Living in the Spirit's Fullness...Continued from page 4

So you see, I know a lot about being drunk.  In the middle of the night, I would hear a plaintive cry: "Lofty, come quickly!"  So I'd untie them in the dark, help them down, take them to the window, and as they leaned out of the window, I’d put my arm consolingly around them, and I would whisper in their ear, "Why don't you be a man? Give it up!"  And they would say, "Oh, I will, oh Lofty, I promise you, I will.  I'll never touch another drop.” And they wouldn't -- until the next night! 

So, what did I observe in this drunken behavior? They had a certain input of alcohol.  The input of alcohol would vary dramatically from person to person.  For some it was relatively little, for others, it took enormous amounts, but eventually, if they were going to lapse into a state of drunkenness, they would be captivated by alcohol.  It would get into their minds and it would alter their thinking.  Once it had captivated their minds, then they would become motivated by it.  Not only their thinking but their desires would change. Once they'd been captivated and motivated by it, then their actions would change, and they would do the most ridiculous things, sometimes the most dangerous things, sometimes the most objectionable things.  Why?  Because now they had been captivated, motivated and activated by alcohol. We all understand that. 

The Apostle Paul says, "Why would you put yourself in a position like that? What you need to do is make sure that you are being continually captivated, motivated and activated by the Holy Spirit.” Doesn't that make sense?  Paul says that is the key to being able to live out these relationships in the way that we're called to do it.

If that is how it works, then how does it apply as far as I'm concerned?  How do I make sure that I am being continually captivated and motivated and activated by the Spirit?  Well, Ephesians 5:18 has to be understood in its context. Before you get to Ephesians 5:18, you've got to reckon with four-and-a-half chapters of Ephesians. Does Paul mention the Holy Spirit in four-and-a-half chapters of Ephesians?  And the answer is: Yes, he does. Let's quickly look at it, and see what we can learn. Because this instruction didn't come out of the blue without warning. It is predicated on what he has already said. 

Ephesians 1:13-14 says, "You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession." 

That is a typically Pauline sentence, it goes on and on and on. So take it one piece at a time.  He is talking to people who have now been accepted in Christ.  When he talks about being in Christ, that is a code term which he uses for a Christian. Paul talks about being in Christ!  Then he said, "You also are accepted in Christ, included in Christ when you heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation."  So here are the people he's talking to.  Some of them are Jewish people, who as yet have not heard that Jesus of Nazareth was shown to be the Messiah by the resurrection for the dead. They didn't know that.  In addition to those Jewish people, there were also pagan people -- people from all over the places where Paul had been traveling, and he describes them as without God, without Christ, and without hope.