Third, we need to be Spirit filled to worship. Eph. 5:18-20 says, “18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Have you ever thought about how much you need God in order to worship God? In your flesh, you will only worship yourself or another god of your own design. It is only by the indwelling enabling Holy Spirit who fills us that we can truly worship in spirit and truth as Jesus said in John 4. Our spirit (inner man including our soul which is our mind, will, and emotions) must yield to His Spirit who is the Spirit of truth given to each of us (John 14-16). There are only two ways to worship God. The wrong way or the right way. The wrong way is false worship, nothing more than idolatry itself. This section that deals with Spirit filled worship begins with the command to “be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess.” Whatever you are filled by you are controlled by. Paul had to address a deeper issue that surrounded the church of Ephesus. The pagan Ephesians who concentrated their life around idol worship would often use alcohol and other hallucinogenic substances in their idol worship. They believed that being intoxicated transported them into the spirit world where they could commune with their gods (which are nothing more than demons). Often, their “worship services” were filled with drunkenness and debauchery all in the name of worship. This is a common practice that is seen throughout the many cultures in the world today that practice this sort of mystery religion that is false in its worship of God. Some examples could be the Native Americans, Aztecs, and other tribal groups.
The right way to worship God and the only way to worship God is to be filled by the Holy Spirit, not to have ecstatic experiences, but to commune in true Biblical worship of Christ our Lord. Spirit filled worship (or Biblical worship) is the lifting up to God our mind’s attention and heart’s affection. Worship is often characterized by singing as seen throughout the Bible. Worship involves singing, but it is not just singing. You could have perfect pitch but if your heart is darkened or disengaged then there is no true worship. Eph. 5:18-20 shows us that Spirit filled worship is both horizontal and vertical. As we worship the Lord (vertically) then we equip, edify, and encourage the Church (horizontally). We don’t just worship for the glory of God. We worship for the good of our neighbor. Notice the phrase “to yourselves.” We must have our minds and hearts engaged as we sing to the glory of God and the good of others. By the way, you can tell the spiritual health of a Christian by how they sing (or not sing). You can tell how healthy a Church is as it sings. We are only as spiritually healthy as we are filled by the Spirit in worship to God. There are three different ways that we worship God vertically and help one another horizontally. One, we have “psalms.” The Psalms are the psalter found in the poetic section in the Old Testament. Psalms have a multitude of themes and emotions. To speak or sing the Psalms means that we should sing the scriptures. This was once common practice. Two, we have “hymns.” Most of us think about hymns when we think of singing in church. Hymns are songs that are about the scriptures or based on the scriptures. We sing hymns to equip ourselves in theological and practical truths, encourage our hearts, and edify the local Body as we worship Christ. Three, we have “spiritual songs.” These are songs that are inspired by the scriptures as the Holy Spirit guides. These songs could be congregational songs, what we call “specials,” or even spontaneous songs that come from our heart to God. The church should be filled with singing and so should the Christian. Filled worship is not only for the horizontal good of others in the church but for the vertical glory of Christ as we sing these psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Spirit filled worship is always “to the Lord” or else it isn’t true worship. Spirit filled worship is filled with thanks and gratitude in all seasons of life “unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Worship flows from gratitude and grace not guilt. Andrew Murray writes “Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.” Spirit filled worship is not optional, it is basic obedient love and faith in actions. Read Psalm 150 and see how important worship is in our life and how worthy God is to be praised. Go back and read Eph.1-3 and see if your heart doesn’t soar to heights of worship and reverence as you are filled by the Spirit who sealed you and strengthens you. As we are emptied of self and filled with Him, we are enabled, energized, and engaged in Spirit filled Christ exhausting worship.
Fourth, and finally, we must be Spirit filled to work. Eph. 5:21 says, “21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” The greatest work that we’ll ever do is live in the fear of God (which is wise living) as we submit to Christ and one another. This won’t happen if we aren’t filled by the Holy Spirit. As you read this verse, I’m sure that you, like me, shrink back at both submitting to one another and the fear of God. The hardest but most holy work in the life of the believer is Spirit filled submission. We must submit to the scriptures and Spirit, yes, but also to one another. This doesn’t mean that we live as doormats per se, but it means that we submit our interests, opinions, and preferences for the sake of maturity, unity, and edification of others. Is this not what a worthy walk looks like (Eph. 4:1-3, 11-16)? I believe that the reason that we have a hard time submitting to one another is because we simply have a hard time surrendering to God. We naturally hate, reject, and rebel against authority. But now in Christ we yield to His authority as we are continuously filled by the Spirit and emptied of self. The reason that the work of God is so hindered in our hearts and churches is because we refuse to surrender to Christ and one another. We fail in this because we walk after the flesh and not after the Spirit (Rom. 8:4). All of life is to be lived filled by the Spirit for energy and enablement but this only happens “in the fear of God.” The difference between those without Christ and those in Christ is that those who are in Christ know, have, and live in the fear of the Lord. We were designed to do a great work in and for Christ, not merely on the personal level, but the corporate. Our churches will only do the work of God as we are filled by the Spirit who enables us to submit to God and one another. What matters more? Getting what you want, or pleasing God? Your personal preferences or the building up of the Church? Having it your way or God’s way? The work of the Spirit is to fill us as we yield to Him so that the work that He is doing in us can then be a work through us for the good of others and glory of Christ.
As we wrap all of this up, my prayer is that we see how desperately we need to be filled by the Holy Spirit. I hope you see how desperately we need Christians and Churches filled by the Holy Spirit so that we can walk worthy, walk in wisdom, worship, and work for the glory of God and furtherance of the gospel. Alan Redpath says, “We need, men so possessed by the Spirit of God that God can think His thought through our minds, that He can plan His will through our actions, that He can direct His strategy of world evangelization through His Church.” It is time that we become burdened with a sense of the Spirit’s work in our life and in the life of the Church. It is time that we become desperate to rid ourselves of ourselves so that we’d be filled with the fullness of God. It is time that we put an end to “doing church” and Christianity without the power and person of the Holy Spirit. It is time that we yield ourselves to Christ alone, not programs, preferences, or personal opinions. Oh, how we need the Spirit of God to fill our hearts and homes. Oh, how desperately we need the Holy Spirit to fill our pastors, preaching, ministries, singers, deacons, volunteers, retired, working, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and unengaged church members. Christian, are you struggling in your walk? Do you feel “burnt out,” disengaged, indifferent, unmoved? Then be emptied of self and filled with the Spirit of God. Don’t seek for more of Him, seek for fresh grace to repent and faithfully surrender to Him. Get in His Word. Live in His Word. Give Him all that you are for all that He is. Stop living in your own strength, live in the Spirit. God’s will for each Christian and His Church is that we’d be filled by the Spirit to walk in our wealth in Christ. This is the Spirit filled life. This is the normal Christian life. But is this your life?
Grow with me as we study the believer’s wealth and walk in Christ.
Grow deeper.
Grow higher.
Grow wider.
Grow With Pastor Joe 
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