By Pastors Steve and Karina Maile
In the beginning God warned man not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil because the consequence would be death. See Genesis 2:16 NKJV “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”” Humanity was condemned to death because they chose sin, yet God’s heart from the beginning was to give us eternal life. Even after we chose sin, God still offered us a chance to have everlasting life through His Son Jesus, see John 3:16 NKJV “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Everything has an expiry date, and death will come to us all, for the unbeliever death means separation from God for eternity and not a chance to get out of the torment, fear and darkness they will find themselves in. But for the believer the glories of Heaven awaits us; yet we don’t have to wait until we pass away to enjoy eternity, we can start enjoying it now, as John 3:16 says. Through Christ we have passed from Chronos to Kairos, we are no longer subject to sin and death and a life controlled by stress and time but as sons and daughters of God we have full access to the eternal realm. We can be continually in this realm when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
The purpose of God to give us life is not just to have a happy life here on earth with a nice family, a lovely house, a good car and good job, His purpose to give us life is for so much more than that! As 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 NKJV says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”
We are ambassadors for Christ! We represent Christ and His Kingdom and as such we must do all that was assigned for us.
So many people wonder what their ministry is, but the Scriptures are clear, we are ambassadors. We carry His ministry, which is the ministry of reconciliation, we are to minister to others the Gospel of Christ. We must plead with them to get reconciled with God. Yet no one will be able to minister to others unless they are filled with the Spirit of God. Many are still filled with selfish ambitions, pride, religion and everything else. But if you have made Christ your Lord and Saviour, then let Him fill you with His Spirit.
Here are 7 things that Spirit filled people do and have.
1- You become another person.
1 Samuel 10:6 NKJV “Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
A Spirit filled person cannot possibly remain the same as before, it is not just His habits that change, but also his heart and way of thinking changes, resulting in becoming a new person. Thank God for this miracle of transformation.
2- Set their mind on the things of the Spirit.
Spirit filled people think upon things that are eternal.
Romans 8:5 KJV “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”
3- Revelation is given to them.
I Corinthians 2:9-16 KJV “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”10 “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
God reveals things by His Spirit to those who are filled with the Spirit, they are constantly receiving insight. God is Spirit and to be able to understand Him, His ways, His will and His Word we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.
4- They will suffer reproach.
I Peter 4:14 NKJV “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”
The Spirit of glory rests on those who are filled with the Spirit of God, because they can’t help but to speak the truth, they do it out of love but many still don’t want to hear the truth.
5- The gifts of the Spirit are evident.
There are gifts given by the Lord to us and we must exercise them by faith and keep on practising them. A neglected gift is a rejected gift. Here in I Corinthians 12:4-11 KJV we find the different gifts of the Spirits. It says, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
6- Fruit of the Spirit manifest.
As we grow ever closer to the Lord, our character needs to match up to the character of God. Many exercise gifts but their character is disgraceful and they will have to give an account to the Lord. But a person truly filled with the Holy Spirit will live a life that pleases the Lord. Galatians 5:16 NKJV says, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.,” and verses 22 to 24 say, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
7- They confess Christ every where.
This is the most important reason why we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 4:18-19 NKJV says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” A person filled with the Spirit can’t help but share Christ wherever he/she goes. Not in a condemning way or out of duty but because the love of God pours out of them reaching out to the lost.
See in the verses bellow that whenever the Spirit came upon people, the people began to speak…, Our mouth is the channel in which the Holy Spirit speaks, this is amazing!
Ezekiel 11:5 NKJV
“Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord: “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.”
Acts 2: 4 NKJV
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Luke 1:67 NKJV
“Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:”
John 15:26 NKJV
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”
In conclusion, our ministry is always to lead people to Christ using whatever gifts, talents and graces the Lord has given you. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:19, NKJV “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.”
God bless you as you take your place as an ambassador of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit to bring as many souls as we can to Christ.