Being Filled

When you think about filling something up,  what do you think of.  Remember just after the last dinosaur went extinct, there used to be something called a gas station attendant.  (I understand that they still have them in some of the more backwards parts of the country) As the procedure went, you would pull up to the gas station and an attendant would ask you what you wanted.  You would say,  “Filler up” and they would proceed to do what ever necessary things needed to be done to fill your car with fuel.   Of course in order to save money, they now require us to do that ourselves.  (Which is why gas here is so much cheaper than above mentioned “backwards states”…wait a minute why is their gas the same price?!……… but I digress. )   When you think of filling up, you think of something empty being filled with some substance.  But as we talked about last week the Holy Spirit is rightly understood as He not It.  So how do we think of that relationally?

The metaphors used in scripture of our relationship with the Holy Spirit certainly invite us to think of Him in such a way.  Being poured out and being filled certainly speaks to us of our abject emptiness without the Holy Spirit.  But it can also lead us toward an unhealthy approach when we take it to far.  When the Holy Spirit is gas in the gas tank, He becomes a commodity, and impersonal.  People mistakenly move toward manipulation and a magical world view (if we sing the right songs or say the right words emphasizing ….) then we will…..   It can also lead in the direction of creating a litmus test as to whether someone actually has experienced the Holy Spirit.  We impose upon Him expectations and experiential tests as if He can be corralled or controlled.  We can end up chasing after experience rather than relationship.  How sad.

So what does it mean to “be filled with the Spirit”?  How should we think about it staying within the bounds and emphasis of scripture?  How does one become “filled with the Spirit” and are you?  Do you want to be?  Prayerfully consider these things today and come to church with an expectant heart.  

“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. – Acts 2:17

See you at church,

Pastor Chris