Experiencing the Spirit

by    11th April 2010    0 responses

experiencingthespirit

Christians hear a lot about the Holy Spirit, but often we do not know what he does or what purpose he has for our lives.  Graham Benyon writes for people looking into the work of the Holy Spirit for perhaps the first time, trying to answer the question of what it looks like to see the Spirit work in our lives.  By no means comprehensive, Experiencing the Spirit is a very good introduction to the work of the Spirit and serves as a fantastic reminder for those more familiar with the doctrine of the Spirit.

Benyon begins by explaining how this book began life as a series of sermons, and it is easy to see how that style has informed the structure.  Each chapter follows a Bible passage or two, picking up a major theme of the Spirit’s work in the life of the Christian.  Benyon uses 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 as the basis of Chapter 8, which is on the gifts of the Spirit.  The chapter draws heavily on this passage, but also takes a systematic look at other places gifts are discussed in the New Testament.  Benyon uses several sections and sub-sections to neatly divide each chapter; on the gifts of the Spirit he discusses everything from the variety of gifts given, to the command to exercise those gifts in love.

Each chapter has a key Bible reference under the title, which forms the basis of the content.  That passage is then used as the basis of a study section at the end of the chapter.  The studies are mostly very helpful, largely avoiding simple comprehension questions.  Although the chapters contain many application points, the studies help readers to think through the issues from the Bible for themselves.  They are useful for personal reflection, but could also form the basis of a group discussion.

Because the aim of this book is to cover the work of the Spirit, this is not the place to go to find out everything the Bible says about the Spirit.  What it does hope to achieve, though, it does so very successfully.  Covering the Spirit’s work in doctrines like adoption and knowing Jesus, this is a fantastic book to turn to for an explanation of the role of the Holy Spirit.  Each chapter is heavy in application, and cannot fail to stir the heart.  I thoroughly recommend this book.

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Ali grew up in London, but is currently at university in the North East of England. He helped to re-launch Crossring in 2009, and has acted as Managing Editor of the website since then. He occasionally dabbles in photography and web development - he also designed and maintains the Crossring website.

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