Cars or Vines?

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

     One of the ways this verse has been explained to me is that we are like cars. Our engines, or spirits, as designed to run on gas. We tend to try to put other things in the tank, and wonder why the engine doesn't run right, if it runs at all. We fill it with gas (the Spirit) and drive around, and either use up the gas or develop a leak so that there's no gas left. So we have to go to the gas station again and fill up. The Greek syntax seems to lend itself to this understanding, because it should read "Keep being filled with the Spirit." 

     My problem with this illustration is that it gives the impression that we can use up the Spirit or that the Spirit can leak out of us.   I think a better picture of this is the parable of the vine and the branches. As long as a branch is connected to the vine, sap continues to flow into it.  It is when we separate ourselves from Christ that the Spirit cannot fill us. The secret of being filled, then, is abiding in Christ.

    There's another way that the vine and branches illustration works better with regard to being filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit produces results that can't be illustrated by a car. The Bible describes these results as "fruit." The purpose of the Spirit filling us is not just to make us "go" or to make us "work" but to cause us to grow and bear fruit.

         There seem to be two kinds of fruit described by Christians. The first is new converts. The second is improved character. Given the time of year, I hope to spend the next several days discussing the character type of fruit. To be honest, however, it seems to me that I am the last person who should discuss fruit of any sort. I rarely see it in my own life. I'm not sharing that so people will shower me with examples of fruit that I have borne. I'm sharing it to make these points: a) bearing fruit is a natural  supernatural process. b) because it is natural process, we may bear fruit without really noticing that it's happening.


       That leads me to a story. A number of years ago, I noticed that I was not responding to things with what I considered my usual "off with their heads!" attitude. In fact, I found myself growing uncomfortable with the violence of response from others. A thought flashed through my mind: I was being gentle. I was horrified. Me? Gentle (at least by comparison with what I had been)? That might not have been the last thing I wanted, but it made the list of last things.... Gentle? I didn't want to be gentle. Since then, I've learned to appreciate the strength that gentleness requires. That's one of the fruit of the Spirit that we'll discuss over the next several days.