THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR LIVES TODAY

This I believe. The Holy Spirit is indeed in our lives today. The Bible tells us in plain language that we as Christians are in the Spirit and that the Spirit is in us. Praise the Lord! In words it is this way: “You are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God really dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Rom. 8:9). In personal experience it is of course much more than any words can describe.

Walking by the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, being helped in our weakness by the Spirit are far more than ideas upon a printed page, however precious those ideas may be. Think on what Paul is saying in Gal. 4:6: “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” The apostle is saying that the Holy Spirit is in our hearts, and that from within us He cries to God on our behalf. Religion becomes an exciting venture to one who experiences such things. It isn’t that he has certain passages about the Spirit memorized by heart, but that he has a Person in his heart.

The Holy Spirit in Our Lives Today is not only a great idea that must become a precious reality to us if the body of Christ is to be renewed in our time, but it is the title of a new book just off the press, published by Mission Messenger and edited by W. Carl Ketcherside. It is a record of what was said at the Hartford (Illinois) Forum last Christmas on the Holy Spirit.

The book may imply more than it says, for “the unity of the Spirit” is wonderfully demonstrated in those who participated, coming as they do from such diverse backgrounds within discipledom. One is from the premill wing of Churches of Christ; another from the Independent Christian Church; another from the Disciples of Christ; another from the mainline Churches of Christ. At least one has had the experience of tongues, while others are certain there is no such thing. Some are ministers of churches, others editors or teachers. So the forum itself, including the audience, was unity in diversity—the only kind of unity there is, of course.

The volume has those fine features we all like: concise (115 pages) , highly readable, a vital subject, and inexpensive (only 1.50).

I have an essay in the volume on “The Finger of God,” which is an account of the Holy Spirit in history, a unique subject to say the least. Carl Ketcherside’s “Revelation and Illumination” is enlightening and inspiring (as a lesson on illumination ought to be!), while Roy Key’s “The Spirit and the Prayer Life” is deeply moving. Paul Eckstein’s piece on “The Fruit of the Spirit” shows how the Spirit Himself is the cause of Christian virtues.

It is a handsome little volume, in joyful orange, black and white, and one that you could happily pass along to friends. Already I have distributed copies to professors and deans at the university where I work. It opens doors for conversation. The Holy Spirit in Our Lives Today. What a glorious subject! Send a check for as many as you want at 1.50 each, and we’ll put them in the mail to you on the same day.