They Were All Filled.
Chapter 12 from Mary: honor and value.
There are a lot of surprises in the New Testament. Mary was at the cross. But she is not clearly mentioned in any of the resurrection accounts. But, Luke makes sure we know that Mary was in the upper room during the prayer vigil before Pentecost. An interesting thing about Mary: She is the first person in the New Testament who is described as being filled with the Holy Spirit. We know that the filling was a physical experience, because it produced a baby. One of the great blessings of my life has been to see people get healed when we pray for the sick. And I have experienced a measure of this myself. There are no limitations to the One who made everything. We are the ones with limitations, who can’t seem to believe that God is bigger than our little problems. Remember, God is the Most Relational Being in the Universe. The Holy Spirit might be the most relational Member of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit loves people and loves to get into our lives and mess up everything! And Mary knew this from first hand experience. On the day of Pentecost, this was not a beginning for her, this was a reunion. I wonder if Mary longed for the day when she could have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, like the days when she and Elizabeth fellowshipped together. Mary had been the Ark that contained the living Word of God. Pentecost was a repeat of the day when Moses went up on the Mountain and the Fire of God descended and he received the Ten Commandments. Now, like Ezekiel promised, the law would be written on the hearts of men, and God would teach us directly from the inside out how to be holy. And it says, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. The word “filled” here in Acts 2 means packed to the point that there is no room for anything else. Mary once an Ark, had become a Temple. That’s more than pregnant, that’s possessed. And not just Mary this time. Everyone who called on the Name of the Lord was filled. Just like the Tabernacle and the Temple, the Glory came, and made these people the Temples of the Holy Spirit. They were now habitations of the Most High. They had received the greatest honor God can bestow on us, to live within us. Do you understand that? God doesn’t dwell in buildings. God doesn’t dwell in shrines and sanctuaries. God dwells in people. God in you. If you let him. God wants to live in you, be in you, transform you. As Paul said, In him we live, and move, and have our being. God wants you to be the Temple of his love. You are not a nothing, You are valuable. And you matter to God. God chose a teenage virgin in the backwaters of the Roman Empire and made her his Bride. She was a prophetic picture of who you were destined to become. A container for him who cannot be contained. We honor Mary but forget that everything we say about Mary applies to us too. Mary is one of us. She’s not more although she is unique. You are made to be the Temple of the Holy Spirit. You are called to be the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The Bride of Christ. And all of creation is longing for the day when we are revealed as living, breathing, members of God’s family. Walking in the fullness of his Indwelling Presence. If you want to experience the full value of what it means to be a human being, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is not about visitation and a lot of emotional zaps. This is about becoming the habitation of the Lord. A place of his presence that impacts and transforms everywhere you go. Lord Jesus, Thank you for all that you have made possible for me. Please send me the Promise of the Father. I present to you, Holy Spirit, my body as a living sacrifice as my spiritual worship. Fill me and make me a living temple of your presence. May I be a Tabernacle of your Love. Amen.
This is a chapter from my book Mary: Honor and Value. If my work encourages you, consider becoming a paid subscriber or buy me a coffee. Thanks.