Living in the Spirit's Fullness...Continued from page 6

Stuart Briscoe

What this means in very simply terms is this: a Christian is a person who has received the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, "If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, He is not a Christian."  Before Paul ever says to these people, "Allow yourself to be continually filled with the Spirit; what he actually says to them is this:  "I can say this to you; because you heard the Gospel; you are convinced it's true; you've committed yourself to what the gospel teaches; and God has sent His Spirit into your life, and He is at work in you!"

Now move on quickly to  Chapter Two of Ephesians, where the final verse says, "In Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."   Have you ever noticed that?  You are a building in which God lives by His Spirit. 

We've asked the question, “Who is the Holy Spirit?”  And we've answered it: He is God’s gift to us, who becomes the seal and the guarantee He is what or who God promised.  The prophets promised, Jesus promised Him.

Now we ask the question: “Where is the Holy Spirit?” I'll tell you where He is: He's dwelling in the hearts of the redeemed, like you and like me! Then the question is: Well, why is He who He is and where He is?  Glad you asked that!  Let's turn to Chapter 3, verse 16:  "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." 

Why is the Holy Spirit who He is and where He is?  Answer: In order that God might strengthen you with might by His Spirit in your innermost being.  What kind of strength? Look at the end of the chapter.  "Now unto him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to him be glory. . ."  What is it saying?  That when I hear the Gospel, believe it to be true, commit myself to what I am convinced is true, God sends His Spirit into my life.  When God sends His Spirit into my life, God by His Spirit takes up residence in me.  When God by His Spirit takes us residence in me, it is in order to empower me to be what I cannot be in myself.

What is the Apostle Paul saying?  He is saying, "You need to be capt

ivated by an understanding of who the Holy Spirit is."  Captivated by an understanding of where He is.  Captivated by an understanding of why He is, who He is, where He is, in the light of the fact that He is the empowering for all the demands that God places upon you. Allow yourself to be continually captivated by Him -- by who He is, by where He is, by why He is, where He is.  You say, "This sounds great, but you don't know my kids, and you don't know my husband, and you don't know the circumstances under which I live."  That's true, I don't!  But I do know this: that many people become very disillusioned when you teach them this, and then they go away because you don't teach them one more thing.