Evangelical Free Church of Embarass

There is a prayer we are focusing on today. You’ve sung it twice already --- before and after our worship. I would like us to sing it again as our prayer, before we go into the Word. Rather than me praying, I’d like us all to sing these words. Let’s use this as our prayer. We’re talking about the Holy Spirit today, and being filled with God’s Holy Spirit. Let’s pray about that through song before we go to the Word.

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me,

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

Have you ever been asked, “Are you Spirit-filled?” Or, have you been asked, “Do you attend a Spirit-filled church?” Maybe you have been asked this question as a follow-up: “Is the worship at your church Spirit-filled?” The common term in all three of those questions is “Spirit-filled.” If you have been asked those questions, have you been comfortable enough to answer them? Do you feel you understand the term “Spirit-filled” well enough that you can answer those questions about yourself, about the church you attend, about the worship experience at that church?

If you feel you don’t have a great understanding of the term, you’ve come to the right place, because this morning we’re going to ask three questions and answer them to help us understand “Spirit-filled”, and then we’re going to apply it to the whole area of worship. The first question will be, “What does ‘filled with the Spirit’ mean?” Then, we well ask, “What does Spirit-filled worship look and sound like?” We will conclude by asking, “What dynamics are brought into our experience of worship when we are Spirit-filled?”

Filled with the Spirit

We’ll start with the most basic of the three questions. What does “filled with the Spirit” mean? Turn with me to Ephesians Chapter 5 in your Bibles. In verse 18, we have the phrase presented in the form of a command by the Apostle Paul. Notice the last part of that verse: “…but be filled with the Spirit.” There it is. What does it mean? We can understand what it means in three different ways, and in all three ways we pretty much come to the same conclusion. First of all, we can look at this verse’s context, and understand what it means to be filled with Spirit. Let’s read the entire verse this time. “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation” (or “that is a foolish waste” or, if you have the New Living Translation, “for that will ruin your life.”) Do not be drunk with wine, but --- here’s the alternative --- instead be filled with the Spirit. Just from that verse, by contrasting the first part with the last, we can have an understanding of what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Paul is contrasting it with being drunk with wine.

What does it mean to be drunk with wine? It means that we are under the control of that drink. It is influencing us --- we call it “under the influence.” We are filled with the wine to the point where it controls our thoughts, our behavior, and our speech, totally influencing us. Paul says, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that could ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” What does he mean? Let the Spirit of God control you. Let it be the Spirit of God that influences your speech, your conduct, and your thoughts. So, just from the context in that verse and the contrast between the first and second parts, we understand “being filled with the Spirit” means to be under the control of the Spirit.

We can come to understand “Spirit-filled” in a second way, because the idea of “being filled” is commonly used in all of the New Testament. As you read the New Testament, you will come upon many statements about being filled, such as statements like, “filled with anger”, or “filled with joy”, or “filled with envy”, or “filled with peace.” We can find many other usages of the word “filled” in the Scripture,

What does “filled” mean in all of those cases? In every case, it means that emotion, or whatever it might be, has taken control of me. I am so full of that particular thing, that it is influencing my thoughts, my actions, my speech --- I am filled with it. In Ephesians 5:18, it’s the same word, only here it says to be “filled with the Spirit.” Just from common usage, we know that it means to be controlled by and totally influenced by the Holy Spirit.

There’s a third way of understanding what being “filled with the Spirit” means. I want you to see this, because I think it is exciting. This brings a subject that seems so mystical down to a very practical level. Look with me once more at Ephesians 5. At the end of verse 18, Paul gives the command, “… be filled with the Spirit.” Let me skip and show you the things that follow, in verses 19 through 25: “Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Being subject, or submitting to one another, in the fear of Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands.” “Husbands, love your wives.”

Move down to Chapter 6, verse 1: “Children, obey your parents.” Then, in verses 4 through 9: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger.” “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters.” “Masters, do the same thing to them.” All of these commands follow the command to be “filled with the Spirit.”

Go to Colossians Chapter 3, verses 16 through Chapter 4, verse 1. I want you to see this. Let’s begin with verse 16. Notice what’s in this verse: “With all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” “Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” “Wives, submit to your husbands.” “Husbands, love your wives.” “Children, be obedient to your parents.” “Fathers, do not exasperate your children.” “Slaves, obey those who are your masters.” “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness.”

Do you notice a parallel between these two passages? It’s almost word for word the same list, the same things. One difference, though, is that in Ephesians 5, the list begins with the command to be filled with the Spirit. Notice what comes right before the almost identical list in Colossians 3 verse 16. It’s also a command, but look what it is: “Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you.”

Do you see what’s happening? Ephesians 5 says, “Be filled with the Spirit, and all these things will follow.” Colossians 3 says, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Follow His Word, and all these things will take place.” The list in both scriptures is the same.

What does that tell you about being filled with the Spirit and following the Word of Christ? They have exactly the same results. Being filled with the Spirit is not some mystical thing we can’t put our hands on. Being filled with the Spirit is following the Word of God. They are one and the same.

So, when someone asks if you are Spirit-filled, you should be thinking about whether the Spirit of God is in control of your life right now, and if you are following His Word to the best of your ability. If you can say “yes” to both, then you can answer that you are Spirit-filled.

But, if the Spirit of God is not in control of your life at that point and you know you’re not following His Word, then you must be honest and say, “No, right now I’m not Spirit-filled,” because that’s what it means. It’s not complicated and spooky; it’s very practical. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be under His control and following His Word. That’s it.

Do you know what a fizzy is? If you’ve never seen the famous fizzy illustration of what it means to be filled with the Spirit, here it is: I have a glass of water and a fizzy. Now we have the fizzy in a glass of water. The Bible says that when you and I trust Jesus Christ for salvation, He places His Holy Spirit into our lives.

Did you see what happened when I put the fizzy in the water and let it do its thing? The fizzy started to influence the entire glass of water, and the water took on the character of the fizzy before your very eyes.

When we come to Christ for salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit into our life. Then, when we let the Spirit of God loose, when we let Him control our life and we follow His Word, He influences every part of our life, and we begin to take on the character of God’s Spirit and His Word. That’s what it means to be “filled with the Spirit.”

Spirit-filled worship

Now, with that as a basis to work from, let’s move into our subject for these weeks, worship. Let’s apply that meaning of being “filled with the Spirit” to the subject of worship. Let’s start by asking a question: If that’s what being filled by the Spirit means, then what does “Spirit-filled worship” look and sound like? Before I share some thoughts, I want you to get a picture in your mind of what Spirit-filled worship looks and sounds like to you. Right now, in a moment of silence, I want you to picture what you see.

Do you see it? Can you hear it? What are some of the possibilities? Is Spirit-filled worship a group of people standing before God, clapping or raising their hands, singing upbeat songs with a full band accompanying them? It could be. Is Spirit-filled worship a group of people sitting in rows, holding hymnals in their hands, singing a majestic hymn in four-part harmony, accompanied by a huge pipe organ? It could be. Is Spirit-filled worship a group of people being guided through liturgy read from a book, while they stand, sit, or kneel at determined times? Could be. Is Spirit-filled worship a group of people informally sharing personal testimonies of what God has done in their lives? Could be. Or, Spirit-filled worship could be a young woman sitting in an airport listening to worship music on headphones. Spirit-filled worship could be a teenager driving down the road, singing along with Jars of Clay, off key, but loudly and with all his heart. Spirit-filled worship could be a small group of men sitting in a circle, giving thanks to God in prayer. Spirit-filled worship could be a woman on her knees by her bed, quietly reading a psalm of praise to God at the beginning of her day.

Any of those pictures could be Spirit-filled worship. And the unfortunate thing is that, if we were honest, most of us, when we try to visualize what Spirit-filled worship looks and sounds like, have a very narrow picture. Most people have narrowed the picture down to what they believe it looks like and sounds like. But I suggest to you that it could be any of these scenarios I just described --- and others, maybe. Because a place, a method, a form of expression, or a style do not automatically make worship Spirit-filled. Those things aren’t the standard for Spirit-filled worship. We’ve already talked about the true standards for Spirit-filled worship. You just didn’t know it, but we’ve talked about those standards in the last few weeks.

True standards for Spirit-filled worship

Focus and priority

There are four standards for Spirit-filled worship. The first one is focus and priority. From Revelations Chapters 4 and 5: Spirit-filled worship always has its focus and priority on God the Father and Jesus the Lamb. Spirit-filled worship will always declare the greatness of God the Father and Jesus the Lamb, and will humbly present honor, praise, love, and thanks to the Father and the Son. If we call something “worship” and it is not focusing on God the Father or Jesus the Lamb, then the Spirit of God is not controlling that worship. I suggest that the Spirit of God, when He is in control, will always see that the worship, whatever form or style it takes, is focusing on declaring the greatness of God the Father and Jesus the Lamb. Thus, the first question you ask if you’re determining if worship is Spirit-filled is this: Are God the Father and Jesus the Lamb the focus and priority?

From the heart

The second standard: Spirit-filled worship will always be from the heart. It will not be just motions, it will not be just following rules and traditions, it will not be just lip service to God. Remember what Jesus said about that in Matthew Chapter 15: Worship comes from the heart. It is an expression of devotion and love that’s in the heart. If what we call worship is just mechanical, just going through the motions, just lip service, and just following the rules and traditions, but there’s no heart, then it’s not Spirit-filled.

In spirit and in truth

The third standard for Spirit-filled worship: It will be done in spirit and in truth. Remember we talked about that. In John 4, Jesus said true worshipers worship in spirit and in truth. That’s the kind of worshiper God is looking for. So, if the Spirit is in control, He is going to see to it that the worship going on is the kind God is looking for. It’s going to be in spirit and in truth --- not one or the other. It’s going to be in spirit. Again, if it’s from the person’s spirit, there’s going to be passion, love, and enthusiasm coming from within. The spirit is going to be in it, but it’s also going to be in truth. The worship is going to coincide with the truth of God’s Word. It’s not only going to be a love from the heart or from the spirit, but it’s going to be a love from the mind, and it’s going to follow true doctrine, done in truth.

And so, those of you who are involved in worship leading here (and there are many of you), whenever you are preparing and praying for your time leading worship, keep that in mind. Lead us in worship that will help our spirits worship. Also lead us in worship that you have thought through, and that you are sure coincides with the truth of scripture. That means you’ve got to look at the message in the songs --- hymns, choruses, or whatever. Look at the message of the song to make sure it’s the truth, because we want to help our people worship in spirit and in truth. That’s Spirit-filled worship.

Decently and in order

The fourth standard: Spirit-filled worship is done decently and in order. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul says, “Everything that is done when the church assembles is to be done decently and in order.” God is a God of order and peace, not confusion and chaos. If a time of worship becomes chaotic and confusing, the Spirit of God is not leading that worship. The Bible says it’s always decently and in order. No chaos, no confusion. God is a God of peace. And everything done in the church, Paul says, is to be done decently and in order. If the Spirit of God is involved, it’s going to follow that standard.

There you have four standards for Spirit-filled worship. The standards aren’t the place, the standards aren’t the forms, they aren’t the methods or the styles. The standards are the four criteria that come from the Word of God. And when worship is Spirit-filled, God’s Spirit is in control, and the worship follows His Word.

Dynamics of the Spirit-filled worship experience

I want to go back to Ephesians Chapter 5 and look at this a little more, because I find it interesting. I think we have some dynamics that are brought into our experience of worship when we are Spirit-filled. I want you to think through this with me. Verses 18 through 21 of Ephesians 5 begin with “Be filled with the Spirit.”

Let me point out some things. First, in the original Greek as it was written, verses 18 through 21 are all one long sentence. In fact, in my Bible, which is New American Standard, it is presented that way. I don’t have a period until the end of verse 21. So, it’s presented there as it shows up in the Greek --- one sentence. That’s important, because it means it all fits together. Some Bibles make a separation between verses 20 and 21, but in the Greek, verses 18 through 21 are one sentence.

The other thing I want you to notice --- and it might not appear in your Bible --- is that after the instruction to be filled with the Spirit, there are five words that end in “…ing”: speaking, singing, making melody, giving thanks, and being subject or submitting. That’s important, because those five “…ing” words tell you what’s going to happen if you are filled with the Spirit: “Be filled with the Spirit speaking, singing, making melody, giving thanks, submitting.” Do you see the idea? Those will be the results; they are what will happen if you are filled with the Spirit.

One other observation before we look at the text. In the command, “Be filled with the Spirit,” the tense of the Greek is continuous action. Literally. Paul is saying, “Keep on being filled with the Spirit.” He’s not talking about something you do one time and it’s over with. He’s talking about something you have to do daily. Keep on being filled with the Spirit; be filled with the Spirit today, be filled with the Spirit tonight, be filled with the Spirit tomorrow, be filled with the Spirit next Saturday. The idea is to keep on being filled --- it’s not a one-time thing.

How does this apply to the subject of worship? I think it applies to the subject easily. Paul says, “Be Spirit-filled, speaking to one another or speaking among yourselves in psalms, hymns, spiritual songs.” It sounds like music, doesn’t it? Well, it is music --- a variety of music. What would psalms be? Well, they would be the Old Testament Psalms. They are scripture songs, songs people sang that came right from the Scriptures. Then, there are hymns. Hymns were probably songs that came about during New Testament times. They were the more majestic songs that always presented praise and honor to God.

Then you have spiritual songs. The word for “song” here is “ode.” An ode is a poem that is sung enthusiastically and addressed to a person, as in “Ode to Billy Joe,” “Ode to My Darling.” It’s usually a very emotional, energetic song that’s addressed to a person. But notice here that it’s not just any old ode. It’s “spiritual” songs. You see, when you are filled with the Spirit, you don’t sing just any old songs; you sing spiritual songs. Your odes are enthusiastically addressed to a person: God, and His Son Jesus.

And so, when you are Spirit-filled, you’ll want to be singing hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs. Being Spirit-filled has a way of doing that; it makes you want to sing, even sing a variety of music --- scripture songs, majestic hymns honoring God, spiritual odes enthusiastically and emotionally addressing your God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Paul goes on to say, “…singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord.” Singing is vocal. But the word here for “making melody” is the word “psallo.” It’s a form of the word “psalm”, meaning literally to play a stringed instrument. “Making melody” refers to playing instruments. So, here you have a variety of music, vocal and instrumental --- presented as an expression of the heart to God.

Then Paul says “… giving thanks.” He says to always give thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we are filled with God’s Spirit, we are grateful people. Spirit-filled people bring this dynamic of gratitude to worship.

And so, what dynamics do we bring to worship if we are Spirit-filled? We bring music. It puts a song in you that you want to express to God, whether it’s hymns, scripture songs, psalms, or the emotional spiritual odes. You make melody with your heart. You give thanks.

There is one other dynamic that we wouldn’t typically add to the list. That is found in verse 21 of Ephesians 5, “…and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” It is part of the whole long sentence. Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ goes along with singing the psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, and making melody in your heart and giving thanks. Submitting to Christ goes along with that whole package; it’s part of being Spirit-filled. You are willing to submit to one another.

What does it mean to submit to one another? “To submit” means to adjust, to be willing to yield rights, to be willing to adapt, to be willing to put someone’s interests ahead of your own and honor them that way. Paul is saying that submitting to one another is the result of being filled with the Spirit.

How does that fit with worship? Nowadays, they fit together really well. Spirit-filled worship says “I will adapt, I will adjust, I will honor you if that’s the way you worship, I will put your interests ahead of mine right now, I’ll yield my rights if that will help us worship together.” If that’s mutual, and everybody is filled with the Spirit thinking that way, then you have this very true worship experience, for everyone at any given time is willing to submit to one another. It’s a neat dynamic that is brought to the experience by Spirit-filled worship. And notice, it’s out of reverence for Christ.

We submit to one another not because we necessarily agree, not because we necessarily really enjoy what we’re adapting to. We do it out of reverence for Christ, and that’s what worship is all about. It’s honoring Him. If I’m controlled by the Spirit, even in my worship experience, if need be, I will submit to others out of my reverence for Christ, because Christ being worshiped is more important than anything.

Being filled with the Spirit can bring some neat dynamics to our worship experience. It brings a variety of music being expressed; it brings the gratitude and the giving of thanks; it brings submitting to one another --- Spirit-filled worship.

Let’s go back to the original three questions. Based on what we’ve just seen in Ephesians Chapter 5 and Colossians Chapter 3, the first question is: Are you Spirit-filled today? I tack on that word “today.” Is the Spirit of God in control of your life and are you following the word of God to the best of your ability. Are you Spirit-filled?

Second, do you attend a Spirit-filled church? To answer that, what standards are you going to use? You’re not going to use forms or methods or styles or any of that; you are going to use these four standards: its focus and priority, if it is from the heart, if it is in spirit and truth, and if it’s done decently and in order. Then, you can answer the third question: is the church worshiping in a Spirit-filled way?

What would you say is the most important question of the three? I would say it is question number 1, are you Spirit-filled? Friends, the answer to that question really determines the answers to questions 2 and 3, because the church that worships together is made up of individual followers of Christ. If enough of us are filled with the Spirit, then most likely we will have a church that is Spirit-filled, and we will have people who are leading us and people who are worshiping who are Spirit-filled. So, that is the primary question of the three --- are you Spirit-filled? The answer to that will influence and control your experience of worship. Let’s pray together.

Father, I give you thanks for Your Word. Thank You for Your Spirit that you have given to each one of us as we came to You for salvation. Thank You for what He can do in our lives as we surrender control to Him and as we follow Your Word. Thank You for how that affects our experience of worship. Father, I pray that we would be individuals who are filled with Your Spirit every day. Because of that we will have a church that is Spirit-filled, and a church that worships in a Spirit-filled way. Father, You are so worthy of our worship. Fill us with Your Spirit today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.