Cartoonology. There is great theology in cartoons and comics.
Being a pastor can present you with interesting experiences. Some are joyful, some are sad, some are harrowing, some are just plain funny and some are any combination the above. One Sunday, just 10 minutes before worship was to begin, a deacon approached me and said there was a man on the front porch that wanted to talk with me. I found a dirty, raggedy drunk and asked him what he wanted. “I want to preach this morning”, was his answer. When I objected he responded, “The Lord told me to preach here this morning.” I answered, “That’s funny, because I am the pastor of this church and the Lord didn’t tell me.” I did invite him to come in and worship, but only if he remained quiet and orderly. If not, he would be escorted out. He got angry and continued swearing and cursing at me as he walked away.
Ephesians 5:18 (NLT)
18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
This verse seems strange at first glance, but it makes perfect sense. Like the drunken, would-be preacher, a person under the influence of alcohol is no longer in control of himself. His character and personality have changed. I have known people who get mean when they are drunk, and others who are happy-go-lucky. In both cases, they are not in control, although they might think they are.
A similar thing happens when a person is under the control of the Holy Spirit. The words “be filled with” mean “be controlled by”. When the Holy Spirit is in control, a person’s character and personality changes, except in this case, always for the better. The Holy Spirit guides us (John 16:13), teaches us (John 14:26), empowers us (Acts 1:8), enables us for godly living (Galatians 5:22 Ephesians 5:9), convicts of us of sin (John 16:8-11) and many other wonderful things.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit has probably been one of the most misunderstood teachings in the Bible. I like what I read somewhere, “Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean you get more of Him. It means, rather, that He gets more of you.” Every Christian receives the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (John 3:5), and receives all of Him, because the Holy Spirit is a person – the third person of the Trinity. The problem comes when the Christian does not surrender all of himself in every area of his life to the Holy Spirit. Surrender today and surrender every day to Him through confession of sin, repentance and faith, and He will fill you. 04-01-09
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