"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." ( Matthew 5:6)
The key to the infilling is the hunger and thirst for righteousness. But what are we filled with? Obviously, we are filled with the righteousness of God but also with the presence of the Holy Spirit, as he indwells within us, to impart this righteousness to us, so that "we may do what is right, not only in the 'eyes of the Lord' but also in the 'eyes of men'". ( 2 Corinthians 8:21) Moreover, we will be filled with the substance of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5) and will also receive power when the person of the Holy Spirit comes upon us ( Vs 8), so that we will be witnesses of Christ, 'who has become for us ... our righteousness ...' (1 Corinthians 1:30). God had promised the Spirit to Abraham so that he and his descendants may do what is right and just. "For I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is 'right and just' , so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." (Genesis 18:19) Just as Abraham was expected to do what is 'right and just', after he was declared righteous by faith, even so we are expected to do what is 'right and just', after we were declared righteous by faith. But many so called 'believers', do not care to do what is 'right and just' before the 'eyes of men' and therefore, 'they bring the way of truth into disrepute' ( 2 Peter 2:2) and still expect God to bless them and fill them with the Spirit! They fail to understand that the infilling of the Spirit is for those who hunger and thirst to do what is 'right and just'; for those who want to forgive their enemies; for those who want to reconcile with their family, friends and neighbours; for those who want to return what they have defrauded from others and make restitution; for those who want to leave their life of sin and start living a holy life; ... In short, the Spirit is given to those who are want to live upto the righteousness they have received by faith. The real evidence of the infilling is the fruit of the Spirit and not the hysteria ( wild uncontrolled emotions ) falsely associated with it. Those who were filled with the Spirit, sometimes spoke as inspired by the Spirit ( Luke 1:41-42, Acts 2:14, 4:8) or spoke in tongues as enabled by the Spirit (Acts 2:4, 10:46) or prophesied as they were carried along by the Spirit ( Acts 19:6, 2 Peter 1:21). The manifestations in all these cases were more 'verbal' than 'physical'. Many believers who claim to be filled with the Spirit cannot forgive others! Unforgiveness is the most blatant (very obvious) of sins that can be committed by a believer because we are morally bound to 'forgive as the Lord forgave'. (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13) In the parable of the unmerciful servant, the Master was angered by the blatant act of unforgiveness committed by the servant whom he had forgiven. 'In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured ... This is how your heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." ( Matthew 18:35) Those who cannot forgive others, will not go to Paradise after their death but will find themselves in Hades ( Hebrew: Sheol ) and will not take part in the first Resurrection of the righteous but will only be resurrected at the second Resurrection, together with the wicked! So we better forgive! A heart that can forgive is open to the infilling of the Spirit. Amen.
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