Ephesians 5:15-20: Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Be Filled With the Spirit-Part III
This week again I want to focus on the statement, Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Below are nine advantages of the Holy Spirit that I first listed two weeks ago.
1. The Holy Spirit will be with you forever.
2. The Holy Spirit will be in you.
3. The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
4. The Holy Spirit will remind you of what Jesus said.
5. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.
6. The Holy Spirit will tell you what is yet to come.
7. The Holy Spirit will convict the world.
8. The Holy Spirit will give you power and boldness to witness.
9. The Holy Spirit will give you victory over your enemies.
Last week I discussed the first two advantages on the list. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will be with you forever, and that he will be in you. This week I want to focus on the third and fourth advantages which are taken from John 14:26. "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
In John's first epistle he also said, As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it taught you, remain in him. (I John 2:27)
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever and that he would be in us. The greater one, the Holy Spirit, lives inside each born again believer.
Then Jesus added that the Holy Spirit would teach us all things, and that he would remind us of the things that Jesus said. Learning should be a life long passion for every individual. Too many people stop learning once they finish their formal education and find a job. However, in this information age it is critical for every worker to continue to learn and to improve his skills, or he may quickly find himself without a job.
Obviously, the first pursuit of a believer should be to seek God and to know him. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life." In John 6:63 Jesus said, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life."
Every believer should pursue the knowledge of the truth and all truth is wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul said in Colossians 2:3. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
Jesus is the source of all truth, all wisdom, and all knowledge. Notice, however, that the truth of God's wisdom and knowledge are treasures that are hidden in Christ. God desires to reveal these treasures to his church, but the believer must commit himself to pursue the truth.
Only the Holy Spirit is capable of teaching truth. Anyone can attend school and learn facts. Anyone can engage in a program of self education and learn facts. But no one can learn spiritual truth without the aid of the Holy Spirit. John said that the anointing that abides in each believer will teach you about all things. John added that the believer does not need another teacher other than the Holy Spirit.
Was John saying that the believer should not listen to preachers and teachers of the Word of God? Remember that the Word of God must always be interpreted in the light of the rest of the Word of God. In Ephesians 4 Paul teaches about the ministry gifts that Jesus placed in the church, and one of those ministry gifts is the teacher and another is the pastor. Yes, we should sit under the ministry of anointed men and women of God to hear the Word of God proclaimed and taught. However, we must listen with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. A minister cannot impart truth to others without the aid of the Holy Spirit.
Realize who lives inside you. The Holy Spirit longs to teach you the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in Jesus Christ. The average believer becomes busy with life and gives little time to the teaching ministry of Holy Spirit. Begin to regularly make yourself available to the Holy Spirit to teach you. Even if you only give him ten or fifteen minutes a day, what you begin to learn in that time will revolutionize your life, if you are willing to apply that truth to your life.
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would teach us all things, not just spiritual truth. Who taught Adam how to tend the finest garden in the history of this planet? Who taught Noah how to build a boat, which was the salvation of both mankind and the animal kingdom? Who taught Moses how to govern a multitude in the wilderness? Who taught Moses how to build the tabernacle and institute the priesthood? In all cases the answer is the Holy Spirit.
God gave Joseph the wisdom to govern a foreign nation in a time of crisis. Look at the resume of Joseph:
1. Shepherd
2. Household servant
3. Prisoner
Joseph did not possess the ideal resume for governing, but Joseph knew God, and God taught him daily how to govern the nation of Egypt.
God knows more about your occupation than anyone. It doesn't matter whether you are the president, a plumber, an engineer, a teacher, a police officer or a baker. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate expert regarding your job, and if you allow him to do so, he will teach you how to excel in your profession.
The Holy Spirit knows more about marriage and parenting than anyone in the history of the world. Do you need help in your family life? He will teach you how to succeed in your family life.
Finally, here is a thought that may shock the religious mind. Many married couples struggle with their sex lives. Who know more about sex than anyone else? Sex was God's idea, not Hugh Heffner's. The Holy Spirit will give a married couple the knowledge to have a completely satisfying and rewarding sex life.
The Holy Spirit will teach you all things. He will remind you of the things that Jesus taught. Commit today to learn from the one, who truly knows it all. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the hidden treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
Wayne L. Williams
wayne@fotwm.org