Pastor’s Corner: “Monopolized”
Ephesians 5:18 (AMPC) – 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery (extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures); but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit.
Have you ever played Monopoly? If you’re like most Americans, you have. Interestingly, the game was created in the year 1903 by a woman named Elizabeth Magie, who wanted to showcase the evils being wrought by landlords and how they were taking advantage of tenants. Fascinatingly, it ended up having the opposite effect: it caused people to want to be landlords and to make money themselves. The game became a reflection of our society and how deeply we want, desire and trust in money. Like the game we seek to control the board (our life) through money, but in the end it controls us. 1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT) – 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
What or who has control of you? What we desire the most will end up controlling us. In the opening scripture Paul uses the illustration of a person whose whole body has been affected, saturated and controlled by wine. He compares this picture to describe how Holy Spirit can affect, saturate and control all aspects of an individual Christian’s life. The filling of the Spirit is not getting more of the Spirit, but it is a question of the Holy Spirit getting more of you. This filling of Holy Spirit is a repeated experience. That is why Ephesians 5:18 translated literally is “keep being filled.”
I remember reading a story about how D.L. Moody an influential Evangelist in the 1800’s was preparing to lead a revival throughout England. D.L. Moody was uneducated, used simple language and was from America. An elderly pastor in England protested and said, “Why do we need this ‘Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?” A younger, yet wiser pastor stood up and responded, “No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody.”
Do you have a monopoly on Holy Spirit, or does Holy Spirit have a monopoly of you? When a life is fully surrendered to God’s Holy Spirit, the difference is unmistakable. And no one proved this better than our ultimate Example of One who led a Spirit-filled life… Jesus.
Do you truly want to be monopolized by Holy Spirit? Let’s face it — the degree of fullness of the Spirit of God is in direct proportion to the intensity of our true desire. The reality of the spirit-filled life is — we have as much of God as we truly want. Let’s seek to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to monopolize our lives and in doing so — we’ll be empowered to do the great things God has called us to do in these days!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton