Acts 4:31 – And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,
Acts 4:8 – Then Peter, (having just been) filled with the Holy Spirit…
I can remember when I first discovered what Luke was saying about Peter in Acts 4:8. He was clearly saying that Peter had just been filled with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes Christians can become stagnate because of predisposed ideas about the workings of God especially in the arena of the Holy Spirit. Many act as if receiving Christ by praying the sinner’s prayer is all that they need to be Spirit filled. For the more Pentecostal minded folks the initial baptism in the Spirit and speaking in tongues settles everything. When you search the scripture you begin to discover that we are in need of continual fillings of the Spirit especially in critical moments in our lives. The verses I used today show the need of fresh fillings when we are facing pushback for preaching the gospel. Here is how Adam Clarke describes this.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. And, in consequence of this, they spake the word of God with boldness; a pointed answer to a second part of their request, ver. 29. A right prayer will always have a right and ready answer. Though these disciples had received the Holy Spirit on the day of pentecost, yet they were capable of larger communications; and what they had then received did not preclude the necessity of frequent supplies, on emergent occasions. Indeed, one communication of this Spirit always makes way and disposes for another. Neither apostle nor private Christian can subsist in the Divine life without frequent influences from on high. Had these disciples depended on their pentecostal grace, they might have sunk now under the terror and menaces of their combined and powerful foes. God gives grace for the time being, but no stock for futurity, because he will keep all his followers continually dependent on himself.”
All of us stand in need of daily fillings with the Holy Spirit. Challenges come to us in all sorts of ways and being filled with the Spirit is critical in difficult times. The challenges could be in the way of temptation, or persecution, or even important decisions that have to be made. Pushing forward in our own strength and wisdom never helps. The Lord intends for us to stay dependent on Him and look to Him continually so that we can stay filled with the Spirit.