Spirit-Filled Day 1: Baptism and Filling

  In our final portrait of prayer, we see a portrait of dry bones, which first hear the word of the Lord, then come together, gain flesh, then spirit, then life, and then are formed to go to battle. While this passage is about the revitalization of Israel, it also foreshadows how we as Christians are revitalized by prayerful life that leads to a Spirit-filled life we could never have on our own.

Let us first define terms. I once knew a pastor who consistently confused the two terms of
“Baptized in the Holy Spirit” and
“Filled with the Holy Spirit.”

We are baptized by the Holy Spirit at salvation. “Baptism now saves you,” 1 Pet. 3:21 (NASB). Not the removal of dirt from flesh, like water baptism, but when we ask God to spiritually clean us. That is Spiritual Baptism that John foresaw would come with Christ (Matt. 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 1:5). Amazingly, all four gospels and Acts speak about this spiritual baptism.

Being filled with the Spirit comes after salvation and only occurs within believers when they are controlled by the Holy Spirit. Paul in Eph. 5:18 contrasts being filled with the Spirit to being drunk with wine, which leads to an out-of-control life. But being filled with the Spirit is a command, therefore can be obeyed with blessings or disobeyed with consequences.

Not all believers are full of the Holy Spirit, and we are not always filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3, 5; 7:55; 11:24; 13:9, 52). It comes when we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1) and gives us empowerment to accomplish the tasks that He has for us.

All this week, we will study how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And as this finishes this series on prayer, I personally believe that being filled with the Holy Spirit begins with prayer. That is first shown in Acts “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication… When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place…And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit the God,” (Acts 1:14, 2:1, 4).

This final Old Testament portrait is that of Ezekiel’s Valley of the Dry Bones, found in Ezekiel 37. Read that entire chapter in preparation for this week’s study of Spirit-filled Prayer—What it is not, and also what it truly is.

Spirit of the Living God, fall on us and fill us up with the fullness of Your essence. Help us to pray and live by being filled with Your Spirit. Quicken us ... Make us alive and living by the impulse of Your Essence. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen