THANKFULNESS-THE MARK OF BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

EPHESIANS 5:15-21

¹⁵ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of your time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; ²⁰ always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; ²¹ and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Paul has been talking about a life and church that is filled with the Spirit in this passage.  Verse 18 has been the key verse, the idea of being overtaken by the desires of the Holy Spirit and not those of this world.  In its contex, a person who lives a Spirit-filled life is one who lives life for the sake of redemption while reflecting the character of God (vv. 15-17).  But that is not all that Paul discusses.  He also points out that if the lives of the individual Christians are focused on a Spirit lead life, so will the local church.  That church will be filled with the singing of the psalms from the Old Testament, hymns that teach and communicate our faith in Christ, and spiritual songs that talk about all that God has done for us personally through Christ (v. 19).

Another earmark of a church filled with individuals who are filled with the Holy Spirit is thankfulness.  Paul pointed out in 5:4 that thanksgiving is very important to the Christian in life and the preservation of godliness.  God created us to be people of thanks, giving Him praise.  After all, it is no small thing that Christ has done on the cross.

Now Paul brings this to a deeper level.  Thanksgiving is a part of a Spirit-controlled life.  Being thankful shows a life immensely focused on who God is, what He had done for us in Christ, and how He is working in our lives today.

Yet Paul is not satisfied with this discussion to stop here.  He places the conversation in light of not only the Spirit-filled life but that of the life of the local church as well.  A Holy Spirit led church may not be one who has a huge service, great programs, or the most inventive way of doing things.  Insted, it will be a church filled with graciousness toward her Lord.

The key word here is “always.”  We all have a willingness to be thankful at times.  Yet the Holy Spirit impressed on Paul to use this word.  We are to “always” be thankful!  It is an imperative for the Spirit-controlled life. A person giving constant thanks to God, through the Lord Jesus is going to be one who is filled with the Spirit.  The same is true of the local church!

Therefore, it would be logical to assume that thanksgiving would be a natural form of evangelism.  In a thankless world, thankful people are unique!  So rather than focusing on our next big church campaign maybe we should focus on what Christ has done for us through His cross and His resurrection.  And through thankfulness tell others, making disciples for Him.  In Colossians 3:17 Paul notes “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Lessons

-Thanksgiving is the results of a Spirit-controlled life.

-Thanksgiving is imperative to the Spirit-focused church.

-Thanksgiving has a high value of evangelizing the world.


Let me know what you think,
Steven Swaim
Founding President, Be Devoted Ministries
Church Planter, Impact Baptist Church Fate/Royse City TX

Please check out my book Walking Faith:  A Journey from Then to Now through James:
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