From Anstey’s Doctrinal Definitions:
This term has to do with the believer’s state. It is, therefore, something more than receiving “the gift of the Holy Spirit” whereby we are indwelt by Him (Acts 2:38; 8:15-17; 10:45; 19:2; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Gal. 3:2; Eph. 1:13; 4:30; 1 Thess. 4:8, etc.). Being “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18; Acts 2:4; 4:31; 6:3; 7:55; 9:17; 11:24, etc.) has to do with the Spirit being given full control of our lives in a practical sense.
An illustration given by H. P. Barker makes this distinction clear. He said. “A visitor to your house does not fill it. He is confined to the part of the house to which you have introduced him. If, however, you put your whole house at his disposal, and give him the key of every room and cupboard, he then fills the establishment. It is not that he comes from the outside to do this; he is already there. But now he is, by your act of surrender, in complete control. Even so it is with the Holy Spirit. We often confine Him to certain parts of our experience and life, but He desires to have full control, to possess us entirely on behalf of Christ. When we gladly yield to His control, the whole establishment of our being, He is then in undisputed charge, and in this sense, fills us (The Holy Spirit Here Today,” p. 77).
Thus, the believer receives the Holy Spirit once in his lifetime by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. When this divine Guest takes up His residence in him, He never departs (John 14:16 – “forever”), for the believer is therewith “sealed unto the day” of his final “redemption,” which is when the Lord comes at the Rapture (Eph. 4:30). But the believer may be filled many times. This is because our state ebbs and flows, and we may not always be yielded to the Spirit as we should be. Hence, there are no exhortations to Christians in Scripture to be “sealed” or “anointed” with the Spirit because those terms have to do with the reception of the Spirit, which the believer has already received. There are, however, exhortations in Scripture to be “filled” with the Spirit.
We may well ask, “How does a Christian get filled with the Spirit?” The following passages speak of the filling of the Spirit and give us the answer:
• In Acts 2:1-4 it is connected with being devoted to the interests of the Lord.
• In Acts 4:31 it is connected with occupying oneself with prayer and reading the Word of God.
• In Acts 6:3 and Acts 11:22-24 it is connected with serving others in the name of the Lord.
• In Acts 7:55 it is connected with testifying for Christ.
• In Ephesians 5:18-21 it is connected with rejoicing in the Lord with singing and giving thanks.
In order for us to be filled our lives must first be emptied of all that is inconsistent with the holiness of the Lord. There are often things in our lives that have no right being there, and they hinder the Spirit. Consequently, He does not fill us. It may be impure thoughts, unworthy motives, covetous desires, selfish interests and ambitions, etc. These surely need to be cast out, but the great question is, “How is this to be done?” The answer is, “On the principle of displacement.” H. P. Barker gave the following helpful illustration regarding this point. He said, “Suppose I hold in my hand a glass, apparently empty. In reality it is full of air. How can I empty it of this? Not by frantically shaking it upside down. Not by wiping it out with a cloth. It is emptied by simply standing it quietly on a table and filling it with water. I empty it of the one thing by filling it with the other” (The Holy Spirit Here Today, p. 78). It is the same with being filled with the Spirit; when Christian things and activities occupy our thoughts and lives, those other things will not have a place there. If we try to force the filling of the Spirit the other way around, Christian living becomes a legal thing, and eventually it will break down for the lack of energy to continue in them.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit has much to do with being surrendered to the claims of Christ and the divine Guest within. Our wills are the chief culprit. Another illustration from H. P. Barker helps us to understand this point. In Germany many years ago, a magnificent, world-renowned pipe organ was built into a large cathedral. One day there was a visitor that came to the cathedral and asked if he could play the organ. The caretaker told the visitor that he was not allowed to let strangers play the instrument. The visitor insisted, and finally after much cajoling, the caretaker allowed him to sit down at the organ. Immediately, the most beautiful music flowed out from it and filled the cathedral. The caretaker was astonished and stood rooted to the spot in wonder as he listened to the marvelous sounds reverberating through the building. After the visitor had played for some time and was about to leave, the caretaker came over to him and asked, “Who are you?” He replied, “Mendelssohn”—it was the great composer himself! Then the caretaker was embarrassed and said, “Think of it; here I was refusing you, a man of such ability, and the greatest composer in Europe, from playing this organ! I am ashamed of myself.” Far greater than any famous human composer, the Spirit of God has entered our hearts when we were saved. But have we, like that caretaker, forbidden the divine Composer to sit down at the control-panel of our lives to create, so to speak, “beautiful music” for the glory of God?