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Open to the Spirit: God in Us, God with Us, God Transforming Us
World-renowned New Testament scholar offers a straightforward examination of what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.
Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does he do in our lives? How can we know him more deeply, and is it possible to tap into his power? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to be aware of his promptings and speaking into our lives? Dr. Scot McKnight answers these questions and more in this comprehensive examination of what the Bible says about this divinely important, but often confusing member of the Trinity.
This is the third work in a three-part series examining some of the supernatural components of the Christian faith. Scot's The Heaven Promise examines the afterlife. The Hum of Angels elucidates the Bible's teaching on God's supernatural messengers and protectors. Now, The Holy Spirit examines the most mysterious member of the Trinity.
Scot blogs at Patheos, a large multi-perspective blog format. It serves many influential voices from many faith and non-faith traditions. Scot's blog draws primarily a Christian readership; one that is looking for intellectual engagement and thoughtful analysis of Scripture, Theology, and Culture.
Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does he do in our lives? How can we know him more deeply, and is it possible to tap into his power? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to be aware of his promptings and speaking into our lives? Dr. Scot McKnight answers these questions and more in this comprehensive examination of what the Bible says about this divinely important, but often confusing member of the Trinity.
This is the third work in a three-part series examining some of the supernatural components of the Christian faith. Scot's The Heaven Promise examines the afterlife. The Hum of Angels elucidates the Bible's teaching on God's supernatural messengers and protectors. Now, The Holy Spirit examines the most mysterious member of the Trinity.
Scot blogs at Patheos, a large multi-perspective blog format. It serves many influential voices from many faith and non-faith traditions. Scot's blog draws primarily a Christian readership; one that is looking for intellectual engagement and thoughtful analysis of Scripture, Theology, and Culture.
221 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2018
163 people are currently reading
676 people want to read
About the author
Scot McKnight
209 books541 followersScot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author or editor of forty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly speaks at local churches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the USA and abroad. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
May 6, 2020
A Great Read
I’m so thankful for Scot. I love learning about the Holy Spirit. Growing up I didn’t hear this taught on properly. Scot lays the foundation for helping people to understand how to be open to the Holy Spirit. If you have some time, add this to your list!
I’m so thankful for Scot. I love learning about the Holy Spirit. Growing up I didn’t hear this taught on properly. Scot lays the foundation for helping people to understand how to be open to the Holy Spirit. If you have some time, add this to your list!
May 20, 2018
Being open to the Spirit once meant, for me, attending a charismatic church. There the works of the Spirit were front and center—prayers for healing and deliverance, prophetic words, ecstatic utterance. It was good for me to be there, to cultivate an experiential openness and allow the winds of the Spirit to blow where they would. Unfortunately, not everything I’ve experienced and witnessed at that church was the move of the Holy Spirit. I witnessed poor discernment, unhealthy dynamics, and psychological manipulation. It took me years to sort out the difference between being open to the Spirit and just being weird.
McknightOpentotheSPiritScot McKnight’s Open to the Spirit is a great overview of how to cultivate an openness to the Spirit’s movement, that attends to the Spirit’s purposes for us. McKnight is a New Testament scholar, and professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, author of a gazillion Christian books and is a popular blogger at Patheos. This is a popular level book designed to help ordinary readers enter into and appreciate what it means to be open to the Spirit. Nevertheless, McKnight is a New Testament scholar and he seeks throughout to root his description of the Spirit’s work in the biblical text, and where appropriate, he interacts with various other biblical scholars (notably, Gordon Fee, Jimmy Dunn, Jack Levison, NT Wright, Daniel Wallace, Monica Coleman), but this remains a non-technical book, with plenty of personal examples from McKnight’s faith journey.
McKnight explores being open to the Spirit in five areas. In Part 1, he describes being open to the voice of the Spirit (e.g., the Spirit’s witness in pointing us to Jesus, in the written words of Scripture, in prophetic utterance, and in the Spirit’s wordless, groaning intercession for us). In Part 2, he discusses being open to the Spirit’s new creation in us (e.g., God’s presence in our lives, in the Pentecost, in a new baptism, in our transforming inner self and in giving us new power).
Part 3 talks about being open to the Spirit in Christian community, in inspiring the cruciform style of Christian leadership in the way of Jesus, and in an other-oriented spirituality of love. Part 4 explores what it means to be open to the Spirit’s sanctifying work—the assurance of life in Christ, our growth in freedom and holiness (e.g. the ‘fruit of the Spirit) and living towards the good.
Finally, part 5 explores being open to the victory the spirit brings over sin, victory in communication (e.g. tongues, prayer, and evangelism), victory over sin and death, victory over demonic powers, structural evil and victory in worshipping God.
Because McKnight focuses on the role of the Spirit in the Bible (with a special focus on the New Testament), he acknowledges and describes charismatic phenomenon without laying the emphasis on the strange and esoteric. McKnight’s emphasis is always on what the Spirit of God wants to accomplish in us if we allow ourselves to be open to the Spirit’s multifaceted work in our lives. Each chapter explores a dimension of the Spirit’s work and closes with a question asking if we are open to the Spirit’s work (e.g. “Are you open to the Spirit who speaks in the Living Word and takes you to Jesus?” – pg 27; “Are you open to the Holy Spirit who brings you new power?”- pg 95; “Are you open to the wild freedom of the Spirit?” -pg 147; “Are you open to the Spirit who grants victory in communication, sometimes in miraculous ways?” -pg 179.
Three times McKnight includes a prayer of openness to the Spirit for readers to pray as they read (in the introduction, on page 70, and on page 204):
Lord, I am open to the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, Come to me, dwell in me, speak to me
so I may become more like Christ.
Lord, give me the courage to be open,
Lord I am open to the Holy Spirit.
Come Holy Spirit
Amen.
McKnight’s goal is that in reading the stories he shares (his own and others) and in reflecting on the Spirit’s movement throughout the biblical text, we will be open and the Spirit of God would move in us. This is a good book to read prayerfully and expectantly. Are you open to the Spirit? Sometimes the Spirit moves in weird ways, but always with the purpose of bringing us into a deeper experience of the Kingdom of God. McKnight names the way the Spirit directs, intercedes, inspires, renews, brings intimacy with God, knits Christian community together, and compels us to work toward healing and justice, to the glory of God. I give this five stars. – ★★★★★
NOTICE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM THE BLOGGING FOR BOOKS PROGRAM AND WATERBROOK MULTNOMAH IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST REVIEW.
McknightOpentotheSPiritScot McKnight’s Open to the Spirit is a great overview of how to cultivate an openness to the Spirit’s movement, that attends to the Spirit’s purposes for us. McKnight is a New Testament scholar, and professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, author of a gazillion Christian books and is a popular blogger at Patheos. This is a popular level book designed to help ordinary readers enter into and appreciate what it means to be open to the Spirit. Nevertheless, McKnight is a New Testament scholar and he seeks throughout to root his description of the Spirit’s work in the biblical text, and where appropriate, he interacts with various other biblical scholars (notably, Gordon Fee, Jimmy Dunn, Jack Levison, NT Wright, Daniel Wallace, Monica Coleman), but this remains a non-technical book, with plenty of personal examples from McKnight’s faith journey.
McKnight explores being open to the Spirit in five areas. In Part 1, he describes being open to the voice of the Spirit (e.g., the Spirit’s witness in pointing us to Jesus, in the written words of Scripture, in prophetic utterance, and in the Spirit’s wordless, groaning intercession for us). In Part 2, he discusses being open to the Spirit’s new creation in us (e.g., God’s presence in our lives, in the Pentecost, in a new baptism, in our transforming inner self and in giving us new power).
Part 3 talks about being open to the Spirit in Christian community, in inspiring the cruciform style of Christian leadership in the way of Jesus, and in an other-oriented spirituality of love. Part 4 explores what it means to be open to the Spirit’s sanctifying work—the assurance of life in Christ, our growth in freedom and holiness (e.g. the ‘fruit of the Spirit) and living towards the good.
Finally, part 5 explores being open to the victory the spirit brings over sin, victory in communication (e.g. tongues, prayer, and evangelism), victory over sin and death, victory over demonic powers, structural evil and victory in worshipping God.
Because McKnight focuses on the role of the Spirit in the Bible (with a special focus on the New Testament), he acknowledges and describes charismatic phenomenon without laying the emphasis on the strange and esoteric. McKnight’s emphasis is always on what the Spirit of God wants to accomplish in us if we allow ourselves to be open to the Spirit’s multifaceted work in our lives. Each chapter explores a dimension of the Spirit’s work and closes with a question asking if we are open to the Spirit’s work (e.g. “Are you open to the Spirit who speaks in the Living Word and takes you to Jesus?” – pg 27; “Are you open to the Holy Spirit who brings you new power?”- pg 95; “Are you open to the wild freedom of the Spirit?” -pg 147; “Are you open to the Spirit who grants victory in communication, sometimes in miraculous ways?” -pg 179.
Three times McKnight includes a prayer of openness to the Spirit for readers to pray as they read (in the introduction, on page 70, and on page 204):
Lord, I am open to the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, Come to me, dwell in me, speak to me
so I may become more like Christ.
Lord, give me the courage to be open,
Lord I am open to the Holy Spirit.
Come Holy Spirit
Amen.
McKnight’s goal is that in reading the stories he shares (his own and others) and in reflecting on the Spirit’s movement throughout the biblical text, we will be open and the Spirit of God would move in us. This is a good book to read prayerfully and expectantly. Are you open to the Spirit? Sometimes the Spirit moves in weird ways, but always with the purpose of bringing us into a deeper experience of the Kingdom of God. McKnight names the way the Spirit directs, intercedes, inspires, renews, brings intimacy with God, knits Christian community together, and compels us to work toward healing and justice, to the glory of God. I give this five stars. – ★★★★★
NOTICE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM THE BLOGGING FOR BOOKS PROGRAM AND WATERBROOK MULTNOMAH IN EXCHANGE FOR MY HONEST REVIEW.
February 1, 2019
Browsing through the latest in spiritual publications at the bookstore, my eye was drawn to this book by Scot McKnight, a name whose work I have been meaning to explore some. The colors present on the cover didn't let it down, either.
Scot McKnight sets out to describe his views on the Holy Spirit, and His (the Spirit's) present work in our lives as followers of Jesus. His background in this subject sounds similar to mine: next to nil. Like McKnight, I was raised to believe in the living, breathing Spirit—perhaps even more so than my extended family—but He was a sort of dangerous anomaly when it came to someone expressing devotion to the Spirit in worship (raising hands, on bended knee, speaking in tongues), and I was certainly (perhaps implicitly) taught that the Spirit does not work in the same way or conduct miracles through disciples of Jesus today in the same ways that He did "back then."
To give my parents credit, though, we definitely were taught of the Spirit, regardless of if there were many unanswered questions and topics that verged on the Charismatic/Pentecostal, which were mostly avoided due to discomfort. We were taught of the Spirit, but more personally, and by extension more convictingly, I still will find myself referring to the Spirit as an "it" rather than "He" or an otherwise being-esque pronoun that gives proper credence and respect. At my worst, I still find myself articulating the human tendency to doubt if I actually really know the Spirit, or have His life and world-changing work present in me.
But that's where this book was helpful. As a whole, this book didn't astound me or blow my mind in any way, and that's okay. It was pretty straightforward, rooted in lots of scriptural references (if you need that proof as a foundation to begin a book on the Spirit in the first place), and laid out in a matter-of-fact way that, at its worst, felt randomly disengaging, and at its best, gave clarity and encouragement to one wanting to delve deeper into the depths of practical pneumatology.
A few things that stuck out to me throughout these pages:
- People (and by extension, churches) led by the Spirit are set apart, and noticeably so. This is my own observation, but it is apparent, in character and action, who on this earth is guided and filled with the Spirit.
- There is such freedom in the Spirit, as long as that freedom leads one to more self-sacrifice, love (which is the very nature of God), and servant-mindedness/action. So much of our focus has become what is done during the one hour of worship—what line we can walk up to and toe, as long as we never set foot over it, lest we be smitten—on Sunday rather than the worship that is the existence of our lives spent in devotion to God.
- The Spirit cannot be limited. Besides being unscpriptural (again, if you need the "ok" of proof-texts to even get to this point), the placing on limits, which aren't really there, on the Spirit and what He can do today is not only dangerous, but will lead to unnecessary strife and division, when such energy could be used elsewhere for the furthering of God's Kingdom.
- Spirit-driven leaders are leaders that have others' interests in mind and at heart. They do not make decisions based on their own desires or gains, but what is ultimately good for others, and this includes service and self-sacrifice at its core.
- The Spirit is met in our regular prayer, and acts on our behalf when we truly surrender to Him. Trust in the Spirit—rather, being open to the Spirit—is life-changing, and life-giving: it will produce positive change in our personal lives and communities around us. Sin and "the Powers" that Paul alludes to are defeated as we are drawn closer to God in the Spirit.
- The Spirit is supernatural by definition. This makes us Westernized folks uncomfortable, but it is part of the Spirit's nature, considering, you know...that He's a Spirit. Our lives produce fruits of the Spirit when we are in-step with Him. Our activism, devotion, service, love, abilities, and spirits, are all enhanced and made effective when the Spirit is the root of it all. Otherwise, these things may not be what we think they are.
These are some thoughts that I will carry with me forward from this point. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to do some light-yet-sometimes-technical reading (chock-full of headings, numbered lists, and sub-paragraphs) on the Spirit; I highly recommend this book for anyone who (implicitly or explicitly) doubts the spectrum of His abilities in the lives of Christians today, and—heaven help me—those who believe the Spirit is simply the literal Bible, which has fallen from the sky in the form we currently have it, inerrant and never tied to the vast nuances of its many authors and time periods. Yes, to them, I say grab this sucker and read away.
Scot McKnight sets out to describe his views on the Holy Spirit, and His (the Spirit's) present work in our lives as followers of Jesus. His background in this subject sounds similar to mine: next to nil. Like McKnight, I was raised to believe in the living, breathing Spirit—perhaps even more so than my extended family—but He was a sort of dangerous anomaly when it came to someone expressing devotion to the Spirit in worship (raising hands, on bended knee, speaking in tongues), and I was certainly (perhaps implicitly) taught that the Spirit does not work in the same way or conduct miracles through disciples of Jesus today in the same ways that He did "back then."
To give my parents credit, though, we definitely were taught of the Spirit, regardless of if there were many unanswered questions and topics that verged on the Charismatic/Pentecostal, which were mostly avoided due to discomfort. We were taught of the Spirit, but more personally, and by extension more convictingly, I still will find myself referring to the Spirit as an "it" rather than "He" or an otherwise being-esque pronoun that gives proper credence and respect. At my worst, I still find myself articulating the human tendency to doubt if I actually really know the Spirit, or have His life and world-changing work present in me.
But that's where this book was helpful. As a whole, this book didn't astound me or blow my mind in any way, and that's okay. It was pretty straightforward, rooted in lots of scriptural references (if you need that proof as a foundation to begin a book on the Spirit in the first place), and laid out in a matter-of-fact way that, at its worst, felt randomly disengaging, and at its best, gave clarity and encouragement to one wanting to delve deeper into the depths of practical pneumatology.
A few things that stuck out to me throughout these pages:
- People (and by extension, churches) led by the Spirit are set apart, and noticeably so. This is my own observation, but it is apparent, in character and action, who on this earth is guided and filled with the Spirit.
- There is such freedom in the Spirit, as long as that freedom leads one to more self-sacrifice, love (which is the very nature of God), and servant-mindedness/action. So much of our focus has become what is done during the one hour of worship—what line we can walk up to and toe, as long as we never set foot over it, lest we be smitten—on Sunday rather than the worship that is the existence of our lives spent in devotion to God.
- The Spirit cannot be limited. Besides being unscpriptural (again, if you need the "ok" of proof-texts to even get to this point), the placing on limits, which aren't really there, on the Spirit and what He can do today is not only dangerous, but will lead to unnecessary strife and division, when such energy could be used elsewhere for the furthering of God's Kingdom.
- Spirit-driven leaders are leaders that have others' interests in mind and at heart. They do not make decisions based on their own desires or gains, but what is ultimately good for others, and this includes service and self-sacrifice at its core.
- The Spirit is met in our regular prayer, and acts on our behalf when we truly surrender to Him. Trust in the Spirit—rather, being open to the Spirit—is life-changing, and life-giving: it will produce positive change in our personal lives and communities around us. Sin and "the Powers" that Paul alludes to are defeated as we are drawn closer to God in the Spirit.
- The Spirit is supernatural by definition. This makes us Westernized folks uncomfortable, but it is part of the Spirit's nature, considering, you know...that He's a Spirit. Our lives produce fruits of the Spirit when we are in-step with Him. Our activism, devotion, service, love, abilities, and spirits, are all enhanced and made effective when the Spirit is the root of it all. Otherwise, these things may not be what we think they are.
These are some thoughts that I will carry with me forward from this point. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to do some light-yet-sometimes-technical reading (chock-full of headings, numbered lists, and sub-paragraphs) on the Spirit; I highly recommend this book for anyone who (implicitly or explicitly) doubts the spectrum of His abilities in the lives of Christians today, and—heaven help me—those who believe the Spirit is simply the literal Bible, which has fallen from the sky in the form we currently have it, inerrant and never tied to the vast nuances of its many authors and time periods. Yes, to them, I say grab this sucker and read away.
May 6, 2022
A most excellent invitation to be open to the Spirit. Great theology of the Spirit, great practical guidance on how to walk by the Spirit.
February 23, 2019
After reading a few other books focusing on the Holy Spirit, this one was not my favorite. In general I could get on board with his approach: "We must not ignore the Bible in favor of hearing from the Spirit, and we must not idolize the Bible to the exclusion of hearing from the Spirit" (p.29). It is certainly true that "some Christians diminish the Spirit in their focus on Scripture," but "others diminish Scripture in their focus on the Spirit" (p.29). Valuing both Scripture and the Spirit is a laudable and necessary goal.
Most disturbing to me was McKnight's connection of salvation with how open you are to the Spirit. He writes, "How can you know if you are really saved? You can know you have eternal life...if you are open to the God who speaks in Jesus Christ...or open to the God who speaks through the Spirit in your prayers and in discerning God's will in this world" (p.135). I fear that this sort of language turns the focus onto ourselves and our works rather than onto Jesus. We are tempted to ask, "Am I open enough? Does salvation depend on my openness?" rather than confidently staking our salvation on what Christ has already accomplished for us.
The author makes the same move when discussing holiness: "Holiness is first and foremost devotion to God" (p.149). Again, the focus here is on me and what I'm doing, rather than what Christ has done for me. Scripture speaks of us as being made holy through what Christ has done (Ephesians 5:25-27). To be fair, there certainly is in the Christian life a striving to live by God's commands, but this comes only after we've been declared holy in Jesus. This is beautifully expressed in Hebrews 10:14 - "For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."
So, there is some good stuff in there, but be careful not to let your salvation ride on how "open" you are. Instead, trust that because Christ's death and resurrection have already saved you and made you new, you now can be open to the Spirit's leading.
Most disturbing to me was McKnight's connection of salvation with how open you are to the Spirit. He writes, "How can you know if you are really saved? You can know you have eternal life...if you are open to the God who speaks in Jesus Christ...or open to the God who speaks through the Spirit in your prayers and in discerning God's will in this world" (p.135). I fear that this sort of language turns the focus onto ourselves and our works rather than onto Jesus. We are tempted to ask, "Am I open enough? Does salvation depend on my openness?" rather than confidently staking our salvation on what Christ has already accomplished for us.
The author makes the same move when discussing holiness: "Holiness is first and foremost devotion to God" (p.149). Again, the focus here is on me and what I'm doing, rather than what Christ has done for me. Scripture speaks of us as being made holy through what Christ has done (Ephesians 5:25-27). To be fair, there certainly is in the Christian life a striving to live by God's commands, but this comes only after we've been declared holy in Jesus. This is beautifully expressed in Hebrews 10:14 - "For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."
So, there is some good stuff in there, but be careful not to let your salvation ride on how "open" you are. Instead, trust that because Christ's death and resurrection have already saved you and made you new, you now can be open to the Spirit's leading.
March 16, 2019
The book begins:
“This book will encourage you to be open to the Holy Spirit every moment of every day.”
“In the chapters that follow, we will explore more than a dozen biblical themes about the Holy Spirit. Each theme examines a dimension of what the Spirit can accomplish in our lives if we remain open to the Spirit’s work.”
Let me share nine key takeaways that I pulled from this wonderful book.
God Is Within
“The most passionate, the most intimate, and the most significant element of the Christian faith is that God—the creator of all and the world’s redeemer—has chosen not only to communicate with us but also has chosen to indwell us.”
“I sometimes marvel that the vastness and immensity of God could become an infant, then a child and a youth, and then a young man who would die and be raised for us. That same God takes up residence in you and me, not just once but permanently.”
God is within. Let me say that again. God is within. My gut tells me many people think of God as above or over there. While that is also true, God is within and that is a game changer. God loves us so much that the Spirit has taken residence in you and I. We get to tap into this wonderful, powerful and loving source. I find that very exciting!
God Transforms Us
“Let’s turn this around: we cannot find rest until we rest in God’s own resting in our hearts.”
“I hope you will pause with me to consider the immensity of the privilege we share, in that God indwells us in the Holy Spirit.”
“But don’t lose contact with the book’s seminal idea: God is alive and well and indwells us. And God wants to transform us into persons who demonstrate the grace, love, peace, and justice of God.”
We cannot take this divine indwelling lightly. We are indwelled by God to take action in this world. If we open to this inner spirit, we can let it lead us and prompt us to take the actions that we need and must take in our local communities and world. Be open to the inner transformation and let it also transform the world. Inner transformation and outer transformation need each other. They must work together.
Are You Open
“A sticking point when it comes to our understanding of the Holy Spirit is that humans are not open to the invasive, transcending, and transforming presence of the Holy Spirit.”
“We are built to be a home for the Spirit.”
“Here is an image to live by: if we leave the doors and windows of our lives open to the Spirit, we may find surprising flowers in our lives.”
“Each of us is designed by God to be receptive to the Spirit. We are Spirit-ual beings.”
Are you open? There are many ways to open to the inner spirit. We each must choose our own path. I have discovered that centering prayer opens me to the inner spirit. That is why I practice it twice per day. It is silent prayer: wordless prayer. I open to the presence and actions of God within. God prays in me the actions I need to take in the world.
Jesus’s Humanity
“Jesus was human and because Jesus was a human, he needed to be empowered from day one with and by the Holy Spirit.
“Jesus, as a human, did all that he did—living, eating, praying, conversing, healing, teaching, doing good, rebuking, defending—by the power of the Spirit.”
“Jesus was a Spirit-drenched man. Jesus did what he did because he was wide open to the Spirit, more open to the Spirit than any human in history.”
“To be a follower of Jesus is to be open to the same Spirit to whom Jesus was wide open.”
Jesus is the model for how we are to behave and operate in the world. Jesus was able to do what he did because he was wide open to the Spirit. Jesus often went off alone to pray. I would like to think he also practiced some form of silent, wordless prayer. These times in solitude prepared him for the actions he needed to take. Jesus drenched himself in the Spirit. We can drench ourselves in the Spirit too!
Silence
“Have you wondered if your total silence is the Spirit’s pure prayer on your behalf?”
“Are you open to the Spirit’s intercessions in your silence?”
I believe during silent prayer God prays in me the actions I am to take in this world. I also believe that during silent prayer the spirit within intercedes for me. I do not always know what to say and the spirit prays for me. I find this very comforting.
Gifts Of The Spirit
“Those who ignore or suppress the Spirit deprive themselves and others of God’s great gift.”
“The Spirit takes us beyond ourselves, taking what we have and making it better and taking what we don’t have and making it something.”
“If you are genuinely open to the Spirit, you will learn that you are open to a power unlike anything you’ve ever known.”
We have wonderful gifts within. Together there is nothing we cannot accomplish. I like to think I sit with God during my centering prayer practice and walk with God during my non silent times. We are never apart. It reminds me of a Matthew Fox quote from his book, Naming the Unnameable, “God is the unstoppable energy of all beings, a boundless source that cannot be slowed down or ultimately overcome.” We get to tap into this boundless energy!
The Body Of Christ
“When we become open to the Spirit, we receive an entirely new orientation in life. We switch from the old Ego to the New Ego. We become contributing members of the Body of Christ. We become other-oriented.”
“Paul wrote that God assigns a gift to each person “so that there should be no division in the body” and so that all the members “should have equal concern for each other.””
We are all the body of Christ. We each have a unique part to play. We are not alone in this world. We need each other. When we listen to the inner promptings of the spirit our actions naturally become other-oriented.
Divine Wildness
“Those who are open to the Spirit find freedom and discover a divine wildness.”
“The Spirit gives me the freedom to be the me God wants me to be, and the Spirit gives you the freedom to be the you that God wants you to be.”
‘Are you open to the wild freedom of the Spirit?”
This is why I practice centering prayer. Centering prayer opens me to the inner spirit. Centering prayer teaches me who I am. Centering prayer teaches me how to live. Centering prayer is a place I come from. The silence of centering prayer gives me the freedom to become my true self: who God wants me to be.
Next Steps
“I appeal to you: Is it not time for you to become more open, even wide open, to the Spirit? Is it not time for you to stand, sit, walk, march, and live in a perpetual state of openness to the Spirit? Is it not time to create a mind-set of asking yourself if you are open to the Sprit before and during everything you think, say, and do? Am I wide open to whatever the Spirit wants in this thought, this statement, and this action?”
Wonderful marching orders. They are fairly straight forward and do not need any explanation by me.
I encourage you to check out Open To The Spirit!
Rich Lewis
www.SilenceTeaches.com
“This book will encourage you to be open to the Holy Spirit every moment of every day.”
“In the chapters that follow, we will explore more than a dozen biblical themes about the Holy Spirit. Each theme examines a dimension of what the Spirit can accomplish in our lives if we remain open to the Spirit’s work.”
Let me share nine key takeaways that I pulled from this wonderful book.
God Is Within
“The most passionate, the most intimate, and the most significant element of the Christian faith is that God—the creator of all and the world’s redeemer—has chosen not only to communicate with us but also has chosen to indwell us.”
“I sometimes marvel that the vastness and immensity of God could become an infant, then a child and a youth, and then a young man who would die and be raised for us. That same God takes up residence in you and me, not just once but permanently.”
God is within. Let me say that again. God is within. My gut tells me many people think of God as above or over there. While that is also true, God is within and that is a game changer. God loves us so much that the Spirit has taken residence in you and I. We get to tap into this wonderful, powerful and loving source. I find that very exciting!
God Transforms Us
“Let’s turn this around: we cannot find rest until we rest in God’s own resting in our hearts.”
“I hope you will pause with me to consider the immensity of the privilege we share, in that God indwells us in the Holy Spirit.”
“But don’t lose contact with the book’s seminal idea: God is alive and well and indwells us. And God wants to transform us into persons who demonstrate the grace, love, peace, and justice of God.”
We cannot take this divine indwelling lightly. We are indwelled by God to take action in this world. If we open to this inner spirit, we can let it lead us and prompt us to take the actions that we need and must take in our local communities and world. Be open to the inner transformation and let it also transform the world. Inner transformation and outer transformation need each other. They must work together.
Are You Open
“A sticking point when it comes to our understanding of the Holy Spirit is that humans are not open to the invasive, transcending, and transforming presence of the Holy Spirit.”
“We are built to be a home for the Spirit.”
“Here is an image to live by: if we leave the doors and windows of our lives open to the Spirit, we may find surprising flowers in our lives.”
“Each of us is designed by God to be receptive to the Spirit. We are Spirit-ual beings.”
Are you open? There are many ways to open to the inner spirit. We each must choose our own path. I have discovered that centering prayer opens me to the inner spirit. That is why I practice it twice per day. It is silent prayer: wordless prayer. I open to the presence and actions of God within. God prays in me the actions I need to take in the world.
Jesus’s Humanity
“Jesus was human and because Jesus was a human, he needed to be empowered from day one with and by the Holy Spirit.
“Jesus, as a human, did all that he did—living, eating, praying, conversing, healing, teaching, doing good, rebuking, defending—by the power of the Spirit.”
“Jesus was a Spirit-drenched man. Jesus did what he did because he was wide open to the Spirit, more open to the Spirit than any human in history.”
“To be a follower of Jesus is to be open to the same Spirit to whom Jesus was wide open.”
Jesus is the model for how we are to behave and operate in the world. Jesus was able to do what he did because he was wide open to the Spirit. Jesus often went off alone to pray. I would like to think he also practiced some form of silent, wordless prayer. These times in solitude prepared him for the actions he needed to take. Jesus drenched himself in the Spirit. We can drench ourselves in the Spirit too!
Silence
“Have you wondered if your total silence is the Spirit’s pure prayer on your behalf?”
“Are you open to the Spirit’s intercessions in your silence?”
I believe during silent prayer God prays in me the actions I am to take in this world. I also believe that during silent prayer the spirit within intercedes for me. I do not always know what to say and the spirit prays for me. I find this very comforting.
Gifts Of The Spirit
“Those who ignore or suppress the Spirit deprive themselves and others of God’s great gift.”
“The Spirit takes us beyond ourselves, taking what we have and making it better and taking what we don’t have and making it something.”
“If you are genuinely open to the Spirit, you will learn that you are open to a power unlike anything you’ve ever known.”
We have wonderful gifts within. Together there is nothing we cannot accomplish. I like to think I sit with God during my centering prayer practice and walk with God during my non silent times. We are never apart. It reminds me of a Matthew Fox quote from his book, Naming the Unnameable, “God is the unstoppable energy of all beings, a boundless source that cannot be slowed down or ultimately overcome.” We get to tap into this boundless energy!
The Body Of Christ
“When we become open to the Spirit, we receive an entirely new orientation in life. We switch from the old Ego to the New Ego. We become contributing members of the Body of Christ. We become other-oriented.”
“Paul wrote that God assigns a gift to each person “so that there should be no division in the body” and so that all the members “should have equal concern for each other.””
We are all the body of Christ. We each have a unique part to play. We are not alone in this world. We need each other. When we listen to the inner promptings of the spirit our actions naturally become other-oriented.
Divine Wildness
“Those who are open to the Spirit find freedom and discover a divine wildness.”
“The Spirit gives me the freedom to be the me God wants me to be, and the Spirit gives you the freedom to be the you that God wants you to be.”
‘Are you open to the wild freedom of the Spirit?”
This is why I practice centering prayer. Centering prayer opens me to the inner spirit. Centering prayer teaches me who I am. Centering prayer teaches me how to live. Centering prayer is a place I come from. The silence of centering prayer gives me the freedom to become my true self: who God wants me to be.
Next Steps
“I appeal to you: Is it not time for you to become more open, even wide open, to the Spirit? Is it not time for you to stand, sit, walk, march, and live in a perpetual state of openness to the Spirit? Is it not time to create a mind-set of asking yourself if you are open to the Sprit before and during everything you think, say, and do? Am I wide open to whatever the Spirit wants in this thought, this statement, and this action?”
Wonderful marching orders. They are fairly straight forward and do not need any explanation by me.
I encourage you to check out Open To The Spirit!
Rich Lewis
www.SilenceTeaches.com
September 3, 2019
Takeaway: As much as the use of the phrase, 'it is a relationship, not a religion' bugs me (because of how it is usually used), Christianity that pursues theology or behavior modification and not Christ, gets distorted.
Reading about spiritual growth prompts me to read more about spiritual growth. As I have started my introduction to Spiritual Direction class, the required texts lead me to want to pick up other books that are related. Which also makes me want to re-read as well. I know I need to re-read many books, but books on spiritual formation are probably the books I most need to re-read because they are often very subtle critiques of our understanding of Christianity.
As part of this renewed interest, I have been listening to the Revovaré podcast, which has been playing some old talks from early conferences. In the episode with Emilie Griffin at the end of a Q and A period, Dallas Willard says that we are not in charge of our own spiritual formation. We simply need to remain present and engaged while God works on us.
Open to the Spirit very much feels like a book that has been inspired by Dallas Willard. Scot McKnight is trying to biblically point the reader to the importance of the Holy Spirit. McKnight is a New Testament scholar and mostly is oriented toward a biblical theology of the Holy Spirit. Open to the Spirit also reminds me of Amos Yong’s Who Is the Holy Spirit: A Walk With the Apostles. In Yong’s commentary on Acts, he is drawing parallels between the work of Jesus in Luke with the work of the Holy Spirit through the early Christians in Acts.
In Open to the Spirit, McKnight is showing how Jesus in his earthly life was guided by the Holy Spirit similarly to how Yong shows the early Christians being guided by the Spirit.
I am too behind on both blog posts and everything else in my life to write much more. But I am going to post five quotes from the book to give you a sense of it. (The kindle book as I write this is $1.99 and the audiobook is $7.49 with purchase of the kindle book)
posted originally on my blog at http://bookwi.se/open-to-the-spirit/
Reading about spiritual growth prompts me to read more about spiritual growth. As I have started my introduction to Spiritual Direction class, the required texts lead me to want to pick up other books that are related. Which also makes me want to re-read as well. I know I need to re-read many books, but books on spiritual formation are probably the books I most need to re-read because they are often very subtle critiques of our understanding of Christianity.
As part of this renewed interest, I have been listening to the Revovaré podcast, which has been playing some old talks from early conferences. In the episode with Emilie Griffin at the end of a Q and A period, Dallas Willard says that we are not in charge of our own spiritual formation. We simply need to remain present and engaged while God works on us.
Open to the Spirit very much feels like a book that has been inspired by Dallas Willard. Scot McKnight is trying to biblically point the reader to the importance of the Holy Spirit. McKnight is a New Testament scholar and mostly is oriented toward a biblical theology of the Holy Spirit. Open to the Spirit also reminds me of Amos Yong’s Who Is the Holy Spirit: A Walk With the Apostles. In Yong’s commentary on Acts, he is drawing parallels between the work of Jesus in Luke with the work of the Holy Spirit through the early Christians in Acts.
In Open to the Spirit, McKnight is showing how Jesus in his earthly life was guided by the Holy Spirit similarly to how Yong shows the early Christians being guided by the Spirit.
I am too behind on both blog posts and everything else in my life to write much more. But I am going to post five quotes from the book to give you a sense of it. (The kindle book as I write this is $1.99 and the audiobook is $7.49 with purchase of the kindle book)
A sticking point when it comes to our understanding of the Holy Spirit is that humans are not open to the invasive, transcending, and transforming presence of the Holy Spirit. There are, of course, reasons why we are not open. Two that come immediately to mind are (1) we don’t want transcending power, and (2) we don’t want the transforming presence of God because we’d rather stay the way we are. (5%)
The surefire test to know the Spirit is at work in your life is observable change as you grow toward Christlikeness. It doesn’t have to be dramatic, and it doesn’t have to be giant leaps from selfishness into selflessness. Rather, what we look for is visible change, shifts, movements, and growth. (40%)
Such a conclusion denies the truth of how Spirit-prompted people live. They are joined together in the metaphorical Body of Christ, the church, which physically is the fellowship and community of those who follow Jesus. A Spirit-prompted Christian life is about learning to live in fellowship with other Spirit-prompted people. In that community we learn to live the gospel at the deepest levels. Kevin Vanhoozer, an evangelical theologian, once observed that “it is the life of the church, not the commentary [our explanations of the faith], that is our most important form of biblical interpretation.”5 The Spirit drives Spirit-filled people to the Body of Christ. When we are open to the Spirit who creates the church, we will be open to God’s community, the church. (49%)
When we all exercise our Spirit-prompted gifts, we are drawn out of ourselves and toward one another. Are you open to the new orientation the Spirit has for you? Are you open to the Spirit’s gifts in others to edify you? For the Spirit-prompted gifts to work well, we need the Spirit-prompted fruit as well. They are mates lost without each other—which is why the fruit of the Spirit is the focus of the next chapter. (58%)
“A saint,” Schmemann wrote, “is thirsty not for ‘decency,’ not for cleanliness, and not for absence of sin, but for unity with God.”6 Such a thirst for union with God, for worship of God, for the ecstatic joy of loving God, is the Spirit’s work that gives us victory over sin. Back to the meaning of sin. If sin is self-reliance and self-centeredness, then the Spirit’s fruit will be loving, holy, and Christlike living. Never lose sight of these words from Paul: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let usnot become conceited, provoking and envying each other.*9 To achieve victory over sin involves first becoming people who are shaped by love, which is a virtue that orients life toward others. Victory over sin and the flesh produces an inner sense of well-being and contentedness (joy and peace and forbearance) and becomes thoughtful toward others (kindness, goodness, and gentleness) as well as faithful in our relationships with others (family, friends, church, community). Finally, the inner self is no longer out of control but is marked by “self-control,” which means Spirit-controlled. (77%)
posted originally on my blog at http://bookwi.se/open-to-the-spirit/
September 17, 2019
I'm a child of the Charismatic Movement. I carry it along with me. Partly it's baggage, partly it's heritage and gift. Either way, it helped form who I am. I recognise the look and feel of it and it's home base. I'll be honest though: rightly or wrongly I have a tendency to view it in past tense.
Then along comes Scot McKnight, acting like it's the 1970s, writing a book about Charismatic Christianity. He must have decided it was time to refresh everyone's memories, or introduce it to a new generation. Perhaps he's right.
Open to the Spirit, it's called. And I have no quibble with that. It's just that... is this a particular brand of what being open to the Spirit looks like? Or is it a definitive description? (I know many Charismatics would say it is.) I feel a slight unease. But you know my frustration? All this is so close to my home base that I find myself unable to properly critique it. It turns out that the closer you are to something, the less objectivity you can have about it... who knew?
There are some nuances I sense I want to raise but I don't quite know what they are. There was the bit where McKnight argued that the power of Jesus was contingent only on Jesus' being anointed by the Holy Spirit... implying, I think, that without that anointing, Jesus only had the capabilities of an ordinary man. I'm pretty sure that's controversial isn't it? Doesn't that have implications about the God-nature of Jesus? That misgiving is about as concrete as my vague unease gets and most of it isn't so much about theology as the package of the Charismatic worldview.
I'll survive - it's good for me. I appreciate McKnight's challenge to me. In a sense I don't argue with him. I appreciate the refresher on my heritage. Maybe sometimes I quest too much for novel expressions of Christianity, rather than being at home with where I came from. It's a valuable book, a readable book with some choice quotes in it. And as for the Holy Spirit - yes please.
I want to say, let's be open to the Spirit, the vitality of that communion, but maybe only gently prescriptive about what that might look like and not too tightly tied to a particular paradigm. The work and life of God is an open field, and God's children play in many directions. Their play interwoven with love becomes and informs the serious work of the kingdom, which in the Spirit retains its sense of joy and draws ever closer to the dance of the Trinity.
Then along comes Scot McKnight, acting like it's the 1970s, writing a book about Charismatic Christianity. He must have decided it was time to refresh everyone's memories, or introduce it to a new generation. Perhaps he's right.
Open to the Spirit, it's called. And I have no quibble with that. It's just that... is this a particular brand of what being open to the Spirit looks like? Or is it a definitive description? (I know many Charismatics would say it is.) I feel a slight unease. But you know my frustration? All this is so close to my home base that I find myself unable to properly critique it. It turns out that the closer you are to something, the less objectivity you can have about it... who knew?
There are some nuances I sense I want to raise but I don't quite know what they are. There was the bit where McKnight argued that the power of Jesus was contingent only on Jesus' being anointed by the Holy Spirit... implying, I think, that without that anointing, Jesus only had the capabilities of an ordinary man. I'm pretty sure that's controversial isn't it? Doesn't that have implications about the God-nature of Jesus? That misgiving is about as concrete as my vague unease gets and most of it isn't so much about theology as the package of the Charismatic worldview.
I'll survive - it's good for me. I appreciate McKnight's challenge to me. In a sense I don't argue with him. I appreciate the refresher on my heritage. Maybe sometimes I quest too much for novel expressions of Christianity, rather than being at home with where I came from. It's a valuable book, a readable book with some choice quotes in it. And as for the Holy Spirit - yes please.
I want to say, let's be open to the Spirit, the vitality of that communion, but maybe only gently prescriptive about what that might look like and not too tightly tied to a particular paradigm. The work and life of God is an open field, and God's children play in many directions. Their play interwoven with love becomes and informs the serious work of the kingdom, which in the Spirit retains its sense of joy and draws ever closer to the dance of the Trinity.
December 23, 2019
In Open to the Spirit: God in Us, God with Us, God Transforming Us, Scot McKnight offers an excellent primer on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Composed of twenty-four chapters, which each focus specific areas of the Holy Spirit's ministry, Open to the Spirit challenges Christians to create space in their lives for the Spirit to work in five key ways throughout each part of the book:
1. Open to the God Who Speaks 2. Open to the New Creation of the Spirit 3. Open to the People of the Spirit 4. Open to the Virtues of the Spirit 5. Open to the Victory of the Spirit
Overall, I found McKnight's work to be well thought-through and a strong exhortation for all Christians to experience deeper and fuller transformation by engaging more wholly with the Spirit. I think this would be an excellent recommendation for newer Christians or those who come from traditions that tend to minimize the third person of the Trinity in favor of the Father and the Son. Unfortunately, my biggest critique of this book is that I found it a bit boring. Perhaps, however, by being a Pentecostal pastor, formally educated in both Wesleyan and Pentecostal divinity schools--two traditions whose distinctive doctrines lie in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives, the simplicity of each chapter was unable to hold my interest enough to make me want to read another. It ended up taking me almost 2 years to finish the book, though I found the beginning chapters when McKnight shared his own story of coming to know the Spirit quite captivating. Setting aside my own experience, since I do not believe I fit the primary audience for whom McKnight wrote this book, I can think of a few people who I think would have lapped it up if I could have given it to them at beginning points in their journey with Christ. If I were in an environment in which I was discipling many new converts, I'd probably buy this book in bulk to give to people in their first year or two of coming to Christ.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
* A special thanks to Waterbrook for providing a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review
1. Open to the God Who Speaks 2. Open to the New Creation of the Spirit 3. Open to the People of the Spirit 4. Open to the Virtues of the Spirit 5. Open to the Victory of the Spirit
Overall, I found McKnight's work to be well thought-through and a strong exhortation for all Christians to experience deeper and fuller transformation by engaging more wholly with the Spirit. I think this would be an excellent recommendation for newer Christians or those who come from traditions that tend to minimize the third person of the Trinity in favor of the Father and the Son. Unfortunately, my biggest critique of this book is that I found it a bit boring. Perhaps, however, by being a Pentecostal pastor, formally educated in both Wesleyan and Pentecostal divinity schools--two traditions whose distinctive doctrines lie in the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives, the simplicity of each chapter was unable to hold my interest enough to make me want to read another. It ended up taking me almost 2 years to finish the book, though I found the beginning chapters when McKnight shared his own story of coming to know the Spirit quite captivating. Setting aside my own experience, since I do not believe I fit the primary audience for whom McKnight wrote this book, I can think of a few people who I think would have lapped it up if I could have given it to them at beginning points in their journey with Christ. If I were in an environment in which I was discipling many new converts, I'd probably buy this book in bulk to give to people in their first year or two of coming to Christ.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
* A special thanks to Waterbrook for providing a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review
March 13, 2020
I grew up in the Charismatic Movement, after some years I went to Bible College, became a staunch cessationist and went to a Presbyterian church. I’m a bit of a mixed bag, but would describe myself as reformed (stop sniggering my Presby friends!) and would hold to believers baptism.
Over the year I’ve read many books on the Holy Spirit which has led me to my current understating, which is... well I don’t know. I would probably describe myself as a cautious continuationist.
I’ve not rated this book based on experience or bias (as much as I can obviously), but I’ve rated it solely on the content.
I agree wholeheartedly with many of the things said in this book. Most importantly I think this book highlights the problem that in many conservative, Evangelical, reformed (and so on) churches the Holy Spirit is left out. People can speak about God the Father and God the Son with ease but God the Spirit is viewed with some kind of scepticism. It’s as if people are asking “is the Holy Spirit really a person?” The answer is a wholehearted yes! We need to be more trinitarian in our sermons, singing, prayers and services.
Here are a few of the reasons that I disliked this book;
1. The idea that Christians can hinder the work of the Holy Spirit due to our lack of ‘openeness’.
2. McKnight says that he doesn’t believe in a ‘second baptism or blessing’ yet speaks as if he does.
3. McKnight seems to argue that Christ could only do miracles once he was ‘open to the Spirit’.
4. The book draws a lot of its understanding of what the Holt Spirit does based on stories and testimonies rather than Scripture.
5. There are parts of the book which seem to accuse the conservative, Evangelical, reformed circles of worshipping the Bible rather than God. Whilst I’m sure this was not the intent of the author, I’ve seen and had many charismatic brothers and sisters accuse me of this.
Before you think that I’m just being another reformed hater, I’m not. I was genuinely reading this book with an open mind and wanted to learn. I did learn things, I was reminded of wonderful truths and I was giving thanks to God for how He had worked through His Spirit in peoples lives.
Over the year I’ve read many books on the Holy Spirit which has led me to my current understating, which is... well I don’t know. I would probably describe myself as a cautious continuationist.
I’ve not rated this book based on experience or bias (as much as I can obviously), but I’ve rated it solely on the content.
I agree wholeheartedly with many of the things said in this book. Most importantly I think this book highlights the problem that in many conservative, Evangelical, reformed (and so on) churches the Holy Spirit is left out. People can speak about God the Father and God the Son with ease but God the Spirit is viewed with some kind of scepticism. It’s as if people are asking “is the Holy Spirit really a person?” The answer is a wholehearted yes! We need to be more trinitarian in our sermons, singing, prayers and services.
Here are a few of the reasons that I disliked this book;
1. The idea that Christians can hinder the work of the Holy Spirit due to our lack of ‘openeness’.
2. McKnight says that he doesn’t believe in a ‘second baptism or blessing’ yet speaks as if he does.
3. McKnight seems to argue that Christ could only do miracles once he was ‘open to the Spirit’.
4. The book draws a lot of its understanding of what the Holt Spirit does based on stories and testimonies rather than Scripture.
5. There are parts of the book which seem to accuse the conservative, Evangelical, reformed circles of worshipping the Bible rather than God. Whilst I’m sure this was not the intent of the author, I’ve seen and had many charismatic brothers and sisters accuse me of this.
Before you think that I’m just being another reformed hater, I’m not. I was genuinely reading this book with an open mind and wanted to learn. I did learn things, I was reminded of wonderful truths and I was giving thanks to God for how He had worked through His Spirit in peoples lives.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2019
7/10
Open to Spirit is almost the answer to a question I've been struggling with for the last several months: how do you combine Biblical literacy and a love of strong theology with a love of the Holy Spirit, and why do these two sides so often find themselves at loggerheads? I say this was almost an answer, as McKnight in many ways appears to embody and answer to this question, even if he is at times unable to verbalize it. Throughout the work, Scot encourages his readers to be open to calling of the Spirit in every aspect of our lives, as this, above everything else, is what separates Christians from non-Christians: the indwelling of the living God. This is often taken for granted, or outright ignored by many conservative believers because they find the working of the Spirit to be to uncomfortable, not least because it entails a lack of ownership over your own actions, as the Spirit moves in you. This is, at its core, nothing but pride, wrapped up in dogma and pseudo-theology like cessationism. For my part, I tend to wish that McKnight called this out more directly in this book, but he moreso seems to be writing to this same conservative audience, encouraging them to open themselves up to the movings of the Spirit.
This is the largest potential issue I find with the work: the reader could easily come to the conclusion that "opening yourself to the Spirit" is merely an effort of mastery over the will, preformed by my own power. I do not believe that McKnight believes this, but he consists fails to clear up the potential confusion. The opening of oneself to the Spirit then, is facilitated by, and succeeds only through, the Spirit. There is clearly a relationship between the Spirit coming in power, and our acceptance of His presence, but I suppose I would see it as more of a two-way street then McKnight describes.
I will certainly read more of McKnight's work, as he gives me hope that you can love both the experience of God, and the knowledge of Him, as I seek to do.
Open to Spirit is almost the answer to a question I've been struggling with for the last several months: how do you combine Biblical literacy and a love of strong theology with a love of the Holy Spirit, and why do these two sides so often find themselves at loggerheads? I say this was almost an answer, as McKnight in many ways appears to embody and answer to this question, even if he is at times unable to verbalize it. Throughout the work, Scot encourages his readers to be open to calling of the Spirit in every aspect of our lives, as this, above everything else, is what separates Christians from non-Christians: the indwelling of the living God. This is often taken for granted, or outright ignored by many conservative believers because they find the working of the Spirit to be to uncomfortable, not least because it entails a lack of ownership over your own actions, as the Spirit moves in you. This is, at its core, nothing but pride, wrapped up in dogma and pseudo-theology like cessationism. For my part, I tend to wish that McKnight called this out more directly in this book, but he moreso seems to be writing to this same conservative audience, encouraging them to open themselves up to the movings of the Spirit.
This is the largest potential issue I find with the work: the reader could easily come to the conclusion that "opening yourself to the Spirit" is merely an effort of mastery over the will, preformed by my own power. I do not believe that McKnight believes this, but he consists fails to clear up the potential confusion. The opening of oneself to the Spirit then, is facilitated by, and succeeds only through, the Spirit. There is clearly a relationship between the Spirit coming in power, and our acceptance of His presence, but I suppose I would see it as more of a two-way street then McKnight describes.
I will certainly read more of McKnight's work, as he gives me hope that you can love both the experience of God, and the knowledge of Him, as I seek to do.
April 14, 2018
I was able to request the book from Waterbrook press in order to write an unbiased review of it. First, if you know me, you know that I REALLY like reading Scot's work! I've enjoyed each of his three books on 'religious experience' (The Heaven Promise, The Hum of Angels, and Open to the Spirit), but this one was certainly my favorite of the three. In fact, this might be my favorite book that I've read by him since 'Jesus Creed' (I still have such books as "Fellowship of Differents" and "The Blue Parakeet" to read).
In this book, Scot does a beautiful job of calling us to a position of being 'open' to who the Holy Spirit is, and what He's doing around us and in us. There are probably parts of this book that would make some feel uncomfortable, simply because it's a subject matter that some of our circles in Christianity steer clear of and won't touch even with a 10ft pole. Regardless, this is a wonderful addition to the books available and is VERY easy to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has never really explored this mysterious figure of the Godhead, and is interested in exploring more about who the Holy Spirit is and what He does. Hands down, my 2 favorite chapters were chapter 9 (dealing with the subject of baptism in Scripture and how the Holy Spirit is connected with that) and chapter 15 (dealing with opening up to living a life of love infused and driven by the Spirit). There were other really good chapters (and a few that were just okay), but those two, I thought, were worth the time to read!
Reading this book ignites a desire to want to live life with more purpose, and helps you discover (or remember) truth that enables you to do just that. I would encourage you to read this book with an open mind, and then prayerfully and purposefully seek out what God may be leading you to do through the directing guidance of His very own Spirit!
In this book, Scot does a beautiful job of calling us to a position of being 'open' to who the Holy Spirit is, and what He's doing around us and in us. There are probably parts of this book that would make some feel uncomfortable, simply because it's a subject matter that some of our circles in Christianity steer clear of and won't touch even with a 10ft pole. Regardless, this is a wonderful addition to the books available and is VERY easy to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has never really explored this mysterious figure of the Godhead, and is interested in exploring more about who the Holy Spirit is and what He does. Hands down, my 2 favorite chapters were chapter 9 (dealing with the subject of baptism in Scripture and how the Holy Spirit is connected with that) and chapter 15 (dealing with opening up to living a life of love infused and driven by the Spirit). There were other really good chapters (and a few that were just okay), but those two, I thought, were worth the time to read!
Reading this book ignites a desire to want to live life with more purpose, and helps you discover (or remember) truth that enables you to do just that. I would encourage you to read this book with an open mind, and then prayerfully and purposefully seek out what God may be leading you to do through the directing guidance of His very own Spirit!
December 13, 2017
In "Open to the Spirit," Scot McKnight offers a compelling call to engage with the Holy Spirit as a necessary aspect of the Christian life. McKnight blends personal history with sound theology and Biblical exegesis to invite earnest disciples of Christ to discover the value of a deepening relationship with the Holy Spirit. He makes it clear that the Holy Spirit and all of the gifts given through the Holy Spirit remain valid for the Christian today. He explores the value of engaging with the Holy Spirit through benefits such as moral guidance, healing of physical disease, strengthening of Christian community, assurance in Christian witness, and a life filled with worship of our Creator God. Diving into this book will encourage your walk with God and open a longing for communing with the Holy Spirit.
This book's greatest weakness is also its greatest strength. McKnight trims away the academic flavor of many books on the Holy Spirit so that the true inquirer can quickly launch into an understanding of this person of the Godhead. The reason this is a weakness is that the book sometimes comes across as not grounded in scholarship. But the great boon found in this approach is that the Holy Spirit becomes accessible to everyone just as the Holy Spirit should be. If a person is looking for a treatise on pneumatology this book is not likely to satisfy, but if a person is looking for an invitation to understand this person of the Trinity and engage with the Holy Spirit then this book is a solid beginning.
I received this book as part of the Blogging for Books program with the Random House Publishing Group.
This book's greatest weakness is also its greatest strength. McKnight trims away the academic flavor of many books on the Holy Spirit so that the true inquirer can quickly launch into an understanding of this person of the Godhead. The reason this is a weakness is that the book sometimes comes across as not grounded in scholarship. But the great boon found in this approach is that the Holy Spirit becomes accessible to everyone just as the Holy Spirit should be. If a person is looking for a treatise on pneumatology this book is not likely to satisfy, but if a person is looking for an invitation to understand this person of the Trinity and engage with the Holy Spirit then this book is a solid beginning.
I received this book as part of the Blogging for Books program with the Random House Publishing Group.
November 8, 2019
The Holy Spirit is truly an amazing essence of God in our world. It is also amazing that one who clearly has a real sense, even experience of the Spirit at work in his life could so effectively objectify her, and turn the Spirit into just another object by which to either gain or measure favor with God. Spirit as a form of Dogma doesn't have much traction for this reader.
The perspective of the three persons of the Trinity, and especially the Spirit as described in this book, feels tiny and constrained. The Spirit is coddled and carefully described, except when illustrating bold miracles or as a proof that God exists, just as literally described in the pages of the Bible. McKnight even goes so far as to imply that the Spirit no longer communicates through authors of books or poetry, yet still DOES work through smaller, literal signs of miracles.
There is value here, however. Some of his experiences have merit as possible expressions of the God working in our world today. He does mention some prominent, and I feel more universal authors, though I would also say that he does this out of the context of those other authors.
As I've pointed out in other reviews of other books, there is a true and open audience for such a book as this. If you find yourself having been raised in a very closed, fundamentalist faith, there are some good nuggets of truth which may speak to you.
My take... reader beware of seeking an ever-smaller understanding of God. Take this starting point, and please continue to expand it, looking outward toward other communities, and a larger experience of God and the Holy!
The perspective of the three persons of the Trinity, and especially the Spirit as described in this book, feels tiny and constrained. The Spirit is coddled and carefully described, except when illustrating bold miracles or as a proof that God exists, just as literally described in the pages of the Bible. McKnight even goes so far as to imply that the Spirit no longer communicates through authors of books or poetry, yet still DOES work through smaller, literal signs of miracles.
There is value here, however. Some of his experiences have merit as possible expressions of the God working in our world today. He does mention some prominent, and I feel more universal authors, though I would also say that he does this out of the context of those other authors.
As I've pointed out in other reviews of other books, there is a true and open audience for such a book as this. If you find yourself having been raised in a very closed, fundamentalist faith, there are some good nuggets of truth which may speak to you.
My take... reader beware of seeking an ever-smaller understanding of God. Take this starting point, and please continue to expand it, looking outward toward other communities, and a larger experience of God and the Holy!
February 10, 2018
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Expected Publication: April 3, 2018
Cleanliness: Very Clean (Topics to consider: religion and spirits.)
3 stars
Frankly, I went into this book expecting a boring, information-packed study guide. I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t get me wrong, it was an information-packed sort-of study guide and was slightly boring; but it also had some really interesting, fast-paced sections. The author included many short stories from people’s lives that really helped his points.
Although this book is mostly about the Holy Spirit, it also sidetracks into other topics like prayer, holiness, wisdom, stereotypes, speaking in tongues, and how to have a true relationship with God.
The main thing I disliked was I felt that a big part of the book was restating what had already been said in a different way. I also didn’t feel like it went quite as in-depth as it could have.
Did I agree with this book’s teachings? Not completely. Would I read this book again? Not likely. Do I recommend Open to the Spirit? Yes, but only to a very particular group of people. Maybe that group is you? If you liked this book, be sure to tell me in the comments! Thanks for reading!
~I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook (Penguin Random House) for an honest review~
Expected Publication: April 3, 2018
Cleanliness: Very Clean (Topics to consider: religion and spirits.)
3 stars
Frankly, I went into this book expecting a boring, information-packed study guide. I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t get me wrong, it was an information-packed sort-of study guide and was slightly boring; but it also had some really interesting, fast-paced sections. The author included many short stories from people’s lives that really helped his points.
Although this book is mostly about the Holy Spirit, it also sidetracks into other topics like prayer, holiness, wisdom, stereotypes, speaking in tongues, and how to have a true relationship with God.
The main thing I disliked was I felt that a big part of the book was restating what had already been said in a different way. I also didn’t feel like it went quite as in-depth as it could have.
Did I agree with this book’s teachings? Not completely. Would I read this book again? Not likely. Do I recommend Open to the Spirit? Yes, but only to a very particular group of people. Maybe that group is you? If you liked this book, be sure to tell me in the comments! Thanks for reading!
~I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook (Penguin Random House) for an honest review~
October 31, 2018
McKnight is an exceptional writer. He is obviously very intelligent (he has a Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham; is a Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois; is the author of over 60 books; he oversees the popular blog Jesus Creed; is an immensely popular Conference Speaker; and in his "spare" time is a Deacon in the Anglican Church), and yet is able to take deeply theological subjects and translate them into "English" for us regular folk.🙂
This particular volume is especially written for those Christians who, not necessarily by design, have come to the realization that, while they may say they are Trinitarian in belief, in reality, their actions and understanding stop at "Father and Son."
This book covers virtually every topic of what it means to believe in the Holy Spirit, including God speaks to us today, He gives New Life through the power of the Spirit, the Gifts (including miraculous Gifts and why we can trust they are still at work today), the Fruit of the Spirit, and how to come against the Evil Powers that are in the world today.
I found this book to be incredibly thorough and filled with several Scriptural references in every chapter. It is well researched too. It is engaging, as the author shares many personal anecdotes of his own growth in becoming Open to the Spirit.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
This particular volume is especially written for those Christians who, not necessarily by design, have come to the realization that, while they may say they are Trinitarian in belief, in reality, their actions and understanding stop at "Father and Son."
This book covers virtually every topic of what it means to believe in the Holy Spirit, including God speaks to us today, He gives New Life through the power of the Spirit, the Gifts (including miraculous Gifts and why we can trust they are still at work today), the Fruit of the Spirit, and how to come against the Evil Powers that are in the world today.
I found this book to be incredibly thorough and filled with several Scriptural references in every chapter. It is well researched too. It is engaging, as the author shares many personal anecdotes of his own growth in becoming Open to the Spirit.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
November 20, 2019
Scot McKnight is a really good writer, and even if you don't agree with him -- he will make you consider what he says. I have read a bunch of books on the Holy Spirit, and always take away something from all of them. I am in the process of teaching a class on the Holy Spirit, and probably at this point of my life, I am more open to the work and direction of the Holy Spirit than I ever have been. I am probably not at the point that McKnight is, but he did make me consider what he says. I believe that I will probably refer back to parts of this book many times during this class, and will share some of the things that he has written. I don't know of any writer on this subject that I agree with completely, but again I would learn from all of them. This book would be a good read for anyone that wants to study deeper, learn more, and be challenged by the action of the Spirit in their life. I would recommend it to anyone, along with the admonishment to read critically; and allow the Bible to furnish the final answer of what you accept and believe.
December 17, 2019
Scot McKnight goes through an exposition of the Holy Spirit primarily in the functional role of the believer. The layout is that of small essays designed for the everyday church-goer that desires to be challenged with ideas that are both Biblical and understandable. This book is neither over conservative nor is it over charismatic, but is a healthy middle ground that honors both the Holy Spirit revealed in Scripture and the Holy Spirit revealed in contemporary Christian movements. This is an easy read and a good preliminary text for those unfamiliar with a conversation about the Holy Spirit.
The reason for the four stars instead of five is the lack of any real unfamiliar material about the Holy Spirit for me. McKnight is great at have many quick conversations about the same topic but from different angles. However, this led him, in this book at least, to refrain from any deep discussions about Holy Spirit, relying instead on creating quick arguments from sundry Biblical texts. Was good, just not the depth I was wanting.
The reason for the four stars instead of five is the lack of any real unfamiliar material about the Holy Spirit for me. McKnight is great at have many quick conversations about the same topic but from different angles. However, this led him, in this book at least, to refrain from any deep discussions about Holy Spirit, relying instead on creating quick arguments from sundry Biblical texts. Was good, just not the depth I was wanting.
July 29, 2018
As with all of Scot's works this is a very well written and easily accessible book. I appreciate his openness to share his journey to become 'open to the Spirit' as it informs his position and some of the conclusions he draws. As one who also was raised in a tradition that want open to the work of the Spirit, I too have had to grow in my relationship with God the Spirit.
In the end I find myself agreeing with most of the analyses and deductions in the book. That said there were still a couple of points about speaking in tongues that I would not agree with, and that was okay, as even there some of what he said I did agree with and those agreements would at least temper the possibilities of abuse (and I realize that my background might tend to negate the work of the Spirit in a way that is as harmful as some over zealous acceptance).
All in all this is a great work on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and the lives of the individual members of the Church.
In the end I find myself agreeing with most of the analyses and deductions in the book. That said there were still a couple of points about speaking in tongues that I would not agree with, and that was okay, as even there some of what he said I did agree with and those agreements would at least temper the possibilities of abuse (and I realize that my background might tend to negate the work of the Spirit in a way that is as harmful as some over zealous acceptance).
All in all this is a great work on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and the lives of the individual members of the Church.
April 23, 2018
Open To The SPIRIT Is a wonderful book. In the beginning before the book even starts there is an incredible prayer to set you on the right foot and to keep you locked in in your heart. This book, like it says "Scot opens up the Scriptures and introduces us to the greatest of GOD's SPIRIT" which is as you know is the HOLY SPIRIT. Each chapter gives more and more information or, intense and closer and closer to GOD; Which is where I want to be. I love GOD so much more after this. I never ever thought of the HOLY SPIRIT the way HE is until this book came around please don't miss your chance to see HIM too. I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all of the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.
if you would like to read more of my Christian book reviews go to chrisitanlybookreviewers.blogspot.com
if you would like to read more of my Christian book reviews go to chrisitanlybookreviewers.blogspot.com
October 26, 2019
Who is in control?
It seems to me his thinking is that the Spirit is controlled by the individual, & not the the other way around. Only a person that is born again, regenerated by the Holy Spirit really believes. One cannot truly be a believer until God changes the heart of stone into a living heart of flesh that desires God & His will for his life. To awakened to the desire of the heart is to always seeking to glorify God. That's what Jesus did, therefore, He was sensitive that the Holy Spirit was always in control & so always glorified His Father.
We all grow in degrees @ different rates for various reasons, but all truly regenerated will reach God's goal by His grace through faith that is generated by the Holy Spirit.
He does hit upon many, many truths that would be good & right to pay attention to & put into daily moment by by moment practice.
It seems to me his thinking is that the Spirit is controlled by the individual, & not the the other way around. Only a person that is born again, regenerated by the Holy Spirit really believes. One cannot truly be a believer until God changes the heart of stone into a living heart of flesh that desires God & His will for his life. To awakened to the desire of the heart is to always seeking to glorify God. That's what Jesus did, therefore, He was sensitive that the Holy Spirit was always in control & so always glorified His Father.
We all grow in degrees @ different rates for various reasons, but all truly regenerated will reach God's goal by His grace through faith that is generated by the Holy Spirit.
He does hit upon many, many truths that would be good & right to pay attention to & put into daily moment by by moment practice.
February 12, 2021
I enjoy Scot McKnight’s teaching and look forward to reading his other books. This book though should not of been my first impression of his writings. He kept asking “Are you Open to the Spirit?”. As I read though he rarely answers how to be open or what it means to be closed. Often he is trying to persuade me the Spirit is real, personal, gifting, empowering, and moving. I can not relate to any of the stories of those who have “Holy Spirit” encounters. Yes, I am open but i am at a loss as to how or why I do not experience the Spirit. I found myself wishing to be the editor. Shorten you chapter titles, consolidate some of these chapters, stop trying to just persuade, and use the stories of the Bible illustratively.
September 9, 2023
Good book. It could be shorter, here and there, though, as some sections feel very repetitive instead of building on the previous chapters. Additionally, Scot is a good theologian, so, having read and enjoyed other books he has written, I’d expect more exegesis and depth. Understandably, this is written to be accessible. However, at times, it feels too shallow in its approach to the texts. I’m only saying this because, if this is written to appeal to those who are not open to the Spirit, or those who are cessationists, then I do not think they’ll find it persuasive. It’s too anecdotal.
Again, a good book. I agree with Scot. And there’s some great passages here. But it needs the unnecessary repetitions pulling out, and just a little more depth putting in.
Again, a good book. I agree with Scot. And there’s some great passages here. But it needs the unnecessary repetitions pulling out, and just a little more depth putting in.
July 21, 2018
Scot McKnight has the ability, and obviously passion, to help us learn a biblical theme by slowly building a thesis with his writing. He’s done it again with Open to the Spirit, quoting and explaining biblical texts, connecting the dots in scripture, building his overall theme. He also is not afraid to let scripture speak for itself without over explaining and therefore tempting various theological persuasions to pick a fight.
Such an important topic. Required reading for an introduction, refresher or even deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit.
Such an important topic. Required reading for an introduction, refresher or even deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit.
February 15, 2019
As a follower of Christ, there is not enough talk between fellow Christians and non-believers about the Holy Spirit. This book was good, but it could have been summed up in less than 200 pages. Additionally, I didn’t feel like the book was very thought-provoking (or maybe because I’ve been closed by the Holy Spirit lately...?). We all should be open to the Holy Spirit at all times, and we should be open to God’s endless love at all times. He will surprise and shock you when He is able to show you what he has in store for you.
October 30, 2019
Giving this a 2-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. It was fair. Good to be challenged to a deeper openness to the Spirit of God and His role in my life. I do want to be open to the Spirit--and to walk in the Spirit. I felt there were a couple dubious interpretations, but overall pretty solid. I agree with the author that there has been probably a lesser emphasis overall in evangelical circles regarding the work & role of the Holy Spirit in believers and the church's life. So it's good to be challenged and exposed to think carefully about these things.
December 21, 2020
I read this book as a companion to a study I was doing with a group of women. McKnight focuses on the pervasive nature of the Holy Spirit, how he is foundational to our Christian walk, our Christian work and our formation. He emphasizes that our openness to the spirit in many aspects of life - the word, creation, relationships- transforms our very character and empowers our actions. He deals briefly and soundly with the “sign gifts” in the latter part of the book, in a way that is true to scripture and at the same time, stretches your thinking.
June 9, 2022
Good, accessible read. There were a few things I saw differently from the author, but this overall is an encouraging and basic treatment of the Holy Spirit.
I appreciated the foundation of his teaching in scripture and the overall purpose of worship emphasizing a pointing to Jesus.
This was published not long before many of the #churchtoo abuses came to light. Consequently, there were a couple of names mentioned in the book that no longer provide the positive examples intended at the time, given the allegations and proofs of their illicit behavior.
I appreciated the foundation of his teaching in scripture and the overall purpose of worship emphasizing a pointing to Jesus.
This was published not long before many of the #churchtoo abuses came to light. Consequently, there were a couple of names mentioned in the book that no longer provide the positive examples intended at the time, given the allegations and proofs of their illicit behavior.
August 29, 2024
Bravo libro per McKnight. Questo è il terzo libro che leggo da lui e devo dire che è quello che mi è piaciuto di più. Lui parla di la importanza di essere aperto al movimento dallo Spirto Santo eppure se non crediamo in cose come parlare in altre lingue, visioni, sogni, etc. È interessante leggere la sua opinione, dato che lui è un scolastico. Racommendo questo libro a tutti quelli che magari non credono nei movimenti carismatici dello Spirito ma sono disponibili a sapere e sperimentare di più se ne si trova.
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November 15, 2019McKnight offers anecdotal and exegetical support for an active engagement with the person of the Holy Spirit. Not systematic theology. Does not identify the Person of the Spirit within the Trinity. He argues that a second baptism in the Spirit is unbiblical. The section on assurance of faith where he connected the inner witness of the Holy Spirit with signs of gradual sanctification based on Rom 8:13-17.
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