The Holy Spirit is a friend who makes all things possible. Do you really want an anointing of power for your life and ministry? Do you want gifts of the Holy Spirit to flow through your life? To come into the third dimensional relationship with the Holy Spirit? If so, ask God to fill you now with His Spirit. Start praising Him in another language you have never learned, trusting that the Holy Spirit is giving you the utterance.
You may think the gift of tongues is strange-sounding at first. But don’t judge it until you see the fruit of your being baptized with the Holy Spirit. A new love will be shed abroad in your heart (Rom. 5:5), a new anointing will shine in your life. And, best of all, you’ll become more and more fulfilled in your worship of God.
The Ephesian Church and the Corinthian Church
Some time ago, I was sharing with a fellow about the blessedness of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I told him, “It’s wonderful! You love people more and for some reason you want to go preach the gospel to every creature. You seem to be supercharged when you’re really filled with the Holy Spirit!”
“It’s beautiful,” I continued, “to flow in the realm of the supernatural. It’s glorious to flow in the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit and to be able to speak in other tongues.”
He looked at me disgustedly and said, “You sound like a Corinthian to me! I’d rather be like the Ephesians because they never spoke in tongues. They were the spiritual ones!”
Well, at that time I didn’t know what I know today. In fact, I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know what to say to him. He made it sound like Corinthians were the tongue-talking brand of Christians (a lower class) and the Ephesians were the non-tongue-talkers (an elevated class of believers). The Ephesians, I learned later, actually were a very spiritual group of believers, but it wasn’t because they didn’t speak in tongues, because they weren’t filled with the Holy Spirit. In fact, the opposite is true. The Ephesians were Spirit-filled believers and they spoke in tongues, just like the Corinthians did. In fact, speaking in tongues was a normal part of early Christianity and always accompanied the initial infilling of the Holy Spirit into a believer’s life.
“Do not be drunk with wine, for that is reckless living. But be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).
In Acts 19, Paul met some disciples in Ephesus and asked them if they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed. They responded by saying, “We haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Ghost!” This was Paul’s opportunity to make sure these disciples received the gift God had for them. So he laid his hands upon them, and instantly, they received the initial infilling of the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues and prophesy.
In other words, they began immediately to function in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The reason Paul didn’t have to make a big issue out of it to the Ephesian church, as he did to the Corinthian church, is because they functioned properly in the spiritual gifts, instead of improperly as in the church at Corinth. Yes, the Ephesian church was a Spirit-filled church that was flowing in the realm of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.
‘Filled’ With the Spirit
I looked up the word “filled” in the Greek language. This word actually means “crammed.” So Ephesians 5:18 actually reads, “”Be crammed with the Spirit.” You can be so crammed with the Holy Spirit that sin and bad habits will have no more room in you.
Speaking in tongues, the prayer language, is all part of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Do you use your prayer language (tongues)? If you are a Christian and have never experienced the power that comes from being crammed with the Holy Spirit, ask Jesus to fill you right now. Begin to praise Him, but not in English. Begin to speak in a language you’ve never learned.
The Spirit will give you the utterance but you must exercise faith and speak forth the prayer language. You will find yourself being supercharged with the Spirit of God. Power will come upon you to live a holy life, to share Jesus with your friends and family and a deep concern for the well-being of others will flood your heart.
Don’t settle for less than God’s best. Go all the way with God. You’re saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Keep Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
This tells us that being filled with the Holy Spirit is not supposed to be just a one-time memorable episode. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is meant to become a way of life. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, there will be no room for self, works of the flesh or human pride. God will get all the glory from a truly Spirit-filled life.
If it has been a while since you have prayed in tongues, make a commitment now to pray often in the Spirit. You can do it in your car, on your way to and from work or school. You can go to sleep at night praying in the Spirit, and wake up in the morning praying in the Spirit. Remember, pray in the Spirit, and with your understanding. Stir up the gift of God. Start gaining ground by living in the Holy Spirit’s third dimension. When you don’t know how to pray in a situation, pray in tongues.
Are you ready for the adventure? Are you ready for the third-dimensional relationship with the Holy Spirit? {eoa}
Dr. Dave Williams served for over 30 years as pastor of Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan, with over 500 outreach ministries around the world. Dave led the church in giving over $40,000,000 to world and local missions. His leadership training course, The Art of Pacesetting Leadership, is credited with catapulting one church from 226 to over 4,000. Another church went from 8 to over 1,000. His all-time best-selling book, The New Life: The Start of Something Wonderful, is a practical, step-by-step guide to help new believers become established in their Christian walk and has sold over 2.5 million copies. His latest book, Hope in the Last Days, is published by Charisma House. Dave now focuses on helping young ministers whenever he has an opportunity.
See an error in this article?
To contact us or to submit an article
