Acts xiii. 9, "Paul filled with the Holy Ghost." The man who was filled in ch. ix. is "filled" anew in this passage, the "Aorist" blessing is repeated, fitting him for the special work on hand, viz., administering that scathing rebuke to Elymas the Sorcerer. In all these passages the blessing is spoken of as a crisis, not as a process.
(2) Imperfect:—
Acts xiii. 52, "And the disciples (lit.) were being filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost." This is the only passage in the Acts where the Imperfect tense is used. It is not the Aorist "were filled," but the Imperfect "were being filled," implying the inflow, not only to make up for, but to sustain, the outflow. The same idea of the "Imperfect" is seen in Eph. v. 18, "Be filled with the Spirit," where Principal Moule points out that the Greek verb rendered "be filled," may with equal correctness be rendered "Be ye filling with the Holy Ghost." The preceptive verb "is in the Present or continuing tense; it enjoins a course, a habit," so that in this sense "the Fullness" is always coming, it is spoken of as a process, not as a crisis.
(3) Present:—
Acts vi. 3, "Look ye out therefore, brethren, from among you seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business," men whose normal condition was "full" of the Holy Ghost. It is well worth noticing the business for which these "deacons" were wanted; they were to look after temporal affairs, to feed a few decent old Greek widows; and yet even for this business the men must be "full of the Holy Ghost!" None other need apply. How far has the Church of to-day strayed from apostolic practice! When an election of office-bearers is taking place nowadays, of men, say, to manage the temporal affairs of Christ's Church, who ever thinks of looking out for "men full of the Holy Ghost"? Many a man is elected to office in the Church of the Living God who "has not the Spirit of Christ" at all—who is therefore not a child of God, much less "full of the Holy Ghost." "He is a man of social position, a man of means; if he is not full of the Holy Ghost, he is at least full of this world's goods, and you know he will be a pillar in our Church." Yes, as some one has well remarked, he will be a cater-pillar! The Church of the New Testament does not need pillars of that kind. The Church of Jesus Christ and His apostles does not require to be propped up by children of the devil. What right have we to ask an "alien," a man who is "without Christ," "having no hope and without God in the world," to assist in managing and controlling Father's House? Such was not apostolic practice. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. vi. 14). What an amount of unequal yoking there is in many of our Churches, although the Church's Lord expressly forbids it! "Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together" (Deut. xxii. 10).
Who is responsible for this unequal yoking? Is it not the Church members that elect these men and put them into office in the Church of God? Church members, beware! next time offices are to be filled in your Church, whether they have to do with the temporal affairs or with the spiritual, remember apostolic advice, "Look ye out from among you men full of the Spirit." When we get back in this matter to apostolic practice, we may hope to get back apostolic blessing, but not till then.
Acts vi. 5, "Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit." In those brave days of old it was a case of demand and supply. Wanted—seven men full of the Holy Ghost; and immediately they were forthcoming! Is the trouble nowadays in the demand or in the supply? In both. The demand for Spirit-filled men is very slack; but even if the demand revived to-morrow, how lamentably few in our Churches could be found bearing the trade mark as "up to sample!" Still there are not wanting signs of revival in both demand and supply. Let us remember that Stephen's companions were men full of the Holy Ghost, although Stephen is the only one of whom it is expressly stated. He was the most remarkable man of the seven, a man in whom the graces of the Spirit shone with conspicuous brightness. So mighty was his faith that special mention must needs be made of it. It is not sufficient to describe him as a man full of the Holy Ghost, but it must be stated that he was "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost." Faith was his outstanding grace.
Acts vii. 55, "He being full of the Holy Ghost." This was Stephen's normal condition right up to the very end of his life; it was true of him when we get our first glimpse of him, true also as he passes within the vail into the unspeakable glory.
Acts xi. 24, Barnabas "was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost." A good man indeed, and so full of the Spirit of God that there was no room for self; for we read that he came into the midst of a great revival, in the bringing about of which he had no hand, and instead of being filled with envy at the divinely-chosen instruments, instead of picking holes in the work and depreciating the whole movement, he was filled with gladness; we read that he "was glad" (ver. 23). It goes without saying that that man was "full of the Holy Ghost." How many there are nowadays who are not like Barnabas!
Having now considered the passages in which the various tenses are used, we are able to answer the question—How does the blessing come? Does it come once for all, or is it always coming? There are sudden definite "fillings," repeated with more or less frequency; times when the believer is conscious of being "filled," when he can say, "I was filled." Between this experience—"filled" (which is an "Aorist" blessing)—and that which should be the normal experience of every Christian, viz., "full" (which is a "Present" blessing), it is evident that there is a great gap; but God has graciously bridged the gap for us; the connecting link between the "Aorist" were filled, and the "Present" full, is the "Imperfect" "were being filled," so that the blessing is always coming. Does it come once for all? A thousand times No!—if by that is meant that we are reservoirs into which the Fullness is poured, so that once we are filled, we are independent of fresh supplies from the Lord Jesus. That surely were a curse instead of a blessing! What reservoir is there that does not need replenishing? Some Christians say that at times after some piece of service has been finished, they feel as if they were empty, as if their souls had been quite drained, and now they are dry and thirsty. It need not be so. It is not so with the Spirit-filled worker whose faith is in lively exercise, for he is "being filled" all the time.