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LESSON 4: FILLING – Conditions Necessary For Spiritual Growth Eph 3:19, Acts 4:31:13:52: Col 1:9: Phil 1:11

INTRODUCTION

The next aspect of spiritual growth is Filling. Just as Flourishing pertains to the means whereby we grow in Christ, Filling pertains to the conditions necessary for growth in Christ.

It is God’s will that every child of His be filled with all the fullness of God, which includes being filled with the Holy Spirit, joy, the knowledge of His will and Word, and the fruits of righteousness.

II. FILLING: The Conditions of How to Be Spiritual and How To Be Holy.

NKJV: Ephesians 5:17–20, “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, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

A. How To Be Spiritual

The best way to understand how to be spiritual is first to consider and compare the three kinds of hearts of mankind of which Paul wrote to determine which kind to be in order to be spiritual, then consider your worth.

1. 1. Three Kinds of Hearts

a. The Natural Person: This person has self on the throne of one’s life. All of his or her ambitions, impulses, decisions, interests, and actions are directly related to one’s ego and what he or she wants.

However polite, moral and honest the natural human may be, nevertheless this one is a self-centered person. The natural person cannot be spiritual nor do they try to be.

NKJV: 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

b. The Carnal Person: This person also has self on the throne, but has a desire for Christ. Outwardly he or she may attend Church and/or read the Bible. They want self as well as Christ!

All their ambitions, impulses, decisions, interests, and actions spring from selfish desires. Because Christ has never been enthroned, misery prevails in the heart of the carnal person.

The carnal person knows the Word of God in precept, but not in practice. Neither the natural person nor the carnal person pleases God.

NKJV: Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”

c. The Spiritual Person: In order to be Spiritual, you first must have a Spiritual heart.

Every ambition, impulse, interest, decision and action are subject to Christ and is motivated and under control of the Holy Spirit.

The Spiritual Person knows the Word of God and the Will of God is both desired and obeyed. Every action springs from one ambition: to please God.

NKJV: Philippians 2:3-5, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”

2. Your Worth:

How much are you worth? How much did it cost for your redemption? It is the intention of our Lord Jesus Christ that you might be rich, not in the material sense but in the real and true sense, in the spiritual and eternal sense.

Your worth to God is related to what you will become.

NKJV: 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

a. The Cost of Your Redemption: With His violent and painful crucifixion, Christ gave His Life so that we might be saved.

Your life has great worth, not only to God, but also to your family, your community, your Church and your fellow believers. This is why he sacrificed Himself for you.

NKJV: John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

NKJV: Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

b. The Concern For Your Response: God intends you to measure up to the standard He set. He wants you grow in the maturity of Christ.

In order for us to be what God intends, we must give diligence to allow the Holy Spirit to teach us, and we must obey Him.

Bow in prayer now and ask:

“Father speak to my heart by Thy Holy Spirit. I want to be all that
You want me to be. Reveal to me what You want of and bring it
about by Thy Holy Spirit. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Conclusion:

If you are going to be spiritual and grow in Christ, you need to have a spiritual heart and be a spiritual person. In order for this to happen you need to be irreversibly committed to the Lord Jesus Christ.

You must determine to measure up to your worth and be all that God intended you to be and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you through daily Bible reading and studying and through the gifted men in the Church.

NKJV: Ephesians 4:11-14, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,”