01.03. The Fullness of the Holy Spirit
God’s Life Producing Daily the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives Chapter III. THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT God’s Life Producing Daily the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1)
“But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task” (Acts 6:3) “And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5)
“For he [Barnabas] was a good man, and full of the Spirit and faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24)
Why is it that some believers who have experienced moments of being filled with the Spirit still cannot live the life of a dedicated Christian or come to the full knowledge of God’s truths revealed in His Word? Consider some examples.
*Individuals may have the ability to preach with life and power, with many lost souls saved through their ministry, yet their unbridled temper at home scares their children. Many years ago, there was a well-known Chinese evangelist whose preaching was wonderful and powerful and he led many people to the Lord. His temper, however, was another story. One day the youngest of his sons asked his mother, “Mother, where will Father go after he dies?”
“To heaven,” his mother replied. The boy sighed and in a depressed tone of voice said, “If father is going to heaven, Mother, I would rather not go there.”
*Other believers may have spiritual gifts of divine healing or even of casting out demons, yet they know scarcely anything about the spiritual edification that comes from reading and hearing the truth of God’s Word.
*Some individuals boldly give their testimony in church; but at the same time they proudly boast about their educational and economic achievements.
*Then there are those who, owing to a one-time experience of Spirit-filling, develop a spiritual superiority complex, looking down on their redeemed fellow believers and setting themselves up as judges and guardians of others’ consciences.
*Some women, often more given to speaking in tongues than men, take great pleasure in twisting the truth with gossip and frequently speak unkind words. As a result, the feelings of their fellow believers are hurt and the name of the Lord is shamed. Neglecting daily Bible reading and prayer as well as personal responsibilities, some “tongue-speaking” wives have demanded a divorce from their husbands who either cannot speak in tongues or are not interested in doing so. Such women justify this wickedness by declaring that they are doing God’s will. 44
*Other church members, professing great piety, go the extreme of renouncing all the good and enjoyable things of life, even wholesome concerts or educational pictures in school.
Today, these abnormal characteristics are far too common among believers who claim to be Spirit-filled either on the basis of a single experience or on short-term periods of being filled with the Spirit for the accomplishment of specific tasks for the Lord. Many godly Christians grow pale with fear from just hearing the words “filled with the Spirit” and “full of the Spirit” because of the unspiritual lives of such church members. To alleviate their apprehensions, I prayerfully suggest that a distinction must be made between the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit (received by Spirit-filling) and the manifestation of godly virtues called “fruit of the Spirit” which result from fullness of the Spirit.