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To us the Holy Spirit is of two aspects — the inward aspect and the outward; therefore, to us there is also the inward filling and outward filling of the Holy Spirit. The New Testament uses two different words in its original language to describe the inward filling and the outward filling of the Holy Spirit. Speaking of the inward filling of the Holy Spirit, it uses the word pleroo, and speaking of the outward filling of the Holy Spirit, it uses the word pletho. First, we will look at the inward filling of the Holy Spirit.
1)“And the disciples were made full of joy and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52).
This verse speaks of the disciples being filled with the Holy Spirit inwardly. This Spirit who fills us is for life and living, since He is mentioned together with joy in the daily life.
1)Being for the spiritual living that the spiritual life may mature — The inward filling of the Spirit is for our spiritual living that our spiritual life may mature. We may prove this with Acts 13:52, quoted previously, where joy and the Holy Spirit are mentioned together.
After we have been filled inwardly with the Holy Spirit, we are full of the Holy Spirit within. In the original language, “full of” is pleres, an adjective. To be filled with the Spirit is a procedure and should take place time after time, whereas to be full of the Spirit is a condition which results from such a procedure and should be constant.
1)“Select seven well-attested men from among you, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3).
At Pentecost the communal living of the church made it necessary for some to serve tables, and thus seven men full of the Spirit and of wisdom were chosen. The Holy Spirit and wisdom being mentioned here together proves that the Holy Spirit is for life and living. The service of the tables was cumbersome, which required men with a proper life and a spiritual living. They had to be persons full of the Holy Spirit.
2)“Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5).
It tells us here that Stephen was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. He was not only occasionally filled with the Holy Spirit, but a man always full of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, he had not only an abundant life and wisdom to serve many tables, but also an overcoming life and faith to stand for the Lord unto death (Acts 7:59-60).
3)“But [Stephen] being full of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:55).
Stephen maintained his condition of being full of the Holy Spirit. Although his persecutors hated him and gnashed their teeth at him, he was still full of the Holy Spirit. Hence, he was able to be faithful unto death, suffering martyrdom for the Lord’s sake.
4)“For he [Barnabas] was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24).
Barnabas was also full of the Holy Spirit, and that was why he could be a good man, full of faith.
1)“Out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were about to receive” (John 7:38-39).
Since the Holy Spirit in us is the Spirit of life, and since our being filled inwardly with the Holy Spirit is for the maturity in life, the manifestation of being filled inwardly with the Holy Spirit must be an abundant, overflowing expression of life, flowing as rivers of living water out of our innermost being.
1)“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).
The fruit of life borne by the Holy Spirit from within us, such as the different virtues listed in these verses, is also a manifestation of our being filled with the Holy Spirit.
1)“The flesh lusts against the Spirit…crucified the flesh” (Gal. 5:17-24).
Our flesh lusts against the Spirit. Therefore, in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we must first receive the dealing with our flesh through our co-death with Christ on the cross. It is only when we put the flesh and all that is of the flesh to death in Christ’s death on the cross, not allowing the flesh and all that is of the flesh to have any place in us, that the Holy Spirit can gain ground in us, fully possessing us and filling us.
After we have received the cross’s dealing with the flesh, we still need to consecrate ourselves fully to the Lord for His use, at which time the Spirit of the Lord will possess us and fill us.
After we have dealt with the flesh and consecrated ourselves, we must then believe that:
1)The Holy Spirit will fill us — the Holy Spirit already lives in us, longs to fill us, and is waiting for us to give Him the ground. Now that we have thoroughly dealt with ourselves, giving all the ground to Him, He will surely come and fill us.
2)The Holy Spirit has filled us — since the Holy Spirit lives in us and longs and waits to fill us, once we empty ourselves and offer ourselves to Him, not only will He fill us, but He has already filled us. This is because once we are emptied and consecrated, He immediately fills us. This is not based upon feeling but based upon faith. Even if there is feeling, faith is still first, followed by the feeling.
1)“Do not walk according to flesh, but according to spirit…mind…the things of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4-5).
After we have received the dealing of the cross, consecrated ourselves, and believed, we still must walk according to spirit and not according to flesh, and we must mind the things of the Spirit. Thus, the Holy Spirit will possess and fill us within.
2)“Walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16, 25).
If we truly walk according to spirit, we will surely walk by the Spirit, not doing anything by the flesh or by depending on the strength of the flesh. In this way, we not only can be filled with the Holy Spirit instantly, but we also can be full of the Holy Spirit constantly.
