By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are given access to the Holy Spirit. We experience a new birth when we accept that He bore the penalty for our transgressions and that He was raised from the grave. We receive the Holy Spirit at the same time. There is no such thing as a Christian who has not received the Holy Spirit. The Bible contains three scriptures that make this very evident to us:
- “He does not belong to anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ.”– Romans 8:9
- According to 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”
- “When you heard the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, you too were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit in him (that is, Christ).” – 1 Ephesians 1:13
Need to be filled with the Holy Spirit
Yet, receiving the Holy Spirit when we become believers is not the end of the matter. After our conversion we can, and need, to be filled with the Holy Spirit time and again. The presence of the Holy Spirit is meant to be an overwhelming presence in our lives. Jesus’ promise ‘you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit’, with the result of ‘receiving power’ (Acts 1:8) testifies to that. But we are not always equally full of the Holy Spirit. As we are busy with everyday life, and especially when we start turning away from God, even in small things, we start losing the fullness of the Holy Spirit. When we start giving in to the luring of the flesh and shut our ears and eyes to what the Holy Spirit tells us through the Bible, we “quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and “grieve the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30).
As a result, the Holy Spirit needed to be replenished in order for even the apostles to remain filled. Acts 2 describes how the Spirit descended upon them with power on the day of Pentecost. Acts 4:31 tells us that they were filled again during a special need following prayer.
What happens when you receive the Holy Spirit?
The experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit involves many different aspects. A number of things jump out when we read the New Testament.
- God gives boldness to proclaim the Gospel (see e.g. Acts 1:8, 4:31, 7:55)
- God inspires gratitude (see, for example, Acts 10:46, Ephesians 5:18–20).
- A desire to obey God is given (see, for example, Galatians 5:6 and Acts 5:29–32).
- God frequently performs miracles and speaks prophecies (see, for example, Acts 11:28, 13:2, 13:9, and 19:6)
Strive for more
It seems obvious that wanting to be filled with the Holy Spirit is a noble goal. See 1 Corinthians 12:31 for the Lord’s desire for us to make an effort to experience the Spirit more. In fact, Ephesians 5:18 commands us to “be filled by the Spirit.” How then does that occur? Since God fills us and we are unable to control Him, it is not mechanical. It is not our achievement, but rather God’s grace that fills us with the Holy Spirit. However, there are a number of things we can do:
- Live according to God’s will. According to Ephesians 4:25–32, we grieve the Holy Spirit when we lead unclean lives, and we shall never encounter his power.
- Put your attention on Jesus by reading your Bible every day and praying. Jesus and the Holy Spirit have a close relationship. The Spirit works to fill us with Himself when we concentrate on Jesus Christ, the crucified and rising Lord.
- As you pray, expect God to work miracles and express your readiness to be used by Him (Acts 4:28–31).
- [Preach the gospel]. According to Acts 7:55, 9:17–20, 11:23–24, and 13:9, persons are frequently engaged in or about to begin proclaiming the gospel when we read that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. God gives us the Spirit so that we might serve Him in public, not so that we can enjoy Him in secret.
