and immersed in the Holy Spirit. When we are full to the brim with the Holy Spirit, there is no room for anything but God.

When we are filled but not full, it leaves room for other things to enter – things like doubt, fear, stress, and bitterness. This gives the devil footholds to come and take over our lives. To prevent this, we must constantly replenish ourselves with the Holy Spirit so that we remain full.

How can we tell when we are full?

1. In Acts 2:4, people were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in tongues.

2. People who are full will be constant and consistent in serving God. This is because they will want to please God all the time.

3. Ephesians 5:18-20 tells us not to be drunk with wine, but to be filled with the Spirit, and speak to each other in psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. When we are full, praise is a natural outcome.

When we are full,
praise is a natural outcome.

When your spirit is connected with God, your speech will show it! When you are not full, you will indulge in gossip and rumors, or complain, and look for things to be unhappy about.

Written by: Writer’s Ink
Edited by: Ivy Wambaa & Hailey Chung