This Is The Spirit Filled Life Series

TITLE: This is the ‘Spirit Filled” Life

TEXT: Eph.5:15-21

THEME: Whats the big deal about the Holy Spirit

INTRODUCTION: Does being filled with the Spirit really make a difference?

ILLUSTARTION: Billy Richards and church member

A pastor friend related this story that recently happened in his church.

A church member and her husband came to see him. She was very distressed and upset.

‘I have worked for this company for 25 years, she began, ‘ I have given my whole life to it, and now they are firing me. I don’t know why, I am being fired, but I think it is because I am a Christian. I don’t know if I should take it to court or not.’ Astor what should I do?’

My friend, calmed the lady down, and suggested that he go and talk with her supervisor.

The next day, Bill visited the woman’s place of work and went to the office of the general manager.

Pastor Bill asked about his church member and her dismissal, the manager replied that he could not talk about the issues because it was a private company matter, but he was free to talk with any of the other workers who worked under this lady.

When the pastor casually spoke with the other workers, not one had a positive thing to say about her. Some even used foul language to describe how they felt about her behavior and actions which were less than Christ honoring.She would arrive to work late,but fudge her time card. She would leave early but add extra minutes to gain overtime. She would verbally abuse her fellow workers, and even spread rumors about them.

She was even seen to take things from work home with her.

A couple days later, the woman and her husand returned to the Pastors office. She asked my friend what he had been able to learn.

Pastor Bill looked at the lady and said to her, “You are an embarrassment to the name of Christ. You have called yourself a Christian.”, and even boasted about being Spirit filled, but everyone at your place of work says that you are negative, proud, steal from the company, and lazy’

You are not being persecuted, you’re being prosected

My friend was never one to pull punches. His point to this woman was, if you claim to be a Spirit filled follower of Jesus, then it will make a difference.

Over the years, I have since come to understand that many Christians fail to understand that the Spirit filled life as never meant to be a static experience. The Spirit filled life is intended for every believer to experience every day they live. Being filled with the Holy Spirit makes a difference in how you work, where you live and how you worship.

Over the past several weeks we have been studying the necessity of having a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

For those who have not been here for all the study, allow me to once again summarize what we have learned together,

The Holy Spirit is not an it or force. He is your best friend. He is God. Furthermore, The Holy Spirit is God’s promise to the believer, as well as God’s power in the believer.

Not only does He want to live in you, but He desires to immerse you into His Spirit and ing every day under give you power to life for Jesus, witness about Jesus, and do the works of Jesus.

Charles Stanley correctly writes, ‘The holy Spirit makes possible your ongoing Christian life and enables you to both experience Christ and to have a relationship with the Father. The Holy Spirit enables you to have a sense of victory in your Christian walk. You need him at work in you and through you if you are to fulfill your earthly destiny in Christ and become the person that God created you to be.

What exactly is the Spirit Filled life? If I were to define what the Spirit filled life is, I would say, The Spirit filled life is living every day under the control and leadership of the Holy Spirit resulting in right relationship first to God, then with other people.

Turn now in your Bibles to Ephesians 5:15-21, and read along with me as we discover the difference living the Spirit filled life makes,

( Read Eph. 5:15-21)

The first thing we discover is that WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT

The top of Chapter 5 begins by saying,

1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God… 8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light