Mental Control (πίμπλημι) is a type of filling in which the person, or thing, is completely filled up in such a way as to directly influence its direction and activities; therefore, they are dominated by what is filling them.
This is the type of filling used by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost in the upper room in Acts chapter two when the disciples were dominated by Him to speak with other dialects. This is not the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, which is a replenishing type of filling; instead, it is an Old Testament type of filling that was for the purpose of showing the Jews a sign from God.
And they were all dominated by the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages just as the Spirit gave them to declare – Acts 2:4.
The other type of filling, which is to replenish, is also used in the same context in Acts chapter two for how the sound of a mighty rushing wind filled the house with sound as the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, Acts 2:2.
The Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues that was given to the Church as a sign to the unbelieving Jews is a different type of filling from what happened on the day of Pentecost. It is a filling up where lacking, or replenish, and the person being filled in this way maintains mental control over the use of the gift, 1 Corinthians 14:32. On the day of Pentecost the disciples did not have control over what they were speaking; however, concerning the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, Christians are instructed to abstain from speaking if they do not have someone who can translate what is being said, 1 Corinthians 14:26-28.
There are a few forms of the words for filling in Greek that can be a bit confusing at first; however, a bit of study will clear up any misunderstanding. Platho (πληθω) is a form of (Pimplami) πίμπλημι, not a separate word. It looks very similar to πληρόω (Plarow); however, when the root of the word is properly determined, it express a dominating type of filling (πίμπλημι), not replenishing (πληρόω). What is being conveyed by the different uses of these words can be correctly expressed in English by the use of “dominate” for filling up in a mentally controlling manner and “to replenish” for filling up where lacking. Scripture was originally written in Greek for a reason. The distinctions of these words are here on purpose so that we properly understand the truth being conveyed by their use.
As the Old Testament saints began to transition to grace and the New Covenant, there was a time period in which God demonstrated to the Jews through signs and wonders that what was happening was His work. When Israel fully rejected the resurrected Messiah, the sign and miracles gifts ceased, including speaking in another dialect (speaking in tongues). After John wrote the book of Revelation, the gift of prophecy also ceased to operate in the Church, 1 Corinthians 13:8-10.
How a dominating (Pimplami πίμπλημι) type of filling controls can be seen in its effects on the entire city of Ephesus, which was filled with confusion by Demetrius and the silver smith’s yelling, causing all in the city to rush into the theater with one accord, Acts 19:29. The Jews in Antioch of Pisidia were dominated by their envy for the response among the Gentiles to Paul and Barnabas so that they spoke contradicting and blasphemous things against Paul, Acts 13:45. The result of their opposition to truth was the message of the Gospel of God’s grace going to the Gentiles, Acts 13:47-51. In contrast to the Jews being dominated (filled) by their envy, the disciples are replenished (filled) with joy by the Holy Spirit, Acts 13:52.
The last time a Christian was dominated by the Holy Spirit in Scripture was with Paul when he was dealing with Elymas the sorcerer, Acts 13:8-9. Through Paul, the Holy Spirit condemned and punished Elymas for standing against the truth. The only type of filling that the Spirit does today is a replenishment when the saint puts on the new man and, therefore, is able to use the fruit from the Spirit as the Holy Spirit filled him up where he is lacking so that he can fully manifest the character of Christ, Ephesians 5:18.
