Be Filled with the Spirit!  Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2020  

  

“To your advantage”: John 16:7 Holy Spirit in us better than Jesus physically with us?!!  Be filled with Holy Spirit! Ephesians 5:18, Acts 2:4, 4:31, 13:52 Contrasted to being drunk: Ephesians 5:18 Coming under the power of a directing influence   How to be filled with Holy Spirit? The Christian’s default position: born of the Spirit: John 3:5,6 The better question: how NOT to impede Holy Spirit’s intended filling? Being filled is not like trying to start a stubborn lawn mower Holy Spirit in us is more like the water main to my house What things “turns off”the main valve (“quench”: 1 Thess 5:19; “grieve”: Eph 4:30)?  Three Cautions: Ephesians 5:15-17 One: Living unwisely, which means conscious intentional disobedience: see Matt 7:24-27 Two: Not making the best use of time, which could suggest distractedness Holy Spirit as air (it can lift an airplane, it can surround you in stillness) “Is that You, Holy Spirit?” Three: a priori surrender to whatever the Lord’s will will be Willingness and humility invite Holy Spirit; resistance and pride push back Holy Spirit  Three Habits that Keep the Water Flowing: Ephesians 5:19-21 One: articulating praise: verse 19 Praise completes the joy and goodness of an experience Articulated praise brings the truth of head-belief into the realm of experienced reality A firm foundation for on-going obedience (we follow what we admire!) Two: articulating thanksgiving: verse 20 Trains us to see the good in every situation (through the lens of the name of Jesus whose specialty turns what is meant for evil toward good) A firm foundation for being able to see Holy Spirit always at work around us Three: submitting to one another in God’s family: verse 21 Submission muscles practiced with people form a foundation to learn submission to God