The God I Never Knew: How Real Friendship with the Holy Spirit Can Change Your Life

by Robert Morris

“ The God I Never Knew  gives life-changing insight into the mystery of the Holy Spirit.”—Craig Groeschel, senior pastor of Life.Church and author of  Dangerous Prayers
 
Many people find the Holy Spirit mysterious and confounding. Why is the third person in the Godhead—the one Jesus said would be the believer’s ultimate source of truth and comfort—the source of such confusion?
 
In  The God I Never Knew , Robert Morris clearly explains that the Holy Spirit’s chief desire is for relationship—to offer us the encouragement and guidance of a trusted friend. This insightful and biblically-based book—including a small group study guide—moves beyond theological jargon, religious tradition, and cultural misconceptions to clarify what the Holy Spirit promises to do in your  
 
· Dwell within you
· Be your helper
· Guide you into all truth
· Comfort you
· Pray for you
· Show you things to come
· Never leave you
 
It’s time to experience the Holy Spirit in a fresh, new way to meet the God you may have never known.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Theology, Christian Living, Christianity, Spirituality

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2011

About the author

Robert Morris is the founding senior pastor of Gateway Church, a multi-campus church in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Since it began in 2000, the church has grown to more than 39,000 active members. He is featured on the daily television program The Blessed Life and hosts Worship & the Word on radio stations across America. He serves as chairman of the board of The King’s University and is the bestselling author of 14 books, including The Blessed Life, The God I Never Knew, Truly Free, and Frequency.

Reviews

[christianchicklit · Rating 5 out of 5]

FABULOUS BOOK -- ONE OF THE BEST EVER WRITTEN ON THE HOLY SPIRIT!!

Thank you Robert Morris for writing this book and clearing up a lot of common misconceptions about the Holy Spirit. Robert addresses the topic head on that so many pastors are reluctant to talk about. I've spent my whole life in church but don't recall a pastor ever going into depth about the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit's reason for being, the Holy Spirit's role in the trinity and all the promises and benefits that are available to Christians who want to grow in their relationship with Him. Robert builds each chapter on a solid foundation of scripture and teaches so many things that I never heard or saw before in the scriptures. Robert's style is funny, engaging and informative. I have a new favorite teacher! Can't wait to read more books written by Robert Morris. I led a woman's Bible Study using this book and the DVD and I can honestly say it was life changing for so many of us. Thank you Robert for sharing the truth about the Holy Spirit.
This book was apparently written from an excellent series of sermons that Robert did called My Best Friend -- The Holy Spirit. You can find them on the Gateway church website. Each of these sermons corresponds to particular chapters in the book:
Sermon #1: "Who Is He?" corresponds to Chapters 1-4
Sermon #2: "Is He A Person?" corresponds to Chapters 5 - 7
Sermon #3: "Is He Penecostal?" corresponds to Chapters 8 - 9
Sermon #4: "Does He Baptize?" corresponds to Chapters 10 - 12
Sermon #5: "Is He Charismatic?" corresponds to Chapters 13 - 16
Sermon #6: "Does He Speak In Tongues?" corresponds to Chapters 17 - 20
Along with the sermons online, there are discussion note outlines and discussion questions that you can print out to correspond with each sermon. This makes for a great Bible Study to just review the online videos and use the discussion questions, but the book is SOOO good that people will want their own copy of it. There is complete overlap between the book and the online video sermons. I had also purchased the DVDs for this book. They are very similar to the online sermons but are a little shorter and Robert is a bit more reserved. The DVDs are each about 20 minutes and very similar to the online videos. I actually prefer the online videos which were about 30 - 35 minutes each. Robert is a little more passionate in the online videos of his sermons vs. the DVDs.
There are so many options for how you might want to experience this material but you will not be disappointed with any of it!! Just watch the first online video for free and you will be hooked! Apparently they will be developing a study guide to go along with the book but I haven't seen this yet.

[John Gardner · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a review I've put off writing for a long time, but since I received the book as part of the Waterbrook  Multnomah  Blogging for Books program and obligated myself to provide a review, I'd better go ahead. The main reason I didn't want to review it is that I haven't finished the book. I couldn't. There are simply too many good books to waste time with bad ones. However, I did give it a real effort, and would like to share the reasons why I didn't find the book worthy of continuing.

First, though, I should tell you the reasons I requested this book in the first place. I have always been skeptical of Pentecostal teachings about charismatic gifts and the "baptism of the Holy Spirit", but hoped that this book might at least help me understand why they believe what they do about those things. I've also been curious to learn more about the senior pastor of Gateway Church , which is a very large and influential church. Our church sings a lot of music written and produced by the folks at Gateway Worship , but I knew next to nothing about what those folks believed.

My first reason for disliking this book is purely subjective: I just don't like his writing style. Every chapter begins with an anecdote, usually a story from Morris' own life. While I have no problem with an author writing from his own experience, I often failed to see the connection between the anecdote and the point he was trying to make in the chapter. Still, I understand that a lot of people do like personal stories in books, so I was willing to let this go as a simple matter of preference.

The bigger problem with the book is doctrinal. I knew I was in trouble when early in the book (p. 21) Morris makes reference to "the great nineteenth-century evangelist Charles Finney". While Finney's influence was indeed "great", there is nothing else great about him. While many consider him to be a hero, he is largely responsible for the pervasiveness of Pelagianism in the American church (see here , here , and here ). A man who denied the Fall, the substitutionary atonement of Christ, and justification by faith alone is not someone I'd turn to as an example of someone empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Morris also frequently leaves out essential qualifications to statements he makes. For instance, on p. 28-29, Morris teaches that every Christian has the ability to "know God's voice and hear Him just as clearly as the most famous evangelist." This voice, he says, is not audible; "It comes as a thought" (italics his). He continues: "With time and familiarity, you can learn to clearly distinguish between thoughts that are your own and those that come from the Spirit."

To an extent, this is all correct. However, Morris references zero Scripture to support his assertions, nor does he offer any help in teaching readers how to distinguish between thoughts that are their own and those that come from the Spirit. Without biblical exhortations (such as  1 John 4:1  and Acts 17:11 ) to "test" teachings and our own thoughts by "examining the Scriptures daily", the idea that the Holy Spirit primarily speaks to us is through our thoughts is dangerous!

The last straw for me, and the point at which I gave up, came in Morris' chapter called "Three Baptisms, Three Witnesses". Besides being an utterly uncompelling argument for a Pentecostal understanding of a "third" baptism into the power of the Holy Spirit, this chapter closes with this disturbing statement:

Some biographers say the Holy Spirit empowered [D.L.] Moody so greatly that he would just walk through factories and workers would fall on their faces and be saved.

While he never acknowledges who those biographers are (part of a disappointing lack of citation throughout the book), it really doesn't matter. Teaching that people can be saved simply by being in close proximity to someone "empowered" by the Holy Spirit is outright blasphemy! The Bible is crystal clear that salvation cannot come apart from hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Claiming that sinners can be saved in any other way is inexcusable, and was the final straw that broke my determination to make it through to the end of the book.

I do find it ironic, though, that someone enamored with the likes of Charles Finney — whose greatest "contribution" to evangelicalism was his attack upon the heresy of  Hyper-Calvinism  — would relate a story such as that. The error of Hyper-Calvinism is that it teaches that God saves the elect apart from the preaching of the Word. How is what Morris describes — the Holy Spirit bringing about salvation while circumventing both evangelism and human will — any different?

I can't find a single reason to recommend that anyone read this book. Even if you are a Pentecostal/Charismatic believer, surely you can find a better representation of your views.

[Julianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a very disappointing read for me, and I would not recommend it to others. I struggled to make it to the end.

Overall, it’s disconcerting to me how many Christian books completely disregard laying strong, logical foundations for their argumentation. I think I appreciate Morris’ heart and think he means well, but this book was terrible. It was logical fallacy after logical fallacy. It was emphasis on making big points about the English translation of the Bible when we *know* the Bible wasn’t written in English. We can know someone is a person because they have a personality??? That was shocking because I’m sure he doesn’t even believe that himself if he followed the road of thinking it brings a person to. This book was hastily, dangerously strewn together arguments that basically said “just believe me,” and I couldn’t because I have a brain: Because the foundations for his book were so shaky, I didn’t enjoy reading any of it.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a Christmas gift, and wasn't sure what to expect. I would agree with probably 75% of the author's conclusions at a big picture level: there is an ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit available to all believers today. We should seek, and expect, the work of the Holy Spirit in all the dimensions described in Scripture.

Unfortunately, the 25% I disagree with is precisely how that theology is applied to daily Christian experience. When this book moves to specifics, it either goes several steps beyond what Scripture says, or exalts one truth at the expense of another truth. I find this particularly to be the case regarding what normal Christian experience this side of Christ's second coming should look like — in other words "victorious" Christian living, versus waiting and groaning in hope for the redemption of all things.

I'm grateful for the pastoral heart and love for the Lord clearly evident through this author's ministry. Just can't agree on how he applies much of his teaching to our lives.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book. I went in with an open mind because I knew there would be new/different ideas from what I learned in the SDA church. I also referenced every bible verse he used to back his claims so I could see for myself whether they were taken in context. I realized there is a LOT I never learned about the Holy Spirit, the third baptism, my relationship with Him, and His role in my life. Wow. I’ve been missing out!

That being said, the last 1/4 of the book did not hit home with me. It was focused on speaking in tongues. While I do believe in speaking in tongues, the way I interpret the Bible versus he used to back his claims is very different from the way he interprets those versus. I spent a lot of time praying over these chapters, researching online, reading the Bible, and after all that, I still don’t agree with what he is saying about speaking in tongues and the prayer language. But I will continue to keep an open mind so I can learn more about this.

Overall I’m really happy I read this book. My relationship with God over the past few weeks has grown tremendously and I’ve started praying and talking to Him daily. It feels amazing and I don’t think I would have started as fervently and excited if I hadn’t read this book. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to grow their personal friendship with God or just learn more about the Holy Spirit’s role in their life.

[Lolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal study on the Holy Spirit and everything that pertains to living a more fulfilling Christian life.

Only reason it didn’t get 5 stars is due to the formatting. Really wished the chapter questions came at the end of each chapter instead of at the end of the book. Makes for a tedious study for Kindle readers especially.

[Madison Krieg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such an honoring explanation of the person of the Holy Spirit. The author tackles a lot of hard concepts but is so careful to back up every claim he makes with scripture. I loved this book because it made some things that can be typically confusing (tongues, prophecy, etc.) and de stigmatized them, making them feel much more accessible to my own experience and walk with the Lord.

[Lauren Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book broke down so many misconceptions I had about the holy spirit. It was so encouraging and Robert Morris did such a great job including scripture to back up his points. 10/10 you gotta read this book.

[Marianna Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Robert has a great sense of humor and very practical and very warming about how He explains his importance of a relationship with the holy spirit. The print is slightly small. But other then that. Very good self help book

[Charmaine Tham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is such a good reminder of the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives, not as a distant concept, but as a real, present guide and friend. It helped me see how we can truly partner with the Holy Spirit in our everyday decisions, conversations, and challenges.

[Jonathan Brooker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel confident in believing that Robert Morris is a quality pastor who has had genuinely profound experiences with the Holy Spirit through the course of his life. I also feel confident in saying that having read 2 of Morris' book within the last year that he is an author I just cannot personally enjoy or recommend to others.

I'm not going to question the experiences of this book and if it was written more as a memoir of personal experience then perhaps it wouldn't have been so frustrating. But instead it's an argument for a certain pneumatology (theology of the Holy Spirit) that is weakly crafted from sometimes singular verses of Scripture taken out of context, and offered in broad sweeping statements that don't hold much water. Speaking of water, I cannot get over Morris' "3 baptism claim" which is a significant argument in the book. Perhaps I'm not read up enough, but for starters this seems like a new interpretation of Scripture, which always causes pause. And then secondly it's really built off one poor understanding of what's being said in 1 Corinthians 12:13.

I don't mean to be so harsh and I actually give it 2 stars rather than 1 because I still feel there is a lot of ok content in the book as far as the fact that the Holy Spirit is personal and active today as much as in biblical times. However, this simply is not one of the better books to educate people on the work of the Holy Spirit.

[Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

In "The God I Never Knew" Robert Morris identifies what he believes is a major failure of churches, that of recognizing the Holy Spirit. He shares that the Holy Spirit is sometimes seen as a power rather than a person. In this writing, Robert attempts to not only point to the Holy Spirit as God, co-equal in power and essence, but also His work. The main thrust of recognizing the work of the Holy Spirit comes with Morris' belief/ teachings in three baptisms. The third baptism is that of an empowering which is done by the Holy Spirit. According to Morris, one can be saved but could never have been baptized by the Holy Spirit and thus attempt to accomplish Kingdom work under their own strength rather than the power of God (through the Holy Spirit). The problem is that not only is this teaching not shared throughout church history (especially with Church fathers) but also his points come from passages that he takes out of contexts or stretches. I believe that Morris is accurate regarding believers minimizing the person of the Holy Spirit and His work; however, he is wrong when it comes to "the third baptism" - theologically wrong.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a Christian, you need to read this book!!!

This book is an excellent source for any and all Christians who want to know the third person in the Trinity, The Holy Spirit, better. For any who want to walk more fully in the the anointing of God through Jesus and most specifically through the Holy Spirit. He is often misunderstood and greatly understated, and in this book we are introduced to Him in a format that is easily digested, with even some points of humor but always deep insight and wonderful knowledge! Also makes use of a lot of scripture, so all assertions seem to be very sound and biblically backed up.

Note: I received this advanced copy reading for free from WaterBrook Multnomah publishers so that I could review the book for their site, Blogging for Books. However, all of my reviews are my own and are entirely honest.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Morris presents one of the most Biblically sound studies on the subject of the Holy Spirit I've seen in a long time. He aptly points out quite correctly that the Holy Spirit is not an "It", but a "He" as part of the Holy Trinity...Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not just some "weird" thing we sound skirt around and avoid.

Too many "full gospel" teachings in many churches today are based on having "mountain top" experiences only. Robert lays it out exactly like the Scripture does and what our Lord said. After His Ascension, He was going to send us a Comforter for strength and a helper. That presence was the Holy Spirit.

That's the essence of this book. Some people may try to indicate Robert places the emphasis on "tongues" in this book, but I can assure you that was not Robert's main emphasis and wasn't even touched on until the later part of the book.

[Tim The Enchanter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not think I am the intended audience for the book. I would say the audience is either a Pentecostal/ charismatic that is looking to reinforce their belief or someone interested in a charismatic perspective from a charismatic that's not "that kind of charismatic".

There was little that I took away from this book that I had not heard before. While the author did reference scripture, he falls prey to asking the reading to believe him because of his personal experience.

Having spent the majority of my life in the charismatic church, I note the author avoids setting a broad theological basis. I appreciate that in his faith tradition, personal experience is given primacy. Although he did try to suggest otherwise, he almost always resorted to experience.

I don't think the book is bad, it is simply not what I am looking for in my own faith journey.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know there are three baptisms? I had not seen this realization before and I a thankful for Robert to point this out. Due this new information, Are you living in the power of the Holy Spirit or in the strength of the flesh? We all know how it goes when we try walking in the Life for Christ by our own strength, frustration and exhaustion occur. Robert gives clear scriptures to back up his findings and applies stories of his own to go along with them. I enjoyed the book and learned new insights.

[Danny Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's some good stuff in this book. Christians should have a stronger connection and friendship with the person of the Holy Spirit. However, some of Morris' thoughts and interpretations on accepting Christ and the Holy Spirit as two seperate events were off base. His writings on multiple baptisms were concerning too. He even had the gall to say if you didn't accept his thoughts, you were influenced by Satan. It brought a low point to what otherwise could have been a great book.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved this book free through GoodReads First Reads and I'm so glad I did. I'm an overthinker...an over analyzer and I get frustrated easily when it comes to religeon etc et al. Robert Morris helped simplify, in wonderful detail, who the Holy Spirit is and explains how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. This is a book I most likely refer back to often in my life.

[Liz Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Robert Morris spoke to the reader as if the conversation regarding The Holy Spirit was sitting on the back porch pouring out experiences backed by scripture. I would recommend this to any Christian desiring to experience the fullness of God.

[Laura Robinson (naptimereaders) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! I learned so much and I felt like it was all backed up with scripture so well. If you're wanting a better relationship with the Holy Spirit, this is a great book to check out to see how that can happen.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. I recognized so much of these examples in my own life and chalk it up to confirmation of this wonderful best friend in my life!

[Estifanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book!
The book has 7 chapters.
The 1st chapter is about who The Holy Spirit is.
The 2nd chapter is about his personality.
The 3rd is about the Pentecost.
The 4th is about the power transfer.
The 5th is about gifts of The Spirit.
The 6th is about speaking in tounges.
The last chapter is about choosing to know the Holy Spirit and to be baptized IN him.

The writer clearly explains the difference between the 3 types of Baptism.
1. Baptism by The Holy Spirit.
2. Water Baptism and
3. Baptism IN The Holy Spirit.

The writer shows how most Christians are ignorant to the 3rd type of Baptism(Baptism IN The Holy Spirit), and how missing on it robs them from living a life God intended for them.

It has instilled a great desire in me to know the person of The Holy Spirit and to be baptized IN Him.

Just finished it yesterday, but I am already half-way through the book today.

Definitely recommend it!

[Chloe A]

i’m hesitant to give a rating because, while i did overall enjoy, understand, and agree with a good portion of this book, i also feel as though it’s not for every level of believers.

morris makes general sweeping statements that, while i find a lot of truth in, does not have well cited argumentation. he would cite chapters of the Bible or history, but it didn’t really feel fully fleshed out as an argument, and he relies heavily on his own experience as a form of credibility, instead of supporting evidence.

*this wouldn’t have bothered me as much if there was cited sources in the back since this book comes across as academic, but is not.*

i also just don’t prefer his writing style very much.

in general, i’d only recommend to established believers that know how to parcel out jargon and Biblical arguments.

[Ethan Clouser · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I have mixed feelings about this book. I love Robert Morris, and he has actually produced one of my favorite books all of all time (The Blessed Life), but there was something about this book that was different. It took me a few tries to actually finish, most likely because it just wasn't the most entertaining book ever. Could have been because he was provided essential basic knowledge on the subject, but personally I just found myself bored.

I'm sure this book would be really great for a newer believer who hasn't had much experience with the Holy Spirit though. Even still, there were some great thought provoking theories in this book that I had never even thought of. Robert actually backed up his claims pretty well with Scripture too! Had me thinking for sure!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so thankful for this book-it encouraged, equipped and taught me so much about the work of the Holy Spirit. I appreciated that this book was drenched in Scripture and I could delve deeper into what God’s Word says, instead of just going off of “opinions” of others. As someone who came from a background where the work of the Holy Spirit was not acknowledged in the daily life of a believer, I found the information here incredibly helpful. Pastor Robert did an excellent job in keeping with the depth of the material but in an easy to read format. Highly recommend for anyone who is curious about the Spirit!

[Kayla Milligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I don’t even know what to think anymore😂this book has opened my eyes to a whole new side of God. I learned so much more about the Holy Spirit that I didn’t even know was possible. I encourage every Christian to read this book it will really make you think and want to learn more. I feel like I’m seeing a whole new side of God and Christianity. I don’t want to say too much because I think it’s important to go into this book not knowing what to expect so I just HIGHLY encourage you to read it and be open minded to what it has to say. If you think you’ve already learned all there is to know about God, I can promise you you’re wrong!

[Barb Piacentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most Christians acknowledge the Trinity. They have no problem discussing God or Jesus Christ, but they get totally weirded out about the Holy Spirit. This is the work of Satan as Robert Morris so accurately points out. Why wouldn’t Satan want to squash the desire to know the Holy Spirit when Jesus explicitly said that He was sending the Spirit as our Helper once he departed? Satan would rather we do things on our own. We are easier to attack that way.
As believers we have access to the Holy Spirit and all of the gifts and comforts He provides; we only need to open ourselves up to Him. Robert Morris walks us through how to do that in The God I Never Knew. Don’t skip this book.

[Ethan Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was first handed this book, it was after I was talking to my Pastor about my own calling to be a Pastor. He gave it to me and I said the "thank yous" but I never actually took the time to read it, until just a few months ago when I started reading it, I LOVE how Robert Morris writes! The simple, in your face facts that tell you the truths of what the Bible says are amazing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who either does not know who the Holy Spirit is or thinks He is somehow bad. Overall, The God I Never Knew is the BEST book I've ever read!

[Patricia S Winchel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Morris, a Down to Earth Biblical Teacher

I have enjoyed a number of Robert Morris's teachings on DVD prior to ordering this book. His teaching is scripturally sound and his common sense approach is sprinkled with humor and practicality. I highly recommend him. I bought this book because, although I do sometimes pray in tongues, I have had a lot of concerns and worries about whether it is for today. I appreciate the scriptural soundness with which he builds the foundation. I'm glad I bought it, and highlighted many portions so I can reread it.

[Jessica Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up in the Catholic Church, the Holy Spirit was always treated like the weird uncle at the holiday party. He was always there, but no one really talked to him or about him. Because of this, I have always had a distant relationship with the Holy Spirit, until reading this book. Morris's book broke down who the Holy Spirit is and what role he can play in our lives if you invite him in. It certainly helped me begin to develop the type of relationship God intended us to have with the Holy Spirit.