Introduction
⏱ 5 minutes
The Greek philosopher Aristotle observed that matter tends to fill any given space. Today scientists know much more about the vacuum, but they have found that no vacuum is ever completely empty.
A balloon is never completely empty either.
Although it seems to be empty, it really isn’t.
When the air leaves the balloon, it doesn’t leave behind an airless space. Instead, the air pressure acting on the balloon from the outside forces it to collapse, and the remaining air fills the balloon evenly again. Even when the balloon appears completely empty, there is still air inside, evenly distributed throughout the balloon.
This is a good illustration of a central aspect of the Christian life: that Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit means that Jesus lives in us through his Spirit, really and concretely, so that he guides and leads us from the inside. And the Bible is pretty clear that this is part of life as a Christian.
What isn’t clear is exactly how this filling with the Holy Spirit takes place.
- Does it happen spontaneously when we first believe in Jesus as our Savior?
- Are we filled with the Holy Spirit when we are baptized, or at a special moment after we have believed?
- Or does it happen as a result of our obedience to what Jesus teaches?
Interestingly, there are verses in the Bible suggesting that the answer to each of these questions could be yes.
- One passage says that we have received the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14),
- another that we are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38),
- yet another that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey him (Acts 5:32),
- and still other passages say that Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit after they have believed (such as John 3:5).
So which is it? Faith, obedience, baptism, a one-time event or an ongoing experience?
This is where the picture of the balloon can help. The Holy Spirit is always ready to fill as much room in our lives as possible. In that sense, Christians are like a balloon that is always full, no matter how much air it contains. When we first come to faith, we are convinced that Jesus is Lord. And even if we don’t have much experience with the Holy Spirit yet, we know we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Because nobody can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Spirit. So we are filled with the Holy Spirit the moment we decide to believe in Jesus. And when we are baptized, the Holy Spirit fills the room that baptism has opened up in us. We continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Later, when we experience special moments in which we encounter God’s grace, or take special steps of obedience with him, and our life with Jesus expands as a result, the Holy Spirit fills that new room too. Like a balloon that is already filled with the first breath but can be filled further with every additional breath, we are filled with the Spirit when we first believe, and are filled with the Spirit again and again through God’s ongoing work in our lives.
Of course, a balloon is only a real balloon once it’s fully inflated. And Christians, too, have a smaller faith at first, until they have experienced the deeper and greater fillings of the Holy Spirit. But the filling begins the moment we believe. As the Bible says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and whom we have received from God.
Going deeper
⏱ 15 minutes
Notice how the balloon expands when you fill it with air. That’s comparable to how the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and fills us with his power and presence.
Even when you let the air out, the balloon still keeps a shape. It isn’t completely empty. That reminds us that even in times when we feel spiritually empty, the Holy Spirit is still with us.
Ask the participants to read their verse out loud and reflect on it briefly.
Closing
⏱ 5 minutes
Today we learned that the Holy Spirit is always ready to fill and guide us, much like air fills a balloon. We are never really “empty,” because God’s Spirit is always in us.
English version: September 2026
