Embracing the Holy Spirit and living a Spirit-filled life is a normal Christian experience. As believers, we can overlook the significance and importance of the power of the Holy Spirit readily available to us. Learn what a Spirit-filled life looks like and how to embrace it today. 

A Supernatural Life is Normal

If you’re a believer, how would you describe your current status as a Christian? 

• Growing? Joyful? Fulfilled? Living on mission and the purposes of God?

• Weak? Frustrated? Disappointing? Anemic? Stuck? Struggling? 

• Or something in between? 

While nothing on this side of Heaven will be perfect, the Christian life is designed to be lived in a power beyond your ability. 

Years ago, I spoke with a gentleman whom I saw every Sunday at church, and he confided to me, “I don’t know if my relationship with Christ even has the power to break out of a wet paper sack.” This isn’t what you are designed for; if I put it in even stronger terms, This isn’t Christianity. The Apostle Paul warned us about settling for an outward form of Christianity that’s devoid of God’s power:

“…having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:5 

Don’t settle for that, believer. When Jesus tried to help a person who had all the outward trappings of following the Lord but no inward power or reality, He said:

JESUS: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3, 5

Very early in Jesus’ ministry, He set the tone for what it meant to be one of His followers. Jesus established that it meant the empowerment of God was to live a Spirit-filled Christianity. I submit that that is normal Christianity, and it was on Pentecost that believers were “filled with the Holy Spirit.” 

When I was a new believer, my future father-in-law began discipling me. He grounded me in three key truths of Christianity. First, he began in John 15, which teaches about growing and understanding what it means to live an abiding and fruitful life in Christ. Second, he taught me about prayer, including how dynamic and life-giving it can be.

The third thing he taught me was about the person of the Holy Spirit (READ MORE: Who is the Holy Spirit). He shared that a Spirit-filled life is normal for a Christian, and a Christian who doesn’t practice the Spirit-filled life isn’t normal. 

The first time I tried kimchi, I had no idea what it was. So, being adventurous, I took a generous bite and immediately thought a hole was going to blow out of the back of my head. With tears streaming down my face and gasping for air, I began to chug my water. 

I share that because many Christians are blind to the Holy Spirit. They’re unaware of the power that’s available to them. We don’t know what we don’t know. When you’re deceived, you don’t know you’re deceived because you’re deceived. But Scripture gives us a clear directive. 

“Be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

That verse is an imperative, which means God is commanding us. Having a Spirit-filled life is a command from God to obey, but equally important is that the Holy Spirit is a blessing to enjoy. That is also our obligation as Christians because, on our own, we don’t have the strength to do what God commands us to do.

A normal Christian life is a supernatural life. This means being sensitive and responsive to the things we’re called and commanded to do. God gives us pictures in the natural so that we might understand realities in the supernatural that are available to us. 

How Scripture Describes the Holy Spirit 

1) Rushing Mighty Wind

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from Heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” Acts 2:1-2 (emphasis added) 

If you’ve ever been sailing, you understand what a mighty surge of wind can be like. When the crew hoists the mainsail, you know the unique sound of the wind snapping the sail and the power a gust can provide. It’s more powerful than we often recognize. 

2) Fire

Acts 2 describes the Holy Spirit as “tongues of fire.”

I encourage you not to get hung up on the “tongues” part because the real miracle wasn’t that people spoke in tongues on Pentecost. Instead, the real miracle was that people heard the Gospel in their own heart language. In Matthew 3:11d, John the Baptist described Jesus as “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” 

If you’ve ever gone camping and built a fire, it’s likely that when you awoke the following day, the campfire had died out. God doesn’t want your life to be a burned-out campfire; instead, He wants to empower you with Holy Spirit fire. 

3) Oil

In the Old Testament, when kings were anointed to lead a theocracy, they were annoyed with oil as a symbol that the Holy Spirit was filling them and setting them aside for a special role. The New Testament picks up on that language. 

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because He has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.” Luke 4:18 (NASB, emphasis added)

In Acts, we see it described how God anointed Jesus with Holy Spirit power: 

“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 (NASB, emphasis added)

When Holy Spirit oil flows in the different areas of our lives, there will be ease, restfulness, and smoothness. We experience new and restored life in our marriages, relationships, parenting, and ministries. To know His joy and peace amid our circumstances, the Holy Spirit oils the gears of our capacity to love. Joy doesn’t mean that everything is pie-in-the-sky, but it means that we have a glad contentment that knows, no matter what, God is for me. 

Additionally, we can know His peace, which is like the melody of our souls because we’re not hustling or striving anymore. This isn’t describing complacency but rather a contentedness in Jesus Christ. Believer, this is a love worth finding. This is worth your pursuit of God because, as Scripture says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst (Matthew 5:6).” 

What Does a Spirit-filled Life Look Like? 

Righteousness, in the context of Scripture, means the way of God. What we see happening through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the way of God. For Christians, Pentecost represents the initiation of living Spirit-filled lives. So how does Scripture further represent and support that? 

• The Disciples Were Spirit-filled: “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:52

• The Early Christians Were Spirit-filled: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” Acts 2:4a

• Jesus Was Spirit-filled: “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.” Luke 4:1; “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.” Luke 4:14

The Spirit-filled life is the Christian life.

Many people, if they’re admitted to the hospital, will check the box that they’re Christian, yet repeatedly, we see that the Church isn’t living fully into the empowerment of God. Recently, another pastor told me, “The greatest need is for the Church is for the people in the Churches to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” That empowerment is to be about what our Father would have us to not only be witnesses but also a voice and labor for the preferred future together for the glory of God. 

In Galatians 5, Paul instructs us to:

• “Walk by the Spirit” (verse 16).

• To be “led by the Spirit” (verse 18).

• To “live by the Spirit” (verse 25).

• And to “keep in step with the Spirit” (verse 25).

The reason why the Holy Spirit was outpoured is very obvious in Scripture. He’s the power of a transformed life that enables us to take Jesus to the world. 

JESUS: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Some of us are conditioned to read a verse like that and think, “I could never do that.” Before I address that, I want to make a prefacing comment: It’s possible to attend church without meeting with God, but meeting with God is the point. 

When we read the New Testament, there are examples of disciples who mess up because they didn’t get it. We could point to several stories, but I want to specify Peter because his story gives me hope. Remember, Peter was the one who denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62), cut off the solider’s ear (John 18:10-11), and was even told by Jesus to “Get behind me, Satan (Matthew 16:23).” 

Peter had his share of failures that we can identify with. However, after Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and God’s power, his life was different. A new source flowed through him. He didn’t have to function like a half-filled cup trying to overflow. Something supernaturally flowed through him, which was the person of the Holy Spirit. 

On Pentecost, he preached to a large crowd, and more than 3,000 people were born into the Kingdom. There was obviously a new anointing and power in Peter’s life. When we read that, we should identify with the distinction between our flesh and old nature versus the new nature and operating power of the Holy Spirit. 

As the Church, we have to realize we’re on the threshold. Are we going to live into this power? Are we going to be a cruise ship or a battleship? While that’s a well-used illustration, I submit that I prefer to think of the Church as an aircraft carrier rather than a battleship. Let me illustrate why. 

On a cruise ship, all of your needs are met. You get to ask yourself if you like the service, the food, and how your desires are being catered to. On a battleship, you’re on a mission. The one thing you get to ask is if your ship is on a clear and noble mission.

However, if you’re an aircraft carrier, you don’t want the battle to take place on the carrier. This is where people are equipped to know the Gospel and are full of the Holy Spirit. However, people are being sent out and serving on mission in the marketplace, in their neighborhoods, and among the nations. 

When we review Acts, we realize the Church had a choice: They could function as business as usual or they could wait for the power on high. They could move in faith and surrender to God so the Holy Spirit could empower them to move forward in His business or linger in complacency. 

Why We Want to Embrace Brokenness

JESUS: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (paraclete) to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth.”  John 14:6 (notation added)

The Greek word for Counselor (or, as some translations say, “Comforter”) is Paraclete, which literally means one that is called alongside to help. Thus, a Spirit-filled life means you have one who’s called alongside you to help you in life. To live a Spirit-filled life means the very nature of God has gripped you deep within. As Christians, you’re designed to function with a power far beyond your own. 

While many people will proclaim, “I’ve committed my life to Christ,” and we certainly want to celebrate that, we need to be cautious with our language because that’s not how the New Testament frames coming to Christ. The invitation is more precisely framed around coming to Jesus in surrender. That’s why Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, you cannot have life (John 12:24).” 

Jesus also said things like, “Take up your cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24-26),” which means that we have to die to our preferences and find a life that’s lived for God’s purposes. One of the words that the Bible uses for that is “brokenness.” In Scripture, “brokenness,” isn’t a negative thing, instead it’s when we wave the white flag to surrender and confess that Jesus is Lord. Many people don’t discover the gift of brokenness unless they go through pain and suffering before they cry out to God. Let’s validate that’s a good thing. 

But you don’t have to suffer to yield to God. Many people experience God’s revelation, as we see in Acts 2. They recognize where God speaks to them and understand that He’s worthy of their surrender.

“For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15 (NKJV, emphasis added)

To be “contrite” means to move with God by yielding through a humble spirit. God declares that these pictures of brokenness will experience a revival of their Spirit through His son, Jesus Christ, and the person of the Holy Spirit. 

One of the most valuable prayers we can pray as believers is, “God, I can’t do this on my own power.” Acknowledging that we can’t fulfill His commands of our own accord is a symptom of a healthy, poor spirit. Scripture tells us that God blesses those who recognize that they are poor in Spirit. 

However, remember that God is a loving Father, and His surgery is always unto healing. It leads us to a place of humility and demonstrates that it’s important to be emptied before we’re filled. A dry sponge never refuses liquid. God wants to demonstrate His power, love, and presence within you right where you are. God is seeking and willing to be active among His people. 

The gateway for the Spirit-filled life is the Gospel of Christ. 

I get asked frequently, “I’m a Christian, so does that mean I have the Holy Spirit?” The answer is yes, you absolutely do. But that’s not the question we’re dealing with right now. The real question is: Does the Holy Spirit have you? 

Scripture tells us that Jesus didn’t come to condemn us. Instead, He came to give us new life, which includes life in the Holy Spirit. If your campfire has burned out and is nothing but ashes, now is a good time to ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit. 

As we finish, I encourage you to take 30 seconds to pray for God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and His power in your life. Confess your needs and ask for a Pentecost-like filling of the Lord. 

TL;DR

1. A normal Christian life is Spirit-filled, empowered by the Holy Spirit, as depicted in Acts 2:1-13. 

2. Many believers struggle, feeling weak and unfulfilled, but this is not what God intended. 

3. The Holy Spirit is essential for living a powerful, transformative Christian life. 

4. Jesus and the Apostles demonstrated the necessity of being filled with the Spirit, which brings joy, peace, and effectiveness in fulfilling God’s mission. 

5. Embrace the Holy Spirit’s power to experience the fullness of life God promises. 

6. Seek a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit today to live a truly empowered Christian life.

Related Reading

Who is the Holy Spirit by Rev. Paul Lawler

Discover 5 Ways the Holy Spirit Helps Us by Bro. Chris Carter

Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit by Rev. Paul Lawler