"FILLED
WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT"
Ephesians
5:18
"Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said,
'It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven
men of good reputation, full of the
Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will
give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts
6:2-4).
Did this trait have to do with their power to perform miracles?
These seven men did, in fact, perform miracles (Acts 6:8; 8:6). However, THAT power was conferred upon them through the
laying on of the apostles hands (Acts 8:14-17).
And yet, the seven men were described as being "full of the Holy
Spirit and wisdom" PRIOR TO the apostles laying hands upon them (Acts
6:3-6).
Then just how was is possible for those seven men to be “full of the
Holy Spirit” BEFORE ever exhibiting their power to work miracles?
The answer can be determined from the passages below.
“Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For
the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many
as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).
The seven men in question had done precisely what Peter commanded in the
verses above, and thereby they had received the “gift of the Holy Spirit”.
You may be asking, “But three thousand people did what Peter commanded
on that day. How is it that these
seven men were thought to be “full of the Holy Spirit”? That is a good question, and the verses below will give the
explanation.
Paul commanded the Ephesians to “be
filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). In
Colossians, Paul showed how this would be accomplished when he wrote, “Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Col 3:16).
Therefore, the seven men must have been “filled with...the word of
Christ“. They must have learned
as much as they could from the apostles, and turned that knowledge into
productive service to the Lord. Their
fellow Christians must have recognized their dedication to the Lord, and then
appointed them to the important task of tending to the needs of widows.
So, does being “filled with the Spirit” require an actual bodily
indwelling of the Holy Spirit? Does
being “filled with the Spirit” imply that one has miraculous powers like
Christ, the apostles and, later, the seven men?
No it does not!
Actually the Holy Spirit dwells in the Christian by means of the word of
Christ; words that proceed from the Father (1 Cor 2:10-12).
God’s word is that which is to control the mind and life of every child
of God. Whenever the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit in a Christian is explained, it should never result in
confusion. The scriptures maintain
that God (2 Cor 6:16), Christ (2 Cor 13:5), and the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:11), all
three, live within the Christian. But
they do so by means of spiritual life-giving words.
Jesus once said, “It is the
Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are
life” (John 6:63).