Influence is anything that affects your character or behavior. People can influence each other, and the Holy Spirit exerts influence on believers.
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
A believer is not drunk with wine but filled with the Holy Spirit. This means the believer is controlled or influenced by the Holy Spirit, resulting in a difference in character, speech, and actions due to the Holy Spirit’s influence.
Love has many definitions, but the one that matters is God’s love, which is defined in Christ. We understand love correctly through Christ. Only God loves the unlovable, and He loves us all the same. Believers need to love in this way.
The believer has faith, hope, and love, yet the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). In the kingdom, love is most important.
Love will never fail (1 Corinthians 13:8) even when everything else ceases. That same love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us (Romans 5:5). This enables us to know God’s love and share it. The Holy Spirit helps us interpret God’s love. Believers are full of love and devoid of wickedness. Our only response is to love people.
Some people pretend to love, but the believer is sincere in love (Romans 12:9). Believers are full of love, always wanting the best for others. People should be confident that as believers, we will not harm them and have their best interests at heart.
How do we show this practically?
1. The Holy Spirit influences us to tell others about Him. The greatest need of every person on earth is Jesus. The greatest love story is God’s love for humanity through Christ. The power enables us to tell everyone about Jesus (Acts 1:8). There needs to be an urgency and passion for the lost (Jude 20-23). There is something we can all do in our unique way. We can support missionaries, bring a soul to church, or start with one person. There is something we can all do to contribute to the kingdom. We can witness by standing for our faith. People cannot know Christ unless we tell them about Him.
2. The Holy Spirit influences us to show the love of God to others, not in words alone. When an unbeliever sees us, they should see the love of God in us and want to know about the life we display. Our hearts should be full of genuine love. We should be the best friends, colleagues, and neighbors anyone can have. The mark of the believer is love, not just in words but in actions (John 13:34-35). We take delight in serving and loving one another (Romans 12:9-13). A believer is always willing to share.
The first fruit of the Holy Spirit is love. The influence of the Holy Spirit means we have compassion for people all the time. We should not tire of doing good. Don’t get tired of doing good (Galatians 6:9-10). People can make you weary of doing good, but don’t give up being a good, loving person. We are created to love, and we should do so all the time.
The Holy Spirit influences us not just to speak in tongues but also to do good all the time (Acts 10:38). It’s genuine love shown everywhere and in every place.
When we say we have the Holy Spirit, we mean that the Holy Spirit influences us to show others the love of Christ.
