Three Contrasts

1.Not as unwise, but as wise.

2.Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.   

3.Do not get drunk, but be filled with the Spirit.

‘Be Filled’ with the Holy Spirit

1. A verb in the imperative mood. ‘Be filled’ is not a tentative suggestion.

It’s a command. Obligatory, not optional

2. A verb in the plural form.   You all must be filled.  Written to an entire  church, not individuals.  Yield to Him.  Open hands. Humble, receptive hearts.

3. A verb in the passive voice.  Let the Holy Spirit fill you.

4. A verb in the present tense.  Let the Holy Spirit keep filling you. Continuous appropriation. Not a once for all activity, but ongoing.

After trying all kinds of other things, Christians have learned that the worship of God with the whole heart in the assurance of his love through the work of Jesus Christ is the thing their souls were meant to ‘run on.’ That is what gets all the heart’s cylinders to fire.  -Tim Keller