RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP) – Jeff Iorg recalls a moment early in his discipleship when he came across Ephesians 5:18, “And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit.”
He asked a godly deacon what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
“It means acquiescence of the heart to God, my boy,” the deacon answered. “Acquiescence of the heart.”
Iorg, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, shared the memory in his sermon on the opening night of the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference July 20, preaching on what it means to minister in the power and fullness of the Holy Spirit. He began with Acts 11:19-30, considering the church in Antioch, and continued with Acts 13:1-5, when the Holy Spirit identified Barnabas and Saul to be set apart for the mission field.
The Acts passages indicate that everyone doing God’s work should be filled with the Holy Spirit, Iorg said. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is key to the effectiveness of the church.
“I believe I’ve got everybody,” he said of the Christians named in the Acts selections. “I’ve got the preacher who’s supposed to be full of the Holy Spirit. I’ve got the guest preacher who’s supposed to be full of the Holy Spirit. And I’ve got all of you that are supposed to be full of the Holy Spirit. The text speaks to everybody here tonight.”
With everyone filled with the Spirit, the church grew and honored missions, supporting the work of the church in word and deed, including financial giving that was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
“Your understanding of the filling of the Holy Spirit must be informed by post-Pentecost teaching in Scripture. What happened at Pentecost was the Holy Spirit came into the church and indwelled believers permanently, so that He might fill them momentarily for His Word,” Iorg said. “Be careful that you do not read too much Old Testament instruction about the Holy Spirit into a New Testament experience that you’re supposed to have.
“The Holy Spirit fills people today,” Iorg said, not places, nor buildings, nor songs. “I’m not trying to diminish anything about places or songs. I believe that God works in places. He works through songs and sermons in all kinds of ways. But never mistake this. The Holy Spirit is only at work through people in those contexts.”
Iorg preached the opening sermon at the BCLFC continuing through the morning of July 24, hosted annually by Lifeway Christian Resources to encourage and further equip leaders to minister in urban contexts. This year theme is “Renewed,” based on Colossians 3:5-11. The event at Ridgecrest Conference Center is also a family reunion of sorts, including companion camps for youth, activities for children and families, dozens of breakout sessions, daily Bible study and evening sermons and worship.
Iorg himself was a member and elder of the predominantly African American Mount Zion Baptist Church in Ontario, Calif., during the latter years of his presidency of Gateway Seminary.
“Let’s just say there’s a whole lot of reasons I have been a part of a Black church for eight years. I like a little fire in my worship service, you know what I’m saying? And I like some emotion in my worship and in my singing and in all that goes with that, but I don’t ever mistake that for being the power of the Holy Spirit,” he said to first laughter and then applause. “Because when the power of the Holy Spirit is working, it is deeper than that, broader than that, more powerful even than that. It changes lives like I’ve been describing. Well, then more practically, or as practically as I can be, how do you experience this filling of the Holy Spirit?”
He exegeted the word “filled” as a word unique to the Ephesians passage and appearing nowhere else in Scripture. Filled is a multifaceted word in the present tense, indicating being filled “right now,” and concurrently plural, meaning “it’s for everybody,” concurrently imperative, meaning “it’s an order,” and at the same time, it is passive.
“Which means that you must be aggressively passive, intentionally releasing something and losing your dominance in the moment. This is why it’s deep and mysterious at the same time,” Iorg said. “Because the word says, right now, in this moment, every one of you be filled by going passive in the presence of God and under the influence of His Spirit. I didn’t know what this meant when I was a younger man. I still don’t know fully what it means today. I’m learning.”
While there’s no formula in Scripture for being filled with the Holy Spirit, Iorg said, he offered five lifestyle choices that cooperate with the process and do not quench the Spirit.
- You must first be saved, because all who are led by the Holy Spirit are God’s sons (Romans 8:14).
- Surrender to God in prayer, regularly asking Him to fill you and work through you in ways you cannot understand, but can experience.
- Stop sinful behavior that stifles or quenches the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
“I’m talking about something you know is wrong, and you’re just holding on to it,” Iorg said. “Bitterness, greed, anger, resentment, lust, whatever it is, you’re holding on to it. You know it’s wrong, you know it’s a sin, and you’re not letting go of it. You’re quenching the spirit in your life. I’m not talking about those inadvertent things that you may have slipped up on. I’m talking about the stuff you know is real.”
- Practice the spiritual disciplines, including prayer, Scripture reading and study and joyful gratitude.
- Have faith (Colossians 2:6-7).
After preaching, he and his wife Ann fellowshipped with others at the Ministers and Spouses Welcome Reception hosted by the National African American Fellowship of the SBC. Iorg will continue to invest in the conference, teaching morning breakout sessions on discipline and endurance.
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