The Christian’s Lifestyle: Our Control the Holy Spirit…by Henry Morris III, D.Min. …Ephesians 5:18…“Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit“…Two factors need to be identified with this verse: …First, the immediately preceding context confines the primary application to behavior, just as the immediately following context relates the “filled” behavior to the fellowship of believers.…Secondly, the imagery stresses control of the behaviour by the Holy Spirit (contrasting filled with drunken behaviour).…The filling is not synonymous with the baptism of the Holy Spirit since all are so baptized but not all are filled.…1 Corinthians 12:12-14…the human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles (Greek some are Greeks.) some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit (Greek we were all given one Spirit to drink.) Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.…Nor is it equal with or subsequent to speaking in tongues, since some specifically identified as being filled with the Holy Spirit (John the Baptist, Elizabeth, Jesus) never spoke in tongues. …Some individuals (Paul, Peter, Stephen) were filled on different occasions. …Apparently, the filling produces a temporary effect like alcohol does. The effect of the filling of the Holy Spirit enhances or encourages a God-like behaviour in contrast to the Satan-like ehaviour stimulated by alcohol.Some passages equate power with this filling …Acts 1:8…But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."…Romans 15:13…I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.…1 Thessalonians 1:5…For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance(Or with the power of the Holy Spirit, so you can have full assurance) that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you.…Others equate it to wisdom…Colossians 1:9-11…So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.Then the way you live will always honour and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,(Or all the patience and endurance you need with joy)…Philippians 1:9…I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.…Colossians 3:15- 17…And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.…The immediate context, however, lists four evidences of the Holy Spirit’s control …Ephesians 5:19-21…songs of praise together…Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, …personal singing and private melody to God in our hearts…Making music to the Lord in your hearts. …thanksgiving…And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. …voluntary submission to one another in the Lord…And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.…Since the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to the saints…Ephesians 4:7-11…However, he has given each one of us a special gift (Greek a grace )through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, "When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people." (Ps 68:18.) Notice that it says "he ascended." This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. (Or to the lowest parts of the earth) And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.…for the purpose of building the body of Christ…Ephesians 4:12-16… Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.…This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. …Then we will no longer be immature like children. …We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. …We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. …Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.…It stands to basic reason that the Holy Spirit’s control is designed to enhance and stimulate the ministry of believers to each other and the personal joy and awareness of the goodness of God.