The Continuing Fullness of the Holy Spirit

I.

Why do so many Christians fail to experience the continuing fullness of the Holy Spirit?

First, they don't realize that the initial surrender of one's life is only the beginning of an entire life of surrender.

Since the manifestation of fullness of the Holy Spirit comes to the person who surrenders himself fully to God, the continuing fullness comes to the person who continually surrenders to God. I know many a frustrated Christian who places his spiritual climax at the point of surrender or consecration of self. Surrender is only the threshold of living a life in the Spirit. It is not the climax.

You and I are familiar with the high-salaried contracts being paid to many professional athletes. When an athlete, whether the sport be basketball, football or baseball, signs a contract, they become noted as high-paid players. There is fanfare and publicity surrounding the signing of the contract. But you know what? That player didn't receive all that money on the day he signed his contract. That's the day he begins to receive it. Signing up was just the beginning. The mutual commitment of two contractual signees is only the beginning of something which will be worked out together over the seasons of future play. Kobe Bryant will continue to receive the benefits promised to him as he follows through on his part of the contract.

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Also, an athlete cannot rest on past laurels. The one who tries to is a "has-been." I know former athletic heroes who have never fully adjusted to the fact that their careers are behind them. They lean on the glass crutches of the past. Many a team has fallen apart trying to recreate a previous championship season.

Many a believer in Jesus Christ has found himself powerless as that one has endeavored to recreate the feeling of a previous spiritual experience. The failure to continue in the fullness of the Holy Spirit often comes from your failure and mine to realize that our initial surrender is only the beginning of a life of full surrender. Our success or failure is not measured from the result of opening day. It is judged on the day-in, day-out, long-haul performance.

Second, a person who fails to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit is often one who does not realize that his struggle with the flesh continues.

In our last message, we quoted from the experience of the Apostle Paul who described his inner conflict. The things he wanted to do, he so often failed to do. Those things he didn't want to do, he ended up doing. He found that it was only in a day-in, day-out surrender that he was able to find that peace and strength, that victory that is promised through Jesus Christ.

It is so easy to fall back to a point where you are walking "in the flesh," instead of "in the Holy Spirit." Everything that you do that is based on the impulse of the flesh limits the fullness of the Holy Spirit's access to your life.