A new power for the new pattern

The passage for today is this: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph 5:18-21)

We have mentioned that we are dealing with a passage that is heavy in commandments. Having been asked to walk in a manner worthy of the calling, we must remember that we obey not as a way of winning the favour of God, but because we are children of God. It would be easy to assume that the verses from vs 18 add more items to the list of commandments.

Paul is explaining about the radical supernatural transformation and infilling of the HS that happens to believers, so that we may fulfill the commandments of God. The Christian life is not about dos and don’ts but about a transformation—about the new pattern that has come about by a new power.

When we look at the commands we have been given like ‘Be an imitator of God,’ ‘Walk in love as Christ did,’ and ‘Let sexual immorality not even be named among you,’ we can feel overwhelmed that the walk seem so difficult. So it is important to know that we do these things by a new power. In a way we are like the rebel who has been given a new status and is made to sit with the king at his table. To be taken straight from the dungeon to the table involves a new way of behaviour with a different set of standards than what one was used to. But by the grace of God, not only do we have a new status and a new set of instructions, but we have a new power to enable us to live out that new pattern.

A NEW POWER

Vs 18 makes it very clear as to what this power is, when it says, “but be filled with the Spirit.” Paul does not simply ask that the Ephesians be filled with the Spirit, but he says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Don’t fill up with alcohol but get filled up with the spirit. Replace one with the other. What is the connection between alcohol and the Holy Spirit? It looks like there is no connection, at first. But both are sources of power that transform a person’s life.

WINE and Alcohol makes men and women do things that are different from what they would normally do. Paul calls it debauchery. Alcohol undermines the image of God in a person by impairing one’s moral compass and the ability to think rationally, as well as the ability to communicate with the normal degree of precision and sophistication. Individuals lose their sense of community—fights break out. The outcome is similar to demonic possession. In Mark 9, we see the demon causing the individual to fall into the fire and into the water. In Mark 5 we see how the demon causes the individual to be given to self harm, be unable to reason, and be ostracised by society. In this way the effect of the misuse of alcohol undermines the image of God in man.

But when a person is filled with the spirit of God, the exact opposite takes place. The image of God is strengthened, and we literally grow more into the likeness of Jesus—we think more clearly, speak more truthfully, relate more effectively, and act more righteously.

Drunkenness and debauchery is what is being condemned here, and not the use of alcohol per se. These are two different things. The Bible has some positive things to say about wine.

Psalm 104:14-15 “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and WINE TO GLADDEN THE HEART OF MAN, oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen man’s heart.” This is not debauchery. If you do not know the difference between the two, it may be better to step back more or even not touch it at all, your life will not be poorer for it. Alcohol in moderation is not a sin but is a blessing from God.

But when it comes to drinking of the Holy Spirit, no moderation is needed, and we are to drink often and drink deeply. This filling is not just that first time when we were born again, but we are to fill up on an ongoing basis. This is not some kind of charismatic experience, where the evidence will be tongues or prophecy etc. The Bible records instances when the filling is accompanied by such things. But it more often, the filling is accompanied by boldness and clarity in preaching the word and in the discernment of God’s guidance.

The parallel passage in Col 3:16 explains this well. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Given that these two are connected, we can understand that ‘letting the word of God dwell in us richly’ and ‘being filled with the Spirit’ are two sides of the same coin. They explain each other. When the word dwells in you, the Spirit fills you. When the Spirit fills you, the word dwells in you. If you were to do a study on the work of the word and the work of the Holy Spirit, you will find that both: convict of sin and convert people, give faith and build faith within us, lead us in truth and wisdom, wash and sanctify and make us holy, and both give us life.

The word of God is the very sword of the Spirit which does all the required corrective surgery in our lives. One of the greatest stumbling blocks is that the filling of the Spirit of God is being sought apart from the study of the word. When you read the word prayerfully, you are being filled and transformed by the Holy Spirit. To study the word without the filling of the Spirit is like getting into the car with the GPS and attempting to drive without an engine. It is not enough to have a new status and new set of instructions, we need the new power of the Holy Spirit.

A NEW PATTERN

Verse 19 to 21 describe the new pattern given to us, where we have singing instead of debauchery, thanksgiving instead of drunkenness, submission instead of selfishness, reverence instead of shamefulness. This being self controlled, organised, thoughtful, reverent, and unselfish is the exact opposite of debauchery and drunkenness.

SINGING: Verse 20 says, “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.“ Singing in some churches looks more like debauchery and drunkenness than the filling of the Holy Spirit. You may find selfishness and individualism instead of congregationalism. You may even find sensuality and seduction instead of theological and thoughtful engagement, and chaos and disorder instead of submission and reverence. So often modern singing in church does not evidence the infilling of the spirit.

Singing should have the following three points:

Congregational: We have to address one another in our singing. Worship is not individualistic or subjective. Worship has both the horizontal and vertical aspects. We should hear one another singing for mutual edification. When we pray or sing, we do so in a way that we hear one another, and there needs to be a togetherness. Singing is not meant to be dominated by a single voice in the front, although to have a vocalist in front to lead the singing is not wrong. Dimming the lights, elevating the stage with the band and music leaders is not helpful. It may allow members of the congregation to worship with privacy, but it is not Biblical. God commands that we sing as a congregation. Something spiritual happens in our hearts when we hear our brothers and sisters sing.
Theological and thoughtful: Paul would have had the Psalms—the songbook of the bible—in mind. He was not limiting singing to the Psalms, but the psalms, doctrinal in content, and deeply emotional, must be the template. When we look at the psalms we see that they have deep doctrinal content, and we know that we should not be shy of emotion. May our singing be pervaded by doctrine and scripture and gospel.
Heartfelt emotionalism: God does not just want the right words. He also wants the right hearts. We must also commit the right feelings to the Lord in worship, and be moved by the right things. We sometimes react strongly against the hyped-up emotionalism in other churches, but we must remember that spirit-filled singing is emotional singing. May the Lord not have to say of us that we honour Him with our lips but our hearts are far from Him.

THANKSGIVING: Verse 20 says, “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The overflow of spiritual worship will pour out in thanksgiving. Generally thanksgiving should be offered to God the Father in the name of Jesus. This is because the only reason we have a relationship with the Father is because of Jesus, and we need His mediation. Whenever we end our prayers in the name of Jesus, may we not do so merely as a formal way of ending our prayers, but may we pause on those words to remember and recognise the great mediation work of Jesus as our High Priest.