May 31st | Pastor Terry Inman | Spirit Filled Relationships

Devotional

Day 1: Fiery Heads and Unlearned Praises

The Pentecost outburst reveals God’s nontoxic alternative to intoxication. When the Spirit fills believers, ordinary people speak heaven’s language, sparking awe and transformation. This filling isn’t a momentary high but a sustainable fire that purifies and empowers. Unlike worldly indulgences, the Spirit’s work leaves no regret—only lasting joy and purpose. Those filled become living testimonies, their praise transcending human effort. [42:24]

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.”
(Acts 2:4-6, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you settled for temporary “fixes” instead of seeking the Spirit’s lasting fire? How might your ordinary moments become multilingual testimonies today?

Day 2: Submitting Without Slapping

Mutual submission begins when reverence for Christ outweighs resistance to others. It’s not about hierarchy but choosing to lower defenses, trusting Christ’s presence in every relationship. This voluntary surrender disrupts power struggles, replacing defiance with grace. True submission isn’t weakness—it’s strength under the Spirit’s control. [46:17]

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
(Ephesians 5:21, ESV)

Reflection: Which relationship tempts you to resist rather than yield? What practical step could honor both Christ and that person this week?

Day 3: Headship as a River’s Source

Christ’s headship isn’t about dominance but being the life-giving source. Like headwaters nourishing a river, husbands are called to serve, not subjugate. Wives flourish when leadership flows from sacrificial love, not control. This mutual dynamic mirrors Christ’s care for His Church—a love that cleanses, not condemns. [51:41]

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.”
(Ephesians 5:25-26, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you confused leadership with loudness? How can you become a nourishing “source” rather than a demanding voice today?

Day 4: Nourish and Cherish, Not Nag and Neglect

Marital love thrives on active nurturing, not passive coexistence. Just as Christ feeds His body, spouses must daily tend to each other’s needs. The quietest acts—listening, affirming, serving—often speak the loudest love. Radiant relationships grow where both partners prioritize the other’s flourishing. [55:18]

“In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.”
(Ephesians 5:28-29, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last “feed” your spouse’s heart? What specific nourishment—encouragement, time, grace—do they need from you today?

Day 5: Workbench Holiness

Spirit-filled living transforms mundane tasks into worship. Whether changing diapers or spreadsheets, every act becomes sacred when done “as to the Lord.” Earthly bosses aren’t the ultimate audience—our labor testifies to Christ’s lordship. The workshop, office, or kitchen become altars when hands work with eternity in view. [01:00:31]

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
(Colossians 3:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: What routine task feels meaningless? How could doing it “heartily for the Lord” shift your perspective this hour?

Sermon Summary

Paul opens with Ephesians 5:18 and sets the tone with a present, ongoing command: be filled, and keep on being filled, with the Spirit. The contrast with drunkenness is clear. Intoxication leads to debauchery, but the Spirit’s filling is holy exhilaration without toxicity, hangover, or addiction. Pentecost itself pictures this nontoxic joy. The wind roars, fire rests, praise bursts into many tongues, and life with God begins in power. The text then shows how that fullness is maintained in ordinary life: praising, thanking, and submitting. Gratitude and worship tune the heart; mutual submission bends the will.

Submission, in Paul’s frame, is voluntary and reciprocal. “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” names the posture that reorders all relationships. Reverence for Christ breaks the rebellion that belongs to the ruler of the air, and replaces it with a holy deference that honors others for Jesus’ sake. The word itself is not about being put down, but about choosing to place oneself under, in love.

Wives are called to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord, and that line only makes sense inside the larger sentence of mutual submission. Headship, Paul insists, is not top-down domination. Head means source. Like headwaters, Christ as Head is the saving source who supports, supplies, and serves. Husbands, therefore, embody headship as Christ did, loving by giving themselves up. The marriage image reaches for Jewish bridal purification rites to describe what Jesus does for his bride: “washing of water through the word,” cleansing to radiance. The Lord nourishes and cherishes his body; husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. Marriage is a revealed mystery, designed to mirror Christ and the church. Love and respect flow together in a single union where “the two become one flesh.”

Children are summoned to obey in the Lord and to honor father and mother because God has attached a promise to this path: wellness and long life. Fathers are warned not to exasperate their children, but to bring them up with training and instruction in the Lord. Parenting is presence. More is caught than taught.

Servants, the text says, should work with sincerity as unto Christ, not as eye-pleasers, because the Lord sees and rewards. Masters must stop threatening and remember that the Master in heaven shows no favoritism. Jesus himself embodies this whole pattern. The Master washes feet. The Spirit’s fullness shows up right here, in the home and at work, where forgiveness, courage, and reconciliation are needed. The call is simple and strong: invite the Holy Spirit, and let every relationship become a place of holy submission to Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Stay filled with the Holy Spirit The text refuses a one-and-done experience and calls for a life of continual receiving. The Spirit’s fullness is not a thrill to chase but a Presence to host through praise and gratitude. The alternative is a different spirit that alters the mind with toxicity; the Spirit alters with holy joy. The fruit shows up in clear-headed worship, not in escape. [40:05]
2. Practice mutual submission to Christ Submission becomes beautiful when it is rooted in reverence for Jesus, not fear of people. Mutual deference breaks cycles of defiance and power-struggle that fracture homes and churches. This posture is strength under authority, not weakness under coercion. Holiness here looks like choosing the low place because Christ deserves it. [43:52]
3. Headship means source and sacrifice Paul anchors headship in Christ’s saving, supplying love, not in superiority. When the head nourishes and cherishes, the body flourishes; when husbands love like that, trust rises and resistance quiets. The call is not to control, but to give oneself up so another can become radiant. That is how the mystery of Christ and the church comes into focus in marriage. [51:18]
4. Parent with patience, training, and presence Authority without tenderness exasperates and hardens the heart. Training that is rooted in the Lord’s instruction shapes both conscience and character, and it takes time, proximity, and consistency. Honor and obedience become plausible when parents embody the Father’s steady kindness. Over time, wisdom is not only taught but caught. [58:10]
5. Work and lead as unto Jesus Work becomes worship when the audience shifts to the Lord who sees in secret. Integrity then runs deeper than supervision, and excellence turns into love. Leadership also bows to the same Master, laying down threats and favoritism in reverent fear. In God’s economy, reward is real and justice is impartial. [60:31]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:38] - Homecoming and unexpected houseguest
[40:05] - Be filled, and keep on being filled
[42:03] - Pentecost wind and fire
[43:52] - Praising, thanking, submitting
[45:11] - Spirit-filled relationships at home and work
[46:17] - Submission as voluntary reverence
[51:18] - Head means source, not dominance
[53:03] - Husbands love through cleansing word
[55:51] - Marriage as Christ-and-church mystery
[57:07] - Children obey and honor
[58:10] - Fathers train without provoking
[59:13] - Employees serve the Lord at work
[60:50] - Employers under the Master in heaven
[63:17] - Invitation to the Spirit’s healing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Ephesians 5:18–6:9 (ESV)
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

Observation Questions

What two contrasting states does Ephesians 5:18 compare, and what are their outcomes?
How does Paul describe the practical ways to "remain filled with the Spirit" in verses 19-21? [44:45]
What specific promise is attached to the command for children to honor their parents (6:2-3)?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Paul emphasize mutual submission (5:21) before addressing specific roles in marriage, parenting, and work? How does this order shape the meaning of submission? [46:17]
The sermon describes "headship" as "source" rather than "dominance." How does Christ’s role as "head of the church" (5:23) redefine traditional ideas of authority in marriage? [51:18]
In 6:5-9, Paul instructs servants and masters to act "as to the Lord." How does viewing work as worship change our motivation in daily tasks?

Application Questions

What daily habits (e.g., prayer, gratitude, worship) could help you "keep being filled" with the Spirit instead of relying on temporary fixes? [40:05]
In your closest relationships, where is it hardest to practice mutual submission? What would it look like to choose "the low place" in reverence for Christ this week? [43:52]
If "headship" means sacrificial love (5:25-28), how could husbands intentionally "nourish and cherish" their wives in practical ways? Wives, how might respect look different if rooted in reverence for Christ?
Parents: Are there ways your discipline or communication might "exasperate" your children? What small step could you take to model God’s "steady kindness" instead? [58:10]
At work or home, do you tend to act as a "people-pleaser" or an "eye-pleaser"? How could shifting your focus to "serving the Lord" change your attitude in tasks you dislike? [01:00:31]

Sermon Clips

39s

“``Notice it doesn't say obey your parents because they are right, because they're not always right. You may feel like some parents are not worthy of obedience or honor, but it's right in the lord. The principle is right. Notice also that obedience and honor promote wellness and longevity. Paul also has a word for neglectful or abusive parenting. He says, fathers, do not exasperate your children. Instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the lord.”

38s

“The outburst on Pentecost was like a indoor windstorm swirling through a packed house party where people's heads caught on fire, and everyone was baffled and some were panicked. Then the guys with the fiery heads became spontaneously multilingual praising God in unlearned languages of several nations that were present at the Pentecost festival. Peter got up and preached and 3,000 people were baptized in one day, and that was the beginning of the church. People were happy. In fact, they were ecstatic.”

33s

“And it kinda bugged the other guys because they said, you know, what are you? You're trying to earn the boss's respect by working so hard. Why are working so hard? You don't get paid any more than we do. And my dad says, because I'm not working for the boss, I'm working for god. And that's exactly what this passage says. Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the lord, not men, because you know that the lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is a slave or whether he is free.”

41s

“The headstone or cornerstone is a foundation. Head here doesn't mean top down authority or leadership. It means bottom up servant leadership. Jesus is our head because he gave himself up for her. Sir, you are your wife's head because you give yourself up for her. That's what Paul is saying. The word head actually means source. Like the headwaters of a river, its source. He is our source. He is our support.”

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May 31st | Pastor Terry Inman | Spirit Filled Relationships | Ephesians 5-6