Experiencing the Spirit

Serve God as never before.

The first Christians “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) shaking the gates of hell even in the face of severe persecution. The result: People all around “were filled with wonder and amazement” (Acts 3:10).What can give Christians today the same impact?

God’s Holy Spirit is ready to answer that for us in an awesome way, as Henry Blackaby and his son Mel Blackaby make clear in Experiencing the Spirit. You’ll see how the proof of the Spirit’s presence is our awareness of God’s personal assignments for us, plus our supernatural enablement to carry out those assignments. You’ll find essential clarification on the difference between natural talents and spiritual gifts. You’ll explore the dynamics of being filled with the Spirit through intimate relationship with Him, committed obedience, and radical departure from sin.

Instead of considering what you can do for God with your abilities and talents, you’ll be encouraged here to seek what God wants to do through you supernaturally by His Spirit, empowering you beyond your personal competence and capacities. Release the Holy Spirit’s work at the very core of your experience of the Christian life.

AUTHOR BIOS:
Dr. Henry Blackaby has devoted his life to the ministry. A multi-faceted talent, he has served as a music director, senior pastor, college president, missionary, and later as an executive in the Southern Baptist Convention. Blackaby is the author of more than a dozen books with more than one million copies sold, including the best-selling Experiencing God. As the President of Blackaby Ministries, he is a vibrant speaker and the father of Dr. Melvin Blackaby. Melvin serves as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Jonesboro in Georgia, where he lives with his wife, Gina, and their three children.

MY THOUGHTS:
This is the first book by Henry Blackaby I have read. It has some excellent stuff in it, but I did struggle a bit in the reading of it. It may be that my brain is just a bit overloaded from the excess of non-fiction books I've been reading lately, but parts of it were just a bit weighty and dry. But that doesn't mean it isn't worth digging into. His son Mel co-authored the book with him and the parts where it is obvious that he contributed do seem to flow a little bit easier for my personal reading comfort.

Although I didn't meet him personally, Henry Blackaby did speak briefly at the Friday evening worship session of the Expo. He endeared himself to all of us when he spoke lovingly of his family and the joy it brings him as he has seen all 5 of his children and each of his grandchildren (so far - those who have reached college-age or higher) enter the ministry. (He also led a panel discussion with another son, Norman, and his grandson Tom.) And we all laughed as he quipped that he and his wife "had four boys, and then our daughter came along and balanced the whole family!"

A great quote from the book:

The foundation of our faith is not doctrine, but an encounter with God. Doctrines are simply the attempt to help us understand the God we've already encountered.

Experiencing the Spirit may be purchased directly from Random House or here.

Experience the Spirit as you read!