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The Beginner's Guide to Receiving the Holy Spirit
Are you filled with the Spirit? Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot live the abundant life that Jesus promised us. "The Beginner's Guide to Receiving the Holy Spirit" will help you take the first step into a fuller Christian life. How can you personally experience God's Spirit? Must you speak in tongues? Who is the Holy Spirit anyway? Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock provide scriptural, anecdotal and historical evidence of God's desire for us to receive His Spirit - and practical advice on how to maintain lifelong spiritual vigor.
158 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 20, 2019
"We know that He is the third Person of the Trinity. He is the Comforter and our Advocate. He convicts us of sin; gives hope, joy and freedom; and He seals our inheritance in Christ. He strengthens and encourages, speaks and guides and He empowers us to witness of Jesus' redeeming grace. He brings revelation, gives spiritual gifts and loves through us with God's love when our human love falls short. He helps us worship, shows us how to pray, prays through us and enables us to speak in tongues we have not learned." (Quin Sherrer & Ruthanne Garlock, The Beginner's Guide to Receiving The Holy Spirit)
I believe that this book fell way short of what the title and sub-titles of this book indicate. The title of this book is The Beginner's Guide to Receiving the Holy Spirit and the subtitles are: Discover the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Personally Encounter God's Spirit Daily, and Live the Abundant Life Jesus Promises. I do not recall instructions in this book of how to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter said, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (See Acts 2:38); Jesus said all we need to do to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit is to ask our Heavenly Father for Him (See Luke 11:13). In respect to the subtitles, not much is expounded upon for discovering your spiritual gifts, only that the Holy Spirit gives these gifts, which I agree with, but little is mentioned in how the gifts of the Spirit are distributed by the Holy Spirit, as He wills, through the laying on of hands, or by us praying for them. Finally, the final two subtitles, I think they did a fair job and included testimonies of those who prayed in tongues and God led them to do certain acts that were life changing.
That is where this book falls apart. If I were to label this book, I would have labelled it, "Tongues - The Initial Evidence of Being Baptized in the Spirit." The authors state, "The major distinction between Pentecostal and charismatic doctrine is this: The former holds that speaking in tongues is the essential proof (or "initial evidence") that one has been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Charismatic groups, on the other hand, believe that speaking in tongues is an evidence that may or may not immediately follow one's being baptized in the Holy Spirit." I believe the authors hold to the Pentecostal view. I personally, do not agree with any of these views. I believe the fruit of the Holy Spirit is the evidence of being filled with the Spirit. As Jesus said, "you will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16) and we know what those fruits are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (See Galatians 5:22).
I felt the authors were a bit dogmatic in their views and over and over to the point of grieving my spirit, they were making an effort to prove their point that tongues was the initial evidence of being filled with the Spirit. I have the gift of speaking and tongues, so I am not against tongues, and I have even prayed and interpreted tongues, so I am not against tongues, but I have come to the conclusion that the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of being filled with the Spirit. Also, if you hold to the view that tongues is the evidence of being filled with the Spirit, then you must hold to the view that prophesying is also evidence of being filled with the Spirit, as the book of Acts says, "the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in other tongues, and prophesied." Can a person filled with the Spirit speak in tongues? Yes. But sorry, I do not hold to the view that it is an initial evidence. My view is the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence. Paul said, "Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?" (See 1 Corinthians 12:30). The answer is an unequivocal "NO". Therefore, all believers do not have this gift, and therefore, some believers can be filled with the Holy Spirit without having this gift. That's my view after having read through the Bible from front to back many times and having read many books from different viewpoints on the Person and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
I believe that this book fell way short of what the title and sub-titles of this book indicate. The title of this book is The Beginner's Guide to Receiving the Holy Spirit and the subtitles are: Discover the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Personally Encounter God's Spirit Daily, and Live the Abundant Life Jesus Promises. I do not recall instructions in this book of how to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter said, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (See Acts 2:38); Jesus said all we need to do to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit is to ask our Heavenly Father for Him (See Luke 11:13). In respect to the subtitles, not much is expounded upon for discovering your spiritual gifts, only that the Holy Spirit gives these gifts, which I agree with, but little is mentioned in how the gifts of the Spirit are distributed by the Holy Spirit, as He wills, through the laying on of hands, or by us praying for them. Finally, the final two subtitles, I think they did a fair job and included testimonies of those who prayed in tongues and God led them to do certain acts that were life changing.
That is where this book falls apart. If I were to label this book, I would have labelled it, "Tongues - The Initial Evidence of Being Baptized in the Spirit." The authors state, "The major distinction between Pentecostal and charismatic doctrine is this: The former holds that speaking in tongues is the essential proof (or "initial evidence") that one has been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Charismatic groups, on the other hand, believe that speaking in tongues is an evidence that may or may not immediately follow one's being baptized in the Holy Spirit." I believe the authors hold to the Pentecostal view. I personally, do not agree with any of these views. I believe the fruit of the Holy Spirit is the evidence of being filled with the Spirit. As Jesus said, "you will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16) and we know what those fruits are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (See Galatians 5:22).
I felt the authors were a bit dogmatic in their views and over and over to the point of grieving my spirit, they were making an effort to prove their point that tongues was the initial evidence of being filled with the Spirit. I have the gift of speaking and tongues, so I am not against tongues, and I have even prayed and interpreted tongues, so I am not against tongues, but I have come to the conclusion that the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of being filled with the Spirit. Also, if you hold to the view that tongues is the evidence of being filled with the Spirit, then you must hold to the view that prophesying is also evidence of being filled with the Spirit, as the book of Acts says, "the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in other tongues, and prophesied." Can a person filled with the Spirit speak in tongues? Yes. But sorry, I do not hold to the view that it is an initial evidence. My view is the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence. Paul said, "Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?" (See 1 Corinthians 12:30). The answer is an unequivocal "NO". Therefore, all believers do not have this gift, and therefore, some believers can be filled with the Holy Spirit without having this gift. That's my view after having read through the Bible from front to back many times and having read many books from different viewpoints on the Person and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
October 30, 2019
Prayers Answered
Excellent book leading seekers to a deeper understanding and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Highly recommend this book to all who seek the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Excellent book leading seekers to a deeper understanding and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Highly recommend this book to all who seek the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews