Ephesians 5:18

[Haipule]

Ephesians 5:18 is the only verse in the entire bible that says, "be filled with the Spirit!" Yet, Paul does not qualify his statement as to "how". How is, or does one be, or become, "filled with the Spirit"? I tell you truthfully, I HAVE NO CLUE! Yet, I hear commentary, after commentary from commentators, all of whom telling us, "how" and NONE are in agreement! Remember, Paul did not qualify his statement!

Why didn't Paul qualify his statement? Well then, lets get real. He didn't qualify his statement because he assumed that everyone on the planet, even into the future, knows: "how" to be filled with the spirit!

What then is "Spirit"? The English word "spirit" is the transliteration, and not translation, from the Latin word "spiritus", used by Jerome to translate the Greek into Latin and means: breath. Paul used the word "pneuma" which means, are you ready for this? Breath! Jerome nailed it!

Paul, in his outrageous audacity, actually assumed they/you/we/even future, know how to breathe!

pneuma-breath means: to breathe intellect from an exterior source other then self. As opposed to, psuchE-breath which refers to: natural breathing, and born with, instinctive intellect. Your cat has a psuchE but, it cannot process pneuma. However, you can! You can actually breathe in the pneuma hagion(pure; undefiled; unpolluted; separating a call from a class making it special and unique--translated "Holy") from the source of God!

And here's the best part: You can not only breathe in that inhale of pneuma hagion that Paul commands of us in Ephesians 5:18: but, you can breathe it out! Ephesians 5:19:

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; Eph 5:19 NASB​

Wow! That is awesome! Who would of thunk it? Paul did! And really, it took a stupid surfer from Huntington Beach, CA to simply explain Paul's simple words 2,000yrs later! My God! What are we doing? What have we become?

Never mind that: it's who we are in God's promise! Our future is bright and, WEAR SHADES!

 

[friend of]

I think it's about surrendering your will to God and allowing HIM to fill YOU with His spirit.

Fasting, praying, pleading and striving to follow God's commandments are important. If you do not give occasion to the flesh then you will not quench the Spirit and Spirit leading will become more readily recognizable to you. It's about making progressive steps to remove sinful practices as defined by the Lord day by day. I'd recommend reading 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 3:1-5
Galatians 5:13-26

 

[Ahermit]

Ephesians 5:18 is the only verse in the entire bible that says, "be filled with the Spirit!" Yet, Paul does not qualify his statement as to "how". How is, or does one be, or become, "filled with the Spirit"? I tell you truthfully, I HAVE NO CLUE! ...

Do you know that God loves you?
Can you feel God's Love for you in your heart, regardless how faint it is?

If you can answer yes to both, then all you have to do is love the Love that loves you.
Don't just say it, but open your heart to God. If this is still too difficult, then keep saying it until you really truly mean it.

If you cannot answer yes to both, then you need to clean house (repent) and then regularly (daily) spend at least 20 minutes in prayer and meditation to bring yourself closer to God. In this way, a loving relationship will develop. Then in that new found love, love the Love that loves you.

 

[Haipule]

I think it's about surrendering your will to God and allowing HIM to fill YOU with His spirit.

Fasting, praying, pleading and striving to follow God's commandments are important. If you do not give occasion to the flesh then you will not quench the Spirit and Spirit leading will become more readily recognizable to you. It's about making progressive steps to remove sinful practices as defined by the Lord day by day. I'd recommend reading 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy

2 Timothy 3:1-5
Galatians 5:13-26

"I think it's about surrendering your will to God and allowing HIM to fill YOU with His spirit."

NOTHING about God's word ever said it is "Up to you/me/us"! You are competing with God! And with what? Your will--I'm not that stupid? God doesn't ask you if He can be your God! He says' I AM God, deal with it!

I can only be "filled" when I experience His life for me and that will always be in complete unity with Scripture--that life with which I am BEING(passive voice) filled, and that, even if I never read a word of His book--God's life does not lie--man does! Radical point: I understand God because I study science. I understand science because I am a lifer/student of God's life/Word! The three, God's life/Word and science, can never disagree unless all, or some, are completely stupid!

Why are you trying to turn logic into magic? Am I just not "spiritual" enough for you!

"Fasting, praying, pleading and striving to follow God's commandments are important."

I AM GOD'S PROCLAMATION! The Hebrew word translated into English as "Commandment" means generally: any word given in any capacity! It is translated, by no less, than 85 different English words in the OT! 8 of the, so called, 10 Commandments, are in the future tense! God didn't tell you what to do! He told the entire universe who you are, how to recognize you, and JUST why He loves you so much! Can you deal with that!

"If you do not give occasion to the flesh then you will not quench the Spirit and Spirit leading will become more readily recognizable to you."

There again, I'm too fleshly and not "spiritual" enough" Blah, blah, blah!

Do you really want to know what 1 Thessalonians 5:19, which you just quoted--badly by the way, really means:

Side by Side: [Do](2) no[t] (be!-you-all-)quench(-ing, extinguishing) (1)the Spirit(pneuma-breath); [do] (3-) (2)no[t] (be!-you-all-)despise(-ing-utterly, literally: out-from-nothing-into, to make of no account) (1)prophe(tic-cies, feminine plural, things taught by Prophets--in-front-to-speak, tell) [utterances]. (3-)[But] (2)(be!-you-all-)examine(ing, testing--for authenticity) (1)everything(all-things) [carefully]; (3-) (2)hold fast to that which is(be!-you-all-down--from authority--having)(1)[thee] good(ideal-thing); [abstain] (3-)(separate)from (of-)every form(external appearance) of evil(bad-thing) [be!-you-all-(separate)from-having]. 1 Thess 5:19-22 NASB

Hyper-Literal(same verses): Thee pneuma-breath; no be!-you-all-extinguishing. Prophecies; no be!-you-all-despising-utterly. all-things; be!-you-all-examining(testing--for authenticity). Thee ideal-thing; be!-you-all-down(from authority)-having (separate)from of-every form(external appearance) of bad-thing be!-you-all-(separate)from-having. 1 Thess 5:19-22

I am not quenching--YOU ARE!

"It's about making progressive steps to remove sinful practices as defined by the Lord"

John the Apostle--maybe you've heard of him, said that, "if I am following THEE Lord, it is IMPOSSIBLE to "sin"--IMPOSSIBLE!!!

I know what hamartia means! But, "sin/sinful" means whatever you say it means, and to as many whom are dumb enough to listen to you! Because, not ONE so called "sin" is listed in Scripture! Sorry to be the one to point that out
to you. hamartia just means: "going the wrong way" which is why John said we can't miss!

Love your brothers and sisters! End the guilt trips! They are not included in Scripture!

 

[Haipule]

Do you know that God loves you?
Can you feel God's Love for you in your heart, regardless how faint it is?

If you can answer yes to both, then all you have to do is love the Love that loves you.
Don't just say it, but open your heart to God. If this is still too difficult, then keep saying it until you really truly mean it.

If you cannot answer yes to both, then you need to clean house (repent) and then regularly (daily) spend at least 20 minutes in prayer and meditation to bring yourself closer to God. In this way, a loving relationship will develop. Then in that new found love, love the Love that loves you.

"Do you know that God loves you?"

Shoots! Bruddah man! Do I feel loved?!

I've been God's little favorite since as long as I can remember! Him always bouncing me on His knee and always saying, "Look at my son". Dude! Sometimes it's embarrassing and really hard to explain. But I'm curious, how did you not see my Fathers love in me when I had the guts to write that share of love knowing full well it would challenge theology?

Yet, I really appreciate how you confronted me!

We are anointed brothers in Him!

 

[friend of]

2 Timothy 2:14

I told you to read Timothy for this reason...

Best of luck to you.

 

[Haipule]

2 Timothy 2:14

I told you to read Timothy for this reason...

Best of luck to you.

WORDFIGHT!

logomachein(present infinitive--verbal noun), translated "strive about words" does not mean wordfight, it means: to continuously wrangle over empty trifling matters. I do not think we are wrangling about empty trifling matters.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Ephesians 5:18 is the only verse in the entire bible that says, "be filled with the Spirit!" Yet, Paul does not qualify his statement as to "how". How is, or does one be, or become, "filled with the Spirit"? I tell you truthfully, I HAVE NO CLUE!

No one has a clue, basically.