Power What Are You Full Of?

Power

What Are You Full Of?

All of us are full of something

Either ourselves or the Spirit of God

In the early church there was an issue that needed to be resolved

The apostles said choose seven full of the Spirit and wisdom

Among the disciples were those with different levels of the Spirit and wisdom

The question is not, is your tank full but what is it full of?

What Are You Full Of?

We are all full of something.

You have met the person

who was full of themselves.

Or, the person full of

bitterness or maybe apathy.

We can be full of negative things:

anger, resentment, malice, hatred, jealousy, fear,

anxiety, worry, doubt, lust, passivity, aggression,

regret, self-pity… and the list goes on and on.

Each day as we go through life the

things we are full of spill or run out.

In the early church there was a problem that

needed a resolution and those to carry it out.

The apostles gathered the disciples.

The apostles asked the disciples to

make a choice among themselves.

Imagine being one of those disciples and your

job is to look at yourself and the other disciples.

You are to examine what you and

your fellow disciples are full of.

For handling this important issue in the church,

you are to choose seven disciples who

are “full of the Spirit and Wisdom”.

Ephesians 5:18 tells us to

Be “Filled with the Spirit”.

While staying with my brother in Florida he

told me he had a problem with his backyard pond.

The water level would go down

every day and needed to be refilled.

Was the problem a leak?

 Was it evaporation?

 Both were good reasons.

  But the problem was his waterfall

was not all falling back into the pond.

There are many reasons you and I need

to keep filling ourselves with the Spirit.

The truth of the matter is we

are not to be a sealed bottle.

 As Jesus said we shall have springs of

living water flowing from within us. 

If we are to partner with the work of God we

need to be “full of the Spirit and Wisdom”.

    

Maybe you are thinking of seven people you

know who are full of the Spirit and Wisdom.

You may not think of

yourself as one as full as others.

If so, why?

Steven was one of those chosen.

 He was full of the Spirit

and Wisdom as well as Faith.

It is also said…

 “Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power”

Steven seems to be larger than life.

But he was a man among the other disciples.

What was Steven doing that made

Him stand out as one Full of the Spirit?

Galatians 5 tells us we are to

develop the Fruit of the Spirit.

In order to have fruit you have to

plant seeds and care for the plant.

We are also told there is a Walk of the Spirit and

Steps of the Spirit that keep us in place and in time.

So if we are Full of the Spirit,

what will that look like to others?

 
Being full… “of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,

 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

You and I are vessels.

 If we have put our faith and trust in

Jesus Christ we have His Spirit in us.

But among the disciples there

were those Filled with the Spirit.

The things of the world and flesh were

removed and the Fruit of the Spirit

were growing and filling their lives.

 

These are the ones who have Wisdom

and Power to resolve the problem.

So what are you full of?

Scripture Reading

Acts 6:5-9 NIV

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.