Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is a person, is a person of the Trinity who has increasingly more of us. So the question, the real question is not, do you have the Holy Spirit?
The real question is, does the Holy Spirit have you? That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series, Filled, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource today. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.
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Here is Alan Wright. In the early days of coming back to work, thankful for work, it's good, but you know, I miss them. You know, I miss them.
Isn't that an odd thing? It's like the more that I was with them, you'd think it would satisfy that itch and like, okay, now I'm ready to not be with them and get back. But that's not the way it's worked for me. It's like the more I'm with them, the more I'm filled with them. And there was a dawning many years ago to me that in a sense that's what it means to be filled with God. I come back from such a vacation and I'm filled with the laughter of my children. I'm filled with the love of my wife, you see.
And so this is what we're talking about as a relationship with God. And so I don't have a technique for you today. But it is my desire that we make it our hearts longing to ask God continually for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. So why would anybody say, no, I prefer not. I really don't want too much joy in my life.
I really don't need any extra power, you know, right now in life. Why would anybody ever say, no, I don't want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Why would anybody ever say, no, I don't want someone to lay hands on me and pray for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Well, I want to mention a couple of things that I've observed over the years. The first of which I'm not going to take time today to discuss or do much exegesis or scripture interpretation for you.
Although I may in a future meeting. And that is that some don't believe that God does supernatural things today. And out of their own integrity, as they read the scripture, and as they've been taught that God doesn't do supernatural things today in the way He did in the first century.
By a step of personal integrity, don't want to be involved in something that seems to be unbiblical. There are with this two perspectives sometimes shared by the same reader of the scripture. One is to come with an opinion of the scriptures that says that supernatural gifts and work of the Holy Spirit ceased in the first century. And this is a view called cessationism based from the word ceased, the gifts ceased. And others would and some of those same would say that the explanation of why certain manifestations or gifts or prophecies or healings or tongues or other things that happened today. They would explain that it is either of the flesh, meaning that it is not real or that it may have a supernatural element to it, but it is of the devil. And so there are some that have not satisfied in their mind that God is still doing today what He did in the first century.
And today is not the day for a thorough examination of that. I am going to teach about spiritual gifts in one of the coming weeks and I'll touch on this subject a bit more. But if that is your place of struggle, I guess I would just encourage you to do the most important thing in your study of scripture.
And that is read it with fresh eyes. There is a reference in 1 Corinthians from Paul in chapter 13 that says that prophecies will cease, tongues will cease. And some have referred to that text to determine in their minds that the gifts of the Spirit ceased in the first century. But in the context of that passage I think it is plain that what Paul is saying is that in heaven that we will no longer need the spiritual gifts. But the chapter is about love and he is saying that love will continue. See we won't need the gifts of the Holy Spirit in heaven. Why do you need a gift of healing?
Nobody is sick. But we will need love. Love is forever. There is not, and this is the opinion of my life rooted in all the experiences of my life and all the years of studying the scripture. I know that there are people that make cases for why they would say biblically the gifts have ceased. But usually the biblical defense of that comes up shallow.
That may be an obstacle for some. Secondly, why would someone say I don't want the infilling of the Holy Spirit? It might be because in one way or another I am satisfied with my Christian life. And that might mean to say that I really think things are going well for me and I don't have any perceived big need in my life. This is not exactly to say it is complacency but some find themselves already satisfied with what they know of God and of grace.
And they kind of say why would I want to seek some other experience of God or something else. I remember one time years ago we were making plans to launch our service verge. We launched five years back and we were interviewing some people on the street.
Because we so want to reach people that don't go to church. And I remember asking one young man, he was a student, and asking him if he had ever thought about going to church. He said no, not really. And I said well do you ever think about God? He said no, no it is really just a moot point. And I have fought back my chuckles about I was just thinking what did God think of that comment. He just called a moot point.
I thought about going into well who created the world and what is going to happen to you when you are going to die. But instead I said well what do you think your purpose is in life? And he said to be happy. And I said well are you happy? And he said yeah man.
He was satisfied with his life. What are you going to say to a guy like that? I thought about saying well you know my Bible says you are going to go to hell if you don't do something.
But anyway I didn't. You know we can kind of be like that in our spiritual lives. I am happy. Life is going well. And I don't have any big problem. Why do I need to throw myself on God right now? Well if that's you I've just got two words.
Just wait. If you don't have some trouble now you will have trouble. And you will find that you need God.
And you need Him badly. But the second thing that I would say to you is if that's you and you say well I don't really hunger that much more for God. I just want to say you selfish thing. Just because your life is going so well you think you don't need the empowering work of the Holy Spirit.
What about the person sitting next to you? What if there is a person who is sick and God wants to give you a gift of healing. And you are going to one day pray for that person and they are going to be made miraculously well. What if there is a person who needs a word of wisdom or encouragement. Or something else that is going to come to you supernaturally because of the work of the Holy Spirit. Listen if your life is just wonderful then praise God you ought to be the most hungry person for the things of the Spirit. Because He is the one who has made your life wonderful and you have so much to give to the world. If you can't be in touch with your own needs be in touch with the needs of a hurting world.
That's Alan Wright and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Why does prayer seem to be a struggle? Many people recognize the importance of prayer in their lives yet struggle with feelings of powerlessness and disconnect in their prayer practices.
Why do so many Christians feel their prayers are powerless? This common challenge leaves many wondering how to cultivate a more meaningful and impactful prayer experience. A once featured resource from Pastor Alan is a digital bundle including an ebook Great Prayers from the Bible. Along with six audio messages on spiritual prayer guiding you toward a deeper understanding of what it means to pray in the Spirit. Drawing from biblical insights Pastor Alan offers practical steps to enrich your own prayer life.
Making it a source of strength and joy rather than a struggle. Find your connection with God and experience the profound impact of prayer in your life today. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.
When you give today we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.
That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website PastorAlan.org. Today's teaching now continues.
Here once again is Alan Wright. It's so interesting to me that while there is no how to list in the New Testament of what to do to be filled with the Holy Spirit. There is one verse that says blessed are those that hunger and thirst.
They'll be filled. It's almost to say like eating food. The only thing that really keeps you from eating food is that you're not hungry for food. You don't really have to teach a person how to eat food. We have to teach some manners but you never really have to teach a baby how to drink milk. And you definitely don't have to teach a 15 year old boy how to eat pizza.
Except to say take smaller bites. Some might have an issue of saying not I'm satisfied emotionally in my Christian life. And so I don't need an infilling of the Holy Spirit but it is theological.
And this is perhaps maybe the most important thing to get clear in our minds. That because people have been given the impression by some teaching. That if you don't have certain manifestations or gifts then you don't really have the Holy Spirit. There's something that recoils within that person of theological integrity. That knows no I received the Holy Spirit when I received Jesus. And so to say would you like to be filled with the Holy Spirit sounds contradictory.
Because a part of you wants to say I've already been filled with the Holy Spirit. It's interesting if you look in Acts chapter 2 at the story of Pentecost. You see in Acts chapter 2 that when the day of Pentecost came. Verse 1 they're all together in one place and suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind from heaven came.
And filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And verse 4 all of them all these disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. So they're all filled with the Holy Spirit and Peter was in their midst filled with the Holy Spirit. Stood up and preached the Pentecost message that is recorded in Acts chapter 2. At verse 38 Peter said repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. That clearly Peter has received the empowering of the Holy Spirit. That turned this man who had denied Jesus three times into the boldest proclaimer of the gospel. Who stood up without fear of persecution proclaimed the gospel and there was such an anointing upon him. That about 3,000 people accepted Christ and the church of Jesus Christ was born. And Peter not only was under an unction of an infilling of the Holy Spirit. But he clearly said you repent and you receive Christ and you will receive the Holy Spirit.
And what's interesting about this is then as you move forward into chapter 4. And you see one of the first instances where now Peter having been used of God to heal a lame man. Now is being persecuted and at verse 5 chapter 4 the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. And the high priest was there, Caiaphas was there, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. And they brought Peter and John before them and began to question them by what power or what name did you do this?
Now this could be a terrifying moment when the authorities have brought you in and instead of being terrified. What happens is another instance of this incredible boldness. And what verse 8 says is then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them rulers and elders of the people. If we're being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed. Then know this you and all the people of Israel it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified. But whom God raised from the dead and started preaching the gospel.
Wasn't anything wishy-washy about it? It was the bold... now he's not just standing up preaching a sermon to pastors by and bystanders. He's in front of the authorities, the Jewish authorities and he starts preaching the gospel.
Why? Because verse 8 said Peter filled with the Holy Spirit. Well I thought he was filled with the Holy Spirit in chapter 2.
Yeah he was. Well what's happening in chapter 4? He's filled with the Holy Spirit again. Well what happened when the cripple man got healed? He was filled with the Holy Spirit then too. To say be filled with the Holy Spirit as I said as I began does not mean that you do not receive the Holy Spirit.
When you receive Christ you did. To be filled with the Holy Spirit means that the Holy Spirit continually comes upon you to empower you for the ministry of Jesus Christ. Now the first time that someone experiences this it is so transforming that it might rightly be called a baptism of sorts.
An initiation, an immersion. But it is not to say that you have suddenly received the Holy Spirit whom you did not have before. It is instead the further releasing of the power and the place and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. Now here's the most important theological thing to understand about the infilling of the Holy Spirit. And that is in the New Testament there are two Greek words that are used for filling.
And it's unfortunate that we don't have any different word to use in the English language. Because every time that you read the word for filled in the New Testament you don't know which word it is referring to. But there are two words, pletho and pleiroo. Both verbs that mean to be filled or they can come in the form of to say full of the Holy Spirit. The pletho is about the Holy Spirit like in Acts chapter 4 coming upon individuals or groups of saints for supernatural empowering for ministry. The Holy Spirit coming upon. The other word pleiroo is a word that means the Holy Spirit coming within us.
The Holy Spirit which we have received when we receive Christ and it is reference to the character of Christ that is being developed within us. Examples of pletho are Acts 2 and Acts 4 which I've already read. Or Acts 4 and verse 31 after they prayed the place they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God both. They were all pletho the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke the word of God boldly. Or Acts chapter 13 is another example. Saul at verse 9 who is also called Paul filled with the Holy Spirit.
These looked at the man intently and began to speak. Well these are instances the Holy Spirit comes upon us. But the Holy Spirit within us is a different work of the Holy Spirit in a real sense. Like in Acts chapter 6 verse 3 where they said pick out from among you seven men of good repute full of the Spirit and of wisdom.
Or they chose Stephen a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit. These are things about the character that is developed within us by the abiding presence of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in our lives. Barnabas Acts 11 and 24 was a good man full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. Acts 13 the disciples were filled with joy all the fruit of the Holy Spirit. All of this is the inward work of the Holy Spirit. In other words what I'm saying is that there is an inward work of the Holy Spirit and there is an outward work of the Holy Spirit coming upon the saints of God to empower us, to gift us, to embolden us, to enable us to do what God has called us to do. The inward work is abiding and is permanent.
The outward work is something that comes over and over but it is temporary. Someone may have the Spirit come upon them when they're teaching and they have a gift, an anointing of teaching. Sometimes that happens to me when I'm preaching I just feel the Lord just drops a gift right in there and it's the Holy Spirit just comes upon me.
But I don't walk around I won't be watching the Super Bowl with the Holy Spirit upon me in that same way. It's not expected that when we say the filling of the Holy Spirit that we're talking about this is now the outward or the Spirit upon is something you just live with all the time. Gifts of the Spirit operate as the Spirit wills. So it's important therefore to clear this up that not only is there nothing wrong with asking God for continued infilling of the Holy Spirit it is the expectation of the supernatural Christian life. That we will be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. That's why I ask him every day, several times a day, fill me with the Holy Spirit. Alright I have to move quicker than I'm moving and say that a third reason that people and this is where it gets a little bit funny is that some people would say I don't want to receive prayer I don't want to ask for the infilling of the Holy Spirit because in a sense in one way or another I'm afraid nothing will happen and I'll be ashamed. This is because we have generally in the body of Christ in all the different moves of the Spirit we've generally over emphasized particular gifts and particular manifestations and particular signs and wonders and I don't have time to discuss all this. Maybe we'll some when we speak of the gifts of the Holy Spirit which every gift of the Holy Spirit is a good gift and we'll have opportunity to learn more about the gifts of the Spirit but for today I wonder if I were to say to you you could ask for the infilling of the Holy Spirit and not be concerned about if there's a particular gift manifestation or other experience that you need to happen to indicate to yourself or to others that you really have the Holy Spirit. Allen Wright, as we continue in our series on filled and in our teaching why wouldn't everyone want to be filled with the Spirit?
Allen is back here in a moment with additional insight on this for your life and a final word. Unlock the power of blessing your life. Discover God's grace filled vision for your life by signing up for Allen Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement get Allen Wright's daily blessing. It's free and just a click away at PastorAllen.org Why do so many Christians feel their prayers are powerless? This common challenge leaves many wondering how to cultivate a more meaningful and impactful prayer experience. This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is a digital bundle including an e-book Great Prayers from the Bible along with six audio messages on spiritual prayer guiding you toward a deeper understanding of what it means to pray in the Spirit. Drawing from biblical insights, Pastor Alan offers practical steps to enrich your own prayer life making it a source of strength and joy rather than a struggle. Deepen your connection with God and experience the profound impact of prayer in your life today. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. Call us at 877-544-4860.
That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website PastorAllen.org Allen, so if we're over complicating this thing, is the next step literally praying a prayer, surrendering your life to Christ and requesting this? Well, you know, when Paul says in Ephesians be filled with the Spirit, the language there is kind of ongoing, kind of continuous, you know. So every Christian has the Holy Spirit. By nature of being a Christian, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus takes up residence in your life. But I think that there's a process of Christian growth in which we are ever increasingly yielding to the Spirit's presence in our life.
So it's not really you getting more of the Holy Spirit, it's really the Holy Spirit getting more of you. And I think in that sense, we say, I say, I pray regularly, Lord, fill me with your Spirit. Let me continue to learn to be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit. Continue to give me gifts and let the fruit of the Spirit. Pray like that and foster the daily trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is what is, I think, involved in the Spirit-filled life. Today's Good News message is a listener-supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.
