Study

Experiencing The Power of God

Dr. Crawford Loritts
5 Days
Introduction
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

The Command and the Control

Day 2

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Day Two takes us deeper into the study of the power of the Holy Spirit and what its role is in our lives. We will learn how the Holy Spirit, being a person, can lead us to deeper lives in Christ that produce transformation.

Summary

 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18 ESV

In today’s scripture, we see the Apostle Paul offering so much more than a great suggestion, he is providing a command: be filled with the Spirit.

More than pretty words or good intentions, this commandment serves as an imperative reminder that our lives should mirror the relationship we have experienced with Christ. 

In the same way, the analogy in this scripture illustrates that as a controlled substance may alter or change our behavior, so should the filling of the Holy Spirit alter and change who we are. 

As Dr. Loritts reminds us, any follower of Jesus who is not knowingly, willingly submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit is living in sinful disobedience to God. 

Being filled with the Spirit is a commandment we are called to follow and control we have to surrender. It’s not enough to add Jesus to our way of doing things. Rather, we surrender daily, living our lives on display with the change we’ve experienced and the power we possess by His Spirit.

What's next?

What is the command that Paul gives in Ephesians 5:18?

The comparison between substances and the Holy Spirit is meant to help us see just how powerful they are. A substance can control and alter you. We were not meant to be under the power of a substance; we were meant to yield and be controlled by the Holy Spirit, who will lead us to the transformed life we desire.

  1. Consider how you have been adding Jesus to your way of doing things rather than allowing your life to reflect and revel in the power of the Holy Spirit. What is the command that Paul gives in Ephesians 5:18?
  2. How can you experience all the power that the Holy Spirit wants to give you? What's in your life that you allow to control and alter you? Work? Social Media? Time in front of screens of any kind?

Scripture References

1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach
2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
3After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command:
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
5
For John baptized with
water, but in a few days you will be baptized with
the Holy Spirit.”
6Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7He said to them:
“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
49
I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,
19The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Dr. Crawford Loritts
Dr. Crawford Loritts
Dr. Crawford Loritts is the senior pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Georgia. He has served as a national evangelist with the American Missionary Fellowship and the Urban Evangelistic Mission and as associate director of Campus Crusade for Christ. He is the author of six books, including Leadership as an Identity, Lessons from a Life Coach, and For a Time We Cannot See.