Filled with the Spirit, Part 3 (Eph 5:15–21) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

What is the difference between living the Christian life in one’s own power and living the Christian life in the fullness of the Holy Spirit? The obvious, of course, is our power is limited, our vision shortsighted, our boldness weak, and our steadfastness waffling. But the fullness of the Spirit implies that the One who seals you in Jesus Christ when you believe the gospel, who becomes the pledge of your inheritance in Christ, is the same one who brings you more and more into “the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (1:13–14, 23). Let me help you visualize what the difference means.

When I was a young boy we would travel down to my uncle’s farm for a visit. The first thing that I did after spying out the assortment of farm animals was to head to the well in his front yard. At some point they added running water in the house but still maintained the well. A piece of weathered tin covered the well to keep things from falling into it and spoiling the drinking water. A windlass lay across the concrete form of the well, with a long cotton rope attached to an old bucket with glints of rust in its seams. I would slide back the piece of tin and then begin to crank the handle down, down, down until the bucket hit the still water some 35–40 feet below. Then the work began, especially for a kid of nine or ten. I would slowly turn the windlass’ handle to bring the heavy load of water to the surface. Crank, crank, crank with squeaks in every revolution, I would finally get the water to the surface and slide it off to the small edge of the concrete form. Then, to reward my effort, I would take a dipping ladle and sip some of the cool water.

The water was good and refreshing but the only way that I could enjoy it would be through a lot of effort on my part. For a kid, drawing one bucket to the top was fun but if I had faced the responsibility of filling a large wash tub or daily chores requiring water then the fun would have ended with the first bucket full drawn from down below.

But about a half mile away from that well, not too far from a creek that ran through my uncle’s property, another source of water existed. The water was chilly and delicious, and best of all it didn’t have to be slowly lifted to the surface bucket by bucket. You see, this was an artesian well that never stopped flowing. It flowed in dry weather and rainy weather without my effort and straining, at turning the windlass handle. It flowed naturally without my power generating anything. I simply enjoyed what burst forth from out of the side of a hill with constant refreshment.

Drawing water from the well is like the self-effort that we attempt to live the Christian life. We can do it, and initially, find some satisfaction and refreshment in it. But when the demands and strains in life arise, we cannot crank the handle fast enough and long enough or plunge the bucket deep enough to keep up with what we need. Soon, we find ourselves frustrated at trying to draw the strength for obedience, worship, witness, and service. We resent it instead of finding it exhilarating. We slip into dullness in our spiritual lives. Worship and service become perfunctory instead of joyous.

Yet, Jesus told His followers that if we’re thirsty and come to Him and drink, from our innermost being will flow rivers of living water. John interprets, “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive” (John 7:37–39). The artesian well of the Spirit flows in fullness so that we might worship the Lord, serve one another, and witness to the world of Jesus as Lord. Jesus Christ gives us the Spirit so that we might live in His fullness as we live out the Christian life. Do you live in His fullness?

We’ve considered how the Holy Spirit naturally and normally fills the believer. He doesn’t do so because of following a formula but by walking worthy of the calling in the gospel, not wal[...]