Meditations on Ephesians 5:18-21

Unbridled Joy

Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

It was an early Sunday morning when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in Jerusalem. A peaceful dawn was suddenly shattered by the sound of a howling wind filling the streets. The roar must have been deafening. People rushed out of their homes to see what they heard but they were left bewildered. They expected to see rooftops being blown off and trees being ripped up by their roots. Imagine their surprise when not a breath of wind was stirring. The leaves on the trees drooped peacefully but what was that noise?

As the people gathered, the apostles poured out of the upper room and into the streets praising God. What was going on? Someone, seeing the apostles’ giddy expressions, suspected: “They’re drunk!” (Acts 2:13)

The Apostle Peter laughing with them explained, “These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It is only 9:00 in the morning!” and then he began preaching the first gospel sermon.

In worship, have you ever been so happy people accused you of being drunk? It has probably been a while (if ever). Normally, Christians, by the scowls on their judgmental faces, seem to deny there is ever a time for joy but it hasn’t always been that way. Listen to the Bible:

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may exult in you (Psalm 51:11)

 

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,

and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:11)

Let those who delight in my righteousness

shout for joy and be glad

and say evermore,

“Great is the Lord,

who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness

and of your praise all the day long (Psalm 35:27, 28).

 

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, (1 Peter 1:8).

 

I want that joy! The Ephesians did too but Paul explains, the Christian joy doesn’t come from a bottle. It is a joy rooted in the presence of the Holy Spirit. “Be filled with the Spirit!”

Meditations on Ephesians 5:19-21

Hiking in the Collegiate Peaks, Colorado

Be Filled with the Spirit

 

Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

 

On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the first disciples, Peter declared,

Acts 2:38  “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

So if the Ephesians already had the gift of the Holy Spirit since they had repented and been baptized, how can Paul tell them to “Be filled with the Spirit”? (And of course the same admonition applies to us.)

As with any good Bible study, we should begin by looking carefully at the words behind our English translation. In this case the words “be filled” correctly translates one Greek word plêrousthe (πληροῦσθε) however, Greek verbs are a little different from English verbs. Here the words “be filled” are passive which could be translated “allow yourself to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” In other words, we can get in the way! We can become so focused on ourselves – we might say “so full of ourselves” – we don’t have room for the Holy Spirit!

We received the gift of the Spirit when we became Christians but many people keep the gift of the Holy Spirit in the closet of their hearts. We focus on things rather than God. It might be work or it could be a grand cause. It might be another person, or sports, or relationships, or collections – anything we are passionate about – but the point is our focus is on something other than the Holy Spirit. God is not the center of our life and so Paul declares “be filled with the Spirit!” In the next meditations, we’ll begin exploring how to do just that.