Suggestions for leading a study:

• Familiarize yourself with the passage in context, including the book itself.  Who wrote it to whom, and why?
• Read through the study guide a couple times to get the “big idea” as well as the flow of the argument
• Have the group read through the passage in it’s entirety before beginning the study.  One of the goals is to try to get your members to learn how to study Scripture methodically, and this is an important step.
• Be prayed up
• Have fun!
  

Topping It Off with God

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Discussion Questions

Leaders' Guide                            

The goal of this lesson is to clarify what Paul means by being “filled with the Spirit,” that it is not a one time, mystical event, but a continuing process, one that involves certain activities which draw his presence into our relationship with him and with other people.

            This is an opening discussion question that may get a variety of answers, depending on the background of your group.  It is only meant to generate discussion, so just let the various ideas get put on the table for now.

The grammar of this statement in verse 15 implies a continuing process in regards to being “filled.”  Is that different from how you have understood that?  Why do you think Paul speaks about it that way?

            Often-times people assume that being filled with the Spirit is a one time event that happens at conversion (or at a later date in some Pentecostal traditions, assumed to be accompanied by speaking in tongues).  The Bible affirms that every believer receives the Spirit at conversion.  See Romans 8:9 which verifies that everyone who belongs to Christ has the Spirit.  But Paul uses a verb tense (the present) that speaks of an ongoing activity.  In other passages he talks about “walking in the Spirit.”  The bottom line is that the initial receiving of the Spirit is only something God can do, but this passage assumes that a “full” spiritual life is something that is a daily process. 

            This is just a second discussion question to get the group thinking.  Some people may assume there is nothing we can do, others may say prayer or something similar. 

This passage outlines 4 specific ways we can help the process of ongoing spiritual “fullness.”  Look at each of the following and ask how they could help have more of God in your life:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

What is it that worship songs do for us?  Who do they help us focus on?  How can we help each other do that in our conversations?

This may seem a bit odd at first.  It’s talking about songs, but then it says to speak them.  Since these three are basically different types of worship songs, they help us focus on God.  There are always all kinds of ways to bring God into a conversation with other believers.  Expressions of praise, like “praise God”, or something similar can do that.  Or questions such as “What would Jesus do?” Anything people can come up with to help make God a part of our everyday conversations help us stay connected with him.  It doesn’t hurt to just stop and pray together once in awhile, either.  That doesn’t have to be just for quiet time or small group gatherings.  It should be a part of all kinds of encounters when believers get together.

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…

       “What kinds of things can we get in our heads that will help us stay focused on God?”

Staying focused on God is not just for our outward conversations, but also what should be happening inside us throughout the day.  A song chorus or a Scripture passage can do this.  A conversation may develop about the kinds of things we listen to or watch that stay in our heads.  That isn’t a bad place to go with this lesson, if that’s what happens.

·        …always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

·        What is it that being thankful in every situation affirms about what we believe regarding God?  Why does that help us stay “filled up” during the day?

Here is one of the most difficult, but most important ways to stay “filled up”:  An inner attitude of thanksgiving for everything.  That basically affirms that you believe God is in control, even during difficult circumstances.  One of the reasons that may result in a “filling up”, or sense of his presence, is that God always responds to expressions of faith by his people.  This is a part of the same sentence that included the previous suggestion, so the intent is to actually be verbalizing something to God.  Try to get the group to suggest specific ways to actually tell God thanks for what he is going to do in each circumstance, especially the trying ones. 

·        Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

·        How might being willing to submit to someone else help us experience the presence of God in our lives?  (hint: see Philippians 2:1-7)

Some bibles may make this statement seem disconnected from the previous paragraph, but it is really the final suggestion in the series of ways that Paul tells us we can be filled with the Spirit.  A hint as to why this happens could come from Philippians 2:1-7 where Paul tells us that looking to the interests of others and in humility considering others better than yourselves is a way of imitating Christ.  Surely the Spirit of Christ will connect with our Spirit easier if we are, in fact, behaving like Christ.  Then the Spirit doesn’t have so many barriers to get past and can be in an ongoing conversation with us.