Spirit-filled

A fool takes no pleasure in trying to understand;
he only wants to express his own opinion.
Proverbs 18:2 Complete Jewish Bible

During the time of the Charismatic Renewal movement, the phrase “Spirit-filled” became popular as a way of describing someone who had experienced an influential encounter with the Holy Spirit. The tag was sort of an identifier of people who were “in” and contrasted them with the people who were “not in.”

Several things seem to me to be problems caused by this badge. Like clergy collars on religious garments, it presumed to mark those who were really useful to God, not just average and uncommitted. Another issue I raise is the Bible record seeming to me to present the idea that people were “filled” more than once (Acts 2 and Acts 4, for example) and to call someone “filled” as if they had been elevated to a level of life or character or performance that was established and unwavering doesn’t seem valid. I am thinking it would be as appropriate to fill a cloth bag with water and still call it “filled” the next day.

Many people who have been labeled as “filled” by other “filled” people are virtually devoid of any manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit. “Spirit-touched” or “Spirit-encountered” might be a better tag to describe these. Watchman Nee challenged with this idea some people who claimed to be, or were supposed by others to have been filled: The Holy Spirit only brings glory to Jesus. He is always talking about Jesus. Were these vessels of the Spirit gaining understanding from His influence and repeating what He said, or were they learning and speaking with some other emphasis? What do they speak of the most?