Purpose of Enduement

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)

I was recently asked to explain the Biblical position on the filling of the Holy Spirit.

I though it is important to get to the basics of the same of the same.

You see, that topic has been made complicated to the point that it has created controversy to whoever touches it.

So you will allow me to deal with the purpose to help us to navigate the other aspects.

See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, (Exodus 31:2)

I want to start with the first place the Bible says that someone has been filled with the Holy Spirit to set our ball rolling.

Why was Bezaleel filled with the Holy Spirit?

And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount. (Exodus 25:40)

God had a building project that required great attention to detail so that only someone possessed with His Spirit could supervise it.

You may also remember that even the sharing of the blueprints required someone even more filled, Moses.

It is clear from this single point that we are filled with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of doing God’s work exactly as He requires it; meaning that it has very little to do with us and everything to do with God.

God does not fill us with His Spirit for our purpose, fulfilment or whatever.

It is His assignment that is the focus of the filling as was with Bezaleel.

Before you start shouting about the New Testament, allow me to rush there, starting with a favourite verse.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

We are given power not to build great edifices or grow mammoth organisations. We are given to BECOME His witnesses. We are empowered to direct the lost world to Him.

Let us also go to the anthem and most misunderstood verse of the charismatic movement.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. (Acts 2: 4 – 6)

This was the immediate manifestation of our previous verse.

They were able to reach people they had no capacity of reaching apart from that gift of tongues. No wonder three thousand responded from that witness even as the locals thought the believers were blabbering since they did not understand those foreign tongues.

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, ... And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4: 29, 31)

Here the need was for God’s power against force and threats and the filling resulted in a boldness to give their witness power against the powerful forces ganged against them.

As you continue reading Acts, you will see the power of that filling responding to the various challenges besetting its witness.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. (John 16: 13, 14)

The Holy Spirit is our link to heaven and its discourses.

What I mean is that He is the One who clearly has the heavenly pattern and can transfer it to us, that being the reason I started with the statement from the Lord’s prayer about God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

That is the primary, possibly the only purpose God sent His Spirit to fill us.

What about joy? What about peace? What about fulfilment?

Can you starve when working in a food joint?

Can you become penniless when managing money?

Can you be trudging to work when managing a transport company?

The Holy Spirit not only reveals heaven to us, but through Him filling us releases heaven to us.

No wonder God’s attributes are slowly transferred to us as we continue being filled.

It is a travesty to hear someone claiming being filled with the Spirit yet unable to control their base cravings.

God’s filling (through the Holy Spirit) transfers God’s nature to us.

No wonder we have these verses

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5: 22 – 25)

Before these verses is a demonstration of what someone who is not filled with the Spirit is like. No wonder they are called the works of the flesh!

The purpose of the filling of the Spirit is simply to make us conformed to Christ’s image

Allow me to close with this verse

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32)

We are filled with the Holy Spirit to enhance our witness.

I hope this settles the dust for most of us though I know some will continue arguing using their denominational or experiential education