John K. Jenkins Sr - Why We Need to Be Filled with the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5 is what I want to take a few moments for in this abbreviated sermon that I have to deliver since you all haven’t done all that worship and praising God. Verse 15 says, «See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.» Somebody say, «I want to know what the will of God is for my life right now.» He is about to tell you what the will of God is. He said, «I want to know what it is,» and here’s what it is. Number one, this applies to most of you here today: do not be drunk with wine. Look at your neighbor and say, «Stop drinking .» Go ahead, tell them! I see you all on communion Sundays when we get to that part. Not you, of course. You know, you put your head down or cover your mouth; you don’t say it-stop drinking! Right here, that’s what the will of God is. Did you see that? Do not be drunk with wine, which is dissipation. Debauchery is what the word means-excessive, uncontrolled. But then he says this: «but be filled with the Spirit.» Here 's what he said: if you want to get drunk, get drunk in the Holy Ghost because there ain’t no party like the Holy Ghost party, because the Holy Ghost party don 't stop!

Now what I want to talk to you about today is this verse: to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to discuss why we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Why do we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Why is he telling us to be filled, and why is it so important? When I was growing up in church, if somebody started shouting, we used to say they got happy. They jumped, shouted, jerked, and danced. I would get scared because I felt like something must have come over them, hit them, and taken control of them. I got nervous because whatever it was, I didn’t want it to come over and jump on me! Is there anybody else that knows, like as a kid, that’s how I felt? But Paul’s admonishment to the church in Ephesus is to tell them and encourage them, and I want to say to you today how important it is for us to be filled with the Spirit of God.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a sudden thing that jumps on you and makes you jump, shout, and run around. As a matter of fact, when you are filled with the Holy Spirit and you worship God, you don’t lose control of yourself. You don’t hurt everyone around you. I wish I had a praying crowd with me here today! You still have control of yourself. Stop hurting the people around you! You may be happy, but everyone else around you is sad, hurt, and in pain. He says, «Be filled,» and being filled is a lifestyle. It’s a way of life. Being filled is not a one-time event; it is a continuous process-a continuous thing that we need to stay plugged into. That 's why church is important. That 's why it’s important for you to come to worship! It’s important for you to receive the word of God, worship Him, and do all those things. It’s important because God will refill us. We are being filled and refilled.

Somebody said, «Well, what am I getting more of?» God? No, you’re going to get all of God. When you get Jesus, you get all the Jesus you’re going to get. You get all of the Holy Ghost who comes and lives inside you. It’s not a question of getting more of God; it’s a question of does He get more of you? What had happened was that He was in control, and you got to a place in your life where you surrendered to God and let Him have control. But your flesh keeps rising up, pulling and taking control from the Holy Spirit. You keep taking the reins out of His hand. You keep taking the steering wheel out of His hand. You keep pushing Him out of the driver’s seat, and you forget that He should be in that seat. That 's why you need the Holy Ghost to come back into your life, to push you out of the driver’s seat and let Him have control. Are you all listening to what I’m saying to you today?

What I want to tell you today is why it’s important for you to be filled. Tell your neighbor, «You need to be filled!» That 's why you need to stop drinking. Go ahead, tell them one more time! He says, «Be filled.» Being filled helps you deal with the issues you have in life. When you are filled with the power and presence of God, He orders your steps. When you get filled with the Holy Spirit, He directs your path. He controls your life. You need a regular empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It is a lifestyle. Somebody say «lifestyle.» It’s not a one-time deal. Tell your neighbor, «It’s not a one-time deal; it’s a lifestyle.» Now, why do we need to be filled? Because then He begins to tell us why we need to be filled and what the evidence actually is. The evidence of being filled-again, another thing that happened when I was growing up…