Disciplines of the Holy Spirit

by Siang-Yang Tan, Douglas H. Gregg

Connect with the life-changing ministry of the Holy Spirit. Disciples of the Holy Spirit shows how a dynamic, close walk with God can be yours each day through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. As the energizer of your faith, the Spirit wants to bring you into a transforming communion with Christ. He wants to empower you to love your enemies, live without fear, and give generously out of an inner abundance. Your part? Simply yielding to him through the following spiritual As you practice the spiritual disciplines, your concept of what it means to be a Christian will acquire a new, life-changing dimension. You'll grow closer to Jesus--and your life will increasingly reflect the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. "Dr. Tan always has something worthwhile to say. His passion for people, life, and God, combined with his extensive professional knowledge make this book an important read." - Larry Crabb Jr., PhD, counselor and bestselling author "A passionate, fresh guide for how Christians can grow in Christ through the traditional spiritual disciplines. Believers of differing theological backgrounds will find encouragement and wisdom." - Stanton L. Jones, PhD, author of the God's Design for Sex book series Dr. Siang-Yang Tan is senior pastor of First Evangelical Church in Glendale, California. He is also associate professor of psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary, a licensed psychologist, and the author of Lay Equipping Christians for a Helping Ministry . He lives in Arcadia, California. Dr. Douglas Gregg is former director of the Office of Christian Community at Fuller Theological Seminary and a training specialist with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He is the coauthor of Inner A Handbook for Helping Yourself & Others and lives in Los Angeles.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 3, 1997

About the author

Siang-Yang Tan is director of the doctor of psychology program in the Graduate School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. His Ph.D. is from McGill University.

-from the back cover of Coping with Depression (1995)

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began this book…skeptical. Yes, very skeptical. You see, I suffer from an overabundance of book knowledge. Head knowledge is good in the right time and place, but too often it colors the way I approach a book or a class. I figure ‘hey, I’ve studied this since I was a child. What can one more book tell me?’ and I read cynically, ready to pounce on the smallest amount of explanation. My mind goes ‘Ahah! I already knew that. It was as I expected. Nothing new under the sun.’ I hate it when other people point this weakens out in me. It strongly touches my pride.
And that…is how I began Disciplines of the Holy Spirit by Dr. Tan and Dr. Gregg. A book written in the nineties? I figured it must be totally dated. And in a way…it kind of is. From a logistical, analytical standpoint a great deal has happened in the church and in the Spiritual movement. Blessed with a Spiritual family, I learned about the Spiritual gifts and using them from a young age. I figure this qualified me as Experienced and this book as Out of Touch.
But I was wrong. Does any of this make sense? You see, my pride got in the way. And yes, it hurts to admit it. I read this book for class, and only for that. I didn’t expect to “learn” anything. After all, I’m the smart kid. I’ve had the answers for years…
Read this book. Please. But more then read it, put it into practice. That is what made this book so influential for me. A part of our class was reading the chapters…and picking a spiritual discipline to practice. When you read the chapters with an eye to your own life, when you seek ways for the Spirit to move, things happen. That God-shaped hole starts aching again. Sometimes, if you are like me, you’ll be surprised to discover that some of these spiritual disciplines are things you do every day without consciously tagging them as “disciplines”. Other times you might recognize in your life moments when you were strong in some areas…and have become weaker. You might even surprise yourself by how much your spirit longs to do something like fasting or fellowship.
While not perfect, this book has a lot to offer. It’s challenging and interesting. For me, the more I read the more the Spirit was able to counter my skepticism and bless me. Maybe that’s why it took me so long to make it through the first two chapters….once I got going though, it was really amazing.
So read, practice, discover. God wants to be a pivotal part of your everyday life...and mine.

[Alexis Shippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

“In themselves, the spiritual disciplines are nothing. They are only a source that connects us to the Holy Spirit, without Him they turn into legalistic practices that lead to spiritual death.”

To anybody wanting to dig more into who the Holy Spirit is, this is great! Each chapter is based on Scripture and full of practical & personal examples. Though I wouldn’t necessarily say I learned anything new, it was a great encouragement and reminder of the power of the Holy Spirit!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Great for slow, thoughtful reading. I really appreciate that it’s about spiritual disciplines but is focused on the Holy Spirit’s power in and among us, rather than just trying harder to be good at spiritual disciplines. Definitely my favorite book on this topic so far. Will re-read and recommend.