By Randall Fox

“Be filled with the Spirit” Ephesians 5:18

The command to be Spirit-filled is one of the most vital imperatives for the Christian life. Yet one of the most misunderstood and neglected. The meaning of the command to be filled with the Spirit further unfolds as we look at other usages of the word “filled.” In John 12:3, the word “fill” is used to describe a permeating fragrance when Mary anointed the feet of the Lord: the house was “filled with the fragrance of the oil.” Being filled means to allow the Spirit to pervade every area of our lives. He must have the whole. Anyone who has the mentality that he can be filled with the Spirit yet keep some areas of his life closed to Him will never experience this. This word “filled” is often associated with human emotions. The New Testament speaks of being filled with sorrow (John 16:6), fear (Luke 5:26), or anger (Luke 6:11). Just as an immaterial emotion can dominate (”fill”) a material human body, the immaterial Spirit of God can govern a physical human being.

What does the Spirit-filling look like? Scripture gives us examples of people who were filled with the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came at Pentacost, the ensuing preaching is attributed to being filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:4). Peter, who denied Christ before a servant girl only weeks earlier, is now bold as a lion before the Sanhedrin because he was filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:8). Stephen’s fidelity to Jesus Christ and his disregard for his own life are attributed to being filled with the Spirit (Acts 7:55). That supernatural quality that characterised the early church is explained as being filled with the Spirit. The reason the early church’s courage, dedication, and love seem supernatural is because they were.

The helpful parallel passage in Colossians 3:16 replaces the phrase “Be filled with the Spirit” with “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” When you let the Word of God have its home (dwell) in your heart, you are letting the Spirit of God control you. The will of the World and the will of the Spirit are not two distinct things but one, since the Spirit wrote the Word.

Finally, it is important to distinguish the filling of the Spirit from spiritual maturity. Spiritual growth is Read the rest of this entry »

Late last week a friend forwarded this two-part documentary called “The Trouble with Atheism.” I felt it would be worth passing on to you, but with some cautionary comments.

Rod Liddle does not approach this as a Christian but as a post-modernist. Atheists will find his interviews with scientists and atheists rather exposing, and believers may gain insight, but we must keep in mind that the main point Liddle is making is that Atheism is really just another form of religion in the sense that it produces the same results. Liddle goes so far as to refer to “fundamentalist Atheists.” Liddle concludes the series by positing that the problem is absolutism in general (the idea that there is truth) and fundamentalism in specific (the idea that we can know what it is).

In this series Liddle almost casually decimates modernism (the idea that science will answer all our questions) all the while setting the stage for post-modernism (the idea that there is no definite answer). It’s worth watching, but we must not think that the world is turning to the truth. The world is turning to a relativism that is far more deadly than modernism.

The Trouble with Atheism, Part One (25 mins)
The Trouble with Atheism, Part Two (25 mins)

This article is based on a blog post. I felt it would be stimulating and perhaps useful to some in dealing with those who argue against the existence of God, His involvement in His creation, or those who deny the non-physical realm. Ed.

Third Dimension Intelligence
By Rusty Leupp

In this article, I challenge the very existance of the third dimension of intelligence and make a startling correlation between the third dimension of thought and the non-physical realm we so long to deny. Well, here we go:

Intelligence is always an interesting topic, because we all know what it is, but nobody can really define it. It’s like in geometry, you had your three undefined terms: point, line, plane. Well, intelligence is kind of an undefined term here. What is it? Are computers intelligent? Most would say no. They can many times calculate and recall information immensely better than humans, but is the ability to calculate and remember intelligence? How about the ability to reason? To look at a problem and come to a solution? Computers can do that too. You can program a computer to find it’s way around a randomized maze that’s different every time. Any decent chess program can beat me in chess. How about animals? Are animals intelligent? They respond to their surroundings and many times use a mild degree of strategy to attack other animals. Is this intelligence? I would say Read the rest of this entry »