On Monday night at my small group, we dove in a little into Acts when it was generically asked, “What in your reading stood out to you?” To try and highlight life changing concepts from a summary reading of the 28 chapters of the book is a challenge. Still, some interesting thoughts were shared.

Hmmm, “Filled with the Spirit”?…

In a short time, though, one of the younger Christians in the group brought up the classic Holy Spirit question: When is a believer filled with the Spirit? Is that moment an experiential event, and is it separate from when a believer receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

One of our group members is a strong supporter of the filling of the Holy Spirit being a separate, unique experience for believers when they come under the fulness of power that was demonstrated in the Acts experiences when the Holy Spirit was given.

Seeing that the conversation was quickly shifting into a discussion about charismata, I tried to bring it back to the point that the Holy Spirit was given in that moment to allow men unable to speak a foreign language to yet share the Gospel through the gifting of tongues. I also tried to suggest that the role of the Holy Spirit is broader than providing people with spiritual gifts: He works to guide the believer’s walk with God, to comfort us in our heartaches, and to convict of us worldly wanderings.

After a few exchanges where I and my friend continued to elaborate and defend our positions (I think that is what we were doing, although I was just trying to highlight the broader role of the Holy Spirit), the question that was raised remained. I have a study to complete.

We Tend To Think Like Where We Came From

Raised in Southern Baptist churches, our theological statement believes that the Holy Spirit is given to the believer at their conversion, as a deposit of guarantee that the believer has been vouchsafed as God’s child and a member of the kingdom of heaven. The Holy Spirit has also been given to us at that time to begin the regeneration process within the believer, to effect sanctification as the Christian walks and grows with God. There is no distinction in my theological heritage between being inhabited by the Holy Spirit, and being filled with the Spirit.

Still, I am open to understand better who the Holy Spirit is and how and why He works in us as He does. To my friend’s point, certainly we should experience a change in power within our lives when the Holy Spirit dwells within us: Jesus gave Him to us to help change in ourselves what we alone are powerless to change. The Holy Spirit should have a manifest presence in our lives. With a mom raised as an Assemblies of God kid, and an aunt, uncle, and cousin who have all been in leadership in Foursquare Gospel churches, I am not totally alien or against charismatic activity in the life of the believer. But again, I am left asking for bottom lines about the Holy Spirit and His work, and the difference between being in the Spirit and being filled by the Spirit (if they are separate states), and to what end should charismata be used.

A Practical Consideration

In Galatians 5, where Paul highlights the central role the Holy Spirit must play in the life of the believer (“be led by the Spirit”, “walk in the spirit”, “live in the spirit”), he also makes this overarching statement. “The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself in love.”

Whatever the Spirit wants to do in and through us, those actions aim to build our trust in the identity and actions of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that, like Him, we become better and better lovers in our living.

Discussion is Good

The good thing is that within our group, we can talk about things. Deeper things. Theological things. And encourage one another to search the Word for answers. This is good group process. This is what is supposed to happen. Again, this is another reason I have grown to appreciate our small group. The discussions. The challenges.

Still, for me, the question remains.

And a study awaits.