The approach to Pentecost is a great time to reflect more on the gift of the Holy Spirit and the role it plays in our individual lives.
The amazing blessing available for every Christian is the gift of the Holy Spirit, but we can sometimes forget He's there, feel confused about His purpose, or limit His power.
It's helpful to look to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, who on the night He was to be executed explained to His disciples that He would send the Advocate to be with them. He also explained exactly what this Advocate would do to help them.
In John 14:16-17 it says, "And I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (NIV)
Then in John 14:26, we read: "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (NIV).
Acts 2 describes the Holy Spirit coming down upon the believers in a powerful way on the day of Pentecost. Here it is described as "tongues of fire" coming down to rest on each person. The result is that each of them was filled with the Holy Spirit and "began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them".
Further down the chapter, Peter explains that the prophesy in Joel of God's Spirit enabling people to prophesy and see visions has now been fulfilled with the coming of Christ.
These few passages paint an amazing picture of the power of God's Holy Spirit and its empowering of His people. And yet, the truth is, for many of us, the Holy Spirit can still feel like something of a mystery. And for some believers, He can even arouse suspicion.
Yet the Holy Spirit is an essential part of the Trinity and so it's essential we get to know Him personally in our own walk of faith and experience Him for ourselves - and that means in our hearts, not just our heads.
If you don't know where to start, then here are some great books that will explain more about the nature of the Holy Spirit and the radical way in which He can transform your personal relationship with God.
'How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit' by A.W.Tozer
This book draws on sermons preached by Tozer at his church in Chicago and seeks to explain who the Holy Spirit is and how to be filled with Him. But it's much more than an explainer. This book will challenge readers to reflect on how much they really desire to be filled by God's Holy Spirit.
Here's a taster: "He is indivisible from the Father and the Son, so that if you were to be suddenly transferred to heaven itself you wouldn't be any closer to God than you are now, for God is already here."
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'The Mystery Of The Holy Spirit' by R.C.Sproul
This is another popular title and well respected in evangelical circles. It's not only theologically sound, but Sproul manages to communicate the Person of the Holy Spirit in ways that can be easily grasped and applied by believers in their personal walk of faith. His writing is also beautifully descriptive at points: "The Holy Spirit fills what is empty. He conquers the void. When His work is finished, the once lonely universe is teeming with a plethora of flora and fauna. The barren wasteland becomes a pulsating arena of life."
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'40 Days with the Holy Spirit' by R.T. Kendall
If you are looking for something that is very applicable to your Christian walk, give this book a try. Similar to daily devotionals that you might use in your quiet times, this is divided into daily readings with space for journalling so that readers can take down their experiences of the Holy Spirit during their prayer times. The emphasis of this book is a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit and it would suit anyone looking for a resource to enhance their prayer time.
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'The God I Never Knew' By Robert Morris
In this book, Morris, the founder of Gateway Church in Texas - the home of worship artist Kari Jobe - seeks to remove the mystery of the Holy Spirit and clarify what He promises to do in the believer's life:
· Dwell within you
· Be your helper
· Guide you into all truth
· Comfort you
· Pray for you
· Show you things to come
· Never leave you
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'Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit' by Francis Chan
Another popular title and an Amazon #1 Best Seller with a 5 star rating, the 'Crazy Love' author pours his heart and soul into painting a picture of the Holy Spirit that is deeply personal - a Helper who intimately knows us and wants to help form us into witnesses for Christ. As the title of the book suggests, Chan is writing from the perspective that the Holy Spirit has been neglected in the Church for far too long, with disastrous results, and the same may be said of our own personal faith lives.
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