What can I do to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

How Can I Be Filled With The Holy Spirit?
I have always been a ‘how’ & a ‘why’ person. In childhood I was always taking things apart – I might have been good engineer except for my total lack of maths. When I became a Christian I found many preachers tended to exhort people to do things – the question that I, like many people have, is; “yes but how?”… ‘You must pray’ – “yes but how?”. ‘You must read bible’ – “yes but how?” ‘Tell other about Jesus’ – “Yes but how?”

Illustration of a glove – there’s no point telling a glove to pick up a book! – it needs a hand inside it!

We earlier mentioned that every Christian has the Spirit living within them, but not every Christian is full of the Holy Spirit. One illustration is a boiler – Most of the time they have a pilot light, but not always all fired up. This is a picture of difference between a person that is a Christian – and has the Spirit like a pilot light – and a Christian that is all fired up – firing on all cylinders.
What I want to look at today is how can I be a Christian that is firing on all four cylinders.
We see a number of occasions where this happens in Acts. In Acts Chapter 2 we see the first example of where a group people together are praying, and the Spirit of God came upon them. They were people who were longing for Gods Presence – and he came. As go on, see other occasions. So….

*What happens when people Experience the Holy Spirit?

i) Acts 8:14 – 17. Some are Receptive
Here’s a magician who sees Peter and John lay their hands on people, and sees something amazing happening to them. He says ‘Wow! wish I could do that – how much does it cost to be able to do that?’. Peter says its not something you can buy with money (quite strongly!). But Simon must have seen something amazing that wanted to buy it.

ii) Acts Ch7:54 – 8:1, Ch9:2 (p774) Some who are antagonistic
Saul was not a major fan of Christianity at that moment in his life – so from being totally anti Christian – we know what happened to him on road to Damascus – Pick up story vs17-19.
Next few verses – vs20 –22 Saul is preaching that Jesus is the son of God! So within a few days, this guy who has been persecuting Christians, assenting to the murder of Steven, putting them in prison – now out there preaching that Jesus is the Son of God!
What happened to him? – Well Jesus had appeared to him on road to Damascus and he had been filled with the Spirit.
When that happens in someone’s life – great encouragement because sometimes see someone who is really anti Jesus. Their immediate reaction to Christianity is one of total antagonism. Yet if they experience Jesus and are filled with the Spirit they can and do swing right round and start having a powerful effect on people around them as they share.
(My own story – went to gathering with a mocking attitude, but ended up in tears – my atheist parents were so amazed came to church!!)

iii) Ch19:1- 6 (p784) Some who are Uninformed
Not antagonistic like Paul had been – said ‘we’ve been baptised’ – but never heard of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes people like that today who have been baptised, confirmed, maybe brought up in the church but know nothing, or virtually nothing about the Holy Spirit.
See that they prayed for them, laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

What did they Experience?
Look at one example in Acts a bit more detail.
Up to this point it had all been Jews receiving the Spirit – here’s the first example of Gentile (non Jews receiving the Spirit. Acts10:45-46 (p777)

i) They experienced the Power of God.
The first thing we see is that the Spirit fell and everybody knew it. Peter in middle of his talk – and suddenly as looked around room saw that the Spirit of God was falling on people all over the room. Had to stop. Something happening that interrupted the preacher! – all know that not much can stop a preacher in full flow. – Hopefully God is one of them.
& When the Spirit comes on people it never happens ‘imperceptibly’ or without evidence. Something happens in a person’s life.
On the day of Pentecost the Spirit was accompanied with fire and wind. Interestingly, when people say how they experience the spirit, whether for first time or in daily life, they will very often use descriptions about the physical sensations connected with fire or wind. They often describe heat –“liquid fire”. Sometimes people experience heat in their hands or heat in their bodies. Often associated with fire or with wind. Like a trembling or a shaking – or like a ‘breathing in’ of the Spirit. Not saying you must experience any of these things – just mention them because sometimes people do experience these things and if we haven’t mentioned them beforehand people sometimes say ‘why didn’t you explain beforehand what might happen – because we were so surprised, and we didn’t really know it was the Holy Spirit’. Of course what matters is not the physical manifestations. They are not the important thing. Some experience them – some don’t. What matters is the inward experience in our hearts.
That’s the other thing people describe when they experience the Spirit as an…

ii) …Experience of the Love of God.
Keep finger in acts 10. Turn to Eph3:14-20
Paul prays for an understanding of the love of God.
There is a children’s rhyme that goes; ‘Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so’. That’s true but cannot know God loves us simply through words – and the Spirit comes to love us in such a way that we know that we know that we are loved. This is what Paul is praying for.
We see the love of Christ supremely on the cross – and can understand in our head Jesus died for me, therefore he loves me. But Paul here is talking about something more than that. He prays we may understand the love of God, and; “…grasp how wide high long, etc is the love of Christ”. But he goes on to say; “…and to KNOW this love that surpasses knowledge”. That love in not something that can simply be understood with your mind, however much you look at what God has done for you – important as that is. Its a stage further to know the love of God that surpasses knowledge. Its the experience of Sonship. The Spirit testifying with your spirit that you are a child of God. You know it because you have been loved.

There was a couple who argued about everything – after many years family paid to go to a psychiatrist – argued about going – argued in reception – argued at first question – Doctor got up from desk went around and kissed the old lady full on the lips for a long time. Turned to husband & said; “that is what this woman needs three times a week” – the husband scratched his head and said; “OK doc – I’ll bring her in Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays”.
So its not only in your head, but know in your heart that God loves you – That, in my experience, is the thing that people find hardest to grasp. We are so good at putting ourselves on the exclusion list. Know God loves others. But when we know we are loved by God because we have experienced it, that is what inevitably brings changes.

iii) They were released in Praise Ch10:46
Praise is the language of love. Language of people who are excited about God and what he’s done. People think it’s a very bad thing to be emotional in church. One writer to a newspaper wrote;

“Why is it that if a cinema comedy produces laughter the film is regarded as successful? If a theatre tragedy brings tears to the audience the production is regarded as touching. If a football match thrills the spectators the game is reviewed as exciting. But if the experience of the Glory of God in worship moves the congregation, the audience are accused of emotionalism”.
I would suggest that rampant emotionalism is not the main danger in most UK churches.
Emotionalism in itself is not a good thing – emotionalism is where it’s all emotions – not based on any facts – and that’s a bad thing. But our emotions’ being involved is terribly important in any relationship. Every relationship should involve our head and our heart.
If I come home and say to Julie “I love you with all my head. I approve of all you do.” If I said that to Julie I might not be surprised if she was a bit upset – because she wants to know that I love her with all of me including my heart.
Our problem is we are (mostly) British and there are certain areas we are told we are not supposed to express our emotions. Its OK in a football match and certain other areas. But told that to cry, or be too excited about certain things is just not British. (stiff upper lip culture) But it may surprise you to know that Jesus was not British!
But when the Spirit of God comes he frees us to express our emotions and our love. God had to unfreeze my heart from what I called the ‘twilight zone’ in which I had stored it. And some of that unfreezing was a shock. A bit like a baby being born. But it freed me to receive love and to give love. To have an integrated relationship with God – and also with others.
It may be that you are quite a formal person in all your relationships – & that’s fine – as long as its true to who you are. But if you are someone who is usually quite happy to greet people with a hi! or a hug, then you would expect a measure of affection in the context of worship. And the Spirit of God frees us to express our emotions to God.
That will be different for everybody. Nobody has to follow a particular pattern. It doesn’t matter how you express your love – as long as its true for you.
So they were released in praise.

iv) They received a new language
“The circumcised believers who had come with Paul were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. (Acts10:45-46)
· Not all Christians speak in tongues
· It is not the most important gift
So why is it helpful?
Do you need to speak in tongues? No. You can be a Christian and not speak in tongues – it is a gift from God to all his children who want to receive it. But there are no first class and second class Christians.

a)What is the gift of tongues?
1Cor 14:2 (p811) “for anyone who speaks in tongue does not speak to men but to God”.
Speaking to God is what normally call prayer.
·So speaking in tongues a form of prayer
It’s a form of prayer that transcends the language barrier.
Ch14:14 “For if I pray in a tongue my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful”
So there are two different types of gift of tongues. There are the tongues of men, which the people on the day of Pentecost spoke. Languages that could be understood by other people. They received a human language that they didn’t learn, but others could understand. That sometimes happens today. Receive the gift of speaking a language that they have never learned and someone else comes into the prayer meeting and knows exactly what that language is.
Much more common is the tongues of Angels. That’s what I believe Paul speaking about in Vs 14.
“My spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful” What saying is that the gift of tongues enables us to;
·Transcends the language barrier
• What happens when we pray is that we feel something in our spirits, or we have a thought we want to express to God. The only way we can express it is by putting it into English (or whatever is our first language) So there is a translation process that goes on in our minds. What the gift of tongues does is enable us to bypass that process in our minds. Its not ‘mindless’ – but its our spirit praying – us saying what we feel, but can’t necessarily express in our own language. After all language is very limited. Most people have a vocabulary of 5,000 words (Churchill spoke 15,000 but even he was limited)
There are certain things its very hard to express – but we know what we feel, and the gift of tongues is to enable us to bypass that language barrier and say what we really feel to God. Because what feel in human relationships we feel even more strongly in our relationship with God –

Examples of its use;
•In personal crisis when can’t fully express what want to pray. (Father taken ill in Spain)
•When praying for others and don’t know how – or run out of our words.
·The speaker is in full control
Its not that the Spirit of God comes and ‘takes people over’. That would be Demonic. There is no place in the Christian life where God ‘takes over’. He always gives us the freedom. And with all the gifts of the Spirit we can stop them at any moment because we are always co-operating with the Spirit. The moment we say to the Lord ‘no I want to stop’ he stops.
Only in the demonic world do things take over. – If addicted to drugs – they take you over and you are not in control any longer – people say ‘I feel my life is out of control’. That is an evil thing.
With God & with the gifts he gives us we are never out of control. Always about co-operating with him.
·Builds up the individual
Ch14:4 Paul says that he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. This goes back to what said about transcending the language barrier. Paul gives instruction about the gift to make sure they used it well. The context of letter was they were so excited about the gift they wanted to use it the whole time. Paul says ‘if I come to you and talk in tongues – not going to help you much. I’d rather speak 5 words in English that 10,000 in a tongue. If used in public – someone must interpret it to say what its about. (vs39) “But don’t forbid speaking in tongues” (vs5) “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues”. (vs19) “I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all, but in church rather speak five words of a language you understand!.”
• Singing in tongues is different because it’s a corporate activity as we listen to one another. Some I know found that to be the place where they received the gift of tongues. (Faith Forster testimony)
*How do we receive this gift?
Well its available to all – else Paul wouldn’t say “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues”. Doesn’t mean everyone does as we have seen, but that it’s available to everyone if they would like to.
How do we receive? We ask God.
And then we co-operate. This is a very important point. God doesn’t suddenly make us speak in tongues. We are to pray, ask God to give us the gift and then we have to start to praise God, to speak out in a language other than a language we speak naturally. And as we do so he begins to give us the words. And like any language it takes time, we have to practice it. Like all the gifts of the Spirit. If the gift is teaching, we have to teach. And like any human language it grows. My children started with one or two words. Mummy, Daddy. And like any language it grow with use in breadth and depth.
So. Would you like to be filled with the spirit?
I’ve said already that you can be filled with the spirit and not speak in tongues. But supposing you say I’d love to be filled with the Spirit.
How do I receive?
Luke 11:9-11 see Jesus talking in context of Holy Spirit and he outlined three barriers to receiving. The first one is
•Doubt. (vs9-10)
Emphasises the issue six times! God WILL give.
•The second barrier is Fear. (vs11-13)
Might something terrible happen to me? Will I have some awful experience? Is it going to do me harm. Am I going to receive something bad if I pray to receive the Holy Spirit?. Should I really put the welcome matt out?
Jesus uses the illustration of a father asked by their child for fish (& Chips) go down shop and buy a snake! Or served up scorpions for breakfast!
“If you then, though you are evil know how to give good gifts to your children – how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him”
And he deals there with the third barrier, which is
•Inadequacy
Many people say “I know God does these things – I trust him now – but you don’t know me – if you knew what I was like inside you wouldn’t believe God would give me his Holy Spirit.”
We all feel like that. Because all of know that deep down we are totally unworthy. But the wonderful news is that God gives, not because we are worthy, not because we deserve it, not because we’ve been Christians for years, not because we have served him faithfully.

What Jesus says is not; “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those that are very spiritual”. But to those that ask. Ask and you will receive. So shall we ask him?

I want to pray a prayer now that makes it possible for anyone here to be sure right now that they are a Christian. Maybe someone here saying ‘all this talk about the Holy Spirit, receiving the Spirit, being filled of the Spirit. You know I’m not even sure that I am a Christian’.
I want to make it possible for you to pray a simple prayer now – so that you can be sure that from today onwards you are a Christian. It a very simple prayer we prayed earlier on in the course. Asking for forgiveness, turning from things we know are wrong, thanking Jesus for dying for us and asking his Spirit to come and live within us.
The Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. He is alive and he is with you right now.
& If you would like to pray this prayer you can pray it in the quietness of your heart.

Lord Jesus Christ, I’m sorry for the past. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong. Thank you that you love me so much that you came to die on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free. And I entrust you now with my life. I ask you to come in to my life by your Spirit to be my saviour and my Lord. Thank You. amen.
Some of you may now like to pray now for God to come and fill you with his Holy Spirit.
Maybe some of you would like to pray for the gift of tongues so here’s a prayer you might like to pray.

Lord I thank you that you say ask & you will receive. I thank you that it is your idea to give the Holy Spirit to those that have put their trust in you. I ask right now for your Holy Spirit to fill me, to come and to show me more of Jesus, and to ‘lead me into all truth’ as Jesus said he would. Thank you Lord, Amen.