Category: As the Holy Spirit Fills

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13

“First, the Holy Spirit is described as a ‘gift’. There’s nothing we do to earn a ‘gift’… This is the first thing to understand about the Holy Spirit: he is a free gift to us. This means the outpouring of the Holy Spirit has no relation to our qualities and achievements. When it comes to a question of ‘merit’ and being ‘worthy enough’, the only person whose merits matter is Jesus. This is what the cross means to us. It brings us two undeserved gifts: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Spirit. In the Old Testament the Spirit was given to a few individuals; prophets, priests and kings. The New Testament sees a radical new outpouring, and it’s the cross that makes this possible. There can be no Pentecost without Calvary; the Spirit comes from the cross.” (Mike Pilavachi, Everyday Supernatural: Living a Spirit-Led Life without Being Weird, p. 35)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we humbly ask for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit upon our churches resulting in the fruit of the Spirit to glorify you, spiritual gifts for ministry, and the salvation of the lost. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing the song “Fall Afresh” by The Belonging Co (click here).

– CR

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:9-10

“All three infinitives are in the present tense… which carries the sense of a continuous action. One is to keep on asking… keep on seeking… and keep on knocking… The continuous asking, seeking, and finding are not invitations to pester God by sheer repetition, but to exercise confidence in who God is. Like a loving father, God desires that his children come to him honestly and freely with their needs.” (Diane Chen, Luke: A New Covenant Commentary, p. 167)

Therefore, this “looks back to the Lord’s Prayer and says the very honor of God’s sacred name is at stake in God’s answering prayer. We can pray with absolute assurance that God is listening and will respond” (Grant Osborne, Luke Verse by Verse, 295).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, today, I keep on asking, seeking, and knocking that my inner life would conform to what I read, hear, and sing from your Word. May Christ be formed within me for your name’s sake. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing the song “Living With A Fire” by Jesus Culture (click here).

– CR

7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. Luke 11.7-8

“Obviously God is not like the householder. The Jewish rhetorical technique of arguing from the lesser to the greater is in play here. If even a reluctant person who snubs the virtue of friendship ends up giving the host what he needs, how much more honorably and eagerly will God respond to his children’s request? If the entire village is concerned with its collective honor, how much more will God, the one who sanctifies his own name (11:2), act in a way that upholds his divine honor?” (Diane Chen, Luke: A New Covenant Commentary, 167)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may our hearts be overwhelmed with the assurance that you are listening and desire to answer the prayers of your children. Lord, you are generous to supply all that we need, and our greatest need is your Spirit’s presence. Oh Lord, fill us that we would overflow with power, love, and self-discipline. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing the song “Mighty God (Another Hallelujah)” by Elevation Worship (click here).

– CR

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,

hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.

3 Give us each day our daily bread.

4 Forgive us our sins,

for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation.’”
Luke 11.2-4

Jesus’ teaching on asking for the Holy Spirit is found in the context of the Lord’s prayer and an illustration from a parable. Asking for the filling of the Spirit overflows from a relationship with our Father and a growing desire through prayer for the Father’s glory to be known and his kingdom to be revealed in this world (Luke 11:2).

“If you have something of a desire for these things, and you have noticed that desire increasing over time, this is a result of the Spirit’s work in your life” (Mike Pilavachi, Everyday Supernatural, 32). The sacredness of the Lord’s name “must be confessed by his followers by maintaining holiness in every area of life. We must honor his name in everything we do and proclaim his name everywhere we go”(Grant Osborne, Luke Verse by Verse, 291). Oh, how we need the filling of the Holy Spirit to live this way daily.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to honor your holy name today in all that I say, desire, and do. Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may proclaim your name with my life, everywhere I go. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Let’s sing the song “Here Again” by Elevation Worship (click here).

– CR

Let’s read aloud together the following passage, confession, and prayer:

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6.19-20 NIV

Q: How does the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
A: The Spirit applies to us the redemption purchased by Christ by producing faith in us, and by this uniting us to Christ in our effective calling.

Q: What is effective calling?
A: Effective calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he persuades and enables us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.
(Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 30-31)

Prayer: “Lord, I am open to the Holy Spirit.
Holy, Spirit, come to me, dwell in me, speak to me
so I may become more like Christ.
Lord, give me the courage to be open.
Lord, I am open to the Holy Spirit.
Come Holy Spirit.
[In Jesus’ name.] Amen.”
(Scot McKnight, Open to the Spirit, 204)

Let’s sing the song “Spirit of of God” by New Life Worship (click here).

– CR