J. Grant Swank, Jr.
The nearly l20 gathered in the Upper Room were "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4)!
When the Holy Spirit comes upon a disciple, there are various occurrences which are primary and wonderful.
First, the infilling is a GIFT, not an achievement. All that God does in a believer's life, from alpha to omega, is provided by divine grace. There is nothing which is trophied as an accomplishment by the human vessel.
When one receives salvation, it is by divine grace. Even the prevenient grace which precedes saving grace is emptied out upon the human heart
by God Himself. So it is with the infilling. It is an act of grace
executed by heaven's powers so that the homo sapien may enter into the holy of holies provided here on earth.
Second, the infilling is bestowed by a PERSON, not an
institution nor ritual nor ecclesiastical title. The origins of the sanctifying presence are from Him--the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, one may be filled by the Holy Spirit anywhere and at any time the Spirit deems it appropriate.
Consequently,
no attention is focused upon churchly leaders nor rites nor liturgies
nor assemblies. All of these are extraneous to the marvel of the
infilling presence. God is a jealous God; therefore, He deserves all
focus--totally so--for He is the fount of the sanctifying experience.
Third, the infilling is an introduction to the HOLINESS of God.
It is a holy come-upon by the divine. Why? Because the Indweller is
nothing but holiness. There is no sin nor carnality within the divine
nature; consequently, when He sets up residence within the human life,
that housing is evidenced in the holy life. "Be holy, even as I am
holy."
Therefore, the competing spirits of this existence
are left to their unholiness. These spirits are the spirits of self,
worldliness, Satan, carnality, bigotry, hypocrisy, and so on. No other
spirit in planetary sphere can compare with the HOLY Spirit, for all
others spirits are less than holy; in other words, they are of this
fallen scope.
Fourth,
the infilling is MULTI-DIMENSIONAL in splendor just as the Holy Spirit
is infinitely creative in power, peace and purity. These many facets of
the Holy Spirit's personality have no allowance for evil; however,
within the eternal awareness of His being, the Spirit is everlastingly
imaginative--far beyond human speculations.
Consequently,
when the Holy Spirit explores the human personality for kingdom
fulfillment, there are endless doings which the Spirit will come upon.
That is why it is faulty to circumscribe the Spirit's work within the consecrated life. That is why it is unbiblical to narrowly define what and how the Spirit is to
achievement His plans for and through the dedicated soul.
One
must permit the Spirit His perfect freedom to do what He wants to do,
how He wants to do it, and when He wants to perform it. Openness is the
anticipatory key which opens up the infinite possibilities to the
loving Spirit's chartings for good.
Fifth, the infilling
is DURABLE for the Holy Spirit is God! There is no start nor finish to
God. There are no boundaries to God except those which would contradict
His holy nature, such as wickedness. There are no "wearings thin" with
God.
Therefore, when the holy work is begun in the consecrated heart, durability can see through the experience to heaven's gates.
There is the possibility that one can remain true to the indwelling
Spirit if one wills such tenacity to be lasting. It is true that the
human still deals with foibles, shortcomings, eccentricities, mistakes
in judgment and performance--but one does not have to backslide into
sin if one determines holiness to be set. It is a matter of persevering
with one will in control--that is, the DIVINE will only.
Sixth,
the infilling is ADEQUATE for the Holy Spirit is all-sufficient. His
chief historical proof of such is His raising Jesus from the dead. If
there is a power who can raise the dead, then there is nothing which is
impossible to that mighty presence. Yes, the Spirit of God
is a match and more for any trial in this existence. There is nothing
too difficult for Him to conquer--again, in His time and manner.
Consequently,
in the indwelt soul, "all things work together for good to those who
love God and are called according to His purpose". What is His purpose?
It is holiness. That is the chief desire of a holy God for His children
of grace. Therefore, there is no testing which God cannot overcome. It
is then a matter of faith on the part of the indwelt. One simply
believes in the adequacy of the divine, no matter what may arise to
threaten, even martyrdom.
Seventh,
the infilling is ATTRACTIVE in that the Holy Spirit is handsome in His
nature and evidence. All the beauty of creation is from the workings of
the Spirit who first brooded upon those creation waters. All that is
good, clean, delightful and happy finds its source in the Holy Spirit.
It is the unholy spirits which are violent, ugly and repulsive. They promise fulfillment, peace, prosperity and all the other human desires for this world. But they cannot produce lastingly any of these offers. That is why Satan is a deceiver, the Father of Lies.
Therefore, when one is indwelt with the spirits of worldliness, self,
lust, avarice and so forth, one is overcome with the grip of emptiness,
finally controlled by these spirits.
Eighth, the infilling is HUMBLE in that all focus is upon the Provider. That is why the sermons and testimonies following
the Day of Pentecost all point to Jesus, the One whose death upon the cross made Pentecost presence possible.
"Wait.
. .until you are overcome from on high," Jesus commissioned His own
when ascending into heaven. It was Jesus who purchased our salvation
and sanctification upon Calvary. It was Jesus who breathed His last by
taking our sins upon His sacrificial head, becoming scapegoat for
rebellious humanity. It was Jesus who rose from the grave. It was Jesus
who returned as our Intercessor to the right hand of the Father in
glory. It was Jesus who predicted that the disciples would be indwelt
by holiness. It was Jesus who then was lifted up by the Early Church as
the Supplier of the Pentecost Spirit.
Consequently, all
self-glory in the work of the holy kingdom is anathema to the truth of
Christianity. It must be abhorred. It must be exposed and put away
immediately. There is no room for pomp and circumstance when it comes
to the fleshly leadership of any Christian institution. All of that
will pass as dust. Therefore, only the adorable beholding of the
Sanctifying Savior is tolerable in any labor for God.
Humility
is the most rare gift to be found in any generation. Yet it is
absolutely imperative that believers come upon that gift in order for
all ego attention to be driven from our midst. It must be a conscious
effort. It must be prayed over. It must be set forth more publicly from
every pulpit. It must be written across our hearts daily. We are
nothing; He is everything. "For without Me, you can do nothing." And
without Him, we indeed are nothing.