3.1. BE SPIRIT-FILLED -OFFER STIMULATED WORSHIP

Phillips, in his translation of Ephesians 5:18, brings this truth out clearly. "Don't get your stimulus from wine ... but let the Spirit stimulate ...".

That the Holy Spirit is the true source of stimulus, incitement and excitement, has been the testimony of all Spirit-filled saints of every age to this exciting day of Holy Spirit renewal. How easy it is to relate to the old hymn writer, Cowper, who tells us how "he must have died for joy if special strength had not been given him to bear the divine disclosures".

During worship, a young man slumped back in his chair, eyes open, but lost to the meeting for over an hour. I asked him afterwards, what happened. He had a vision of Jesus standing over him. It affected him so deeply that he was as one paralyzed for an hour, and became one of the most active for Jesus among us.

As the Holy Spirit is enlightening and inspiring and stimulating us in these days, I personally have to receive His sustaining power physically to go through the excitement. Filled with the Spirit, revelations of Jesus are given that enrapture the whole of our being, causing us in worship, to be lost in wonder, love and praise. Those who are Holy Spirit-imbibed get thrilled with Jesus and delightedly bubble and overflow with enthusiastic praise. The Holy Spirit ministers the Scriptures to our spirits, and stimulates us to worship and service. It is interesting to notice that in an almost identical inspired statement of Paul, he says:

Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

When we have Word-saturated minds, they can be controlled and used by the Holy Spirit who can use the Word to enthuse and enlighten us. He will inspire and direct our worship using the rich stores of the Scriptures we have memorized. The people who are Spirit-filled, do not only attend worship, they are stimulated worshipers, worshiping in Spirit and in truth.

There is an obvious parallel between those given to excessive drinking and those offering Spirit-filled worship. Both show their kind of drinking on their faces. The face of the hard drinker exposes for all to see, that he is a slave to the bottle. The face of the Spirit-filled worshiper reveals a heavenly radiance and beauty that shows a loving, living relationship with the Lord Jesus. When there is worship in the Spirit, the prayer in Psalm 90:17 is answered:

Psalms 90:17 "And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, ..."

How well I remember a plain factory girl, a regular worshiper in my home church. She would rise to pray, and as she was borne along by the Holy Spirit in prophetic prayer, her face would begin to shine and a beauty that one would have thought impossible, would light up that plain face. She was a constant testimony of her Spirit fullness. There is nothing so beautiful as the faces of the saints singing spiritual songs in the Spirit, a treat we are privileged to enjoy again and again, Sunday by Sunday at the church. When Stephen was ministering under the anointing before his judges, they saw that he had "a face like an angel" (Acts 6-15 ).

The Spirit-filled wife is made by the Spirit, radiant in beauty to her believing husband, and the Spirit-filled husband is handsomely attractive to his wife. Spirit-filled children are a delight to behold. There is not a more beautiful vision on earth than a Spirit-filled family worshiping in the Spirit. New songs are meant to be a delight to the ear, but God's Word makes it absolutely clear that spiritual songs can be seen. The testimony of the psalmist proclaims it:

Psalms 40:3 "He has put a new song in my mouth; Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD."

Many shall not only hear the song, they will see it, and seeing it will lead many into believing and trusting in the Lord. Spirit-filled worship is seen and delighted over by the Lord. Real worship is pleasant to behold.