Be Filled with the Spirit

In our sermon text this week, Mary, pregnant with our Lord Jesus Christ, meets with Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. Luke tells us that, upon their meeting, the baby leaps in Elizabeth's womb and she, filled with the Holy Spirit, shouts “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk. 1:42).

Filled with the Holy Spirit, she proclaims God's faithfulness to His promise of salvation, and she wonders at the great blessing it is to be present for it.

The Holy Spirit is the frequently misunderstood or neglected person of the triune God. This ought not be! The Spirit is alive and constantly at work in our lives. In Acts 2:38, Peter tells those who seek salvation to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus and they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. To have the Living God living and working in and through our lives should be our ardent desire. This was impressed on me recently when my wife encouraged me, a church leader, to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

What does a life filled with the Holy Spirit look like? Paul writes to the church in Ephesus:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph. 5.18-20)

Praise, song, thanksgiving, and Christian fellowship. These are what we are called to fill our life with. These are the actions of a life consumed with the desire to glorify God. And notice that we are called upon to do these things! We are to “be filled with the Spirit,” but we are then encouraged to action.

As we celebrate the Advent of our Savior and look forward to His return, let’s joyfully sing songs that teach the Gospel, thank God together (for all blessings come from Him), and submit to one another in love, reflecting the salvation we are assured of. And I earnestly desire that you pray for me and the leadership of our church to be filled with the Holy Spirit in our lives, in building God's Kingdom. We are praying the same for you.