TAKING THE SHEPHERDING WAY
TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND REVIVE THE CHURCH

SERIES Two
The Outflow of the Vital and Revived Living—
Preaching the Gospel byVisitation Weekly

Message Five
Being Filled with the Spirit Inwardly and Outwardly

Scripture Reading:

Acts 2:2     And suddenly there was a sound out of heaven, as of a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

13:52          And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

TWO ASPECTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Throughout the entire Scriptures the Holy Spirit is revealed to us in these two aspects. One aspect is that the Holy Spirit comes into us and dwells in us to be life to us, the flow of life, the life supply, and all matters related to life. The other aspect is that the Holy Spirit comes upon us as power to empower us, to endow us with power, that we may be powerful and prevailing in the Lord’s service.…For our daily walk and living as the Lord’s children we need the inner life. For the work, the gospel preaching, the winning of souls, the service, and the ministry we need power.

TWO KINDS OF FILLING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

There are two kinds of filling with the Holy Spirit, the inward filling and the outward filling, which are illustrated by water. To be filled with water as our drink is an inward filling. To be put into water to be baptized by immersion is an outward filling; to be buried, immersed, in water, is to be filled outwardly with the water.

In order to discern the two aspects of the work of the Spirit, we must point out a problem with translation. In the New Testament there are two different Greek words used for the filling of the Holy Spirit.…Acts 2:2 says, “And suddenly there was a sound out of heaven, as of a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” Filled here is the inward filling. This word in Greek is pleroo, meaning “to fill inwardly.” In this verse, the wind filled the house inwardly. Verse 4 says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” The word filled here is another word in Greek, pletho, meaning “to fill outwardly.” The wind filled the house inwardly, while the Holy Spirit filled the disciples outwardly.

The Way to Be Filled Inwardly
—Giving the Room to the Lord

Now we must see the way to be filled. In order to fill a bottle or a cup with water, we must first empty it to make room for the water. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us; now it is a matter of whether or not we give Him the room within us. If we give Him the room, He will fill us. If we do not give Him the room, He will not fill us. The more we love the Lord and the more we give Him the room in us, the more the Holy Spirit will fill us. (CWWL, 1963, vol. 3, “The Work of the Holy Spirit,” ch. 2)

SECRETS TO MAINTAINING THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Not Quenching the Spirit

After we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, we still have to do a few things to maintain the filling. First, we should not quench the Spirit (1 Thes. 5:19). The Spirit causes us to be burning in spirit (Rom. 12:11) and also causes us to fan into flame the gift which is in us (2 Tim. 1:6). Hence, we should not quench the Spirit.

Not Grieving the Holy Spirit

Second, we should not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). To grieve the Holy Spirit is to displease Him and to not walk according to Him in our daily living (Rom. 8:4). How do we know when the Holy Spirit is grieved? We can know by our living. If we are not joyful in our Christian life, this is a sign that the Holy Spirit is grieving in us. It is because the Holy Spirit is grieving in us that we are not joyful. If we are joyful, this indicates that the Holy Spirit in us is also joyful. A sister testified that she once had prayed to the extent that her whole being was refreshed, light-hearted, and so full of joy. This is proof that the Holy Spirit in her was joyful. Hence, to not grieve the Holy Spirit is to not grieve yourself.

Obeying the Holy Spirit

Third, on the positive side, we must obey the Holy Spirit. In Acts 5 Peter said, “The Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him” (v. 32). This shows that the Holy Spirit is for us to obey. Obedience is the way and the requirement for us to enjoy the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:4 says, “Do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.” This is the way to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the requirement for maintaining a life of being filled with the Holy Spirit. We should not only study these verses but also put them into practice in our daily life. (Vessels Useful to the Lord, msg. 10)

THE WAY TO BE FILLED OUTWARDLY

By the Accomplished Baptism in the Holy Spirit

In two of the five cases in Acts—the first at Pentecost (2:4) and the fourth at the house of Cornelius (10:44-47) —there was no laying on of hands, but in three cases—the second, third, and fifth—there was the laying on of hands. The Spirit’s speaking in Acts is that what happened on the day of Pentecost was the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and what happened in the house of Cornelius was also the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1:5; 11:15-17). Only these two cases are called the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The case on the day of Pentecost was the baptism of the Jewish believers, and the case in the house of Cornelius was the baptism of the Gentile believers. By these two cases the Lord as the Head of the Body baptized the entire Body into the Holy Spirit.…Thus, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is an accomplished fact.

When we preach the gospel, we must preach in this way. The Lord was incarnated as a man, bringing God into man. Then He was crucified on the cross to bear our sins so that we may be forgiven. Then He resurrected to impart His life to us so that we could have His life. After this, He ascended and poured down the Holy Spirit upon His Body so that we could have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. By His crucifixion and resurrection we have forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and by His ascension we have the Holy Spirit. The Lord has accomplished all these things, and this is the gospel.

By a Proper Standing with the Body

We must realize that the baptism in the Holy Spirit has been accomplished in the Body, the church. In order to share in this baptism as a member of the Body, we must be right with the Body. This is the principle of the laying on of hands. The Body has been baptized into the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is now upon the Body, and now we have become members of the Body. Therefore, we need a representative member of the Body to contact us so that the Holy Spirit on the Body can come upon us through that contact. This is why we need another member of the Body to lay hands on us. When a member representing the Body contacts us, the oil upon the Body flows onto us.

The principle here is that we must be right with the Body. If we simply get right with the Body, it is easy to experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Whenever we need it, we can simply claim it and take it. The baptism in the Spirit already has been accomplished on the Body, the Spirit is upon the Body, and we are members of the Body. If we are right with the Body, we can claim this baptism by faith. (CWWL, 1963, vol. 3, “The Work of the Holy Spirit,” ch. 2)