The Challenge - Week Three
Filling Test #1 - Your Witness

When you talk about being filled or baptized with the Holy Spirit you cannot help but run into the realm of personal experience. Throughout the history of the church many people have had powerful experiences with the Spirit - often different from each other. Sadly this has led to division and to applying experience as the test of being filled with the Spirit rather than using the biblical tests.

For example here’s early American evangelist Charles Finney’s description of his filling or baptism with the Spirit.

“I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. Without any expectation of it, ... the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings.
“No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love... These waves came over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I recollect I cried out, “I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me. “I said, “Lord, I cannot bear any more; “yet I had no fear of death.”

You’ve probably heard many others, perhaps you’ve experienced something like this yourself. So should this be the test of whether you and I are filled with the Spirit?

No! The Bible gives us several different yardsticks to use to measure just how filled (controlled) we are by the Spirit. For the next three weeks we’ll be looking at some of them.

Our Lord Jesus gave us the first test Himself when He predicted the filling of the Spirit and foretold the reason for it. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you with be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. “(Acts 1:8)

So the first biblical test for the filling of the Spirit is whether or not we are witnessing. Do you share your faith? Do you actually share your faith regularly whether you want to or not?  Being filled with the Spirit gives us the power to be good witnesses!

Remember that you witness in two very basic ways: through modeling (how you act, the way you live your life) and through evangelism (telling people about Christ and His wonderful salvation).

So if you are filled with the Spirit you should see a gradually growing ability and desire to share your faith and Christ’s salvation with those around you. If you lack this desire and find yourself actively dodging opportunities to share that could indicate a problem

To help you apply this test to yourself, and to improve on your witness, please check below.

Ø      Use the five & five principle. Have a list of five people you are praying for to be saved and a list of five people you are talking to about Christ, salvation, church, etc.

Ø      Memorize Acts 1:8, and pray for that purpose to be fulfilled in your life.