Gordon Fee on the Experience of the Holy Spirit

"For Paul, the Spirit was an experienced, empowering reality. Paul would not have understood most historic Protestantism. I know that sounds unkind but it is true. The reason he would not have understood it is because he would not have understood a Christian life in which the experienced life of the Spirit was not the key to every dimension of that life".

Gordon Fee - speaking at Holy Trinity Brompton 1996 - cited by Greg Haslam - "Be filled with the Spirit" - Preach the Word! (Ed. Greg Haslam) - Sovereign World, London (2006) - p606.

Greg Haslam on Being Filled with the Spirit

"In explaining this matter of being filled with the Spirit, we are sometimes urged to seek a "second blessing". But this might imply that we could end our spiritual quest right there, on the ground that we have now "had it". The New Testament never urges us to settle for the first time we were baptised in the Holy Spirit as if that was the sum total of His power and Presence that we would ever need. The truth is, we need the Lord to pour out on us a continual effulgence of the Spirit's life and power so that we will be filled with joy, victorious over temptation, bold in witness and maturing in all our relationships".

Greg Haslam - "Be Filled with the Spirit" - Preach the Word! (Ed. Greg Haslam) - Sovereign Books, London (2006) - p600.

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

"The purpose of the gifts is to call attention to the Lord ... The second object of the gifts is evangelistic ... We must test anything that claims to be a movement of the Spirit in terms of it's evangelistic power ... God's way has been to revive His people and then because they are revived, His power is manifested in their preaching, their witness, their testimony and in the whole of their lives".

Dr Martyn Ll0yd-Jones - "Joy Unspeakable" - Kingsway Books, Eastbourne (2000) - (p256).

Iain Murray on Lloyd-Jones and the Unction of the Spirit

"Dr Lloyd-Jones believed that neglect of the work of the Spirit in relation to preaching was often connected with mistaken belief. Some held that the indwelling of the Spirit in all Christians leaves no need for believers to seek His Presence; others seemed to believe that the Spirit rests equally on all orthodox ministry.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones regarded this as contrary to Scripture. Why was the commands "to be filled with the Spirit" if His indwelling which takes place at regeneration is sufficient? What sense could there be in the apostolic direction to appoint men "full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom" if His fullness marks all Christians?

While there is mystery in the mode of the Spirit's Presence, it is surely clear that His work is not static but ongoing and repeated".

Iain Murray - "Lloyd-Jones - Messenger of Grace" - Banner of Truth, Edinburgh (2008) - p47.

Tom Schreiner on the Filling of the Spirit and Mission

"The filling of the Spirit immediately leads to an oracle of the Lord. In every instance the filling of the Spirit is related to bearing witness and speaking out the prophetic word. The prophetic work of the Spirit is not limited to the verb "fill".

Thomas R Schreiner - "New Testament Theology - Magnifying God in Christ" - Apollos, Nottingham (2008) - (p445).

Tom Schreiner on the Filling of the Holy Spirit

"The filling of the Spirit leads to the proclamation of God's word, to testifying about what God has done in Christ".

Thomas R Schreiner - "New Testament Theology - Magnifying God in Christ" - Apollos, Nottingham (2008) - (p444).

Tom Schreiner on the Spirit and Prophecy

"If we take stock of the foregoing texts, we observe a close connection between the "filling" of the Spirit and prophecy. John the Baptist was a prophet of the Lord and filled with the Spirit from his mother's womb ... Both Elizabeth and Zechariah were filled with the Spirit and prophesied ... the same pattern continues in Acts. When the 120 believers on the Day of Pentecost were filled with the Spirit, they spoke in tongues ... they proclaimed the "mighty acts of God" ... perhaps it is significant that the verb "fill" is not used on any other occasion when people speak in tongues in Acts. This is the only occasion in Acts in which those who speak in tongues are understood by the hearers so that God's word is proclaimed in a comprehensible manner".

Thomas R Schreiner - "New Testament Theology - Magnifying God in Christ" - Apollos, Nottingham (2008) - (p444).

Rob Rufus on Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

"(Ephesians 5:18) - Present tense! "Be BEING filled!". It is no use being baptised in the Spirit at the end of the Second World War and spoke in tongues for 3 minutes! Be BEING filled with the Holy Spirit. Many think of an empty glass being filled with water - that is static and boring! That isn't what the Greek is saying! "I'm half full now I am full".

"The language is of a big sail of a yacht being FILLED with wind! Christians in a move of the Spirit of God can sit motionless! But others lives are moving forward and being empowered! God wants to bless but they need their sail up - to be BEING filled! The sail is faith that because of the grace of God He can't help Himself but bless us!".

Rob Rufus - "Knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit - His Names, Titles and Operations" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 9th September 2007.