Experiencing the Spirit
Henry and Melvin Blackaby
Reviewed by Teresa Konopka
“Experiencing the Spirit: The Power
of Pentecost Every Day” by Henry and Melvin Blackaby is a soothing
book. It deals with the third part of the Christian Trinity--the
Holy
Ghost. Informative and insightful, this book delves into the most
neglected and uncertain part of the Trinity.
The book has three
parts that consist of chapters and sub-points. This organization
gives
a clear direction for readers and makes the notion of reading a wholly
theological book not so daunting. Additionally, both authors
intermittently insert personal anecdotes to give some informality
around all of the formal doctrine. Biblical quotations provide
the
information and explanations for what the Holy Spirit is and what His
role is. Other parts deal specifically with the reader.
The
main point throughout the entire book is outlined quite clearly.
God
gave his only Son to be crucified for sins. When on earth, Jesus
was
only able to be at one place at a time. After the Holy Spirit
came
upon Him at his baptism, He was able to be at all places at all
times.
On the Day of the Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the
disciples.
For modern-day believers, the Holy Spirit comes at baptism. The
Holy
Spirit allows people to come to and know Christ, and it wasn’t
accessible to all before the Calvary. In essence, the Holy Spirit
is
available to all and is necessary for readers to have a relationship
with Christ.
As the book develops, readers get a better sense of
what the Holy Spirit is and what they should do. The Blackaby
brothers
shed light on the true nature of the Spirit. He is not just some
ghostly aura that evangelists have access to in order to “heal”
others. Rather, He is God of the Trinity that is as relevant as
the
Lord and Jesus. It is also cleared up that all parts of the
Trinity
are equal--there is no hierarchy.
Furthermore, the Blackaby
brothers provide the necessary steps for readers to experience the
Spirit, as the title implies. They instruct readers to read the
Bible,
learn to forgive others, replace pride with humility, ask for the
Spirit to enter their lives, repent of sins, and be ready to obey
God.
As pointed out, simply going to Church and acting nice to others do not
qualify one as Christ-like. To be truly like Christ, readers need
to
employ the Spirit within them in order to deepen--or in some cases,
start--their walk with God towards a more fulfilling life. At the
end
of the book, there is even a helpful study guide with open-ended
questions and specific Bible verses to study.