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What people are saying about …

FORGOTTEN GOD

“Are you spiritually empty and searching for something more?

Perhaps you’re missing out on God’s presence and power through

the Holy Spirit. In Forgotten God, Francis Chan imparts a life-

changing message on the power of the Holy Spirit and His desire to

unleash Himself into our daily lives.”

Craig Groeschel, founding pastor of LifeChurch.tv

and author of It: How Churches and Leaders Can

Get It and Keep It

“It has often been said that the Holy Spirit is the Cinderella of the

God-head. But no church and no Christian can be healthy or attain

maturity without a life lived in and led by the Spirit. Francis

Chan’s latest book is a timely reminder and engaging

encouragement to get intimately acquainted with the Forgotten

God.”

S imon Ponsonby, Bible teacher, pastor, and author

of And the Lamb Wins, More, and God Inside Out

Praise for …

CRAZY LOVE

“Chan writes with infectious exuberance, challenging Christians to

take the Bible seriously. He describes at length the sorry state of

‘lukewarm’ Christians who strive for a life characterized by

control, safety, and an absence of suffering. In stark contrast, the

book offers real-life accounts of believers who have given all—

time, money, health, even their lives—in obedience to Christ’s call.

Chan also recounts his own attempts to live ‘crazy’ by

significantly downsizing his home and giving away his resources to

the poor. Earnest Christians will find valuable take-home lessons

from Chan’s excellent book.”

Publishers Weekly

“In Francis Chan’s unique style, and with an urgency that seeks to

awaken a sleeping church mired in the comfort of middle ground,

Crazy Love quickly gets to the heart of the matter and leaves you

wanting more … more of the matchless Jesus who offers radical

life for all right now.”

Louie Giglio, visionary architect, director of

Passion Conferences, and author of I Am Not, but I

Know I AM

“Francis’s life reflects authentic leadership tempered by a deep

compassion for the lost, the last, the littlest, and the least. It’s all

because this man, my friend, is an ardent and devoted disciple of

his Savior. In his fresh new book, Crazy Love, Francis peels back

what we think the Christian life is, and guides us down the path

toward an uncommon intimacy with Jesus—an intimacy which

can’t help but change the world around us!”

Joni Eareckson Tada, best-selling author and

speaker

“In an age of religious phonies, spiritual apathy, and disheartening

books suggesting that God is a delusion, Crazy Love shines like a

glorious beacon of hope and light. If you’re stuck in a religious rut,

read this refreshing book. I found it eye-opening and soul-thrilling.

Whether in the pulpit or on the page, Francis Chan effuses love for

Jesus Christ and demonstrates practical ways to throw off

lukewarm Christianity and embrace full-on, passionate love for

God.”

Kirk Cameron, actor and author of Still Growing

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FORGOTTEN GOD

P ublished by David C. Cook

4050 Lee Vance View

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C. Cook Distribution Canada

55 Woodslee Avenue, P aris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5

David C. Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

David C. Cook and the graphic circle C logo

are registered trademarks of Cook Communications Ministries.

All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

without written permission from the publisher.

The Web site addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a

resource to you. These Web sites are not intended in any way to be or imply an

endorsement on the part of David C. Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©

2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News P ublishers. Used

by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken

from the Holy Bible, New International Version® . NIV® . Copyright © 1973,

1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.

All rights reserved; Scripture quotations marked TNIV are taken from the

Holy Bible, Today’s New International® Version. TNIV® . Copyright 2001,

2005 International Bible Society. All rights reserved worldwide; Scripture

quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible,

Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The author has added italics to Scripture quotations for emphasis.

LCCN 2009929661

ISBN 978-1-4347-6795-0

eISBN 978-0-7814-0350-4

© 2009 Francis Chan

P ublished in association with the literary agency of

D.C. Jacobson & Associates LLC, an Author Management Company

www.DCJacobson.com

The Team: John Blase, Amy Kiechlin, Sarah Schultz, Caitlyn York, and Karen Athen

Cover Design: The Regime, Jim Elliston

P rinted in the United States of America

First Edition 2009

To Rachel,

M y daughter and friend:

You have no idea how happy I am to see the Spirit alive in you.

Let’s follow Him together, forever.

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CONTENTS

A cknowledgments

Intr oduction

A bout the C over

C hapter 1 :I’v e Got Jesus. W hy Do I Need the Spirit?

C hapter 2 : W hat A re You A fraid O f?

C hapter 3 : Theology of the Holy Spirit 101

C hapter 4 : W hy Do You W ant Him?

C hapter 5 : A Real Relationship

C hapter 6 : Forget A bout His W ill for Your Life!

C hapter 7 : Supernatural C hurch

A fter wor d

Notes

A bout the C oauthor

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Lisa and the kids—for supporting me as I seek to take our family

wherever the Spirit leads. I know it’s not always easy.

The elders of Cornerstone Church—for your patient and Spirit-led

instruction in my life. I love serving alongside you.

Danae—Once again, I wouldn’t have been able to do this without

you. Your gift is obvious, and I admire your commitment to true,

biblical Christianity.

Don and Jenni at D.C. Jacobson & Associates—for your guidance.

The team at David C. Cook—for all your work.

Jim—for designing such a cool cover. Everyone should buy a Web

site from www.CloverSites.com. (You owe me a lot of sushi for

that advertisement.)

Jesse and Reesh, Keith and Kristi, Gene and Sandra, Chris and

Julie, Jim and Sherry, Ted and Sandy, Frank and Christy, Adam

and Steph, Bill and Kathleen, Brice and Shelene, M ark and Jen,

Doug and Frani, Kevin, Paul, Rochelle, and Susan. You guys didn’t

really help with anything, but you’re good friends, and it’s always

fun to see your name in print.

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INTRODUCTION

You might think that calling the Holy Spirit the “forgotten God” is

a bit extreme. M aybe you agree that the church has focused too

much attention elsewhere but feel it is an exaggeration to say we

have forgotten about the Spirit. I don’t think so.

From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected

and, for all practical purposes, forgotten. While no evangelical

would deny His existence, I’m willing to bet there are millions of

churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have

experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year.

And many of them do not believe they can.

The benchmark of success in church services has become more

about attendance than the movement of the Holy Spirit. The

“entertainment” model of church was largely adopted in the 1980s

and ’90s, and while it alleviated some of our boredom for a couple

of hours a week, it filled our churches with self-focused consumers

rather than self-sacrificing servants attuned to the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps we’re too familiar and comfortable with the current

state of the church to feel the weight of the problem. But what if

you grew up on a desert island with nothing but the Bible to read?

Imagine being rescued after twenty years and then attending a

typical evangelical church. Chances are you’d be shocked (for a

whole lot of reasons, but that is another story). Having read the

Scriptures outside the context of contemporary church culture, you

would be convinced that the Holy Spirit is as essential to a

believer’s existence as air is to staying alive. You would know that

the Spirit led the first Christians to do unexplainable things, to live

lives that didn’t make sense to the culture around them, and

ultimately to spread the story of God’s grace around the world.

There is a big gap between what we read in Scripture about the

Holy Spirit and how most believers and churches operate today. In

many modern churches, you would be stunned by the apparent

absence of the Spirit in any manifest way. And this, I believe, is

the crux of the problem.

If I were Satan and my ultimate goal was to thwart God’s

kingdom and purposes, one of my main strategies would be to get

churchgoers to ignore the Holy Spirit. The degree to which this has

happened (and I would argue that it is a prolific disease in the body

of Christ) is directly connected to the dissatisfaction most of us

feel with and in the church. We understand something very

important is missing. The feeling is so strong that some have run

away from the church and God’s Word completely.

I believe that this missing something is actually a missing

Someone—namely, the Holy Spirit. Without Him, people operate

in their own strength and only accomplish human-size results. The

world is not moved by love or actions that are of human creation.

And the church is not empowered to live differently from any

other gathering of people without the Holy Spirit. But when

believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in their lives

is supernatural. The church cannot help but be different, and the

world cannot help but notice.

As I wrote this book, the question that kept burning in my mind

was how can any human being write well on the sacred topic of the

Holy Spirit of God? No subject intimidates me more, yet I can’t

think of anything more essential for God’s church everywhere, and

especially in the western hemisphere where it seems that the Holy

Spirit is all but missing from most of our churches. I am most

definitely writing from a western context, and I know that the

body of Christ is vibrant and growing and the Holy Spirit active on

continents like Africa, South America, and Asia. I also know that

God works uniquely in various places and times, and I do think

this explains part of the difference between here and there.

However, I also believe that the Spirit is more obviously active in

places where people are desperate for Him, humbled before Him,

and not distracted by their pursuit of wealth or comforts (like we

are).

The light of the American church is flickering and nearly

extinguished, having largely sold out to the kingdoms and values of

this world. While most people see that there is a problem, few do

anything about it, and most of those who do, run toward the wrong

solutions. Instead of speaking meaningfully and insightfully into

the culture, we have capitulated and in many cases look no

different from the world. I’m not sure if it is a calling or a sense of

pure urgency that leads me to write this. M aybe both. The fact is,

I don’t have the “right” to write this book, but I believe it is a book

that needs to be written, so I have written it, trusting that God will

use it for His glory.

The Holy Spirit is absolutely vital to our situation today. Of

course, He is always vital; but perhaps especially now. After all, if

the Holy Spirit moves, nothing can stop Him. If He doesn’t move,

we will not produce genuine fruit—no matter how much effort or

money we expend. The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes

purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when

everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from

the work and presence of the Spirit of God.

Perhaps it’s not theology we’re missing, but rather theological

integrity. M any have the knowledge but lack the courage to admit

the discrepancy between what we know and how we live.

Hundreds of scholarly theological books have been written on the

doctrine of the Holy Spirit, the doctrine of the Trinity, et cetera.

This book is not one of those. Obvious, neglected, and crucial are

the adjectives I would use to describe the truths I will present.

In the following chapters, I will explore the fundamental

knowledge most of us have about the Holy Spirit. We will delve

into some key Scriptures about the Holy Spirit and look at our

own abuses, misconceptions, and even fears of Him. By journeying

honestly, I hope we can go beyond our current understanding of

the Holy Spirit and begin to commune openly … that our

experience with Him would be day by day, even moment by

moment. That by keeping in step with the Spirit, we might

regularly fellowship over what He’s doing rather than what He did

months or years ago. We’ll be reminded of the strength and

wisdom available to us in the Spirit and earnestly pray for more.

As we trust in the promises of the Spirit, we will be led away from

discouragement and into lives marked by confidence, power in the

midst of our weakness, and the fruit of the Spirit.

M y prayer is that your changed life would produce this kind of

astonishment: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and

John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they

were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with

Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

Reading this book probably won’t be easy. No matter what

religious tradition you come from, you likely carry baggage and

harbor stereotypes when it comes to the Holy Spirit. It’s going to

require laying aside your baggage and stereotypes so you can be

open to what God wants to teach you. Are you willing to do that?

Some of you hear the term Holy Spirit and automatically worry

that I am going to get wildly charismatic on you. Others think of

extreme conservatives who never acknowledge the Holy Spirit in

word or deed and hope I’m not going there. There are a lot of

stereotypes (some of which are true) and a lot of abuses, and they

don’t come from just one side of this issue.

Some people talk a lot about—even boast of—the Spirit, but

their lives do not bear His fruit. Others speak of the Holy Spirit in

theoretical or scholarly terms, yet do not experience Him at work.

Still others ignore Him for all practical purposes and, as you might

expect, rarely experience relationship or intimacy with the Spirit.

And then there is that rare person who doesn’t talk frequently

about the Spirit, yet whose life is a powerful display of His

presence and activity.

Some of you would like it if I said we were going to find a

healthy balance between unhealthy extremes. That’s not what

we’re going to do. When we are referring to God, balance is a huge

mistake. God is not just one thing we add to the mix called life. He

wants an invitation from us to permeate everything and every part

of us. In the same way, seeking a “healthy balance” of the Holy

Spirit assumes that there are some who have too much Holy Spirit

and others who have too little. I have yet to meet anyone with too

much Holy Spirit. Granted, I’ve met many who talk about Him too

much, but none who are actually overfilled with His presence.

Is it possible to get enough or even too much God? Is there a

point when a person can be satisfied with the amount of intimacy,

knowledge, and power of God he or she experiences? I don’t see

how there can be, because doesn’t every encounter with God only

cause us to thirst for Him more?

Let me be clear. This is not a call to misinformed extremism,

but an acknowledgment that as believers we can never be “done”

with God. He is infinite and we are finite; there will always be

more of His character to discover, more of His love to experience,

and more of His power to use for His purposes.

I can’t say exactly what will happen when you admit that you

can never fully know or experience enough of the Holy Spirit yet

choose to seek Him regardless. I know only that when you

surrender fully to the Spirit, Christ will be magnified, not you

(John 16:14).

And perhaps the core issue is really about our holding back

from giving ourselves to God, rather than our getting “too much” of

Him. Perhaps when a person says, “I’d just like a little God, thank

you very much,” she or he is really saying, “I’d rather not give the

parts of my life that I really care about over to God, so I’ll just

hold on to this, that, oh, and that, too….”

It doesn’t work that way. When I read Scripture, I see the truth

and necessity of a life wholly surrendered to and dependent upon

the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians that his words were not “wise and

persuasive” but rather a “demonstration of the Spirit’s power” in

order that their faith “might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on

God’s power” (1 Cor. 2:4–5 NIV). Later in the same letter he

reiterates that “the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of

power” (4:20 NIV).

In most churches today I hear a lot of talk and the facade of

human wisdom, but I don’t see much of God’s presence and

power. Do you?

I am tired of merely talking about God. I want to see God move

through me, through Cornerstone Church, and through the

worldwide body of Christ. I know there’s more. We all know

there’s more. That’s why I wrote this book—to explore with you

how God has called us to more, through the presence and strength

of the Holy Spirit.

I refuse to live the remainder of my life where I am right now,

stagnating at this point. Don’t get me wrong: God has already done

so much in my life, and I am grateful for it. I’m just convinced

there’s more. There’s more of the Spirit and more of God than any

of us is experiencing. I want to go there—not just intellectually,

but in life, with everything that I am.

As we begin this book, may our desire to experience more of

the Holy Spirit be our starting point. And may we open our hearts

and lives to His presence and action more fully than we have ever

done before. By the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, may

we be different people when we finish from when we started.

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ABOUT THE COVER

M y friend Jim, who serves as one of the worship pastors at

Cornerstone Church, designed the cover of this book after a

message I gave about the difference between exegesis and eisegesis.

It was one of the first lessons I learned in seminary.

Exegesis: an attempt to discover the meaning of the text

objectively, starting with the text and moving out from there.

Eisegesis: to import a subjective, preconceived meaning into

the text.

I was taught to interpret the Scriptures through exegesis alone.

Start with God’s Word; pray that the Spirit gives you clarity; then

study to see what the text actually says. The Holy Spirit inspired

the writing of the Bible, so who better to help us as we seek to

understand it? Scripture tells us that the Spirit not only inspired

the Bible, but also illumines it for us today (1 Cor. 2:12–16 and 2

Tim. 3:16).

The word exegesis comes from a Greek word meaning “to lead

out.” As I have said, you start with the text and draw out its

meaning. Eisegesis, on the other hand, is when you start with an

idea or conviction, then search for verses in the Bible to prove your

point. I was warned against eisegesis, and rightly so. The danger in

this is that we can take verses out of context to support just about

any point of view. For years people have used this style of

interpretation in order to justify greed, lust, divorce, and countless

other sins. Cults also use eisegesis to justify their beliefs. After

realizing this, we at Cornerstone began to question whether there

were any areas in our lives where we did essentially the same thing.

The bottom line is that we can easily pursue just about any

lifestyle we desire, then find Scriptures to show everyone it’s all

right to live that way. But what would it look like to live

exegetically? If we were to start with Scripture and allow it to

dictate our actions, how would we live?

I believe many people have an eisegetically formed concept of

the Holy Spirit. In essence, we have cut and pasted whatever

verses and ideas work for us; this forms our understanding of the

Holy Spirit. The last thing I want to do is cut and paste a little

more by giving you my “version” of the Holy Spirit. In this book, I

endeavor to present the core truths that have been revealed to

believers about the Holy Spirit—the things a Spirit-filled believer

would conclude if he or she started with the Scriptures and

proceeded from there.

I’ve Got Jesus. Why Do I Need

the Spirit?

We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality

among us is low. We have measured ourselves by

ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in

the things of the Spirit is all but gone…. [We] have

imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured

delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced

a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power

of the Holy Ghost.

-A. W. Tozer-

I am convinced there is a desperate need in the church for the Holy

Spirit of God to be given room to have His way. I think we can

agree that there is a problem in our churches, that something is

wrong. But I don’t think we can reach an agreement on what to do

about it. M ost people do not connect what is missing or wrong

with a particular need for the Holy Spirit.

A while back, our lack of openness to examining ourselves—

especially in the area of the Holy Spirit—really hit me. Two

Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on my door and initiated

conversation. I had a lot to do, so I prepared to send them on their

way. But as they began their spiel, I decided to take a few minutes

and engage them. I gently told them that I found their teachings

about Jesus offensive because they taught that Jesus was the same

person as M ichael the archangel. I told them that I believe He is

much more than one among many angels; that I believe He is God.

M y visitors replied, “No, Jesus/M ichael is the only archangel.

There are no other archangels.” So I asked them to open their

Bibles to Daniel 10:13, which reads, “But the prince of the Persian

kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then M ichael, one of the

chief princes, came to help me” (NIV). I pointed out that this

passage is clear: M ichael is only “one of” the chief princes (or

archangels).

This caught them off guard. They told me they’d never heard

or read this before. Now that I had their attention, I said, “There’s

no way you can look me in the eyes and tell me that you sat down

one day seeking to find God, read the Bible, and came to the

conclusion that Jesus is the same person as M ichael the archangel.

No one could come to that conclusion. You only believe it because

that’s what you were told, and I don’t want to stand here and

spoon-feed you something else.” With that, I challenged them to

read the Bible for themselves, rather than simply accept what

they’ve been told about it. They went away that day and said they

would consider doing that.

I left that conversation feeling a bit proud of myself because I

stumped them and got them to question their beliefs. Yet I couldn’t

help but wonder whether I was fair to them. Had I ever sat down

with the Bible and sought after its self-evident truth? Or had I

passively ingested what I heard from other people, much like my

front-door visitors?

It was then that I began reading the Scriptures as though I had

never read them before. I asked the Spirit to make them “living and

active” to me, though I’d been reading them for years. I asked God

to “penetrate” the wrong and ill-conceived notions I’d collected

along the way (Heb. 4:12 NIV). It’s a great exercise for those of us

who have been immersed in church culture for years.

There are, of course, dangers in this, since the Bible is meant to

be interpreted within the context and accountability of faithful

community. Yet even with that qualification, there is still a need

for those of us nestled deep within the Christian bubble to look

beyond the status quo and critically assess the degree to which we

are really living biblically.

M ost of us assume that what we believe is right (of course we

do—it is why we believe what we believe) but have never really

studied for ourselves. We were simply told, “This is the way it is,”

and didn’t question. The problem is much of what we believe is

often based more on comfort or our culture’s tradition than on the

Bible.

I believe we need to reexamine our faith just as much as the

Jehovah’s Witnesses who came to my door need to reconsider

theirs. Remember, the Bereans were lifted up as good examples

because they questioned the things they were taught. They made

sure that even the apostles’ teachings were in line with what was

written: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the

Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness

and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was

true” (Acts 17:11 NIV).

One of the areas we desperately need to examine is how we think

about and relate to the Holy Spirit. As I said previously, if you or

I had never been to a church and had read only the Old and New

Testaments, we would have significant expectations of the Holy

Spirit in our lives.

Think about it. Upon foretelling His death, Jesus comforts the

disciples by telling them that “another Counselor” is coming (John

14:16 NIV). In John 16:7 He goes so far as to say it is to their

advantage that He leave so the Counselor can come. And in Acts

1:4–5, after His death and resurrection, He tells His disciples to

stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. (The disciples obey

because that’s what people do when someone rises from the dead

and gives instructions.) Jesus’ disciples had no idea what or whom

they were waiting for, or what it would be like. But they were

expectant and trusting because Jesus had instructed them to wait

for this good gift.

Then in Acts 2, we see the fulfillment of this promise in a way

that must have shocked the disciples. The Holy Spirit’s power is

unleashed like no one had ever seen or experienced before, and

Peter shares the amazing promise that this Holy Spirit is available

to anyone who believes. The Epistles tell us of the Holy Spirit’s

amazing power at work in us, our Spirit-enabled ability to put our

sin to death through Him, and the supernatural gifts He gives us.

If we read and believed these accounts, we would expect a great

deal of the Holy Spirit. He would not be a mostly forgotten

member of the Godhead whom we occasionally give a nod of

recognition to, which is what He has become in most American

churches. We would expect our new life with the Holy Spirit to

look radically different from our old life without Him.

Yet this is not the way it is for most people. We don’t live this

way. For some reason, we don’t think we need the Holy Spirit. We

don’t expect the Holy Spirit to act. Or if we do, our expectations

are often misguided or self-serving. Given our talent set,

experience, and education, many of us are fairly capable of living

rather successfully (according to the world’s standards) without

any strength from the Holy Spirit.

Even our church growth can happen without Him. Let’s be

honest: If you combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship

band, and some hip, creative events, people will attend your

church. Yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit of God is

actively working and moving in the lives of the people who are

coming. It simply means that you have created a space that is

appealing enough to draw people in for an hour or two on Sunday.

It certainly does not mean that people walk out the doors

moved to worship and in awe of God. People are more likely to

describe the quality of the music or the appeal of the sermon than

the One who is the reason people gather for “church” in the first

place.

I think the worst part is when you get outside the church’s walls

and interact with believers and nonbelievers in the same sphere.

Can you really tell a difference? If you didn’t recognize their faces

from church, would you know from their actions and lifestyle that

they were followers of Jesus? Honestly, sometimes I am

embarrassed by some of my “Christian” neighbors because my

unbelieving neighbors seem more joyful, welcoming, and at peace.

Why does this happen? And how is it even possible?

Romans 8:9 says, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the

Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.” According to this

verse, if I am a believer, the Spirit of God dwells in me. Paul

reiterates that truth in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “Do you not know

that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,

whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you

were bought at a price” (NIV). Our bodies are the Spirit’s temple.

Later we will delve more into what that means for us; but

essentially, it’s that the Holy Spirit makes His home in our bodies.

We are His place of dwelling.

And this is the question I just can’t get around: If it’s true that

the Spirit of God dwells in us and that our bodies are the Holy

Spirit’s temple, then shouldn’t there be a huge difference between

the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her

and the person who does not?

This may be a silly illustration, but if I told you I had an

encounter with God where He entered my body and gave me a

supernatural ability to play basketball, wouldn’t you expect to see

an amazing improvement in my jump shot, my defense, and my

speed on the court? After all, this is God we’re talking about. And

if you saw no change in my athleticism, wouldn’t you question the

validity of my “encounter”?

Churchgoers all across the nation say the Holy Spirit has

entered them. They claim that God has given them a supernatural

ability to follow Christ, put their sin to death, and serve the

church. Christians talk about being born again and say that they

were dead but now have come to life. We have become hardened to

those words, but they are powerful words that have significant

meaning. Yet when those outside the church see no difference in

our lives, they begin to question our integrity, our sanity, or even

worse, our God. And can you blame them?

It reminds me of James’s frustration when he writes about

freshwater springs producing saltwater. You can almost hear his

incredulity as he writes, “Does a spring pour forth from the same

opening both fresh and salt water?” (James 3:11). What he’s saying

is that so-called Christians were doing something that should’ve

been impossible—and this kind of doing the impossible is not a

good thing!

He laments, “M y brothers, these things ought to not be so”

(James 3:10). I echo James’s exhortation to those of us in the

church today: M y brothers and sisters who have received the Holy

Spirit, we often lack love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc., even

while many of our unbelieving friends exhibit these traits—

brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be so! Just as I

advised my Jehovah’s Witnesses visitors, we need to begin afresh

by reexamining our preconceived ideas about the Holy Spirit and

what it means to be a temple of the Spirit. There is much more to

God and following in the Way of Jesus than getting a bunch of

talented people together to hold a church service.

When Jesus was preparing to leave this earth, He comforted

His disciples, telling them not to worry but instead to trust in Him

(John 14:1). Hadn’t He proven Himself faithful the past years that

they had journeyed together? First, He comforted them by telling

them that the separation would be only temporary and that He

was going to “prepare a place” for them (14:2–3 NIV). Second, He

told them that He was going to be with God the Father, and that

even from there He could hear their prayers (14:12–14). Finally,

Jesus gave the disciples the ultimate reassurance: Another

Comforter would come. Jesus said that the Father would give the

disciples “another Counselor to be with [them] forever” (14:16

NIV). In this case, the Greek word another means another that is

just like the first (as opposed to another that is of a different sort

or kind). So Jesus was saying that the One who would come would

be just like Him!

Have you ever thought about the significance of having

“another” Counselor who is “just like” Christ? Right now, imagine

what it would be like to have Christ standing beside you in the

flesh, functioning as your personal Counselor. Imagine the peace

that would come from knowing you would always receive perfect

truth and flawless direction from Him. That sounds amazing, and

none of us could deny the benefit of having Jesus here physically,

guiding and enabling us every step of the way.

Yet why do we assume that this would be any better than the

literal presence of the Holy Spirit? Those of us who believe in

Jesus would never deny the truth that we have the Spirit of the

living God, the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead, living

inside of us. I’m just not convinced we’ve internalized this truth

and enjoyed His blessings as He intends. It seems like this is

mostly head knowledge to us, and that we have not owned it. It

has not really made much of a difference in our lives, to the degree

that if we woke up tomorrow and discovered that it is not true the

Holy Spirit lives inside of us, most likely our lives wouldn’t look

much different.

Jesus Himself said to His disciples, “It is for your good that I

am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to

you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7 NIV). So Jesus

is basically telling His disciples, “Yes, I was with you for three and

a half years, but it is better that I leave you and the Holy Spirit

comes to you.”

When the disciples heard that two thousand years ago, I’m sure

it was hard for them to grasp. How could it be better to trade a

human Jesus—a man they could talk and eat and laugh with—for a

Spirit they couldn’t physically see? Thousands of years later, I

think most of us would also choose a physical Jesus over an

invisible Spirit. But what do we do with the fact that Jesus says it

is better for His followers to have the Holy Spirit? Do we believe

Him? If so, do our lives reflect that belief?

M y hunch is that most of you reading this book have basic

knowledge a b o u t the Holy Spirit; but when it comes to

experiencing the Spirit in your life, it’s a different story. Take a

moment and ask yourself this question: When was the last time I

undeniably saw the Spirit at work in or around me? If it was

recently, consider taking a few minutes to reflect on what the Spirit

of God did and how you saw Him at work. Thank God for His

active presence in your life, and praise Him for the way He is

leading you even now.

If you are having trouble recounting a time when the Spirit was

at work in or around you, perhaps that is because you have been

ignoring the Spirit. Perhaps it is because you have a lot of head

knowledge about the Spirit, but not much of a relationship with

Him.

The reality is that the early church knew less about the Holy

Spirit than most of us in the church today, at least in the

intellectual sense. But they came to know the Spirit intimately and

powerfully as He worked in and through their lives. All throughout

the New Testament, we read of the apostles whose lives were led

by the Spirit and lived out by His power.

The goal of this book is not to completely explain the Spirit or

to go back to the apostolic age. The goal is to learn to live faithfully

today. First of all, it is impossible for us as finite humans to

completely understand an infinite God. Second, many of us don’t

need more knowledge about the Spirit from a cerebral vantage point

—what we need is experiential knowledge of His presence. And

third, we can never “go back,” only forward, seeking what it means

to live faithfully in the time and culture where God has placed us.

So while hopefully you will learn something new about the

Holy Spirit in this book, my prayer is that it will draw you into

deeper communion with the Spirit and greater experience of His

power and presence in your life.

Years ago, when a random thought came into my head, I decided to

share it with my wife. “Have you ever wondered what caterpillars

think about?” I asked.

Not surprisingly, she said, “No.”

I then proceeded to tell her about the confusion I imagined a

caterpillar must experience. For all its caterpillar life, it crawls

around a small patch of dirt and up and down a few plants. Then

one day it takes a nap. A long nap. And then, what in the world

must go through its head when it wakes up to discover it can fly?

What happened to its dirty, plump little worm body? What does it

think when it sees its tiny new body and gorgeous wings?

As believers, we ought to experience this same kind of

astonishment when the Holy Spirit enters our bodies. We should

be stunned in disbelief over becoming a “new creation” with the

Spirit living in us. As the caterpillar finds its new ability to fly, we

should be thrilled over our Spirit-empowered ability to live

differently and faithfully. Isn’t this what the Scriptures speak of?

Isn’t this what we’ve all been longing for?

It really is an astounding truth that the Spirit of Him who

raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. He lives in me. I do not

know what the Spirit will do or where He’ll lead me each time I

invite Him to guide me. But I am tired of living in a way that looks

exactly like people who do not have the Holy Spirit of God living

in them. I want to consistently live with an awareness of His

strength. I want to be different today from what I was yesterday

as the fruit of the Spirit becomes more manifest in me.

I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit’s

leading on a daily basis. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit

came, and I want to live like I know that is true. I don’t want to

keep crawling when I have the ability to fly.

Recently I was asked, “Who is the most Spirit-filled person you

know?” M y response: Joni Eareckson Tada.

A 1967 diving accident left then-seventeen-year-old Joni a

quadriplegic. Lying in a hospital bed, she was filled with an

overwhelming desire to end her life. The thought of spending the

rest of her years paralyzed from the neck down and relying on

others to care for her basic needs was staggering.

But Joni did not end her life that day. Instead, she chose to

surrender it to God. Little did she know that the Spirit of God

would transform her into one of the godliest women ever to grace

this earth. God gave her a humility and a love that enables her to

look beyond her own pain and to see others’ hurts. She is a person

who consistently “in humility count[s] others more significant”

than herself (an embodiment of Philippians 2:3).

I don’t even know where to begin with all that she has done.

While undergoing two years of rehabilitation after the accident, she

spent many hours learning to paint with a brush held between her

teeth. Her detailed paintings and prints are now highly sought

after. Her international best-selling autobiography, Joni, was later

made into a full-length feature film. She founded Joni and Friends

in 1979 to increase Christian ministry to the disabled community

throughout the world. The organization led to the establishment in

2007 of the Joni and Friends International Disability Center, which

currently impacts thousands of families around the globe.

Over the course of each week, more than a million people listen

to her daily five-minute radio program, Joni and Friends. The

organization she started serves hundreds of special-needs families

through family retreats across the nation. Through Wheels for the

World , wheelchairs are collected nationwide, refurbished by

inmates in several correctional facilities, and then shipped and

donated to developing nations where, whenever possible, physical

therapists fit each chair to a disabled child or adult who is in need.

As of 2008, Wheels for the World had cumulatively distributed

52,342 wheelchairs to 102 countries and trained hundreds of

ministry and community leaders, including people with disabilities.

In 2005, Joni Eareckson Tada was appointed to the Disability

Advisory Committee of the U.S. State Department. She has

worked with Dr. Condoleezza Rice on programs affecting disabled

persons in the State Department and around the world. Joni has

appeared twice on Larry King Live, sharing not only her Christian

testimony but a biblical perspective on right-to-life issues that

affect our nation’s disabled population. And on top of all that, Joni

has written more than thirty-five books.

Yet it is not because of these accomplishments that I consider

her the most Spirit-filled person I know. Actually, it has nothing to

do with all she’s accomplished. It has to do with the fact that you

can’t spend ten minutes with Joni before she breaks out in song,

quotes Scripture, or shares a touching and timely word of

encouragement. I have never seen the fruit of the Spirit more

obviously displayed in a person’s life as when I am with Joni. I

can’t seem to have a conversation with Joni without shedding

tears. It’s because Joni is a person whose life, at every level, gives

evidence of the Spirit’s work in and through her.1

What Are You Afraid Of?

The Lord challenges us to suffer persecutions and to

confess him. He wants those who belong to him to be

brave and fearless. He himself shows how weakness of

the flesh is overcome by courage of the Spirit. This is the

testimony of the apostles and in particular of the

representative, administrating Spirit. A Christian is

fearless.

-Tertullian-

Fear of rejection has paralyzed me more than once. God has

answered my prayers for greater boldness, but I would be

dishonest if I did not admit there are still times when I worry about

how others view me. Even as I write this book, I wonder how

friends will respond and how I will be labeled or even

misunderstood.

M aybe caring too much about what other people think is not

something you deal with personally; if so, then I am glad for it, but

there is probably something else you fear. For many people,

however, caring too much about what others think can be a serious,

even a driving, fear.

Whole denominations have been built around specific beliefs

about the Holy Spirit. I know people who have lost jobs at

churches and Christian colleges because of their beliefs about the

Holy Spirit. I even had a girl break up with me while I was in

seminary because we believed differently about Him! It is not one

of those issues that is easy to float over. This is especially true if

you belong to a particular “camp” with a specific belief or bent; it

is certainly natural to fear rejection from those in your camp if you

change your views.

Though this fear is natural, it’s not right. We are called to

pattern our lives after the Way described in the Bible. We are not

called to fear what following the Way of Jesus may require of us,

but that doesn’t mean those fears won’t crop up. A life of

following Christ requires relinquishing those fears when they do

come. It means refusing to let your fears of what others think, your

fears of rejection, keep you from pursuing the truth about the Holy

Spirit and whatever else God is teaching you and calling you to.

Are you willing to pursue truth in your journey to know and

be known by the Holy Spirit? Do you have enough humility to be

open to the possibility that you have been wrong in your

understanding of the Spirit? It’s easy to get into “defensive mode,”

where you quickly disagree and turn to proof texts and learned

arguments to defend what you’ve always believed. Rather than

guarding your perspective, consider taking a fresh look at familiar

passages to make sure you haven’t missed something. You may

end up with the same theology you’ve always had, but maybe you

won’t. Don’t let your views be determined by a particular

denomination or by what you’ve always been told. Within the

context of relationship with other believers, seek out what God has

said about His Spirit. Open up your mind and your life to the

leading of the Spirit, regardless of what others may think or assume

about you.

Fear has a way of channeling our thought process. Fear of

stepping outside of a certain theological framework causes us to be

biased in our interpretations. We work diligently to “prove” that

our presuppositions were correct (another example of eisegesis)

rather than simply and honestly pursuing truth.

What If God Doesn’t Come Through?

Before we delve further into this conversation about the Spirit, I

believe some other fears need to be identified and dealt with. One

concern I’ve often heard (and felt) is, what if I pray for the Holy

Spirit and nothing happens? What if I ask for more of the Spirit’s

fruit in my life and don’t see any apparent “results”? It’s scary to

pray boldly for change or freedom from sin, because if nothing

happens, then doesn’t that mean God failed? Doesn’t that mean

His Spirit isn’t all we’ve been told He is?

I think the fear of God failing us leads us to “cover for God.”

This means we ask for less, expect less, and are satisfied with less

because we are afraid to ask for or expect more. We even convince

ourselves that we don’t want more—that we have all the “God” we

need or could want. I can’t imagine how much it pains God to see

His children hold back from relationship with the Holy Spirit out

of fear that He won’t come through. How much it grieves Him to

watch His children ignore the promises He’s made throughout

Scripture due to fear that those promises won’t be kept!

Empowering His children with the strength of the Holy Spirit is

something the Father wants to do. It’s not something we have to

talk Him into. He genuinely wants to see us walk in His strength.

When Jesus was on earth, He said to His disciples, “If you

then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to

those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). God is a good Father who

wants to give good gifts to His children. Sometimes I forget this

truth and beg as though He needs convincing. It’s as ridiculous as if

my kids thought they needed to beg me to hug them. It delights my

heart to hug them.

Do you believe that God in heaven gives His Spirit to those

who ask? Do you really believe it? This truth and what it means is

so incredible that no one who actually believes it could then fail to

ask for the Holy Spirit.

In Acts, after Jesus has been resurrected and ascended to

heaven, Peter addressed a crowd and declared, “Repent and be

baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the

forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy

Spirit” (2:38). We’ve already seen that God promises to give His

Spirit to those who ask. Here we see that we receive the Holy

Spirit when we begin to follow Christ.

All this leads to a question we cannot escape: Does God really

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask, or was Jesus lying when He

said that? I have found that it comes down to faith: Do you believe

God keeps His promises or not? Do your prayers and actions give

evidence of your belief?

So God has promised to give us His Spirit if we ask, if we

repent and are baptized, and it comes down to whether we believe

Him and act upon that promise. I realize that some of you reading

this book have asked the Holy Spirit to do something and have not

experienced the results you anticipated. Now you fear asking again

because it would weaken your faith if God “fails to act” again. I’ve

heard many people question God for not responding when they

prayed in faith. I don’t doubt that these people prayed in faith, but

the question is whether they prayed for things God has promised.

Often, it’s the un-promised requests that God answers with a no.

There is a huge difference between believing what God has

promised and praying for things you’d like to be true. I encourage

you to pray confidently for what God has promised. Don’t put

your hope in what others promise or what you’ve been told you’ll

“get” if you are a “good Christian” (e.g., a good job, financial

success, the perfect spouse, healthy children, a big house, etc.).

And ultimately, you need to stake your faith in God alone, not in

the gifts (good as they may be) that He gives. It really comes down

to trust. Do you trust God that when He says no or “not in this

way” to you, you still believe He is good and doing what is best?

Do I Even Want This?

The flip side of fearing that God won’t show up is fearing that He

will. What if God does show up but then asks you to go

somewhere or do something that’s uncomfortable? For many

people, fearing that God will ask them to go in a difficult,

undesirable direction outweighs the fear that God will ignore them.

A few years ago, I asked one of my friends if he genuinely

wanted to know God’s will—no matter what God desired to do

through him. His answer was honest: “No, that would freak me

out.” He then admitted that he would rather not know everything

God wants him to do. That way in the end he could say, “I had no

idea You wanted me to do all of those things.” I appreciate my

friend’s willingness to say what many secretly think and feel about

total surrender to God. It’s honest, more honest than most people

are willing to be.

If you can relate to my friend, then at least you take God at

His Word and believe the Spirit is meant to dwell in and guide our

lives. When it comes down to it, many of us do not really want to

be led by the Holy Spirit. Or, more fundamentally, many of us

don’t want to be led by anyone other than ourselves. The whole

idea of giving up control (or the delusion of it) is terrifying, isn’t it?

Do you thrive on controlling the big and small in your life? Does

the thought of letting go and listening to the Spirit’s guidance scare

you and only make you cling tighter to what you think you have?

The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to

ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally

want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you to the way of the

cross, as He led Jesus to the cross, and that is definitely not a safe

or pretty or comfortable place to be. The Holy Spirit of God will

mold you into the person you were made to be. This often

incredibly painful process strips you of selfishness, pride, and

fear. For a powerful example of this, read in C. S. Lewis’s book

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader about the boy, Eustace, who

becomes a dragon. In order to become a little boy again, he must

undergo a tremendous amount of pain as the dragon skin is peeled

away and torn from him. Only after he endures this painful

process is he truly transformed from a dragon back into a boy.

Sometimes the sin we take on becomes such a part of us that it

requires this same kind of ripping and tearing to free us. The Holy

Spirit does not seek to hurt us, but He does seek to make us

Christlike, and this can be painful.

So, if you say you want the Holy Spirit, you must first

honestly ask yourself if you want to do His will. Because if you

do not genuinely want to know and do His will, why should you

ask for His presence at all? But if you decide you do want to know

His will, there will be moments when you have to let go of the fear

of what that might mean—when you have to release your grip of

control on your life and decide to be led, come what may.

Is My Reputation in the Way?

I live in Southern California, where people care more about

appearances than most of the rest of the United States combined.

If you’ve lived in or even visited SoCal, you know exactly what I

mean. Southern California is the land of tanning beds, plastic

surgeons, designer boutiques, three-hundred-dollar jeans, nail

salons, expensive real estate, excessive shopping, and hot cars. I

could keep going, but I won’t. It is obvious that Southern

Californians care a lot about their appearances.

While this preoccupation with appearance has been taken to

extremes in SoCal, it is an issue that almost every American deals

with. We care a lot about what other people think of us. M aybe in

Texas or Oklahoma it’s about what kind of football fan you are. In

Colorado, it might be how outdoorsy you seem. And maybe in

New England it is which college your children attend. Obviously,

these are just silly stereotypes, but the point is that we Americans

tend to care about what others think of us—to an unhealthy

degree. And believers certainly are not exempt from this trend.

In much the same way, many believers care too much about

appearances. Even those who move past the superficial and

materialistic are often very concerned with their reputation in

“spiritual matters.” For example, if a friend sees you reading this

book about the Holy Spirit, do you worry he or she will think you

too “charismatic” or “radical”? If you share about the Holy Spirit’s

movement in your life, do you wonder what others will think

about you? Are you afraid of getting “too much” of the Holy Spirit

and the possible ramifications of that? (Heaven forbid you gain a

reputation for being weird or immoderate!)

Or maybe you come from a background that would consider

this book too conservative. M aybe some of the biblical boundaries

I’ve outlined are ones that people in your church label “restrictive”

for a Spirit-led person.

Regardless of your background, are you willing to set it aside

and just respond to biblical truth? One question I’ve had to ask

myself repeatedly is am I even open to the possibility that I could

be wrong in my beliefs? If so, would I have the courage to change

my actions if I were shown that my interpretation of Scripture was

faulty? At this point, we’re all tempted to quickly respond with an

“of course!” We want to believe that we are people who desire

TRUTH even over relationship and acceptance. But the chances

are that you care about people’s opinions more than you’re willing

to admit.

Personally, I was raised in a very conservative church that

almost totally ignored the Spirit’s activity and presence in daily

life. I was warned that I wouldn’t feel a thing when the Holy Spirit

came into me, and a hesitancy toward “taking things too far” in

anything relating to the Spirit was deeply instilled in my thoughts

and attitudes. After all, I didn’t want to become like “them”—

those people down the street who were hyped on emotions and

ignored the Scriptures. I have met a lot of people with backgrounds

like mine, and I’ve seen much damage done by choices made out of

fear rather than truth. In short, we’ve kept the Spirit from breaking

into our lives because of the fear of resembling “them.”

And then there is the other side, where individuals are

sometimes unwilling to listen to the warnings or checks of those

“stiff and lifeless” conservatives. Perhaps you’re so afraid people

will think you are stifling the Holy Spirit that you won’t consider

examining your way of doing things—even when the Bible gives

clear instructions to the contrary. M aybe you think that most

conservatives are afraid of the Holy Spirit, and you fear becoming

like “them.”

Wherever we are at in this continuum, the point is that we need

to base our understanding of and experience with the Holy Spirit

on biblical truth and not on fear.

As disciples of Jesus, being in relationship with Him must be

our focus. When we allow others’ perceptions of us (or even our

perceptions of their perceptions!) to control how we live, we are

enslaved. We become entrenched in the ways of this world and do

not live as citizens of heaven, which is another kind of kingdom

altogether. Though there is a sense in which this kingdom of God is

still future (Zech. 14:9; Acts 1:6–7), there is also a sense in which

it is here now (M att. 6:10; 12:28). As citizens of this kingdom, we

are called to live in a way that reflects the reality of the kingdom of

God. When we become overly concerned about our appearance,

our spiritual reputation, our coolness, and our acceptance, we are

living as citizens of this world rather than as ambassadors.

This is not something that just goes away. It is an ever-present

struggle to maintain your true allegiance. And that is really what it

comes down to: Where does your allegiance lie? Do you care about

what people think when they see you, or do you care about

seeking the truth concerning the Spirit of God and then living in

light of the truth, holding to those promises, and enjoying that

relationship?

Good Fear (or At Least Legitimate Concerns)

Having said all this, I actually think there is a legitimate kind of

fear. M aybe fear is not the best word to describe what I am talking

about. Perhaps it would be better to call it an area that we need to

check ourselves in.

I am talking about quenching the Holy Spirit. As I said earlier, I

think that quite often we worry a lot more about how people will

respond to us than we do about how the Holy Spirit of God will

respond. We think about making our friends mad or not being

accepted or being thought of as different or strange. But rarely (if

ever) do we consider whether our actions or lifestyle are grievous

to the Spirit of the living God. When we put it that way, it seems

more than a little ludicrous!

You’re probably familiar with God’s command in 1

Thessalonians 5:19, “Do not quench the Spirit.” Are you

concerned about breaking this command? Do you know what it

means to quench the Spirit? For years I never gave it much

thought. I didn’t take the time to explore what this meant and how

I could be guilty of this sin. Like most people, I just assumed I

wasn’t quenching the Spirit, and I moved on.

I look back now and realize I not only quenched the Spirit, but

I also violated the next verse: “Do not treat prophecies with

contempt” (1 Thess. 5:20 NIV). I had contempt toward anyone

who claimed to have “a word from the Lord.” I felt it was a

righteous contempt because I’d seen people use the phrase “I have

a word from the Lord” to manipulate others for personal gain. Cult

leaders use the phrase to secure followers and increase their own

authority. How can you disagree or even have a discussion with

someone who claims they heard directly from God?

So I was against all of it. I was disturbed by any claim of

prophetic speech. Looking back, I believe my concerns were valid

but my actions were not. The biblical response would have been to

“test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (1

Thess. 5:21–22 NIV). Rather than rejecting the possibility of God

supernaturally speaking through people, I should have tested what

I was hearing in the context of faithful community.

Another valid test for prophecy is the standard of edification.

The purpose of prophecy is to encourage and build up the body of

Christ. Like every other gift, if it is not done out of love, it is

meaningless (1 Cor. 13:2, 8; 14:3, 31). This is a good antidote to

my previous inclination to ignore all prophetic speech. In doing

that I was hindering the work of the Spirit, and I do not want to do

so again.

On the flip side, if churches that practice prophetic utterances

were quicker to reject the false prophets and prophecies by calling

them out on their biblical inconsistencies (“avoiding evil”), then

maybe the conservative world would be less skeptical about

prophecy. If there was in place a healthy system of communal

accountability and a commitment to biblical integrity, then maybe

we would be slower to quench the Spirit in this regard. We would

be quicker to “hold on to the good” instead of throwing out the

good and the bad in one fell swoop.

Another important check is going too far with all this. No, I am

not contradicting what I wrote previously. I don’t mean “going too

far” in the sense of getting too radical or passionate about the Holy

Spirit. I mean “going too far” in the sense of stepping outside the

bounds of biblical orthodoxy. I mean “going too far” in the sense of

adding to the Scriptures or listening to distortions of the truth,

supposedly from the Holy Spirit, and applying those to your life.

This is why orthodox (as in “committed to exegetical living”) and

radical (as in “willing to do whatever and go wherever the Spirit

leads, even if it doesn’t make sense”) community is vital to living

lives that comply with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Some conservatives may quench the Spirit by ignoring His

working, but surely putting unbiblical words into the mouth of

God is a form of quenching the Spirit as well. We need the Spirit in

order to live faithfully. But we also need one another as we work

out our faith.

Take some time to consider what fears you have about the Holy

Spirit. It may take a while to pinpoint exactly what your attitudes

and responses toward the Holy Spirit have been. Don’t hide your

fears. Admit them, first to yourself, and then to God (who knows

all of them already yet desires to have us share our fears with

Him). As you come to Him, be honest about how you fear

disappointing people more than quenching His Spirit, or how you

don’t really trust Him to come through on His promises, or

whatever else you may be feeling toward Him.

Finally, share this with people you trust, people you can have

these sorts of conversations with. Allow the Spirit to continue His

work of freeing you from unnecessary fear and inhibition or from

unrestricted license. Surrender yourself and invite Him truly to

dwell within you, whatever that may mean and wherever it may

take you.

I know that by writing a book about the Holy Spirit, I will be

labeled. The irony is that I don’t even know how to label myself. I

was saved in a Baptist church, attended a charismatic Bible study,

went to a conservative seminary while working at seeker-driven

churches, partnered with Pentecostal movements, and have spoken

at a wide variety of denominational conferences.

I’m not even sure how to label my current church. All I know

is that we definitely believe in the Holy Spirit and hope to

experience more of Him every minute. When you get down to it, is

there anything else we really need to know? Do we need to label

one another “conservative” or “charismatic” or “radical”? What’s

the point in that? Let’s focus on believing the promises given to us

by God, on submitting to Him the fears that we have, and on

surrendering ourselves fully to the work and will of God, the Holy

Spirit.

He’s a mechanic. She’s a hairdresser. They have been foster

parents to thirty-two children and have adopted sixteen. Domingo

and Irene are in their late fifties and currently have eleven children

living with them, and they tell me they would take more if they

could. Anyone who has children knows they could be doing this

only by the Spirit’s power. Imagine the amount of love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-

control it would take to pull this off.

Domingo and Irene take the command in James 1:27 (caring for

orphans) more seriously than any other Americans I know. While

other people their age are figuring out how to live most

comfortably, they can’t stop thinking of the 500,000 kids in

America who need parents. And while they see these kids as a

huge blessing, they are also very open about the hardships they

face daily. Perseverance has been key, especially years ago when

one of their adopted sons hung himself in their closet. While their

days are filled with joy, there have also been many times when

they persevered by sheer obedience.

God has provided for them over and over again. One time they

needed to build an addition onto their house so that they could take

in more children. They didn’t have the money, so Irene prayed

fervently. When she looked up from praying, the first thing she

saw was a sign for a contractor. She immediately asked God, “Is he

the answer to my prayer?” Days later, one of the leaders in their

church heard about their need and offered to build the addition for

free. And you guessed it—he was the same contractor whose name

Irene had seen on the sign.

One of the wonderful blessings they have enjoyed is watching

their biological children follow in their footsteps. One of their sons

has two biological and two adopted kids. Another son has three

biological and three adopted kids. They live such extraordinary

lives that CBS news ran a story on them. Even the secular world

notices the unusual and supernatural love these two have shown to

those in need.

For those who may think that Domingo and Irene have always

been as gracious as they are today, let me share some insight from

their past (I have permission). Irene has shared publicly about the

early days in their marriage and the hatred she felt toward

Domingo. He was abusive, and she prayed regularly that he would

die. She even daydreamed about him driving off a cliff because of

the pain he inflicted on her. Now she calls him the godliest man she

knows.

For anyone who thinks their own life or marriage is hopeless,

remember Domingo and Irene. God loves to take people in the

worst of situations and transform them by His Spirit.

Theology of the Holy Spirit 101

What does the Spirit do? His works are ineffable in

majesty, and innumerable in quantity. How can we even

ponder what extends beyond the ages? What did He do

before creation began? How great are the graces He

showered on creation? What power will He wield in the

age to come? He existed; He pre-existed; He co-existed

with the Father and the Son before the ages. Even if you

can imagine anything beyond the ages, you will discover

that the Spirit is even further beyond.

-St. Basil the Great-

Perhaps you wonder why I am talking about the theology of the

Holy Spirit in this chapter. Aren’t the most important aspects of

life what you do and how you live? Does it really matter what you

think about something?

These are legitimate questions.

What you do and how you live are absolutely vital. Without

action and fruit, all the theology in the world has little meaning.

But theology is still important—what you believe absolutely

determines how you act. So while good theology at its best can

lead us to live godly lives, bad theology will always point us in the

wrong direction. When we study the Holy Spirit, bad theology can

lead to ineffective lives or, worse yet, lives spent striving after

what the Spirit of God opposes. So in this chapter we will ground

our understanding of the Holy Spirit by looking at some basic

biblical statements about who He is and what He does.

When I was in seminary, I discovered a lot of scholars far more

intelligent than I, many of whom spent years studying particular

aspects of theology. I frequently read articles by brilliant

individuals who expressed opposing views on various issues, and it

was hard to decide what I really believed was right. Each side

would have convincing arguments and well-made points (as I said,

they were brilliant). When I would finish my study of one of these

issues, I typically came away with a general bent toward a

particular side but could rarely say I was sure beyond the shadow

of a doubt. And I never made peace with the statement one

professor made: “If you’re fifty-one percent sure, preach it like

you’re one hundred percent.” How is that not deception? If I’m

only 90 percent sure, why not just say so?

While some of the debates and conversations that take place are

peripheral and don’t have to be definitively resolved in order for us

to live a faithful life, many theological issues are not this way.

Some theological issues are absolutely vital to our faith. These are

the ones where what we believe determines how we act.

When it comes to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, I don’t want

to get caught up in abstract and nebulous distinctions. I want to

focus on the theological issues that shape our faith and behavior.

As I thought about this chapter, I realized how ludicrous it would

be for anyone to say they were going to explain the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says we cannot fully understand God, and I am certainly

not the exception to that rule. There are things about God that are

mysterious and secret, things we will never know about Him. But

there also are things revealed, and those belong to us (Deut. 29:29).

In this chapter I am going to talk about some of the things that

have been revealed about the Holy Spirit. I will talk about what He

does in our lives and in the world and about what He is like. Keep

in mind this is not an exhaustive study of the Holy Spirit. I will

not cover every verse in the Bible that references the Holy Spirit

because even if I did, the Spirit is infinite and cannot be known

fully by humans.

Know that even as you seek to understand the Spirit more, He

is so much more and bigger than you will ever be able to grasp.

This is not an excuse to stop seeking to know Him, but don’t limit

Him to what you can learn about Him. The point is not to

completely understand God but to worship Him. Let the very fact

that you cannot know Him fully lead you to praise Him for His

infiniteness and grandeur.

As we approach this conversation, let us not forget that we

tread on holy ground. The Holy Spirit brought creation to life and

continues to sustain it. As we read in the book of Job, “The Spirit

of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life”

(33:4 NIV). I can keep writing only because He allows me to. You

can keep reading only because He empowers and sustains you.

I have heard the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit described like the

three parts of an egg: the shell, the white stuff, and the yolk. I have

also heard people say that God is like a three-leaf clover: three

“arms,” yet all are a part of the one clover stalk. Another popular

comparison is to the three forms of H2O (water, ice, and steam).

While these serve as cute metaphors for an unexplainable

mystery, the fact is that God is not like an egg, a three-leaf clover,

or the three forms of water. God is not like anything. He is

incomprehensible, incomparable, and unlike any other being. He is

outside our realm of existence and, thus, outside our ability to

categorize Him. While analogies may be helpful in understanding

certain aspects of Him, let’s be careful not to think that our

analogies in any way encapsulate His nature.

I love the verse in Isaiah that is typically seen as a

Christmastime verse. It reads, “For to us a child is born, to us a

son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and

his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, M ighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (9:6). Right there in that oft-

quoted verse we see the Son referred to as the “Counselor” and the

“Father”! This passage (and many others) keeps us from

oversimplifying a divine mystery. It is not easily broken down into

three main points that just make sense, but it works. And it is

beautiful. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One.

As we begin studying basic truths of the Holy Spirit, we could

begin as far back as Genesis, where we see that the Spirit was

present and active in creation, and then trace His actions through

the whole of the Old Testament. But we will start our overview in

the book of Acts, when the Spirit descended and began to indwell

the disciples. The first two verses in chapter 2 say that “they were

all together in one place,” and that all of a sudden, a sound came

from heaven that was like “a mighty rushing wind.” The text says

it “filled the entire house where they were sitting.”

Imagine this scene with me. Jesus Christ, the one you have

spent the last three years following, the one you have dedicated

your life to, just ascended to heaven. You saw it with your own

eyes. You and the people who have become as close as your own

family are all gathered in Jerusalem in someone’s house, waiting.

You know that something is coming because Jesus told you about

it. He said to wait, but you don’t know exactly what (or in this

case, who) you are waiting for. M aybe you are getting tired of

wondering how many more days before something (what, you have

no idea) happens.

Suddenly, a sound fills the whole house. And then tongues of

fire appear and come to rest on each person present. And then it

happens. Verse four reads, “And they were all filled with the Holy

Spirit.”

Now these are the same disciples who were dedicated to

following Jesus no matter what, but who scattered as soon as Jesus

was arrested. And here they were gathered together, no doubt

confused about how they should proceed now that Jesus had

ascended. Yet when the Holy Spirit descended and indwelt them, a

radical change occurred. From that point on, none of these disciples

was ever the same. The book of Acts is a testament to this fact.

We read of Stephen, the first martyr. We see Peter, a changed,

courageous man. We see Paul (formerly Saul) go from killing Christ

followers to becoming one and showing many others how to do so

too. They were no longer timid or confused; they were bold and

inspired and began to declare and live the gospel of Jesus through

the power of the Holy Spirit. Think about what a huge moment

this was in the lives of the disciples.

A multitude of people had gathered. Peter preached a powerful

sermon, and when they heard his words, they were “cut to the

heart” and asked how they should respond. Peter answered,

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus

Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift

of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children

and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls

to himself” (Acts 2:38–39). The text says that on that day around

three thousand people became part of God’s kingdom and accepted

the gift of the Holy Spirit.

I think it’s needless for us to debate about when the Holy Spirit

becomes a part of someone’s life. In my own life, was it when I

first prayed as a little kid and believed I was speaking to Someone?

Was it in junior high, when I raised my hand after hearing an

evangelist who literally scared the hell out of me? Was it when I

got baptized? Was it in high school, when I actually had a personal

relationship with Jesus? Could it have been in college, when I came

forward at a charismatic Bible study to “receive the Spirit”? Or

was it later in life, when I chose to surrender my life fully to Jesus?

We can easily fall into the trap of fixating on these questions

and miss the crux of Peter’s message. When I was preaching

through this passage at my church, my seven-year-old daughter,

M ercy, understood. She came to me afterward and said, “Dad, I

want to repent of my sins and be baptized and receive the gift of

the Holy Spirit.” I loved the simplicity and greatness of her faith.

She didn’t need to debate the finer points of how and when,

exactly, the Holy Spirit would come. She just wanted to obey the

passage to the best of her ability. I realize M ercy doesn’t have the

biblical knowledge many of us do, but I wonder how many of us

have the faith she has.

Is that your response to the Word? Is it clear to you that

you’re supposed to repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy

Spirit? If so, have you done it? If not, what keeps you from doing

it today?

Why do we sometimes feel that we need to debate this

endlessly, running through every possible hypothetical situation

and answering every theological question first? When will we

simply respond to the truth we have heard and then work through

our questions from there?

Now that we have a context for how the Spirit came to the first

disciples and what we are told to do in response, we will shift the

focus to some practical truths about who the Spirit is and what He

does in our lives.

First, the Holy S pirit is a Person. He is not an indistinct

“power” or “thing.” I often hear people refer to the Spirit as an

“it,” as if the Spirit is a thing or force that we can control or use.

This distinction may seem subtle or trivial, but it is actually a very

serious misunderstanding of the Spirit and His role in our lives. In

John 14:17, we read that the Spirit “dwells with you and will be in

you.” This calls us to relationship with the Spirit, instead of

allowing us to think we can treat the Spirit as a power to be

harnessed in order to accomplish our own purposes. The Holy

Spirit is a Person who has personal relationships with not only

believers, as we have seen, but also with the Father and the Son.

We see the Spirit working in conjunction with the Father and the

Son multiple times throughout the Scriptures (M att. 28:19; 2 Cor.

13:14).

Second, the Holy S pirit is God. He is not a lesser or different

kind of Being than God the Father or God the Son. The Spirit is

God. The words Spirit and G od are used interchangeably in the

New Testament. In Acts we read of Peter’s challenge to Ananias:

“How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to

the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you

received for the land? … What made you think of doing such a

thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God” (5:3–4

TNIV). In these verses we see that Peter exp licitly refers to the

Holy Spirit as God. This is vital to remember. When we forget

about the Spirit, we really are forgetting God.

Third, the Holy S pirit is eternal and holy. We read in the

gospel of John about Jesus’ promise to His disciples that the Spirit

will be with them forever (14:16). And in Hebrews we read that it

was through “the eternal Spirit” that Jesus “offered himself

unblemished to God” (9:14 NIV). The Spirit is not just a flighty,

whimsical spirit who comes and goes like the wind. He is an eternal

being. The Spirit is also holy. Obviously, we commonly call Him

the “Holy Spirit,” and this is reinforced throughout the New

Testament (Romans 1:4 and 5:5 are two examples). But consider

this truly amazing fact: Because the Spirit is holy and dwells in us,

our bodies are holy sanctuaries from God’s vantage point. Too

often we disdain our bodies as the source of sin and our fallenness;

yet they are precisely where God the Spirit chooses to dwell!

Fourth, the Holy S pirit has His own mind, and He prays

for us. Romans 8:27 says, “He who searches hearts knows what is

the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints

according to the will of God.” I don’t know about you, but I find

the thought of the Spirit of God praying for me according to the

will of God extremely comforting.

So many times in life I haven’t known what to pray, either for

myself or for others. Other times I pray for stupid things.

For example, a while back I was out golfing with some friends

and decided I really wanted to shoot in the 70s (I generally am in

the 90s). So in a moment of shallowness, I prayed that God would

empower me to play my best round ever. I guess the Holy Spirit

was praying too, because that day I shot 115 (possibly my worst

score ever). The Spirit knew I needed to work on my anger and

humility, instead of adding to my pride.

In any given situation, we may not know exactly how we

should pray or what we should do. But we can take confidence in

the fact that the Holy Spirit knows our hearts and the will of God,

and He is always interceding on our behalf.

Fifth, the S pirit has emotions. For a long time, whenever I

read that we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Isa. 63:10; Eph.

4:30), I thought that was a bit of an exaggeration. It almost seems

sacrilegious to say that I could grieve God. Who am I to have such

power over the Spirit? That doesn’t seem right. In fact, it even

seemed wrong to say that God has feelings; for some reason I felt it

belittled Him.

I struggled with these thoughts for a while until I finally

realized where they were coming from. In our culture, having

feelings or emotions is equated with weakness. This is a lie that is

deeply ingrained in many of us.

God created feelings. Sure, like anything else, they can be

misused and abused. But the intent and purpose of feelings came

from God. Since He created emotions, why is it difficult to believe

that He Himself has emotions? The Spirit is grieved when there is a

breach in relationship, whether it be relationship with God or

relationship with other people. When we are disunified, unloving,

hateful, jealous, gossipy, etc., that is when we grieve the Spirit of

God. And since He is the creator of emotions, I believe that the

Spirit grieves more deeply than we can even understand.

How do you respond when you hear this? Does it bother you?

When was the last time you were saddened because your sin

pained the Holy Spirit?

A while back, two women from my church grew increasingly

angry at each other. The three of us sat in my office, and I listened

to them passionately express the reasons for their frustration. I

lacked the wisdom to determine who was “more in the wrong.” I

just wept as they spoke. I told them I was deeply saddened

because I knew how much our Father hated this. While it is rare

that I’m brought to tears, there have been numerous times when I

am burdened by the grief that members of Cornerstone Church

have heaped upon the Holy Spirit through stubbornness and lack

of forgiveness.

I believe that if we truly cared about the Holy Spirit’s grief,

there would be fewer fights, divorces, and splits in our churches.

M aybe it’s not due to a lack of belief but rather a lack of concern. I

pray for the day when believers care more about the Spirit’s grief

than their own. In fact, I pray that some of you readers would be

broken over the grief you’ve placed on the Holy Spirit. So broken

that you actually put down this book and work to resolve any

conflicts you have with other believers.

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with

all” (Rom. 12:18).

Sixth, the Holy S pirit has His own desires and will. In 1

Corinthians we read that the gifts of the Spirit are “empowered by

one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually

as he wills” (12:11). This is an important reminder of who is in

control. Just as we don’t get to choose which gifts we are given, so

also we don’t get to choose what God intends for us or for the

church. The Spirit has a plan for our lives, for each of us. And He

has a plan for the church, including your individual church body

and the worldwide body of Christ.

If you are like me, you probably have a plan for your own life,

for your church, and maybe even for the larger body of Christ.

That’s why we all desperately need to pray, as Christ did, “Not

my will, but yours be done.”

Seventh, the Holy S pirit is omnipotent, omnipresent, and

omniscient. These are theological words that essentially mean that

the Spirit is all-powerful (e.g., Zech. 4:6), present everywhere (e.g.,

Ps. 139:7–8), and all-knowing (e.g., 1 Cor. 2:10b), respectively.

These are some of His attributes that we will never fully grasp as

finite human beings. In Isaiah we read, “Who can fathom the Spirit

of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor?” (40:13 TNIV).

Though we will never be able to perfectly articulate or completely

understand these attributes, may these aspects of the Spirit lead us

to praise, even with imperfect words and incomplete

understanding!

If the Holy Spirit dwells within you, a number of things should be

a part of your life. I am going to explore several, but don’t allow

yourself just to read through these items like a grocery-store list. If

you merely skim this list, you’ll miss out on my favorite part of

this book. I have benefited so much from taking each of these

promises literally, meditating on them, and asking for them. Take

time to dwell on each one. Consider how each one is manifest in

your life; and if it isn’t, spend some time asking God for that

specific thing.

• The Spirit helps us speak when we are in precarious

situations and need to bear witness (M ark 13:11;

Luke 12:12).

• The Counselor teaches and reminds us of what we

need to know and remember. He is our comforter,

our advisor, our encourager, and our strength. He

guides us in the way we should go (Ps. 143:10; John

14–16; Acts 9:31; 13:2; 15:28; 1 Cor. 2:9–10; 1

John 5:6–8).

• From the Spirit we receive power to be God’s

witnesses to the ends of the earth. It is the Spirit

who draws people to the gospel, the Spirit who

equips us with the strength we need to accomplish

God’s purposes. The Holy Spirit not only initially

draws people to God, He also draws believers

closer to Jesus (Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:26; Eph. 3:16–

19).

• By the power of the Spirit we put to death the

misdeeds of the body. The Spirit sets us free from

the sins we cannot get rid of on our own. This is a

lifelong process we entered into, in partnership with

the Spirit, when we first believed (e.g., Rom. 8:2).

• Through the Spirit we have received a spirit of

adoption as children, which leads us into intimacy

with the Father, instead of a relationship based on

fear and slavery. The Spirit bears witness to us that

we are His children (Rom. 8:15–16).

• The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin. He does this

both before we initially enter into right relationship

with God and as we journey through this life as

believers (John 16:7–11; 1 Thess. 1:5).

• The Spirit brings us life and freedom. Where the

Spirit is, there is freedom, not bondage or slavery.

In our world that is plagued with death, this is a

profound truth that points to real hope (Rom. 8:10–

11; 2 Cor. 3:17).

• By the power of the Holy Spirit we abound with

hope because our God is a God of hope, who fills

His children with all joy and peace (Rom. 15:13).

• As members of God’s kingdom community, each of

us is given a manifestation of the Spirit in our lives

for the purpose of the common good. We all have

something to offer because of what the Spirit gives

to us (1 Cor. 12:7).

• The fruit of being led by the Spirit of God includes

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These

attitudes and actions will characterize our lives as

we allow ourselves to be grown and molded by the

Spirit. The Spirit is our sanctifier (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal.

5:22–23).

M y hope is that reading these truths about the Holy Spirit will

lead you into a deeper relationship with and a greater reverence for

the Spirit—that good theology would lead you to right action,

genuine love, and true worship.

Perhaps you read these verses and wonder why these things

are not a part of your life. Don’t be discouraged. Ask God to make

you more loving or to help you put to death the deeds of the flesh

or to use you to bless His children. Remember that we cannot do

these things on our own, and that these are the very things the

Holy Spirit does in our lives. The Father tells us to ask Him. And

we can ask confidently because we are asking for things God

promises us in the Bible. M ay we grow in relationship with the

Spirit more and more, and belittle and ignore Him less and less.

Francis Schaeffer was an American who was born in 1912 and died

in 1984. During the course of his life he had a profound effect on

Christian thought and culture. Some have even said that other than

C. S. Lewis, no one helped shaped popular Christian thinking in

the twentieth century more than Schaeffer did.

A onetime agnostic, Schaeffer eventually became a Presbyterian

minister and an effective apologist and theologian for the faith. He

recognized that Christianity and the Bible spoke to the big

questions raised by philosophy, but that very little dialogue was

happening between theologians and philosophers. So he began

initiating such dialogue.

Francis and his wife, Edith, moved to Switzerland after World

War II ended. Once there, they followed God’s leading and in faith

opened their home as a place where people with questions could

come seeking answers. The stories of the ways they trusted God,

both financially and practically, are absolutely inspiring. When

they had a need, they would simply pray earnestly, often in

prayer rotations through the night, until God provided.

The Schaeffers believed that Christianity speaks to every

aspect of life, and this meant that honest questions were always

welcome. Inasmuch as they sought God with their minds, the

Schaeffers sought to live out their faith in community in a daily

way. God’s hand was distinctively guiding them to establish what

would come to be called L’Abri, the French word for “shelter.” It

was so named by the Schaeffers because many people came there

to ask honest questions about God and life’s meaning in a safe

place. It is still active at its original location in Switzerland, and

there are several other centers around the world.

In conversations with the thousands of students and travelers

who came to L’Abri (some staying a night, some months, and some

years) from all kinds of backgrounds and religions, Francis always

communicated that through the Bible humans can know the “true

truth” about God and themselves. In addition to engaging those

who came to L’Abri, Francis also wrote numerous books, lectured

at universities, and spoke in several countries.

He truly loved God with all his heart and with all his mind, and

thousands of lives have been (and continue to be) touched because

of it. This is what happens when a person submits to the Spirit

and allows Him to have His way in life.2

Why Do You Want Him?

The Christian’s life in all its aspects—intellectual and

ethical, devotional and relational, upsurging in worship

and outgoing in witness—is supernatural; only the Spirit

can initiate and sustain it. So apart from him, not only

will there be no lively believers and no lively

congregations, there will be no believers and no

congregations at all.

-J. I. Packer-

M y guess is that you would love to be filled with supernatural

power from the Holy Spirit. You probably wouldn’t be reading

this book if you didn’t. The question I want to ask is why?

Recently, a man dying of cancer asked the church elders to

anoint him with oil and pray for his healing. Before we prayed,

however, I asked the man a question I don’t normally ask: “Why

do you want to be healed? Why do you want to stay on this

earth?” The man, as well as everyone else around, seemed a bit

surprised that I would ask such a blunt question.

The reason I probed like this is because in the epistle of James,

we are reminded that we often don’t receive the answers to our

prayers because we ask for the wrong reasons: “You ask and do

not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your

passions” (James 4:3). Our desire to live should be for the sake and

glory of the God who put us on this earth in the first place.

So, really, why do you desire the Holy Spirit’s activity in your

life? Do you want to experience more of the Holy Spirit merely for

your own benefit? When the answer is yes, then we are no

different from Simon the magician, who tried to buy the Holy

Spirit’s power from the apostles. Peter’s response to Simon in that

situation was strong; he said, “M ay your silver perish with you,

because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with

money!” (Acts 8:20).

The Holy Spirit is not a commodity to be bought or traded

according to our individual wants, whims, or even our felt needs.

We absolutely cannot have this discussion about the Holy Spirit

without calling our motives into question.

Right now I want you to take a break from reading and spend

some time asking yourself why you want the Holy Spirit. Is it for

power? Is it for your own betterment and purposes? Or is it

because you want to experience all that God has for you? Is it

because you love the church and desire to be a better servant to

your sisters and brothers?

The Right Reason

While we may have our own purposes for desiring the Spirit’s

presence and power in our lives, so does God! First Corinthians 12

tells us that each follower of Christ is given a “manifestation of the

Spirit for the common good” (v. 7). As we’ve seen, these

manifestations, or gifts, are “empowered by one and the same

Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (v. 11).

So these reflections of the Spirit’s presence and activity in us

have nothing to do with our natural abilities, and we have not

received them because we have earned or somehow deserve them.

Since these gifts come according to God’s will and not ours, it

should be clear that they should not be used for our own boasting

or entertainment.

The Spirit is intentional as He apportions these spiritual gifts

to each person, according to His will and purposes. The most

obvious and stated purpose of these manifestations is for the good

and edification of the church. The Spirit desires to use us when our

hearts are aligned with this vision, when we are filled with genuine

love for the church, and when we desire to see the church grow in

love for God and others.

On a scale of one to ten, how much do you love the church? As

you look around at your brothers and sisters, do you think to

yourself, I love these people so much. I pray God empowers me in

some way to encourage these people toward a deeper walk with

Him?

How much do you care? The Holy Spirit has given you a

supernatural ability to serve the people God has placed around

you. If God cares enough about His church to give you this Spirit-

empowered ability, shouldn’t you care enough about the church to

use that gift for the same purpose?

The apostle Paul wanted desperately to go to heaven, but he

was torn because he loved the church so much. His love for the

church was the only thing that kept him tied to life on earth. He

wrote, “I am hard pressed between the two. M y desire is to depart

and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh

is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that

I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy

in the faith” (Phil. 1:23–25).

Do you resonate with Paul’s purpose in life and love for the

church? There are far too many people who seek the Spirit for the

wrong reasons.

Attention

The Holy Spirit works to glorify Christ (John 16:14), yet so many

who emphasize the Holy Spirit seem to draw attention to

themselves. The Corinthian church was notorious for this. The

church became chaotic because individuals were not concerned with

the betterment of the church. They were trying to use

manifestations of the Spirit for their own glory. They weren’t

interested in what God was doing in others; they just wanted to

show off what God was doing in them. As they all fought for

attention, it resulted in mass confusion as everyone tried to speak

at the same time (1 Cor. 14:23–33).

A sure sign of the Holy Spirit’s working is that Christ is

magnified, not people. Self-glorification is something many of us

struggle with. While my pride is still a struggle, God has been

teaching me to see things from His perspective.

As a younger man, much of me craved God’s power in my life

because I wanted the attention. Now I want God’s power because

I don’t want the attention. Jesus says in M atthew 5:16, “In the

same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see

your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

It is possible for us to be doing incredible things for the kingdom

yet have people give glory to God rather than to us. Has this ever

happened to you? Or do people praise you for your good works?

When the Holy Spirit truly moves, God is the one praised.

Jesus is the one lifted up. When the Spirit moved at Pentecost,

people knew there was a power present that came from God.

That’s why they didn’t leave saying, “John is amazing! He learned

a new language in a matter of seconds!” They knew it had to be

God. Let’s pray that God would empower us so radically that we

would get no glory. That people would see our works and glorify

God.

“So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of

the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church” (1 Cor. 14:12).

Miracle Hunting

It is truly awesome (I try not to overuse that term, but believe it

fits here) when a miracle takes place—when you experience

something that couldn’t happen by natural means. I have yet to

meet someone who wouldn’t want to see a miracle. M y concern is

that I’ve met many people whose pursuit of miracles is greater

than their pursuit of God.

A lot of people want to talk about supernatural things like

miracles, healing, or prophecy. But focusing inordinately on these

things quickly becomes misguided. God calls us to pursue Him, not

what He might do for us or even in our midst. Scripture

emphasizes that we should desire fruit, that we should concern

ourselves with becoming more like His Son. God wants us to seek

to listen to His Spirit and to obey. The point of it all was never the

miracles in and of themselves. Those came when they were

unexpected, when people were faithful and focused on serving and

loving others.

God wants us to trust Him to provide miracles when He sees

fit. He doesn’t just dole them out mechanically, as if we can put in

a quarter, pray the right prayer, and out comes a miracle. M iracles

are never an end in themselves; they are always a means to point to

and accomplish something greater.

I’d love to witness more miracles. But when we make miracles

the focus of our energy and pursuit, we ignore the priorities God

tells us to pursue and we impose our own desires upon God.

Sometimes we even resemble Satan, who told Jesus to jump off of

the temple and perform a miracle. Of course God the Father could

have saved Jesus from harm had He jumped, but Jesus refused to

test His Father (M att. 4:7) by “making” Him perform a miracle.

God does miracles when He sees fit and for His own purposes. We

need to run from the temptation to conjure up miracles that God

never promised to give. Instead, we are called to focus on the

priorities He has outlined for us in Scripture and ask the Holy

Spirit to empower us as He sees fit. Ask Him to supernaturally

enable you to love Him and others. And let’s trust Him to display

miracles for His glory, in His time, and in His way.

We also need to look for His action in the midst of our daily

lives. For example, perhaps today if you live in Southern California

it really is supernatural not to be materialistic.

It used to be that if I had a great worship experience, I asked

God to duplicate it the next time I came to worship. Like the kid

impressed by a silly magic trick, I would pray, “Do it again!” One

thing I’ve learned about God over the years, however, is that He

rarely “does it again.” He’s the Creator, which means that He is

(among other things) creative. If we expect God to perform certain

miracles or to give us a particular experience, it will be tempting to

manipulate or even fake experiences of the supernatural. The point

in all this is simply calling us to pursue Christ and grow in our

obedience to Him, rather than pursuing the supernatural for its

own sake.

Followers or Leaders?

There have been many times when I’ve tried to lead the Holy

Spirit. I’ve wanted to direct Him and tell Him what to do and when

to do it. The irony is that the Holy Spirit was given to direct us.

Desiring the Holy Spirit means we allow the Holy Spirit to guide

us. By definition, it’s ridiculous to desire the Holy Spirit for our

own purposes.

The Spirit is not a passive power that we can wield as we

choose. The Spirit is God, a Being who requires that we submit

ourselves to be led by Him. Do you really want to be led? Even

people who are natural leaders don’t get to lead the Spirit.

Everyone is called to be led by Him.

I honestly believe that most of us—while we might s a y we

want to be led by the Spirit—are actually scared of this reality. I

know I am. What would it mean? What if He asks you to give up

something you’re not ready to give up? What if He leads you

where you don’t want to go? What if he tells you to change jobs?

To move? Are you willing to surrender to Him, no matter where

He wants to take you? Am I?

The fact is that God is calling. The Spirit is beckoning. The real

question is will you follow? Will you listen? I know I prefer a

multiple-choice option for what God is asking me to do. That way,

if I don’t like A or B, there are always options C and D.

Sometimes, of course, this is exactly how the Spirit leads us. There

can be two equally good choices that God lets us choose between.

M any times, though, this is not how He works. In these cases,

He calls us to do something, a particular thing, and we have the

choice to obey or not. The truly startling thought is that by not

submitting and totally trusting the Holy Spirit, I am not submitting

to or trusting God. This is no small matter.

We all have to answer the question: Do I want to lead or be led

by the Spirit?

Did God lead you to where you are? A lot of people in my church

and in my travels tell me, “I believe that God has called me to Simi

Valley.” Or Wichita. Or New York. Or Greenville. Or wherever.

That very well may be the case. But it could also be a cop-out

because you like where you live. You have a good job. The school

district is safe and has high ratings. Your family lives close by (or

perhaps far away, depending on your relationship with them). It

makes sense that you are “called” to be there, right?

And maybe you are called to where you live. But if you say

you are called to be in the place you are, a few questions need to be

considered. For example, how would you be missed if you left this

place? What would change? Basically, what difference does your

presence here make? Or, as my youth pastor once asked me, what

would your church (and the worldwide church) look like if

everyone was as committed as you are? If everyone gave and

served and prayed exactly like you, would the church be healthy

and empowered? Or would it be weak and listless?

M y purpose in posing these questions is not to convince you

to “go into the ministry.” I’m not about recruiting pastors or

missionaries. M y purpose in these questions is to get you to take

1 Corinthians 12 seriously, to believe that you have been given a

manifestation of the Spirit and that your church, the worldwide

body of Christ, and the world are crippled without your

involvement. I write this because I love the church and want you to

trust that you are more than just a helpful addition. You need to

believe you are a vital member. As real estate brokers, salesclerks,

restaurant servers, baristas, teachers, dietitians, therapists,

students, parents, farmers, school board members, and city council

officials, you are vital members of the body of Christ. Ask

y ourself, Do I believe the church needs me like a body needs a

mouth?

As part of the Spirit’s work through us for the “common good,”

He empowers us to be His witnesses. If you are a teacher, have

you thought about how you impact the students in your classes? If

you are a coach, what sort of influence do you have on your team?

What about other coaches you interact with? If you are a

businessperson, how do you conduct yourself toward your

customers and coworkers? Do they see a person who lives

according to the Way of Jesus or someone who does business

according to capitalistic and self-centered standards, just like

everyone else? If you are a stay-at-home mom, how are you

forming your children into lovers of Jesus? How are you reaching

out and ministering to the neighbors God has placed around you?

It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where

you are. But it’s absolutely vital to grasp that He didn’t call you

there so you could settle in and live out your life in comfort and

superficial peace. His purposes are not random or arbitrary. If you

are still alive on this planet, it’s because He has something for you

to do. He placed us on this earth for purposes that He orchestrated

long before we were born (Eph. 2:8–10). Do you believe you exist

not for your own pleasure but to help people know the love of

Jesus and to come fully alive in Him? If so, then that will shape

how you live your life in the place where you are.

When the Spirit Leads

When we submit to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, He

helps us become more holy—more like Jesus. It is a lifelong

journey of putting our flesh to death, or as Paul puts it in Galatians

5, of walking by the Spirit and not gratifying the desires of the

flesh. We cannot live submitted to the Spirit and at the same time

gratify the flesh because these two “are opposed to each other”

(Gal. 5:17). The works of the flesh are things like strife, fits of

anger, dissensions, and idolatry. The works of the Spirit are things

like love, self-control, joy, and faithfulness. Obviously, these are

very different from each other. In making this distinction, Paul goes

so far as to say that those who belong to Christ “have crucified the

flesh with its passions and desires” (5:24).

The phrase crucifying the flesh is not exactly a friendly,

appealing group of words. I think this is because God wants us to

be clear on what we are getting into. He wants us to know that His

gift of the Holy Spirit is really not for our own pleasure or

purposes. The Spirit is meant to lead us toward holiness. The

Spirit is here with us to accomplish God’s purposes, not ours.

When you decide to put to death—to crucify—your flesh, you

are by default choosing the way of the Spirit. You are leaving one

path and joining another. The new path of walking with the Spirit

will undoubtedly have its share of twists and turns. At forks in the

trail, you will, at times, choose to follow the desires of your flesh,

even though you left that path long ago.

The way of the Spirit is not a gentle downhill grade. Often,

walking with the Spirit is an uphill trudge through all sorts of

distractions and difficulties. But while the path is winding and

difficult, you are constantly moving in a particular direction, and

that direction is set by the leading of the Spirit. At some point

along the way, you agreed with God that you were not meant to be

ruled by your fleshly desires and passions (like anger, self-

indulgence, immorality, etc.), and you removed the central role that

these things once had in your life.

Perhaps you have not yet made this decision. Understand that

it is a decision everyone must make. It cannot be done mindlessly,

not when we are talking about something as intense as crucifying.

Each of us has to decide whether we are going to crucify the flesh,

whether we will truly walk with the Spirit. It is a choice. And it is

crucial.

In addition to becoming like Christ in His holiness, being led by the

Spirit will result in becoming like Christ in His love. After Paul

addresses the manifestations or gifts that the Spirit gives, he

writes, “I will show you a still more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31).

It’s as if he is saying, “Sure, these gifts from the Spirit are

important. But let me tell you what is really important. Let me tell

you about what will change the world.” And in chapter 13 of that

letter, he writes his famous “love chapter.” In it he reminds us that

without love, nothing else matters.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but

have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging

cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and

understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I

have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have

not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and

if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not

love, I gain nothing. (13:1–3)

This passage is so powerful because Paul redirects the focus

from supernatural gifts to love. He specifically says that without

love, speaking “in the tongues of men and of angels” and

“prophetic powers” and understanding “all mysteries and all

knowledge” mean nothing.

The Holy Spirit is the one who fills believers with God’s love

and the one who enables us to love one another. Paul describes this

beautifully in his prayer to the Ephesians:

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may

strengthen you with power through his Spirit in

your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your

hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being

rooted and established in love, may have power,

together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and

long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to

know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you

may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of

God. (3:16–19 NIV)

M ay we know this love that surpasses knowledge—the

mystery of this great love—by the strengthening power of the

Spirit.

Let us not become distracted from what is most important.

Jesus told His disciples, “Behold, I have given you authority to

tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the

enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in

this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names

are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19–20). Our true rejoicing comes

because of the grace that’s been given to us.

And like our Savior, who poured out His life and blood so we

have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and

give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and

actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these

things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and

acts in and through us in ways that on our own we are not capable

of. This is our purpose for living. This is our hope. “And hope

does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out

into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us”

(Rom. 5:5).

Esther Ahn Kim’s biography is among the most powerful

testimonies I have ever read. It was during WWII, and the Japanese

occupation of Korea, that Esther’s journey of faith really began.

She refused to bow down at the shrines set up in every corner of

her country and was eventually imprisoned for six years, from

1939 until 1945.

Knowing she was destined for prison for refusing to bow to

idols, Esther spent time training herself both physically and

spiritually. Each day she would find and eat food that was

decaying, knowing that was what she would be served in prison.

The discipline she demonstrated is humbling; how many of us

would choose to eat rotten foods?

While preparing for prison, she memorized more than one

hundred chapters of the Bible and many hymns because she knew

she would not be allowed to keep her Bible. She spent countless

hours seeking God through fasting and prayer. These times when

she read the Scriptures led to greater clarity, and she was able to

surrender her fear of being tortured.

Reading her story left me wanting more. M ore intimacy with

Christ. M ore love for people. M ore of God in my life. And to be

honest, more discipline. She was a well-disciplined believer, but

there was nothing self-righteous about her. Her obedience to Christ

only increased her ability to hear the voice of the Spirit, and

consequently filled her with overwhelming love for the people she

came in contact with.

When she eventually was taken to prison, God used her in

countless way. One night a young Chinese woman convicted of

killing her husband was brought in. She moaned incessantly and

beat on the doors until the guards tied her hands behind her back. It

was this woman that God called Esther to love and reach out to.

Esther held the woman’s feet at night to warm them, even though

the woman was covered in her own excrement. Though food

rations were small, Esther gave up her portions for three days to

this woman.

Over time, the Chinese woman began to respond, carrying on

conversation and eventually accepting the good news of the gospel.

The woman was later executed for her crime, but she went to her

death alive in Christ.

This is one of many people God used Esther to minister to.

M urderers and swindlers who were utter outcasts were changed

before all who watched as the love of Christ, through Esther,

healed their hearts and gave them hope. Even the jailers and

government officials noticed how Esther shone in that dark place.

She could have just endured her suffering like a good Christian, and

we would have applauded her for it. But she was not content to

merely endure. She was ready every day and every moment, asking

God, “Who do You want me to love for You today?”3

A Real Relationship

When we are at our wits’ end for an answer, then the

Holy Spirit can give us an answer. But how can He give

us an answer when we are still well supplied with all

sorts of answers of our own?

-Karl Barth-

There’s nothing worse than insecurity. So many people live in fear

because they are uncertain about what comes next and their

standing before God, if they even believe in God. On the flip side,

there’s nothing better than being absolutely sure that the most

powerful Being in the universe adores you as His own child. This

is precisely the confidence the Holy Spirit offers us.

Serving God and living faithfully can become a constant guilt

trip of “trying harder” and “doing better next time.” M aybe you

can relate. I have spent much of my Christian life battling

insecurity, never quite feeling sure of my salvation, living out of

fear and a desperate determination to earn acceptance.

I was raised in a home where performance was everything.

Unconditional love may have existed, but I never saw it. Failure

was met with severe consequences. Dad was my authority; that

was all there was to it. I’m not one to blame my lack of faith on

circumstances, but our upbringings definitely create challenges for

us. Some of you have wounds so deep that you wonder if you’ll

ever be able to trust. Perhaps you’ve subconsciously taken the

failures from sinful human relationships and imposed those

shortcomings onto a perfect God. Now uncertainty creeps into

even your relationship with God.

It is the Holy Spirit who keeps us from this path and gives us

confidence so we can enjoy intimacy with our Creator. Though I

do not believe God gives us His Spirit solely for our personal

benefit, it is undeniable that one of the greatest aspects of being in

relationship with the Holy Spirit is the intimacy, security, and

encouragement He brings us. It is then we can serve God as a

beloved child rather than a stressed-out, guilt-ridden slave.

A study through Galatians helped me discover and destroy the

strongholds of earning and insecurity. And it was while preaching

the book of Galatians that I learned to enjoy being “known” by

God.

But now that you have come to know God, or

rather to be known by God, how can you turn back

again to the weak and worthless elementary

principles of the world, whose slaves you want to

be once more? (Gal. 4:9)

Have you ever thought about what it means to be “known”?

Though I’d been telling people for years that I “knew” God, only

recently have I explored the concept of being “known” by Him.

It’s breathtaking to picture almighty God saying, “I know Francis

Chan. He’s my son. I love him!” Are you confident this is what

God would say if I asked Him about you? Do you know God or

just know about Him? Are you acquaintances or intimate friends?

In Galatians 4, Paul explains the difference between a slave and

a child. His desire was to ensure that the Galatians were enjoying

the rightful privileges Christ earned for them on the cross. M any of

us would say that we are children of God, but are these empty

words for you? Can you say with confidence—from the depth of

your being—that you know God and are known by Him?

Paul tells the Galatians that the Holy Spirit is the one who

assures our hearts that we are His children: “Because you are his

sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who

calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer slaves, but God’s

children; and since you are his children, he has made you also

heirs.” (4:6–7 TNIV).

These verses speak an amazing, beautiful truth! I can’t fully

explain it, but I’ve often experienced it in intimate moments with

God. This is one of the precious gifts the Holy Spirit gives us. He

assures us that we are in right standing with and loved by God. He

guarantees believers of the gift of new life in Christ. He assures us

that we have nothing to fear because we are His children and He is

powerful. He tells us that we are accepted, fully and

unconditionally. And He reminds us of the victory that is coming

when God’s kingdom is fully realized.

Paul emphasized these critical truths in his letter to the

Romans:

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall

back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of

adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba!

Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our

spirit that we are children of God, and if children,

then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with

Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that

we may also be glorified with him. (Rom. 8:15–17)

I don’t know where you are as you read this. Perhaps you’re

tracking 100 percent and just want to voice your affirmation. If

that’s you, then I say, “Amen!” M aybe you are reading this and

are thinking, Well, I just don’t experience that kind of intimacy with

God … the Spirit in me never cries “Abba! Father! ” If this is you,

I don’t have a four-step guide to connecting with the Holy Spirit. I

would, however, like to suggest two potential obstacles for you to

consider: comfort and volume.

Comfort (Maybe Your Life Is Too Safe)

From my own experience, I have felt closest to God when nearness

to Him was a necessity. The Bible says that the Spirit comes

through in situations where we would normally be afraid (Luke

12:11–12). We experience the Holy Spirit guiding us in desperate

situations, such as being placed on trial for the gospel (in some

countries), when we are asked why we believe in a God that allows

______ (fill in the world’s most recent tragic horror) to happen, or

when we receive a totally unexpected phone call that a close family

member has died.

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Helper” or “Comforter.”

Let me ask you a simple question: Why would we need to

experience the Comforter if our lives are already comfortable? It is

those who put their lives at risk and suffer for the gospel (Phil.

1:29) who will most often experience His being “with you always,

even to the end of the age” (M att. 28:20 NASB). Though this verse

is true for all believers (of course God is always with us), if we are

never alone or feeling like we need Him, how much do we care or

need to know that God is with us?

I recently had dinner in Seoul, Korea, with an amazing man. He

was one of the twenty-three missionaries who were held hostage

by the Taliban in Afghanistan in July 2007. For those who don’t

recall the story, the Taliban executed two of the missionaries

before a deal was reached with the government of South Korea and

the missionaries were released.

This man told me about the horrors of being locked up in a cell,

knowing that martyrdom was a strong possibility. He also shared

about the amazing time they had on the last day they were all

imprisoned together (their captors later divided them into groups

of three and took them to remote areas). Each of the twenty-three

missionaries surrendered their lives to God that night and told Him

they were willing to die for His glory. There was even an argument

over who would get to die first. One of them had a small Bible that

the missionaries secretly ripped into twenty-three pieces so each

could glance at Scripture when no one was watching. The Word of

God and the Spirit of God got them through the forty days of

imprisonment.

One of the most fascinating things this man told me was about

what has happened since. Now that they have been back in Seoul

for a while, several team members have asked him, “Don’t you

wish we were still there?” He tells me that several of them

experienced a deep kind of intimacy with God in the prison cell

that they haven’t been able to recapture in their comfort.

This is the precious gift of intimacy the Holy Spirit offers us.

It is a security that is priceless and worth any loss of safety and

comfort, even imprisonment by the Taliban.

Volume (Maybe Your Life Is Too Loud)

M ultitasking has become the norm. When was the last time you

had an uninterrupted conversation with anyone? No phones, text

messages, or to-do lists running through your mind. It’s so rare

nowadays to be able to look someone in the eye without

interruption or distraction. A while back, I found myself talking on

the phone, emailing on my laptop, and playing Wii with my

daughter all at once. In my quest to accomplish much, I’ve lost the

art of focusing on one thing or one person. This in turn has affected

my prayer life, as I’m sure it has affected yours. I find it harder to

simply be with God, to focus only on Him while spending

intentional time with Him.

While Jesus didn’t have to deal with emails, voice mails, or

texts, He certainly understood what it meant to have multitudes of

people pursuing Him at once. At any given moment of the day,

people were looking for Jesus. Because of the priority of His

relationship with His Father, He found ways to escape. He took

the time to focus and be quiet (M ark 1:35). He was willing to

remove Himself from people’s reach in order to pray and commune

with God the Father. Our lack of intimacy often is due to our

refusal to unplug and shut off communication from all others so we

can be alone with Him.

In the craziness of our world, it takes tremendous effort to find

a quiet place. It takes time to quiet your mind and your heart

before the Lord. It means turning off the music, the television, or

your cell phone. It might mean going outside to your favorite spot.

For some, this is curling up inside in the only place where you find

privacy. For others it might mean heading to whatever wilderness

is nearest to you or booking a few days at a local retreat center.

I don’t know exactly what it will look like for you to be still

before the Lord. But I do know that no matter what your

personality, it is a spiritual discipline to be still, to listen, and to

cut out the distraction and din of our world. And as we practice

this stillness, this waiting, this being, it is then that we can

experience deep intimacy and relationship with the Holy Spirit.

For some of you, reading this book could be a form of noise

that keeps you from Him. M aybe you already hear lots of sermons

and read plenty of books. What you need is direct communion

with Him—to hear directly from Him and to speak directly to

Him. Rather than reading my words, listen to His.

Right now I want you to take a break and open your Bible to

the book of John. Read chapters 14 through 16 and give yourself

some space to soak in the words you read. Notice particularly how

Christ desires that His disciples have peace and how He comforts

His disciples with the truth that they are not left alone. Part of His

answer to how we are to have peace and be comforted is through

the provision of the Holy Spirit, the other Counselor, who He

promised would come once He left.

It makes sense that Jesus would say it’s to our advantage to have

this “other counselor.” After all, Jesus merely walked beside the

disciples; the Spirit would actually enter their human bodies (John

14:17). You’ve probably heard this truth a hundred times, but have

you marveled at it? Would you be willing to take thirty seconds

right now just to dwell on the fact that God is in you?

Astonished? This is not a distant, loose connection. This is the

Spirit of God choosing you and me to be His dwelling place. That

means that as I write, the Spirit of the living God is inside me. I

might wake up on a particular day feeling physically tired or

stressed or impatient, and humanly speaking, those things would

probably define my day. But the reality is that I am indwelt by the

Holy Spirit. And because of this reality, stress and tiredness and

impatience don’t have to define my day.

If you have received by faith the promise of the Holy Spirit,

you are also His temple. As you drive your children to school. As

you go to work every day. As you embark on a new, unknown

season. As you go to school. As you face tragedy and pain. As

you buy groceries. As you give of yourself in relationships. As

you walk the dog. As you make decisions. As you live your life,

the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you.

Please don’t let this reality slip past you like an interesting

piece of trivia that might catch your attention for a minute but that

you’ll never take the time to really investigate. You are a temple of

the Holy Spirit. You are not just a person living your life by

human power. The Spirit of God is in you; that is why Jesus said

it was better for Him to go and the Spirit to come. Don’t walk

away from this. Delve into it and let it impact you deeply, first

internally and then outwardly.

Those chapters in John, where we read of Christ’s compassion for

and care of His disciples, are but one small example of the

meaningful relationship and deep love that motivate God’s

interaction with us. In Galatians 3, we read that “Christ redeemed

us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us … so that

we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (vv. 13–14).

Wow. I am sure I have read that often enough, but until I started

paying attention to the Holy Spirit, I am not sure that it really

struck me. Christ redeemed us from the curse we were under so

that we could receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. The

“promised Spirit” is not a small promise. Jesus suffered a grueling

death so that I could have the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit. How

dare I take this for granted?

Because of Jesus, I have received the promise. And this Spirit

is not a remote force. He takes up residence in our lives, in our

very bodies, and by doing so brings with Him a deep level of

security. Again and again in the Scriptures we read about being

God’s children, being led by His Spirit, and how we have received

the Spirit of adoption.

Kristen has been a friend of the family for the past ten years.

I’ll never forget being with her at her mother’s memorial service.

As I watched her grieve, there was no doubt that she was loved by

this woman who had adopted her from Korea. She was Kristen’s

mother, not just some lady who looked after her and paid for her

food. It’s been years since her death, yet Kristen still has a hard

time talking about her without getting emotional. She misses M om.

This is the type of adoption God speaks of in Scripture. It’s not

about having an impersonal guardian who looks over you. It’s

about having a parent. The best parent there ever was or will be.

We have been chosen, grafted, adopted into the family of God.

And now that we are a part of the family, the Spirit causes us to

call out, “Abba! Father!” Remember that Abba is the most intimate

form for referring to a father. It is like saying “Daddy”; it connotes

a deep level of familiarity and intimacy. As God’s Spirit speaks to

our hearts, we can call out to God as our Abba. We will begin to

experience this intimate relationship more deeply than we ever

thought possible, so much so that we will begin to wonder, Does

everyone feel this loved by God?

Don’t let your personal baggage keep you from enjoying this

intimacy that both your spirit and God’s long for. I had issues that

kept me from crying out to Abba. I often wished my testimony

was like those of the drug addicts or criminals who came to know

the Lord and then completely changed their lifestyles. Unlike them,

I was raised in a Christian home and came to know Jesus

personally in high school. After several years of walking with Him,

I began to turn. I went through my sinful phase after knowing

better and after having received the Holy Spirit. I quenched the

conviction the Holy Spirit put in my heart over and over again.

I can totally relate to the prodigal son after he squandered his

wealth (Luke 15:11–32). I resonate with the feelings he had when

he was eating with the pigs, thinking he could go back to the father

as a slave. Sometimes I waited a few days or even weeks before

talking to Him because I wanted to have a period of proving

myself. In doing this, I acted like a slave and obeyed as well as I

could. I figured I could still serve Him even though I felt

uncomfortable having a real conversation with Him.

Have you ever felt this way? Do you ever want to distance

yourself from Him because you feel so much shame over your sin?

This was a regular pattern for me. I wanted to prove that I was

sorry for what I did by being faithful for a period of time. I wanted

to develop a good track record before pursuing my relationship

with Him again. I wanted God to see that I could be a good servant.

Then I felt good enough to talk with God again. But God didn’t

want a good slave who tried really hard. He wanted me to see that

He was a good Father. He wants intimacy.

It takes faith to believe God is truly like the prodigal son’s

father, who from afar “saw him and felt compassion, and ran and

embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Lest there be any

doubt, the father made it absolutely clear that his son was to be

forgiven, with no questions asked. He invited his son back into his

life without bitterness or requiring penance and guilt.

In the same way, the Spirit speaks truth to our hearts, such as

“there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

(Rom. 8:1 NIV) and “[nothing] will be able to separate us from the

love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:39 NIV) and “He is

faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9 NASB).

These are verses we could probably spout off, but often we need

reminding of the power and veracity of them. And one of the Holy

Spirit’s roles is to do this reminding.

God said to Israel, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek

me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD”

(Jer. 29:13–14). When is the last time you sought after God with

all your heart? We are not Israel, but God still desires to be sought

and found by His people. Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to set

ev erything else aside right now so that you can seek Him

wholeheartedly. Tell God that you want intimacy with Him, no

matter what, even if it necessitates suffering on your part. When

this relationship with Him is as it should be, there is nothing more

satisfying or meaningful.

Have you ever met people who are so joyful and kind you assume

they are fake? After all, no one could genuinely be that cheerful,

certainly not all the time. Thomas and Jen would be the first to

admit their imperfections. But I secretly wish I could see those

come out more so I would feel less guilty about myself.

Jen works in our church office, and she’s one of the people I

think of when I hear the term Spirit-filled. She doesn’t have a list of

accomplishments to amaze you. It is more about who she is than

what she’s done. I think you know the type—the person who

convicts you just by how she lives her life and interacts with

people.

I first met Thomas because he was a chef and co-owner of an

extremely nice and expensive steak house in town. He sent a gift

certificate to my wife and me so we could enjoy a meal that most

pastors can’t afford. While we were there, Thomas shared with me

how great the restaurant was doing. It had far exceeded

expectations. In another three years he would receive back not only

his initial investment but a huge bonus on top of that. The only

problem was that God was calling him away from the restaurant

then, not in three years.

Thomas surprised his partners by giving up the money in order

to pursue the ministry God was calling him to. Thomas left the

fancy restaurant and took a position at the local rescue mission. He

now cooks for the homeless, recovering addicts, and others who are

seeking to rebuild their lives. He uses his training in the culinary

arts to teach the homeless how to cook. He then helps them find

jobs as cooks at local restaurants.

Thomas and Jen are a young couple in our church body; they

are a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led couple. They believe God will soon

call them overseas, but until that day comes, they seek daily to

follow as the Spirit leads. And they are doing it.

Forget About His Will for Your

Life!

And to expose our hearts to truth and consistently refuse

or neglect to obey the impulses it arouses is to stymie the

motions of life within us and, if persisted in, to grieve the

Holy Spirit into silence.

-A.W. Tozer-

How many times have you heard someone say, “I just wish I knew

God’s will for my life”? I know I’ve longed for this before. But

now I see it as a misguided way of thinking and talking.

There are very few people in the Scriptures who received their

life plan from God in advance (or even their five-year plan, for that

matter!). Consider Abraham, who was told to pack up his family

and all his possessions and start walking. He didn’t know where he

was going. He didn’t know if he would ever be back. He didn’t

know any of the details we consider vital (e.g., his destination, how

long the venture would take, what the costs/rewards would be,

whether he’d receive a 401(k) or health insurance). God said to go

and he went, and that’s pretty much all he knew.

I think a lot of us need to forget about God’s will for my life .

God cares more about our response to His Spirit’s leading today,

in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact,

the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the

degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today’s

decisions.

It is easy to use the phrase “God’s will for my life” as an

excuse for inaction or even disobedience. It’s much less demanding

to think about God’s will for your future than it is to ask Him

what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes. It’s safer to

commit to following Him someday instead of this day.

To be honest, I believe part of the desire to “know God’s will for

my life” is birthed in fear and results in paralysis. We are scared to

make mistakes, so we fret over figuring out God’s will. We wonder

what living according to His will would actually look and feel like,

and we are scared to find out. We forget that we were never

promised a twenty-year plan of action; instead, God promises

multiple times in Scripture never to leave or forsake us.

God wants us to listen to His Spirit on a daily basis, and even

throughout the day, as difficult and stretching moments arise, and

in the midst of the mundane. M y hope is that instead of searching

for “God’s will for my life,” each of us would learn to seek hard

after “the Spirit’s leading in my life today.” M ay we learn to pray

for an open and willing heart, to surrender to the Spirit’s leading

with that friend, child, spouse, circumstance, or decision in our

lives right now.

To say that we are not called to figure out “God’s will for my life”

does not mean God doesn’t have purposes and plans for each of

our lives or that He doesn’t care what we do with our lives. He

does. In both the Old and New Testaments He tells us that this is

true. The key is that He never promises to reveal these purposes

all at once, in advance.

We do know that we are called to keep in step with the Holy

Spirit. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians we read, “But I say, walk

by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…. If

we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (5:16, 25).

The phrases keeping in step with the Spirit and walking with the

Spirit are mostly likely familiar, but do they affect your life in a

practical and meaningful way? Like I said earlier, I think dwelling

on God’s plan for the future often excuses us from faithful and

sacrificial living now. It tends to create a safe zone of sorts, where

we can sit around and have “spiritual” conversations about what

God “might” have planned for our lives. Thinking, questioning, and

talking can take the place of letting the Spirit affect our immediate

actions in radical ways. God wants to see His children stake

everything on His power and presence in their lives.

Nowhere in Scripture do I see a “balanced life with a little bit

of God added in” as an ideal for us to emulate. Yet when I look at

our churches, this is exactly what I see: a lot of people who have

added Jesus to their lives. People who have, in a sense, asked Him

to join them on their life journey, to follow them wherever they feel

they should go, rather than following Him as we are commanded.

The God of the universe is not something we can just add to our

lives and keep on as we did before. The Spirit who raised Christ

from the dead is not someone we can just call on when we want a

little extra power in our lives. Jesus Christ did not die in order to

follow us. He died and rose again so that we could forget

everything else and follow Him to the cross, to true Life.

When people give their lives to God in exchange for a ticket out of

hell, there is often no turning or change of direction, which is the

definition of repentance. If all you want is a little Jesus to

“spiritualize” your life, a little extra God to keep you out of hell,

you are missing out on the fullness of life you were created for.

Not only this, you don’t need the Holy Spirit. You don’t need

the Holy Spirit if you are merely seeking to live a semi-moral life

and attend church regularly. You can find people of all sorts in

many religions doing that quite nicely without Him. You only need

the Holy Spirit’s guidance and help if you truly want to follow the

Way of Jesus Christ. You only need Him if you desire to “obey

everything” He commanded and to teach others to do the same

(M att. 28:18–20 NIV). You only need the Holy Spirit if you have

genuinely repented and believe. And you only need the Holy Spirit

if you understand that you are called to share in Christ’s suffering

and death, as well as His resurrection (Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 4:16–18;

Phil. 3:10–11). Paul demonstrated this when he wrote,

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show

that this all-surpassing power is from God and not

from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not

crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted,

but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

We always carry around in our body the death of

Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed

in our body. For we who are alive are always being

given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life

may also be revealed in our mortal body. (2 Cor.

4:7–11 NIV)

If you truly believe and have turned from the way you were

headed and joined a different Way of living, then you desperately

need the Holy Spirit. You know you cannot live this Way without

the Spirit in you.

I think repentance is one of those words we hear a lot but maybe

don’t incorporate into our lives very often. When I use the word

repent, I think about the time I was in a dating relationship, until

one day a girl named Lisa came to my church as a guest soloist and

caught my attention. After getting to know her, I knew she was the

one I wanted to be with. I didn’t consider it an option to ask Lisa if

she wanted to date me also. I knew I had to break off the other

relationship if I wanted to begin one with Lisa.

In a sense, this is what repentance is like when we meet Jesus:

We totally change direction.

Some people encounter Jesus and say, “Sweet! Jesus, do You

want to join the party of my life with this sin, that addiction, this

destructive relationship, and we’ll all just coexist together?” But

repentance means saying, “Sweet Jesus, You are the best thing that

has ever happened to me! I want to turn from all the sin and

selfishness that rules me. I want to let it go and walk with You.

Only You. You are my life now. Help me to walk away from the

enslaving, worthless things in life.”

Do you see the difference between these two examples? Which

do you think more accurately portrays your own life? Is there

anything you need to go and make right with your Savior, the One

who was killed for your sake? If so, don’t hesitate to shut this

book and spend the necessary time. Nothing else matters more

than this relationship.

So if a little bit of spirituality added in to our lives is not what God

has in mind, what does He want for His children? How does He

desire that we live? The fact is we were called by Jesus to give up

everything. His call is to come and take up the cross (Luke 9:23).

“Taking up my cross” has become a euphemism for getting

through life’s typical burdens with a semi-good attitude. Yet life’s

typical burdens—busy schedules, bills, illness, hard decisions,

paying for college tuition, losing jobs, houses not selling, and the

family dog dying—are felt by everyone, whether or not they

follow the Way of Jesus.

When Jesus calls us to take up our cross, He is doing much

more than calling us to endure the daily, circumstantial troubles of

life. The people in Jesus’ day were very familiar with the cross.

Having witnessed crucifixion, they understood the commitment

and sacrifice of taking up a cross.

It is a call to radical faith.

Jesus is calling us to be willing to suffer anything and forsake

everything for the sake of the gospel. His call is to love those who

have cheated us in business; those who have spread nasty rumors

about us; those who would kill us if they could; those who disagree

with us politically, practically, and fundamentally. His call is to

consider everything a loss for His sake. His call is for total

surrender. He calls us to give up all that we have, to give even to

the point of offering up our lives as a living sacrifice. His call

means realizing that His power is made perfect in our weakness,

that when we are weak we are also strong (2 Cor. 12:9–10).

Do you remember the story where Jesus saw people putting

gifts into the offering box? At first some rich people gave, and it

sounds like their contributions must have been monetarily large.

Then Jesus pointed out a widow (the text even says a “poor

widow”) who put in two small copper coins. Notice Christ’s

words in response to what he witnessed: “Truly, I tell you, this

poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all

contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put

in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:3–4). Jesus commends this

woman, whom the world—those people with power and money—

overlooked and perhaps even derided. Jesus praises her for her

revolutionary faith, for holding nothing back. She literally gave

everything she had, even though she was a “poor widow” with no

other means of income or support. And Jesus holds her up as an

example.

What if you could hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and He

asked you to literally give everything you owned? What if He

asked you to sell all your possessions and give the money to the

poor? Could you do it? Before you start explaining why He would

never ask that of you, take a moment and answer the question

honestly. It’s not out of His character to ask for everything.

I don’t know about you, but that challenges me like crazy. I

say I want to give it all to God, to truly submit myself to the

leading of the Holy Spirit. But I won’t lie; sometimes the reality of

what that means leaves me wanting to hold back a little. There are

things on this earth that I really enjoy, like surfing, golfing, eating

out, and laughing with friends. I know what you’re thinking: that

those things are not sinful. And you are right. But that doesn’t

mean the Spirit will not lead me to forgo those things occasionally

or maybe even permanently for His purposes and the glory of the

Father.

I struggle to always and actually keep in step with the Spirit

moment by moment. To submit and give up everything truly is

radical and terrifying. However, when I think deeply about it,

walking in my own wisdom, contrary to the Spirit’s leading, is

even more frightful. Though I struggle, I know that ultimately I

want nothing more than to live in total surrender and abandonment

to the Spirit every moment I have left on this earth.

The Spirit may lead me into total sacrifice financially, or He

may lead me toward humiliation in the opinions of people around

me. The Spirit may ask me to move to a different city, a different

state, or a different country. The Spirit may ask me to stay where I

am and spend my time in very different ways than I do now. He

could lead me toward actions like in 2 Samuel 6, where David

danced (it says in “a linen ephod,” the equivalent of priestly

underwear) before the Lord “with all his might” (v. 14). Others

were shamed by his undignified display of worship to God, yet

David said that he didn’t care and that he would become even more

undignified for the sake of the Lord. All he cared about was

worshipping his God.

When I read this story, part of me says, “Yes, I want to live like

David. I want to forget about what others think and worship my

King with all of me.” The other part of me says, “Okay, but

practically, what does that look like?” How do I walk in such

intimacy with the Spirit that my genuine response when He moves

is to dance with abandon, heedless of those around me who might

consider it inappropriate? And do I really need not to care about

what others think of me?

The crux of it, I believe, is realizing that being filled with the

Spirit is not a one-time act. As we read in Galatians about the

Spirit and the flesh, walking with the Spirit implies an ongoing

relationship. Being filled with the Spirit is not limited to the day

we first meet Christ. Instead, throughout Scripture we read of a

relationship that calls us into an active pursuit of the Spirit.

Christians can’t ever lose the Spirit, but His filling is something

we should constantly pursue. This business of sanctification is a

lifelong process we are engaged in. Second Corinthians 3:18 says,

“We all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are

being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which

comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (TNIV). (See also 2 Thess.

2:13 and Rom. 15:16.)

Imagine I buy a treadmill to lose some weight. Three months

later I take it back to the store and complain to the clerk that it

didn’t work—I didn’t lose a pound. He asks me, “What was the

problem? Did it not work properly?” I respond, “I don’t know if it

works. I never ran on it. I just know I didn’t lose any weight, so I

am done with it!”

This may seem like a silly example, but change the details and

suddenly it sounds pretty familiar:

“I have prayed for the Holy Spirit to free me from my lust, and

I am still addicted to pornography.” Or, “I have prayed for years

to be able to forgive my dad, but I am still racked with anger and

bitterness thirty years down the road.” “I have prayed for years to

be free of my gluttony, but despite prayer, spiritually based

support groups, and dieting, I am still a compulsive, unhealthy

eater.” Fill in whatever sin plagues you and suddenly the treadmill

illustration doesn’t seem so silly. In fact, it seems like those

prayers for freedom from that ongoing sin didn’t really “work” in

much the same way the treadmill didn’t help me lose any weight.

Receiving freedom and healing in answer to prayer is generally

not something that is done to you, a situation in which you are just

a passive participant. Occasionally God works this way and

simply heals or frees a person outright. He is certainly capable of

this. But in my experience, He typically asks us to play an active

role in the journey toward wholeness. He doesn’t need our help

but invites us to participate. Often this journey to freedom takes

time, sometimes a very long time. And it takes perseverance. It

takes participation on our part. We have to get on the treadmill and

run—merely looking at the workout machine doesn’t do a whole

lot. (See also Rom. 12:11 and 1 Thess. 5:19.)

Have you been stuck in a cycle of sin for a long time? Have you

given up on the Holy Spirit and resigned yourself to thinking that

He doesn’t “work” or doesn’t have the power to bring freedom, at

least not in your life? If this is you, then maybe you have not

internalized the reality that walking in the Spirit requires action on

your part.

Because the fact is that if you were in step with the Holy

Spirit, listening to and obeying Him, you wouldn’t sin (Gal. 5:16).

In any given moment, it is impossible to live in the power of the

Spirit and sin at the same time. Sin is wholly opposed to

everything that is of the Spirit. They really are mutually exclusive

and totally contrary to each other.

This does not mean that if you sin, you don’t have the Holy

Spirit or aren’t a follower of Christ. It does mean that when you

are sinning, you are not simultaneously submitted to the authority

and presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. He is still present, but

you are most likely suppressing or ignoring His counsel.

The hopeful part in all this is that even when we do ignore the

Spirit and sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us of that sin. Though at

times we sin, we are not ruled and enslaved by sin as we once

were. We have cut off the headship of sin in our lives. When we are

attuned to the Spirit, we are reminded of this freeing reality.

It’s obvious when someone is not walking in the Spirit (at least

not consistently). What you see and experience from such a person

is usually along the lines of rage, selfishness, dissension, bitterness,

and envy. However, when a person is habitually and actively

submitted to the Spirit, what comes out of his or her life is the fruit

of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not— cannot—lead you into sin.

If the Holy Spirit is in you, as a believer, then when you sin you

are not listening to the Spirit’s leading.

Haven’t you met those rare people who you can tell are daily

keeping in step with the Spirit? Somehow they exude graciousness

and peacefulness to a degree that is not humanly possible. Don’t

you want that in your own life? I mean, who really wants to be a

stressed-out, angry, selfish person? It’s not much fun, for you or

anyone who happens to come in contact with you.

Several people in my own life come to mind when I think about

people who walk with the Spirit daily. It would be easy to start

comparing ourselves to others in this area. I can already hear the

thought progression: Well, I am obviously more Spirit-led than that

person….

Instead of wasting time deliberating over whether others are

walking with the Spirit (which is definitely not our job), I challenge

you to examine yourself. Look at the “fruit” of your own life and

let it be a gauge for you of your own connectedness with the Spirit.

Do you listen to the Holy Spirit as you stand in line at the post

office? Perhaps He is asking you to begin a conversation with the

elderly lady in front of you. Do you allow the Holy Spirit to lead

when you are making your budget? Perhaps He will direct you to

allocate the monies differently than you otherwise would. Do you

submit to the Holy Spirit as you spend time with your family?

Often it is family members who are most difficult to love, and we

need the Spirit’s help to love them well. These are just a few of the

many, many areas of our lives that we can submit to the Spirit’s

leading. Take some time to think about areas in your own life

where you tend just to do your own thing, heedless of the Spirit’s

will and call.

Living by the Spirit implies a habitual, continual, and active

interaction with the Holy Spirit. While this sounds exhausting, it

really isn’t because all of this living and action is done in the power

of the Spirit. It is not by your own strength.

This, however, brings up a whole other confusing issue: Is it

God’s work or my work? God’s responsibility or mine? Paul

addresses this when he writes to the Galatians. He calls them out,

asking whom they had been bewitched by (quite an accusation!).

He asks, “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected

by the flesh?” (3:3).

I think each of us has a strong tendency to attempt to wrestle

control from the Spirit and “do” this life on our own. Each of us

tends to switch from living the gospel of grace to trusting in a

system of works. That’s why Paul brings up this issue with the

churches in Galatia. He knows it’s hard to truly depend on

sustenance and guidance from the Spirit rather than merely on our

own wisdom and effort.

Remember the treadmill illustration? Perhaps you wonder how

the concept of our actions fits in with the gospel of grace, which

cannot be merited or earned. Suppose I bake a loaf of bread and

you asked me, “Which ingredient is more important, the yeast or

the flour?” I would look at my still-warm loaf of bread and reply

that both are fundamentally necessary to the making of bread; you

simply would not have bread without both yeast and flour.

This illustration bears a similarity to our spiritual lives. If we

never responded to God, if we never acted based on what He has

done for us, there wouldn’t be much of a relationship there. God is

still real and moving, but at some point we have to respond and act

because of what He’s done. Like yeast and flour are both necessary

to bread, both God’s action and our response-action are necessary

in this relationship with God.

In the book of Philippians, Paul writes, “Therefore, my

beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my

presence but much more in my absence, work out your own

salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you,

both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (2:12–13). I love

the apparent contradiction in this passage. Paul says in one breath,

“Work out your own salvation,” and in the next, “It is God who

works in you.” The both-ness here doesn’t allow us to escape with

a simple conclusion. Yes, it is God who works in you. And, yes,

there is work for you to do. Yes, the Spirit empowers you to do

the work. And, yes, you do the work.

Like many things in life, there really isn’t a sew-it-all-up

solution. And I love that. God is big and mysterious enough that

we cannot simply put a label on this process and move on. It

requires continual engagement and wrestling and discovering how

to live a Spirit-filled life today. Not ten years from now. Not

tomorrow. But right now, in the particular time and place He has

put us. As we “work out our salvation” and as “God works in us.”

Let us keep in step.

Years ago, Dave Phillips and his wife, Lynn, had a talk about the

callings they felt God was stirring in them. As they discussed what

they were most passionate about, they agreed that bringing relief to

suffering children and reaching the next generation with the gospel

were at the top of the list. The thought of starting a relief agency

was considered, but Dave’s response was, “But that would mean I

have to talk in front of people.” By nature, Dave is a very quiet,

behind-the-scenes man.

But after much prayer, Dave set aside his fears, and he and

Lynn started Children’s Hunger Fund out of their garage. Six weeks

after CHF was launched, in January of 1992, he received a phone

call from the director of a cancer treatment center in Honduras

asking if there was any way he could obtain a certain drug for

seven children who would die without it. Dave wrote down the

name of the drug and told the director that he had no idea how to

get this type of drug. They then prayed over the phone and asked

God to provide.

As Dave hung up the phone, before he even let go of the

receiver, the phone rang again. It was a pharmaceutical company in

New Jersey asking Dave if he would have any use for 48,000 vials

o f that exact drug! Not only did they offer him eight million

dollars’ worth of this drug, but they told him they would airlift it

to anyplace in the world! Dave would later learn that the company

was one of only two that manufactured this particular drug in the

United States.

Within forty-eight hours, Dave had the drug sent to the

treatment center in Honduras and to twenty other locations as

well. It was then he believed firmly that God was at work,

validating his calling to this ministry.

Year after year, God continues to provide supernaturally.

Today they have distributed more than $950 million in food and

other relief to more than ten million kids in seventy countries and

thirty-two states. Children’s Hunger Fund has distributed more

than 150 million pounds of food and 110 million toys.

The uniqueness of CHF is that they train and equip volunteers

from local churches to distribute the food through home deliveries

in the United States and other countries. Going from family to

family, they find the poorest of the poor and share not only food

but love and the gospel. Forbes.com consistently rates CHF at the

top of their list of America’s most cost-effective charities.

One of the most beautiful things about this story is that if you

met Dave, you would never think he was the CEO of a major

organization. He is a quiet, soft-spoken man—not the type you

envision leading a movement. His power doesn’t necessarily come

from a natural giftedness but from a dedicated prayer life. As a

close, personal friend of Dave’s, I don’t know that I’ve ever spent

time with him without spending time in prayer.

Dave lives a life we should long for and, incredibly, the kind of

life that is offered to us as well. A life in which people know that

our accomplishments could not have been attained by our own

power. A life that brings glory to God in heaven.4

Supernatural Church

What the soul is in our body, the Holy Spirit is in the

body of Christ, which is the church.

-Augustine-

I bet you’d agree that a group of talented, charismatic leaders can

draw a crowd. Find the right creative team, musicians, and

speakers, and you can grow any church. It doesn’t even have to be

a Christian church. The fact is that without making a conscious

choice to depend on the Holy Spirit, we can do a lot. (Although

without the Spirit, we wouldn’t actually be drawing our next

breath—but I am talking about cognizant and intentional

dependence on our part.) M y point is that a growing and energetic

gathering is not necessarily evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work.

We all have our natural talents and bents, things that we are

“gifted at” (of course, the reality is that those gifts too are

ultimately from God). I have friends who are gifted artists, and I

love watching them paint and draw. Those of us who are

artistically challenged are stunned by the beautiful works of art

they create. Others are good with people and can easily work in a

variety of jobs that require people skills. Still others know how to

sell things, no matter what the product is. And some have the skill

set required to pull off a decent church.

A while back I asked my church during a service if they

thought I could successfully sell insurance as a career. I did this

because I know that some of my natural skills are connected to

interacting with people and speaking. The fact is that we all have

jobs that come naturally for us. Because of how I was made, I

could be an insurance salesman if I had a little bit of training. And I

can probably “pull off” a fairly adequate church on my own as

well. But who wants or needs that?

I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit.

I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing

this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am

desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn’t come

through, I am screwed. (I probably shouldn’t write that word here,

but it’s how I truly feel about this.)

There was a time when I got excited over a crowd showing up

to hear me preach, but those days are long gone. Now I deeply

desire that the Spirit of God would do things that I know are not of

me and that cannot be faked or accounted for by human reason.

I don’t believe God wants me (or any of His children) to live in

a way that makes sense from the world’s perspective, a way I

know I can “manage.” I believe He is calling me—and all of us—to

depend on Him for living in a way that cannot be mimicked or

forged. He wants us to walk in step with His Spirit rather than

depend solely on the raw talent and knowledge He’s given us.

But instead of living this way, we’ve created a whole brand of

churches that do not depend on the Spirit, a whole culture of

Christians who are not disciples, a new group of “followers” who

do not follow. If all God asked for were faceless numbers to fill the

churches, then we would all be doing all right. M ost of us would

feel pretty confident. But simply having a good speaker, a service

that is short and engaging, a good venue, and whatever else we add

to the mix does not make a “good” or “successful” church. God

intended for His bride, those who claim His name, to be much more

than this.

God is not interested in numbers. He cares most about the

faithfulness, not the size, of His bride. He cares about whether

people are lovers of Him. And while I might be able to get people

in the doors of a church or auditorium if I tell enough jokes or use

enough visuals, the fact remains that I cannot convince people to

be obsessed with Jesus. Perhaps I can talk people into praying a

prayer, but I cannot talk anyone into falling in love with Christ. I

cannot make someone understand and accept the gift of grace. Only

the Holy Spirit can do that. So by every measure that actually

counts, I need the Holy Spirit. Desperately.

Sometimes I leave Christian events wondering if we resemble the

prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 more than Elijah, the prophet of

God. If you’ve forgotten the story, it may be good to stop here

and read that chapter, or else the rest of what I write in this section

will make very little sense to you. The prophets of Baal had a

loud, passionate worship gathering that lasted from morning till

evening. When they were done, they had a great time of fellowship

(I think you can call it that). But “no one answered; no one paid

attention” (18:29). After all of that, Elijah prayed. God heard his

prayer, and fire came down from heaven.

M y favorite part of that story comes when it is all over and the

prophets of Baal are saying, “The LORD—he is God! The LORD—

he is God!” (18:39 NIV). They didn’t say, “Elijah is a great

speaker” or “Elijah sure knows how to connect with God!” They

were stunned by God. They were in awe of His power. They

knew that what they experienced could not have been manipulated

by Elijah. They experienced the power of God.

Is that what happens at the Christian gatherings you attend?

Or does it feel more like what the prophets of Baal experienced

before Elijah prayed? We can have a great time singing and dancing

ourselves into a frenzy. But at the end of it, fire doesn’t come

down from heaven. People leave talking about the people who led

rather than the power of God.

This principle carries into the way we live our personal lives as

well. People ought to see the transformation in our lives and

respond by saying, “The Lord—He is God!”

Has anyone ever been amazed by your peace? Love? Joy?

Have they ever envied your self-control? Have you ever prayed

that God would so fill you with the Spirit that people would know

the change could be empowered only by the Spirit? It is when we

are filled with true peace and hope that people notice there is

something different about us. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives

us both peace (Rom. 14:17) and hope (15:13).

I think we all could agree that living “according to our sinful

flesh” is not what is intended for us as children of God. Yet even

so, we often choose to face life’s issues and circumstances in

exactly the same way as someone without the Spirit of God. We

worry, strive, and grieve no differently than unbelievers. While it is

true that we are humans like everyone else, it is also true that we

are humans with the Spirit of God dwelling in us. Yet, whether

consciously or not, we essentially say to God, “I know You raised

Christ from the dead; but the fact is my problems are just too

much for You and I need to deal with them by myself.”

Even in our daily living we can look more like the prophets of

Baal as we live our lives, running about in a frenzy, trying to fix

our problems, not stopping long enough to call on the power of

God Almighty. Yet as children of God, we are not called to trust in

our idols or ourselves. We are made to be like Elijah, who did not

question whether God would show His face that day. He prayed

and asked for help, and God sent down fire from heaven in

response.

Perhaps you don’t need fire from heaven, but peace. Perhaps

what you need is wisdom to know which decision to make. Or

courage to do the right thing, even though you might lose your job.

Or maybe you need love because you feel alone. Or you want

people with a similar vision to journey with and support you along

the way. Whatever you need, the point is that God is aware of you

and your circumstances, and He knows what you really need. He is

able to bring these things, people, and circumstances into your life.

But God is not a coercive God. And though He desires for His

children to know peace and love and to have wisdom, I have

noticed that often He waits for us to ask.

He desires to do more than “help out” a bit. He wants to

completely transform us. He wants to take a timid heart and set it

ablaze with strength and courage, so much so that people know

something supernatural has taken place—life change just as

miraculous as fire coming down from heaven. He wants to imbue

us with His wisdom because He is the “spirit of wisdom and

revelation” (Eph. 1:17; see Isa. 11:2). Even as the Spirit works in

us to make us more like Christ, to transform us, He is also patient.

This work will not be complete until His kingdom comes in full,

though this does not deter Him from working now.

You are most likely familiar with the “fruit passage” in Galatians 5,

which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-

control. Against such things there is no law” (vv. 22–23 NIV). You

may even have the list memorized. But look over those traits right

now and ask yourself if you possess each to a supernatural degree.

Do you exhibit more kindness and faithfulness than the M ormons

you know? Do you have more self-control than your M uslim

friends? M ore peace than Buddhists? M ore joy than atheists? If

GOD truly lives in you, shouldn’t you expect to be different from

everyone else?

What disturbs me most is when we’re not really bothered that

God living in us has not made much of a noticeable difference.

M ost churchgoers are content to find a bit of peace rather than a

“peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). We

want just enough peace to survive the week (or perhaps even the

day).

Certainly there have been times in my life when just getting

through the day was possible only with God’s supernatural help

and presence. You might understand the kind of desperate season I

am talking about; most of us have experienced times like this—

times when we really do have to ask for peace and sustenance

every ten minutes. But what I am talking about is when we live our

lives this way, when every day of our lives we are just barely

hanging on, looking no different from the rest of the world.

When we exhibit the peace that surpasses the world’s

understanding, that’s when the world notices. That’s when people

say, “Your Lord—He is God!”

Now, this chapter is not meant to make you feel guilty. But it is

meant to be a challenge and make a space for you to take an honest

look at yourself. Do you know what it’s like to be filled with joy?

Do you experience genuine peace regardless of your life

circumstances? Do you consistently respond with kindness no

matter what you receive from others?

Can you imagine what it would be like never to get stressed-out

or to worry because you are so filled with the peace and love of

God? Don’t you want to be characterized by these attitudes?

Don’t we all want peace, and self-control, and all the rest?

Notice that the subject (“fruit”) in this verse is singular. It does

not say that there are many fruits of the Spirit, but that one fruit

incorporates all the different elements that follow (love, joy, peace,

etc.). This certainly doesn’t make it any easier.

I don’t know about you, but I cannot simply muster up more

love. I can’t manufacture patience just by gritting my teeth and

determining to be more patient. We are not strong or good enough,

and it doesn’t work that way. None of us can “do goodness” on

our own, much less all the other elements that make up the fruit of

the Spirit.

But despite our inability to change ourselves in this way, to

simply become more peaceful or joyful, we expend a great deal of

effort trying. We focus on what God wants us to do and forget the

kind of people He wants us to be.

Instead of mustering up more willpower, let’s focus our

energies and time on asking for help from the One who has the

power to change us. Let’s take the time to ask God to put the fruit

of His Spirit into our lives. And let’s spend time with the One we

want to be more like.

I know in my own life I don’t just want to do what my

mentors do; I also want to spend time with them. I have found that

through spending time with those I respect, I become more like

them than I would by simply trying to “do what they do.”

Grunting and saying through clenched teeth, “I will be patient!”

hasn’t worked yet, and that isn’t likely to change. But what does

effect change is when we begin to ask God to make these fruit

manifest in our lives, by the power of His Spirit, and when we

spend time in communion with our God.

M y favorite verse is quite possibly James 5:17, which reads,

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed

fervently.” Don’t keep yourself from praying desperately and

courageously for the Spirit to work in your life simply because

you are not the prophet Elijah. As this verse says, Elijah was a

human being with a nature like ours. He was just like us. The key

thing about him? He prayed fervently.

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I’m praying to the exact

same God Elijah prayed to”? Do you genuinely believe that

M oses, Esther, David, and Daniel had n o advantage over you

spiritually? In fact, some would argue that you have the advantage

of both the risen Christ and the indwelling Spirit. Let’s stop

looking at the godly men and women in Scripture as though their

prayer lives are unattainable! Pray fervently, knowing that Peter

and Paul and M ary and Ruth were men and women “with a nature

like ours” (James 5:17). I know that I tend to run from situations

where I need God, and I think that is true of almost every one of

us. It is safer to avoid situations where we need God to come

through than to stake it all on Him and risk God’s silence. If Elijah

had not had the courage to face down the prophets of Baal that

day, if he hadn’t prayed fervently and courageously, then he would

not have experienced God’s power in such a profound way. But in

moments of doubt, I can’t help but think, What if God hadn’t sent

down fire that day and Elijah ended up in the same predicament as

the prophets of Baal? What then?

This is certainly not a call to demand that God prove Himself

in each and every circumstance that we manufacture. But it is a

profound reminder that God delights in showing up when His

people are in desperate need of Him, because that means no one

else can steal His glory.

Let’s delve into the Old Testament once again and look at the story

of Gideon in Judges 7. Gideon started with an army thirty-two

thousand men strong. In several stages, God purposely dwindled it

to three hundred men. I think God did this so that no one could

say, “Look what we did!” Instead, everyone knew that it was

God’s power that defeated the enemy. Only through God could a

tiny army of three hundred men rout the much larger M idianite

army.

God wants the praise for what we do in our lives. But if we

never pray audacious, courageous prayers, how can He answer

them? If we never follow Him to positions where we need Him,

how can He show up and make His presence known?

Can you, along with Elijah and Gideon, say that when people

see your life they respond by praising our Father?

When I live by my own power and strength, relying solely on

my natural talents to see me through, then people naturally praise

me for how I am living. But when I am living in a way that requires

me to depend on the Holy Spirit, people respond by praising my

Father in heaven.

When was the last time you experienced the hand of God? Ask

yourself. Think about the times in your life when you have been

touched by God in a way that no one could convince you was a

coincidence. These may not be “fire from heaven” or “voice like

thunder” kinds of experiences; perhaps it was the wordless

whisper of hope when you were overwhelmed by depression. Or

perhaps you experienced God through the unconditional

acceptance of another human being. Or maybe you glimpsed some

of His character through a sunset that just made you stop and

worship. We experience God through a variety of means, and God

delights to communicate and share Himself with His beloved

daughters and sons.

The Holy Spirit is present throughout the New Testament as

well as the Old Testament. I believe in Him because I believe the

Scriptures. But even if you took away what I “know” about the

Holy Spirit from reading the Scriptures, my “right answers” about

the Holy Spirit, I would still believe.

I would still believe in the Spirit because I have experienced

God the Holy Spirit working in and through and around my life in

ways I cannot deny or ignore. I certainly do not advocate ignoring

the Scriptures or basing everything on experience, but to

completely ignore experience—including your personal experience

and the experience of the wider body of Christ, both now and

historically—is unbiblical.

If you have not known and experienced God in ways you

cannot deny, I would suggest that you are not living in a needy and

dependent way. God delights to show up when His children call on

His name and when they are trusting fully in Him to come through,

whether that is in relationships, in battling sin, in strength to make

sacrifices, or in endurance to be faithful in daily life. Are you living

this way? Or are you surviving only by your own strength, by

your own wits?

We Were Family

A while back a former gang member came to our church. He was

heavily tattooed and rough around the edges, but he was curious to

see what church was like. He had a relationship with Jesus and

seemed to get fairly involved with the church.

After a few months, I found out the guy was no longer coming

to the church. When asked why he didn’t come anymore, he gave

the following explanation: “I had the wrong idea of what church

was going to be like. When I joined the church, I thought it was

going to be like joining a gang. You see, in the gangs we weren’t just

nice to each other once a week—we were family.” That killed me

because I knew that what he expected is what the church is

intended to be. It saddened me to think that a gang could paint a

better picture of commitment, loyalty, and family than the local

church body.

The church is intended to be a beautiful place of community. A

place where wealth is shared and when one suffers, everyone

suffers. A place where when one rejoices, everyone rejoices. A

place where everyone experiences real love and acceptance in the

midst of great honesty about our brokenness. Yet most of the time

this is not even close to how we would describe our churches.

Without the Spirit of God in our midst, working in us, guiding

us, and living and loving through us, we will never be the kind of

people who make up this kind of community. There is no such

thing as a real believer who doesn’t have the Holy Spirit, or a real

church without the Spirit. It’s just not possible. But what is

possible is that we would individually and corporately quench and

hinder the Spirit’s activity in and through our lives.

As for me, I am tired of talking about what we are going to do. I

am sick of talking about helping people, of brainstorming and

conferencing about ways we can be radical and make sacrifices. I

don’t want to merely talk anymore. Life is too short. I don’t want

to speak about Jesus; I want to know Jesus. I want to be Jesus to

people. I don’t want just to write about the Holy Spirit; I want to

experience His presence in my life in a profound way.

A few months ago, the elders at Cornerstone Church began to ask

the question “Why don’t we live like the believers who made up

the first church?” In Acts 2:42–47 we read the following:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching

and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to

prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many

wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All

the believers were together and had everything in

common. They sold property and possessions to

give to anyone who had need. Every day they

continued to meet together in the temple courts.

They broke bread in their homes and ate together

with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and

enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord

added to their number daily those who were being

saved. (TNIV)

What followed was a beautiful time of sharing as our elders laid

“everything” at one another’s feet. We surrendered the keys to our

cars, homes, and bank accounts. The elders looked me in the eyes

and said, “What’s mine is yours. If anything ever happens to you,

I will support and care for your kids as much as I would care for

my own. I will be your life insurance.” And because they had a

history of genuine sacrifice for the sake of the gospel, I believed

what they said.

From there, we began going to some of our friends in the

congregation and expressing our commitment to them. And now

this mentality is spreading. New life is permeating the church as

individuals back up their words with sacrifice. Cars and homes are

being sold or given away. Expensive vacations are joyfully replaced

with caring for others. People are being welcomed into others’

homes—not only for meals, but to live. This is a small example of

the kinds of things that happen when people start to walk with the

Spirit and ask the Holy Spirit to affect every part of their lives.

I just shared about what a few people in one church in one city

in one country are doing. What else might it look like when people

begin to walk with the Spirit, submitting everything to Him?

Dream a little with me. This will look different in various cultures

around the world. The Spirit will lead believers in Beijing to do

different things from believers in the United Kingdom or Argentina.

This is just a hint of what happens when we begin to actually

live like we need the Spirit. For us at Cornerstone Church, it is

only the beginning.

Forceful or Forced?

When I read the book of Acts, I see the church as an unstoppable

force. Nothing could thwart what God was doing, just as Jesus

foretold: “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (M att.

16:18). The church was powerful and spreading like wildfire, not

because of clever planning, but by a movement of the Spirit. Riots,

torture, poverty, or any other type of persecution couldn’t stop it.

Isn’t that the type of church movement we all long to be a part of?

So much of what we see today is anything but unstoppable. It

can easily be derailed by the resignation of a pastor or an internal

church disagreement or budget cuts. Churches we build only by our

own efforts and not in the strength of the Spirit will quickly

collapse when we don’t push and prod them along. I spent years

asking God to be part of whatever I was doing. When I read the

book of Acts, I see people privileged to play a part in what God

was doing.

Recently we held a discussion about how to solve some of the

evident problems in our church. One of our pastors spoke up and

said, “I think we’re trying too hard.” He went on to share of the

supernatural things that had taken place through his prayer life. At

that point, we decided to stop talking and thinking. The next hour

was spent intensely in prayer. We never got “back to business”

that day. While there is a time to brainstorm and think and act well

using the gifts God has given us, far too often we never get to

prayer (much less start, end, and allow it to permeate all that we

do). Let’s pray that God would build His church, an unstoppable

force, empowered and sustained by the Holy Spirit.

No matter where you live and what your days look like, you have

the choice each day to depend on yourself, to live safely, and to

try to control your life. Or you can live as you were created to live

—as a temple of the Holy Spirit of God, as a person dependent on

Him, desperate for God the Spirit to show up and make a

difference. When you begin living a life characterized by walking

with the Spirit, that is when people will begin to look not to you

but to our Father in heaven and give Him the praise.

M y prayer as I’ve written this book is that it would not

merely add to your knowledge. M aybe that sounds strange, but I

mean it. Often in Christian circles we talk about truth in lieu of

applying it to our lives. We hear an incisive sermon, discuss at

lunch afterward how “great” or “powerful” it was, and then never

think about it again, much less allow the Spirit to change us

through it. The truth is that greater knowledge does not necessarily

equal greater spirituality. Knowledge can lead to greater intimacy

and a deeper relationship with God, but this is not an automatic

effect.

Our Scriptures teach that if you know what you are supposed

to do and you don’t do it, then you sin (James 4:17). In other

words, when we stock up on knowledge without applying it to our

lives, we are actually sinning. You would think that learning more

about God would be a good thing … and it can be. But when we

gain

knowledge about God without responding to Him or

assimilating His truth into our lives, then it is not a good thing.

According to the Bible, it’s sin.

M ay we not merely gain knowledge. Instead, as we learn, may

we grow and confess and change more into the people we’ve been

created to be by the power of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within

us. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking

but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom.

14:17).

What if this last biography were about your life? What would be

written here? Would we read stories about the indwelling work of

the Holy Spirit or stories about what you have accomplished on

your own? Don’t be discouraged if there is not a lot of the Holy

Spirit’s working in your past. Pray in complete faith right now.

Ask God to have His Spirit work so mightily in you that it would

make for an amazing biography. A biography that speaks of a life

so supernatural that no one would even consider giving you the

glory. A biography that displays the power of the Spirit and lifts

up the name of Jesus to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

AFTERWORD

M y hope and prayer for you, the reader, is that church people

don’t try to normalize you. What I mean is that we often try to

calm people down who are just too passionate or too sacrificial and

radical. I know at times I have done this to other people. And I’ve

had it done to me.

Two years ago at a dinner I sat next to a man who runs a

human-trafficking awareness organization. He described how these

children, most of whom were sold or abducted into the sex trade,

are raped and abused every single night, again and again, how they

have no one to advocate for them, and how there is no way out.

That night I lay awake in my bed for hours—literally hours—

and I imagined my own children in this situation. M aybe that was

a stupid thing to do, but suddenly, vividly, I was sobbing and I

couldn’t get the images out of my mind. I started thinking about

what I would do if this really happened to my little girl. I know

that I wouldn’t stop until I had saved her. I would mobilize

everyone I know through whatever means possible to get them to

help. Lying there in my bed that night I got more and more

passionate about everything I would do to save my little girl.

Then something happened. I am not one of those people who

often hears God’s distinct, clear voice (though I know some people

do), but on this night, the Spirit of God said to me: I want you to

love them as your own children. This was overwhelming to me.

After all, if I treated these kids as though they were my own, I

wouldn’t stop praying for them. I also wouldn’t stop passionately

begging people to figure out ways to seek them out and rescue

them. I literally wept for hours. The thought of these precious

children of mine being taken advantage of was unbearable. I was

now on a mission. A mission from God.

I remember getting back to Cornerstone and “rallying the

troops.” I was so fired up, and I got others fired up. But over the

course of several months I got distracted. People around me started

calming me down about sex trafficking. They said, “Francis, you

can’t save the world,” and “You’re already doing so much. Don’t

be so hard on yourself.” And the passion I believe God gave me for

children in the sex-slave trade slowly eked out of me.

Things like this happen all the time. As a church, we tend to do

this to people who are passionate and bold. We mellow them out.

Institutionalize them. Deaden them to the work that the Spirit is

doing in them. In Acts 4:13 we read of the early church doing just

the opposite. Peter and John testified before the Sanhedrin and

“when they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that

they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and

they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (NIV). The

people were astonished at their courage and that they were

uneducated. Right after Peter and John were released, they returned

to the other believers and prayed for even more boldness and

courage (4:29). Some of the boldest people (John and Peter) were

the ones asking for more boldness!

Why don’t we do this today? I have found that we generally do

the opposite. Instead of encouraging people who are doing

courageous things for God and joining them in their discernment

process of how to be faithful to what God is calling them to, we

tell them to slow down and back off. Instead of being astonished at

believers’ courage, frequently (and unfortunately) I am astonished

at believers’ timidity and lack of boldness. What a contrast to the

biblical model we are given!

A few months ago I was speaking at a summer camp, and I was

speaking to one of the organizations there that sponsors children.

This volunteer told me about a sixteen-year-old girl there at the

camp who sponsors fourteen children, on her own. I was

astonished by this. Fourteen children (at about thirty dollars a

month for each child) is a lot of money for a high school student to

come up with. I talked to this girl and asked her how she did it. She

told me that she works year-round and she works three jobs in the

summertime to pay for the child support. While other teenagers are

saving for a car, she’s saving lives! Instead of spending her hard-

earned money on herself and her future, she gives it to these

fourteen children because she believes God loves them just as much

as He loves her.

M y prayer is that churchgoers will not dissuade her from this

calling. That they won’t tell her things like, “You really need to

start thinking about yourself now. Your future and your education

are important. What you’ve done is great, but it’s time to think

about what’s next for you.” M aybe this girl will stand strong in her

conviction that the children she is supporting around the world are

as important as she is … just maybe she won’t be convinced out of

her passionate love and sacrifice.

M y wife and I recently decided to give all of the royalties from

my previous book, Crazy Love, to the Isaiah 58 Fund. All of the

money goes to the needy in the world—the starving, sick,

impoverished, and to those in the sex-slave trade. We reasoned that

if we kept all this money, we would end up spending it on things

we didn’t need. We knew that in the long run (eighty years from

now), there would be no regrets. But if we bought things that

wouldn’t last beyond our time on earth, we would end up

disappointed and regretful. I was a bit shocked and discouraged by

some of the responses we received.

People told us that we were being foolish and irresponsible

with the gifts God gave us. They said we should have at least put

some away in case of an emergency. M y response back was, “Is it

not an emergency that children in Cambodia and Thailand and even

the United States are being raped every single day of their lives?

Why is that not an emergency?” I think the church often

inadvertently teaches that the sex-slave trade is not an emergency.

And this, I believe, is sin. Is an emergency only an emergency if it

affects me and my immediate family?

I am not saying that every person is supposed to give all the

money from their jobs to support children. Or that everyone has to

create a fund from the royalties of their books. Or that each and

every person is meant to get involved with organizations that work

against the sex-slave trade. What I am saying, though, is that

instead of thinking and telling people they are crazy when they feel

like the Spirit is leading them into something that doesn’t

necessarily make sense to us, we should join them in the

discernment process. Instead of discouraging people, we should

pray for more insight and boldness. Instead of deadening people to

the Spirit’s leading with our words and our actions, we should

celebrate and join the Spirit’s movement in and through them!

This is not about one specific way of living radically. It is

about discerning and obeying the Spirit’s voice, especially when

He asks you to do something that is hard, a little beyond “normal,”

and that requires sacrifice. This is a twofold thing: It is both about

encouraging others to obey the Spirit’s leadings and about listening

to and obeying His leading in your own life. Do you feel bold and

powerful? Whether your answer is yes or no, all of us need to ask

for more courage and boldness.

So, finally, I just want to spend these last few paragraphs

praying with you, the reader.

Spirit, we know that we have done wrong by You.

Please forgive us for grieving, resisting, and

quenching You. We have resisted You through sin,

through our rebellion, and through our hardness of

heart. At times, we have been spiritually blind. At

other times, we knew what You wanted us to do, but

we chose to ignore Your promptings. Yet this is not

how we want to live now.

We need You to change us. Only through You

can we truly worship. Spirit of the Lord, You are the

one who brings us to a place where we can worship.

You are the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of holiness, the

Spirit of life. Thank You for the truth, the holiness,

and the life You give us.

We need Your wisdom and understanding as we

seek to live this life. Keep us from disbelief, from

fear. We need Your strength to help us do what you

are asking us to do and to live how You are asking

us to live. Speak loudly and drown out the other

voices calling us to conform to the patterns of this

world.

You are the Spirit of self-control and love. Give

us the self-control needed to deny our flesh and

follow You. Give us a love strong enough to

motivate courageous action. Manifest Yourself

through us that we may serve and love Your bride,

the church, as You do.

Come, Holy Spirit, come. We don’t know exactly

what that means and looks like for each of us yet, in

the particular places You’ve called us to inhabit.

But, nonetheless, whatever it means, we ask for

Your presence. Come, Holy Spirit, come.

Licensed to christian jelbring on 2012-04-06

NOTES

1. See www.JoniandFriends.org.

2. See www.Rationalpi.com/theshelter/ and www.Labri.org.

3. Esther Ahn Kim, If I Perish (Chicago: Moody Publishing, 2001).

4. See www.chfus.org.

Licensed to christian jelbring on 2012-04-06

ABOUT THE COAUTHOR

Danae Yankoski graduated from Westmont College, where she

studied English Literature and met her best friend, now husband,

M ike. An avid reader and writer from a young age, Danae has

authored, coauthored, and contributed to several books including

Things I’ve Learned Lately, Crazy Love, a n d Zealous Love: A Guide to Social Justice. Some of Danae’s favorite aspects of life

include mugs of tea and thought-provoking conversation; hiking,

running, growing things, and being outside; interacting with

different kinds of people; and playing with her black Lab, Elliott.

She and M ike recently moved to Vancouver, BC, where they are

pursuing their M asters of Christian Studies.

A lso av ailable from Francis C han and Dav id C . C ook :

CHAPTER ONE

What if I said, “Stop praying”? What if I told you to stop talking

at God for a while, but instead to take a long, hard look at Him

before you speak another word? Solomon warned us not to rush

into God’s presence with words. That’s what fools do. And often,

that’s what we do.

We are a culture that relies on technology over community, a

society in which spoken and written words are cheap, easy to

come by, and excessive. Our culture says anything goes; fear of

God is almost unheard of. We are slow to listen, quick to speak,

and quick to become angry.

The wise man comes to God without saying a word and stands

in awe of Him. It may seem a hopeless endeavor, to gaze at the

invisible God. But Romans 1:20 tells us that through creation, we

see His “invisible qualities” and “divine nature.”

Let’s begin this book by gazing at God in silence. What I want

you to do right now is to go online and look at the “Awe Factor”

video at www.crazylovebook.com to get a taste of the awe factor

of our God. Seriously—go do it.

Speechless? Amazed? Humbled?

When I first saw those images, I had to worship. I didn’t want

to speak to or share it with anyone. I just wanted to sit quietly and

admire the Creator.

It’s wild to think that most of these galaxies have been

discovered only in the past few years, thanks to the Hubble

telescope. They’ve been in the universe for thousands of years

without humans even knowing about them.

Why would God create more than 350,000,000,000 galaxies

(and this is a conservative estimate) that generations of people

never saw or even knew existed? Do you think maybe it was to

make us say, “Wow, God is unfathomably big”? Or perhaps God

wanted us to see these pictures so that our response would be,

“Who do I think I am?”

R. C. Sproul writes, “M en are never duly touched and

impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have

contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.”1

Switch gears with me for a minute and think about the detailed

intricacy of the other side of creation.

Did you know that a caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct

muscles in its head? That’s quite a few, for a bug. The average elm

tree has approximately 6 million leaves on it. And your own heart

generates enough pressure as it pumps blood throughout your

body that it could squirt blood up to 30 feet. (I’ve never tried this,

and I don’t recommend it.)

Have you ever thought about how diverse and creative God is?

He didn’t have to make hundreds of different kinds of bananas, but

He did. He didn’t have to put 3,000 different species of trees

within one square mile in the Amazon jungle, but He did. God

didn’t have to create so many kinds of laughter. Think about the

different sounds of your friends’ laughs—wheezes, snorts, silent,

loud, obnoxious.

How about the way plants defy gravity by drawing water

upward from the ground into their stems and veins? Or did you

know that spiders produce three kinds of silk? When they build

their webs, they create sixty feet of silk in one hour,

simultaneously producing special oil on their feet that prevents

them from sticking to their own web. (M ost of us hate spiders, but

sixty feet an hour deserves some respect!) Coral plants are so

sensitive that they can die if the water temperature varies by even

one or two degrees.

Did you know that when you get goose bumps, the hair in

your follicles is actually helping you stay warmer by trapping

body heat? Or what about the simple fact that plants take in

carbon dioxide (which is harmful to us) and produce oxygen (which

we need to survive)? I’m sure you knew that, but have you ever

marveled at it? And these same poison-swallowing, life-giving

plants came from tiny seeds that were placed in the dirt. Some

were watered, some weren’t; but after a few days they poked

through the soil and out into the warm sunlight.

Whatever God’s reasons for such diversity, creativity, and

sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the

point of it all is His glory. God’s art speaks of Himself, reflecting

who He is and what He is like.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies

proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they

pour forth speech; night after night they display

knowledge. There is no speech or language where

their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all

the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

—Psalm 19:1–4

This is why we are called to worship Him. His art, His

handiwork, and His creation all echo the truth that He is glorious.

There is no other like Him. He is the King of Kings, the Beginning

and the End, the One who was and is and is to come. I know

you’ve heard this before, but I don’t want you to miss it.

I sometimes struggle with how to properly respond to God’s

magnitude in a world bent on ignoring or merely tolerating Him.

But know this: God will not be tolerated. He instructs us to

worship and fear Him.

Go back and reread the last two paragraphs. Go to the Web site

www.crazylovebook.com and watch the “Just Stop and Think”

fifteen-minute video. Close this book if you need to, and meditate

on the almighty One who dwells in unapproachable light, the

glorious One.

There is an epidemic of spiritual amnesia going around, and none of

us is immune. No matter how many fascinating details we learn

about God’s creation, no matter how many pictures we see of His

galaxies, and no matter how many sunsets we watch, we still

forget.

M ost of us know that we are supposed to love and fear God;

that we are supposed to read our Bibles and pray so that we can

get to know Him better; that we are supposed to worship Him

with our lives. But actually living it out is challenging.

It confuses us when loving God is hard. Shouldn’t it be easy to

love a God so wonderful? When we love God because we feel we

should love Him, instead of genuinely loving out of our true selves,

we have forgotten who God really is. Our amnesia is flaring up

again.

It may sound “un-Christian” to say that on some mornings I

don’t feel like loving God, or I just forget to. But I do. In our

world, where hundreds of things distract us from God, we have to

intentionally and consistently remind ourselves of Him.

I recently attended my high school reunion. People kept

coming up to me and saying, “She’s your wife?” They were

amazed, I guess, that a woman so beautiful would marry someone

like me. It happened enough times that I took a good look at a

photograph of the two of us. I, too, was taken aback. It is

astonishing that my wife chooses to be with me—and not just

because she is beautiful. I was reminded of the fullness of what I

have been given in my wife.

We need the same sort of reminders about God’s goodness. We

are programmed to focus on what we don’t have, bombarded

multiple times throughout the day with what we need to buy that

will make us feel happier or sexier or more at peace. This

dissatisfaction transfers over to our thinking about God. We forget

that we already have everything we need in Him. Because we don’t

often think about the reality of who God is, we quickly forget that

He is worthy to be worshipped and loved. We are to fear Him.

A. W. Tozer writes,

What comes into our minds when we think about

God is the most important thing about us.…

Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains

high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the

gravest question before the Church is always God

Himself, and the most portentous fact about any

man is not what he at a given time may say or do,

but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be

like.2

If the “gravest question” before us really is what God Himself

is like, how do we learn to know Him?

We have seen how He is the Creator of both the magnitude of

the galaxies and the complexity of caterpillars. But what is He like?

What are His characteristics? What are His defining attributes?

How are we to fear Him? To speak to Him? Don’t check out here.

We need to be reminded of this stuff. It is both basic and crucial.

God is holy. A lot of people say that whatever you believe

about God is fine, so long as you are sincere. But that is

comparable to describing your friend in one instance as a three-

hundred-pound sumo wrestler and in another as a five-foot-two,

ninety-pound gymnast. No matter how sincere you are in your

explanations, both descriptions of your friend simply cannot be

true.

The preposterous part about our doing this to God is that He

already has a name, an identity. We don’t get to decide who God

is. “God said to M oses, ‘I am who I am” (Ex. 3:14). We don’t

change that.

To say that God is holy is to say that He is set apart, distinct

from us. And because of His set apart–ness, there is no way we

can ever fathom all of who He is. To the Jews, saying something

three times demonstrated its perfection, so to call God “Holy,

Holy, Holy” is to say that He is perfectly set apart, with nothing

and no one to compare Him to. That is what it means to be “holy.”

M any Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in

order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect

holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can’t contain

Him. Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?

God is eternal. M ost of us would probably agree with that

statement. But have you ever seriously meditated on what it

means? Each of us had a beginning; everything in existence began

on a particular day, at a specific time.

Everything, that is, but God. He always has been, since before

there was an earth, a universe, or even angels. God exists outside of

time, and since we are within time, there is no way we will ever

totally grasp that concept.

Not being able to fully understand God is frustrating, but it is

ridiculous for us to think we have the right to limit God to

something we are capable of comprehending. What a stunted,

insignificant god that would be! If my mind is the size of a soda

can and God is the size of all the oceans, it would be stupid for me

to say He is only the small amount of water I can scoop into my

little can. God is so much bigger, so far beyond our time-encased,

air/food/sleep–dependent lives.

Please stop here, even if just for a moment, and glorify the

eternal God: “But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; your

renown endures through all generations.… But you remain the

same, and your years will never end” (Ps. 102:12, 27).

God is all-knowing. Isn’t this an intimidating thought?

Each of us, to some degree, fools our friends and family about

who we really are. But it’s impossible to do that with God. He

knows each of us, deeply and specifically. He knows our thoughts

before we think them, our actions before we commit them, whether

we are lying down or sitting or walking around. He knows who we

are and what we are about. We cannot escape Him, not even if we

want to. When I grow weary of trying to be faithful to Him and

want a break, it doesn’t come as a surprise to God.

For David, God’s knowledge led him to worship. He viewed it

as wonderful and meaningful. He wrote in Psalm 139 that even in

the darkness he couldn’t hide from God; that while he was in his

mother’s womb, God was there.

Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from

God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes

of him to whom we must give account.” It is sobering to realize

that this is the same God who is holy and eternal, the M aker of the

billions of galaxies and thousands of tree species in the rainforest.

This is the God who takes the time to know all the little details

about each of us. He does not have to know us so well, but He

chooses to.

God is all-powerful. Colossians 1:16 tells us that everything

was created for God: “For by him all things were created: things in

heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or

powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and

for him.”

Don’t we live instead as though God is created for us, to do our

bidding, to bless us, and to take care of our loved ones?

Psalm 115:3 reveals, “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever

pleases him.” Yet we keep on questioning Him: “Why did You

make me with this body, instead of that one?” “Why are so many

people dying of starvation?” “Why are there so many planets with

nothing living on them?” “Why is my family so messed up?”

“Why don’t You make Yourself more obvious to the people who

need You?”

The answer to each of these questions is simply this: because

He’s God. He has more of a right to ask us why so many people

are starving. As much as we want God to explain himself to us, His

creation, we are in no place to demand that He give an account to

us.

All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.

He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven

and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back

his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

—Daniel 4:35

Can you worship a God who isn’t obligated to explain His

actions to you? Could it be your arrogance that makes you think

God owes you an explanation?

Do you really believe that compared to God, “all the peoples

of the earth are regarded as nothing,” including you?

God is fair and just. One definition of justice is “reward

and/or penalty as deserved.” If what we truly deserved were up to

us, we would end up with as many different answers as people

who responded. But it isn’t up to us, mostly because none of us

are good.

God is the only Being who is good, and the standards are set

by Him. Because God hates sin, He has to punish those guilty of

sin. M aybe that’s not an appealing standard. But to put it bluntly,

when you get your own universe, you can make your own

standards. When we disagree, let’s not assume it’s His reasoning

that needs correction.

It takes a lot for us to comprehend God’s total hatred for sin.

We make excuses like, “Yes, I am prideful at times, but everyone

struggles with pride.” However, God says in Proverbs 8:13, “I hate

pride and arrogance.” You and I are not allowed to tell Him how

much He can hate it. He can hate and punish it as severely as His

justice demands.

God never excuses sin. And He is always consistent with that

ethic. Whenever we start to question whether God really hates sin,

we have only to think of the cross, where His Son was tortured,

mocked, and beaten because of sin. Our sin.

No question about it: God hates and must punish sin. And He

is totally just and fair in doing so.

Before the Throne

So far we have talked about things we can see with our own

eyes, things we know about creation, and some of the attributes of

God as revealed in the Bible. But many facets of God expand

beyond our comprehension. He cannot be contained in this world,

explained by our vocabulary, or grasped by our understanding.

Yet in Revelation 4 and Isaiah 6 we get two distinct glimpses of

the heavenly throne room. Let me paint a bit of a word picture for

you.

In Revelation, when John recounts his experience of seeing

God, it’s as though he’s scrambling for earthly words to describe

the vision he was privileged to see. He describes the One seated on

the throne with two gems, “jasper and carnelian,” and the area

around the throne as a rainbow that looked like an emerald. God,

the One on the throne, resembles radiant jewels more than flesh

and blood.

This sort of poetic, artistic imagery can be difficult for those of

us who don’t think that way. So imagine the most stunning sunset

you’ve ever seen. Remember the radiant colors splashed across the

sky? The way you stopped to gaze at it in awe? And how the

words wow and beautiful seemed so lacking? That’s a small bit of

what John is talking about in Revelation 4 as he attempts to

articulate his vision of heaven’s throne room.

John describes “flashes of lightning” and “rumblings and peals

of thunder” coming from God’s throne, a throne that must be

unlike any other. He writes that before the throne are seven blazing

torches and something like a sea of glass that looks like crystal.

Using ordinary words, he does his best to describe a heavenly

place and a holy God.

M ost intriguing to me is how John describes those who

surround the throne. First, there are the twenty-four elders dressed

in white and wearing golden crowns. Next, John describes four six-

winged beings with eyes all over their bodies and wings. One has

the face of a lion, one of an ox, one of a man, and one of an eagle.

I try to imagine what it would be like if I actually saw one of

these creatures out in the woods or down at the beach. I would

probably pass out! It would be terrifying to see a being with the

face of a lion and eyes “all around and within.”

As if John’s description isn’t wild and strange enough, he then

tells us what the beings are saying. The twenty-four elders cast

their gold crowns before the One on the throne, fall on their faces

before Him, and say, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to

receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and

by your will they were created and have their being.” At the same

time, the four creatures never stop (day or night) saying, “Holy,

holy, holy is the LORD God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to

come!” Just imagine being in that room, surrounded by the elders

chanting God’s worth, and the creatures declaring God’s holiness.

The prophet Isaiah also had a vision of God in His throne

room, but this time it is a more direct picture: “I saw the Lord

seated on a throne.”

Wow. Isaiah saw that and lived? The Israelites hid themselves

whenever God passed by their camp because they were too afraid

to look at Him, even the back of Him as He moved away. They

were scared they would die if they saw God.

But Isaiah looked and saw God. He writes that the bottom of

God’s robe filled the whole temple, and that the seraphim

appeared above Him. The seraphim each had six wings, similar to

the creatures John describes in Revelation. Isaiah says they called

out to one another, saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord

Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Then the

foundations shook and smoke filled the house, which is similar to

John’s description of flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.

Isaiah’s description is less detailed than John’s, but Isaiah

shares more of his response to being in the throne room of God.

His words reverberate in the wake of the smoky room and shaky

foundation: “Woe is me.… I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean

lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” And

then one of the seraphim brings Isaiah a piece of burning coal that

had been smoldering on the altar. The creature touches Isaiah’s

mouth with the hot coal and tells him that his guilt is taken away.

Both of these descriptions serve a purpose. John’s helps us

imagine what the throne room of God looks like, while Isaiah’s

reminds us what our only response to such a God should be.

M ay Isaiah’s cry become our own. Woe is me … we are a

people of unclean lips!

Perhaps you need to take a deep breath after thinking about the

God who made galaxies and caterpillars, the One who sits

enthroned and eternally praised by beings so fascinating that were

they photographed, it would make primetime news for weeks. If

you are not staggered, go to Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 and read the

accounts aloud and slowly, doing your best to imagine what the

authors describe.

The appropriate way to end this chapter is the same way we

began it—by standing in awed silence before a mighty, fearsome

God, whose tremendous worth becomes even more apparent as we

see our own puny selves in comparison.

Discover M ore Online:

www.ForgottenGod.com

DavidCCook.com

CrazyLoveBook.com

Document Outline

- Cover

- Endorsements

- Title Page

- Copyright Page

- Dedication

- Contents

- Acknowledgments

- Introduction

- About the Cover

- 1-I've Got Jesus Why Do I Need the Spirit

- 1-Joni Eareckson Tada

- 2-What Are You Afraid Of

- 2-Domingo and Irene Garcia

- 3-Theology of the Holy Spirit 101

- 3-Francis Schaeffer

- 4-Why Do You Want Him

- 4-Esther Ahn Kim

- 5-A Real Relationship

- 5-Thomas and Jen Yun

- 6-Forget About His Will for Your Life

- 6-Dave Phillips

- 7-Supernatural Church

- 7-The Final Biography

- Afterword

- Notes

- About the Coauthor

- Excerpt from Crazy Love

- Discover More Online

- Crazy Love ad

Table of Contents

Cover

Endorsements

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

About the Cover

1-I've Got Jesus Why Do I Need the Spirit

1-Joni Eareckson Tada

2-What Are You Afraid Of

2-Domingo and Irene Garcia

3-Theology of the Holy Spirit 101

3-Francis Schaeffer

4-Why Do You Want Him

4-Esther Ahn Kim

5-A Real Relationship

5-Thomas and Jen Yun

6-Forget About His Will for Your Life

6-Dave Phillips

7-Supernatural Church

7-The Final Biography

Afterword

Notes

About the Coauthor

Excerpt from Crazy Love

Discover More Online

Crazy Love ad