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Experiencing the Spirit: The Power of Pentecost Every Day

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Experiencing the Spirit

The Power Of Pentecost Every Day

Henry & Melvin Blackaby

Multnomah, 2009

ISBN: 9781590529119

Reviewed by [...], 0.3/09

5 stars

Inspiring...

We rarely allow the Holy Spirit to unleash His power in our lives. The Lord has work for us. Too often, we attempt to serve on our own terms, using our talents. The Lord wants to work through us supernaturally. When we serve only with our talents, we tend to think we accomplished something on our own. We forget to give the glory to God. When we allow Him to work supernaturally through us, we know it was not by our efforts but by the Lord's. Our natural talents are important and should not be ignored. We should develop them and use them for God's glory; however, some of the best speakers are those without that natural-born talent. For God uses the most unlikely people.

Henry and Melvin Blackaby back up their statements with scripture and logic. Experiencing the Spirit is well written and easy to understand and read. Readers will recognize the name Henry Blackaby from his previous book Experiencing God. When I see a book with the name Blackaby on it, I know it is filled with God's blessings.

What role does the Holy Spirit play in your life? How can you be more sensitive to the Spirit's leading? What does the scripture reveal about the Spirit of God? These are all great questions, and ones that believers naturally grapple with as they grow in their relationship with God.

Henry Blackaby, author of the bestselling EXPERIENCING GOD, answers these and other great spiritual questions in his latest book. Written with his son, Melvin, EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT invites readers on a journey to understand the Holy Spirit's work in our lives in a profound and moving way.

The Blackabys begin by offering an accessible but solidly scriptural look at the Bible's mentions and descriptions of the Holy Spirit --- explaining both who the Holy Spirit is and the misconceptions that people sometimes have of Him. In the process, the authors reveal how the Spirit's presence in our lives is indispensable. We need the Spirit working in our lives if we are going to walk into all that God has called us to do and be.

Drawing from the rich theological background he established in EXPERIENCING GOD, Henry Blackaby explains how the Spirit helps raise our awareness of the personal assignments that God has for us. He shows how the Spirit illuminates those areas where God is already moving and we can come alongside His work.

One of the most interesting arguments that the Blackabys make is that while it's important to pay attention to the natural gifts that you've been given, it's essential not to depend wholly on them. At a time when everyone seems to be emphasizing discovering their strengths and gifts, the authors argue that trusting on your own gifts can be detrimental and short-circuit the work God wants to do in and through you. They believe that the Holy Spirit will often call people to things that they're naturally not good at and place them in a position where they're even more dependent on God to come through. The argument is presented in a scripturally-based, logical way that is worth considering and offers a healthy, balanced perspective to the issue.

The Blackabys write with steady hands both in their theological framework and their ability to communicate in an easy-to-read fashion. Readers who have been put off by overly-sensational writings about the Holy Spirit will be encouraged by the authors' down-to-earth tone and approach. EXPERIENCING THE SPIRIT doesn't include any fluff or emotionally driven stories. Rather, the Blackabys are clear that the Holy Spirit's role is a powerful one --- empowering us to fulfill our purposes of glorifying God.

This book is highly recommended to anyone who has been through the classic EXPERIENCING GOD study or those who want a deeper understanding of the Spirit's role in their life. It is great for personal reading, a morning devotional, a book club or a study group.

--- Reviewed by Margaret Oines

I was prepared to recommend the latest effort by Henry and Melvin Blackaby sight unseen! I trust their ministries so much that I felt confident in endorsing "Experiencing the Spirit" without receiving a reviewer copy in time to read it. But I am thrilled that I do not have to do that! The book arrived in barely enough time to read before reviewing today, but I felt it wouldn't be good stewardship to recommend the title to you without having read it. And the book is such an engaging read that completing the task was not in the least bit difficult.

But don't let the size of this book fool you. It is packed with Biblical insight and wisdom that challenges the reader to think and act outside of the finite mental boxes in which we've placed the power of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work in and through us in the same manner (and with the same power) that turned the world upside down when He first inhabited all believers at Pentecost! What a terrific book to read just in time for the Easter season. Every Christian library should have a copy of this wonderfully inspiring non-fiction title!

Experiencing the Spirit by Henry & Mel Blackaby is a short but powerful primer on how to recognize the power of the Holy Spirit and allow it to work through you. The authors give a terrific explanation about what the Spirit does and does not do. I've done other Bible studies about the Holy Spirit, but never have I learned as much as I did in this slender volume. The authors want to encourage believers to stretch outside of their comfort zone. When we work within our own talents and capabilities, we are comfortable and tend to rely on our own strength. The Spirit often pushes outside of those realms so that we are forced to rely on it. This very thoughtful book is one that will stick with me for a long time to come.

The Blackaby father/son team describe the wonderful way we as Christians can live in the power of Pentecost every day. Our lives can be lived with the amazing presence of the Holy Spirit with us, guiding our every step. A quote I really enjoyed was, "Many want the Spirit's power but not the Spirit's purity. The Holy Spirit does not rent out His attributes. His power is never separated from His glorious Self." Our goal should be to see the Holy Spirit and not just his giftings. What a great challenge to all who follow Christ. (Review by Shari Dolleman)

We are studying this book in our church's small group.

I feel it really highlights the Holy Spirit and His role in the life of the believer. Everyone will find something useful from this study.

very insightful. The Blackabys are gifted in the ablility to explain the bible and how we should apply it to our lives

I love reading Henry Blackaby's books. There is so much practical wisdom contained in his books and they all point us back to the importance of living intimately with Christ,

This one is no exception and is full of inspiration for living a Spirit-filled life. When I write this, I don't mean the physical acts that are so often associated with the phrase Spirit-filled, ie, speaking in tongues, etc, but living a life where we allow the Spirit to rule our life rather than our own skills and abilities. I thought I'd share the following paragraph from the book as it is a good pointer to the core of the book:

"Think again of those early disciples (of Jesus), a group made up of ordinary people. After they had witnessed the Cross and the Resurrection, Jesus clearly told them to wait for the anointing from heaven. They hadn't yet received Pentecost, but they soon would. Receiving the Holy Spirit would be a necessity in their lives - just as it had been for Jesus. Before Jesus could fulfill the assignment given to Him, the Spirit came upon Him at his baptism. Likewise, the disciples had to have the Spirit come upon them before they could take on their assignment of sharing the gospel to a lost world.

What was true of Jesus and what was true of the disciples is also true to us. We need the Holy Spirit." (p124)

The book provides good clarity regarding natural gifts and spiritual gifts, providing tremendous Biblical references to support. Whilst reading the book, I read Gideon's story (Judges 6-8), one of the many Biblical examples cited by the Blackaby's of one who didn't rely on his own attributes but the Spirit to impact heaven in a significant way. If you're not familiar with Gideon's story, you'll be greatly encouraged by reading it.

Getting to an understanding of what it means to be completely dependent on the Spirit is hard, we are so drawn each day by our own humanistic ways. But the Blackabys do a great job outlining how we can achieve it - obedience and sensitivity to the Spirit.

This is a super book - use it for devotional time or with your friends and groups (comes with inbuilt Study Guide).

It could change your life, just like the Spirit.

This may very well be the best book I have ever read ... and I guarantee I will read it again. I have already recommended it to friends. I'm not the type that likes to read, I just can't sit still long enough. But I literally could not put this book down!

It is very easy to read and very informative. I would find it highly unlikely that anybody could read this book and still not know what the Holy Spirit will do in your life, or how to live for and by the Spirit.

Many people, when thinking or the Holy Spirit, think of raising of the hands, speaking in tongue, running and dancing in the church isles. But that not what this book is about. This book is for any christian (or non christian) of any denomination. It 'simply' talks about what God expects in return for the gift of His Holy Spirit and how the Spirit will work in your life.

Thank you Henry and Melvin!

I would recommend a book by Henry and Melvin Blackaby titled, Experiencing the Spirit: The Power of Pentecost Every Day. [...] For further study (specifically for more theological depth) on this important topic, I would recommend one check out Frank D. Macchia's Baptized in the Spirit and Robert and William Menzies' Spirit and Power.

God continues to appoint, assign, and assure his followers to be about the mission of bringing about reconciliation and restoration (blessed to be a blessing). One biblical example of this reads, "So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah" (1 Samuel 16:13). In the First Covenant, the Spirit was given to specific individuals for specific tasks for specific periods of time. However, after Pentecost, God's Spirit can now be poured out upon all believers (regardless of status, gender, race, or age) at all times. Let us enjoy and experience the blessings of Christ's life, death, resurrection, ascension, and outpouring together (for his plans and purposes)!

Official Description: 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 Biography: 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 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.