A church will never be a Spirit filled church until it is filled with individuals who are Spirit filled people. The following five marks will be the evidence of the church, or the person that is filled with the Holy Spirit.
1) A Spirit filled person is a person of Power. They get things done for the Lord because they are energized and powered by the Holy Spirit who gives them strength and courage for the tasks ahead.
2) A Spirit filled person is a person of Purity. They have a level of personal integrity that is unmatched in the world around them. There is honesty in all that they do. They have a clean thought life. Purity is a sorely missing ingredient in Christians today. But the Spirit filled person has the purity of the Spirit and can overcome the temptations of the world around.
3) The Spirit filled person is a person of Passion. They are a person who is telling the world about the best thing that ever happened to them. They are a person who is willing to put aside style and cultural preferences and take the message to the lost where they are.
4) The Spirit filled person is a person of Peace. So far as it is possible for them they live a peace with everyone. They forgive before they are asked to, they seek the common good among believers. They are unified in their church and with other churches in the body of Christ.
5) The Spirit filled person is a person of Persuasion. They know the Gospel and when they tell it others are persuaded to believe. They are in the trenches building tomorrow’s church by winning today’s converts.
We want to be a Spirit filled church, but we must begin by being Spirit filled individuals. Today I challenge you to investigate your life. Are the marks of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit on your life? Are you the Spirit filled person that is needed to make your church a Spirit filled Church?
(STEPHEN COLAW)