Pneuma Life: Holy Spirit in YouSample

Filled and Overflowing...

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:1-2

It is interesting to note that when Jesus spoke of the Promise of the Father, He said the Spirit would come upon them rather than in them.

Remember, the disciples had already received the Holy Spirit (John 21:22). Then, in Ephesians 5:18, Paul encourages us to continue being filled with the Spirit, although his other writings tell us we are always filled with the Spirit as believers (Rom. 8:11). These various words are not contradictory in their usage. Believers can experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in, upon, or being filled.

This illustration might be helpful:

Take a large pitcher of water and pour it into a drinking glass to the brim representing the infilling of the Spirit into a believer’s now born-again spirit. Next, aim directly into the glass and pour the remaining water from the pitcher. The water from the pitcher is now coming upon and replenishing the water already within the glass, causing that water to overflow, be continually filled, and renewed. By now, water should be gushing over the sides of the glass and splattering everywhere!

Luke records the disciples receiving the Promise of the Father on what we know as the Day of Pentecost—derived from the Hebrew word for fifty, Pentekoste. Pentecost was the Hebrew celebration of the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of First Fruits. This celebration was exactly seven weeks, plus one day (fifty days) after the Jewish Passover when Christ, our sacrificial Lamb, was crucified (Lev. 23:15-22).

God chose this Hebrew holiday that celebrated the first fruits of Israel’s agricultural harvest to demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about a spiritual harvest of first fruits (James 1:18).

On the day of Pentecost, men and women listened to Peter preach because something extraordinary was happening. The disciples spoke in languages that were not personally known to them, displaying the presence and power of God in an individual’s life. However, it was Peter’s preaching with the anointing of the Spirit that pierced hearts.

That same Holy Spirit enablement resides in us—the release of the His supernatural gifts and the anointing to reach others for Christ.

How was your heart impacted by today’s lesson?