Be Filled with the Spirit

March 28, 2024

Thursday

I had a conversation with someone I consider a strong Christian about contemporary worship. He said that you can't find lamenting anywhere. He is right. I can't think of a contemporary song that I could claim has a regretful, grieving tone. I wondered why.

Surely, there are times that a Christian should grieve. He should grieve and regret his sin. He might grieve over the loss of a job, a bad decision, loss of a loved one or even the loss of a pet. These are all legitimate reasons for grieving or in some cases regretting what has happened. But it seems to me that a long lament is better explained with depression than lamenting.

Depression is a real issue for many people. Depressed people need medical attention. Simply saying they need to get over it is not a solution. Christians are no different in this. Thinking that you can just get over it because you are a Christian doesn't take into account Paul's "thorn in the flesh." I suppose some believers would have told Paul to "just get over it." I am sure he would have loved to.

Let's be clear: there are times when Christians should lament, but that should not be the predominant attitude that they have. I can't find lamenting or anything close to it in the fruit of the Spirit.

If you have read my blog for some time or have heard me preach, you know that I believe that there is one fruit of the Spirit. The fruit has nine characteristics. I compare that to a peach. It is one peach but it is fuzzy, sweet, juicy, orange, red, yellow, seeded and so on. We don't say we have fruits of the Spirit any more than we say we have fruits of the peach. The Greek word for fruit in that scripture is singular.

Galatians 5:22–23 (NASB 2020)²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

There may be times when a characteristic stands out more than others, but those times will not come when the person is full of the Spirit. Those times may come because the Christian is depressed. That is why the Christian will still need medical help for depression. No one can truly be himself when he is very sick or injured. 

Make no mistake, I am saying that when a person is not incapacitated in some way he should long to be filled with the Spirit and experience the fruit of the Spirit. He does not produce the characteristics on his own apart from the Spirit. The characteristic that stands out when considering lamenting is joy. Lamenting should have a short shelf life. The Christian knows that this world is not his home. He knows that it will all pass away. He knows that all sin has been forgiven at the death of Jesus. He knows that victory is his through Christ's resurrection. Lamenting should not be the dominant characteristic of the Christian.

On the other hand, I can see a lot of damage done by simply trying to pump ourselves up. The fruit of the Spirit comes from being filled with the Spirit. He comes to us when we no longer resist or quench His prompting. He longs to fill us and we should obey Him promptly. Then, we have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The Bible tells us that we should be filled with the Spirit. The word for "be filled" is an imperative passive. We are commanded to allow the Spirit to fill us. So, let us all be filled with the Spirit today holding back nothing from Him. Then, we shall see the fruit of the Spirit.