Waiting and Wrestling

"Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Ephesians 5:17-19 (emphasis mine)

Joshua 1:10-15 describes Joshua's command to the people to prepare themselves for three days before crossing the Jordan. In the Promised Land/Spirit-Filled Life illustration, crossing the Jordan symbolizes a second baptism (after the Red Sea). Jon Courson says he wrestled for three years with the question of whether baptism in the Holy Spirit was theologically correct and whether all the gifts of the Spirit are for today. But that time of questioning prepared him to encounter God in a fresh way that transformed his life and ministry.

I believe that God welcomes our "wrestling" if we are seeking His truth. He is not bothered or threatened by our questions. It means we are pursuing Him; not content to settle for other people's opinions or surface-level answers. I have spent a fair amount of time wrestling with the topic of Spirit-baptism and will share some of my present conclusions as they pertain to this study. I don't expect everyone to agree - it is a complex subject. But I hope we can all agree that as Christians, God's Spirit lives in us and wants to take us to deeper levels of intimacy and victory in Him. The question is...how deep do we want to go?

I take a broader view of the term "baptism of the Spirit" than some. Let me explain. Acts 1:4-5 says, "And being assembled with them, He (Jesus) commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which you have heard from Me; for John (the Baptist) truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, Peter confirmed that it was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy; the sign of the eschatological (end times) age ushered in by the Messiah. In other words, Jesus's mission on earth was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit began to indwell believers. It was a turning point in history, opening up new vistas of relationship with our Holy God. "Baptism of the Spirit" applies more in a corporate sense to the filling and empowering of the new body of Christ.

Now I know some of the questions that will arise around individual salvation and baptism of the Spirit. Three things are clear to me from Scripture. One is that believers can have subsequent fillings of the Spirit (see Acts 4:23-31). Second, that Acts covers a transitional time in the life of the church and shows different examples of how people encountered the Spirit, whether at the time of conversion or afterwards. Third, as New Testament Christians we are called to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18b) and "walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16a). In a pneumatology class, I learned that the phrase "be filled" in Ephesians 5:18 indicates a continual filling we are to seek which is not limited to a single experience. Thus, I prefer to use the word "filled" when talking about our life in the Spirit.

On one side of the Jordan, we have the wilderness - a place of wandering and self-reliance. On the other side we have the Promised Land - a place of purpose, empowerment and abundant, Spirit-filled LIFE. Every day, we choose which side to live on. Sometimes we may get stuck in the wilderness and need a fresh and powerful anointing, baptism, filling, dunking...whatever you want to call it...to get moving again. Some "fillings" or encounters with the Spirit may be so powerful that they become turning points in our lives. This would be analogous to crossing the Jordan. It doesn't mean we've arrived, but we are crossing over into a new way of life.

It's interesting that the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manassah chose to stay on the east side of the Jordan because it seemed good for their families and livestock (Numbers 32 and Joshua 1:12-14). The Lord wouldn't force them to cross the Jordan, but they weren't allowed to hold back the rest of the congregation. Later, they were the ones who were paganized. That side looked safe, but it wasn't. The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary states that "to this day there remains a distinct spiritual separation between the peoples on the east vs. west of the Jordan." This is a word of caution for us, to be sure. Taking the safe or easy road often leaves us vulnerable to attack.

In Joshua 1:16-18, the people answer Joshua, saying they will follow his lead as God is with him. And they reaffirm that he is to "be strong and of good courage". Our "Joshua" - Jesus - is more than able to lead us into the Promised Land of life in His Spirit. We can follow Him fully.

Questions: Are you wrestling with the idea of being filled with the Spirit? What does that look like to you? Do you have any pre-conceptions that aren't consistent with Scripture? Bring your thoughts and questions before the Lord and ask Him to show you His truth.