Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.The Spirit-Filled LifeDiscover the Joy of Surrendering to the Holy SpiritBy Charles F. Stanley Thomas NelsonCopyright © 2014 Charles F. StanleyAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4002-0615-5ContentsAcknowledgments, ix,Introduction, xi,Prologue: The Adequate Christian Life, xiii,PART ONE: LOOKING UP, 1,1. A Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life, 3,2. My First Encounter, 15,3. The Indwelling Spirit, 25,4. D-Day, 41,5. My Life as a Branch, 61,PART TWO: LOOKING WITHIN, 79,6. The Faith Factor, 81,7. Keeping in Step, 93,8. What Does It Look Like?, 111,9. The Power of the Produce, 129,10. The Giver of Gifts, 139,11. Doing God's Work God's Way, 159,12. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, 173,PART THREE: LOOKING AHEAD, 185,13. The Holy Spirit: Our Guide, 187,14. Preparing to Hear: The Principle of Neutrality, 195,15. Marker 1: Peace, 207,16. Marker 2: The Conscience, 217,17. Marker 3: The Word of God, 231,18. Marker 4: Wisdom, 253,Conclusion, 265,Appendix A: Spiritual Gifts, 267,Appendix B: The Sign Gifts in Focus, 271,Appendix C: For Further Study, 275,Notes, 279,About the Author, 283,CHAPTER 1A WONDERFUL SPIRIT-FILLED LIFEFor too many believers the Christian life boils down to simply doing the best they can. There is no power or distinction that sets them apart from the way everyone else in this world exists. The good they do can be attributed to their own discipline, determination, and devotion to God, rather than His activity in their lives.I meet believers all the time whose doctrine can be summed up in two statements:1. Nobody's perfect.2. God understands.For them, life is one long string of joys and sorrows with the distant promise of heaven at the end.There is often a deep chasm between what Christians sing on Sunday and what they actually do on Monday through Saturday. Many are quick to argue that they should have a meaningful relationship with God and that somehow the truth they hear on Sunday should seep into their daily lives. But somehow the details of their lives are void of the Father's divine influence.After all, people feel they have to be realistic-life goes on. There are bills to pay and problems to overcome. Yes, they may believe God will help them, but what does that really mean? It is no wonder that their Monday-through-Saturday theology resembles the flawed principle Ben Franklin taught us: "God helps those who help themselves."To an outsider looking in, there is often little or no difference between the lifestyle, thought life, and habits of the believer and those of his non-Christian neighbor. Oh, the believer may experience a foreboding sense of what ought to be done and what should be said, but any change in him or her is usually motivated by guilt and consequently is often short-lived.Just think about it. The divorce rate for Christian adults isn't far behind that of the rest of the world. The percentage of Christian adolescents who are involved in premarital sex rivals the statistics for those kids who say they have no strong religious beliefs. Christian counseling services are increasingly in demand. And not a month goes by that a major evangelical church or organization isn't rocked by a moral scandal of some kind. Statistically and observationally, there seems to be little difference between the lifestyles of the saints and those of the sinners.A View from the PulpitThis situation is a constant source of frustration and concern for me as a pastor. I am driven by a desire to get the truth to the world; the more people who hear about Jesus, the better. Nothing thrills my heart like watching men and women grasp the goodness and grace of God. And nothing motivates me like seeing others integrate the principles of His Word into their lives.On the other hand, nothing is more frustrating than knowing people are listening week after week-oftentimes writing it all down- but doing nothing with what they have just hear
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.The Spirit-Filled LifeDiscover the Joy of Surrendering to the Holy SpiritBy Charles F. Stanley Thomas NelsonCopyright © 2014 Charles F. StanleyAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4002-0615-5ContentsAcknowledgments, ix,Introduction, xi,Prologue: The Adequate Christian Life, xiii,PART ONE: LOOKING UP, 1,1. A Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life, 3,2. My First Encounter, 15,3. The Indwelling Spirit, 25,4. D-Day, 41,5. My Life as a Branch, 61,PART TWO: LOOKING WITHIN, 79,6. The Faith Factor, 81,7. Keeping in Step, 93,8. What Does It Look Like?, 111,9. The Power of the Produce, 129,10. The Giver of Gifts, 139,11. Doing God's Work God's Way, 159,12. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, 173,PART THREE: LOOKING AHEAD, 185,13. The Holy Spirit: Our Guide, 187,14. Preparing to Hear: The Principle of Neutrality, 195,15. Marker 1: Peace, 207,16. Marker 2: The Conscience, 217,17. Marker 3: The Word of God, 231,18. Marker 4: Wisdom, 253,Conclusion, 265,Appendix A: Spiritual Gifts, 267,Appendix B: The Sign Gifts in Focus, 271,Appendix C: For Further Study, 275,Notes, 279,About the Author, 283,CHAPTER 1A WONDERFUL SPIRIT-FILLED LIFEFor too many believers the Christian life boils down to simply doing the best they can. There is no power or distinction that sets them apart from the way everyone else in this world exists. The good they do can be attributed to their own discipline, determination, and devotion to God, rather than His activity in their lives.I meet believers all the time whose doctrine can be summed up in two statements:1. Nobody's perfect.2. God understands.For them, life is one long string of joys and sorrows with the distant promise of heaven at the end.There is often a deep chasm between what Christians sing on Sunday and what they actually do on Monday through Saturday. Many are quick to argue that they should have a meaningful relationship with God and that somehow the truth they hear on Sunday should seep into their daily lives. But somehow the details of their lives are void of the Father's divine influence.After all, people feel they have to be realistic-life goes on. There are bills to pay and problems to overcome. Yes, they may believe God will help them, but what does that really mean? It is no wonder that their Monday-through-Saturday theology resembles the flawed principle Ben Franklin taught us: "God helps those who help themselves."To an outsider looking in, there is often little or no difference between the lifestyle, thought life, and habits of the believer and those of his non-Christian neighbor. Oh, the believer may experience a foreboding sense of what ought to be done and what should be said, but any change in him or her is usually motivated by guilt and consequently is often short-lived.Just think about it. The divorce rate for Christian adults isn't far behind that of the rest of the world. The percentage of Christian adolescents who are involved in premarital sex rivals the statistics for those kids who say they have no strong religious beliefs. Christian counseling services are increasingly in demand. And not a month goes by that a major evangelical church or organization isn't rocked by a moral scandal of some kind. Statistically and observationally, there seems to be little difference between the lifestyles of the saints and those of the sinners.A View from the PulpitThis situation is a constant source of frustration and concern for me as a pastor. I am driven by a desire to get the truth to the world; the more people who hear about Jesus, the better. Nothing thrills my heart like watching men and women grasp the goodness and grace of God. And nothing motivates me like seeing others integrate the principles of His Word into their lives.On the other hand, nothing is more frustrating than knowing people are listening week after week-oftentimes writing it all down- but doing nothing with what they have just hear
