Be Filled With The Spirit
BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT
EPHESIANS 5:15-21
When your life is controlled by the Holy Spirit and in fellowship with other believers, it will be characterized by joy, thanksgiving and giving consideration to others.
Paul concludes his instructions to the entire congregation by once again demanding disciplined maturity. Since his readers have received wisdom from God (1:8), they should realize that a secular society imposes pressures that can erode Christian standards. His readers are to seize the opportunities God gives them to expose the sham of life without Christ. In this way every hour of the believer’s life will be brought into relationship with God’s redemptive purposes (5:15-16).
The vivid contrast between a life in fellowship with God and a life given over to the desires of the flesh heightens the demand for sound moral judgment (5:17). A strong Christian intelligence is required to discern on every occasion what God would have the believer do. Paul, therefore, encourages his readers to give first priority to perceiving and performing the will of God.
The apostle points out that drunkenness leads to the folly of uncontrolled actions, dissipation and the progressive mastery of a person’s will by the drug of alcohol. In contrast, the control of the Holy Spirit, affirmed constantly and repeatedly, results in the Spirit’s progressive mastery of one’s life so that you become in tune with the will of God. 5:19-21 clarify Paul’s command in 5:18 to be filled with the Spirit and provide three signs of the life controlled by the Spirit of God: joyful fellowship, sustained thanksgiving and mutual consideration.
The life of the Spirit shared by the fellowship of believers is exhilarating and releases believers to the freedom that exists wherever Christ is Lord.