What's in the Bible About the Holy Spirit?. Abingdon Press

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      One of the biblical phrases associated with the Holy Spirit, the third of the primary names by which Christians talk about God, is the Comforter. However, while Christians take comfort in knowing that the presence and power of Jesus are still with us through the Spirit, there is not much comforting about the way the Spirit works. The Spirit hovers, creates, blows, and explodes upon people throughout the Bible. Images associated with the Holy Spirit are not only the dove but also fire, cloud, and wind. A visit from the Holy Spirit in Scriptures usually means that a character's life is about to change dramatically.

      Why is this good news? For people living in similarly tumultuous times, the idea that God is not going to leave us alone is encouraging. If the Bible is right about who God is and how God operates, then the world is infused with the power of transformation and we experience that power through the work of the Holy Spirit. God came into the world in Jesus in order to save it, and the witness to what God was doing then and what God wants to do now is the Holy Spirit.

      In this book we will explore several ways that the Bible talks about the role of God's Spirit. Though it may seem to be the most insubstantial aspect of God, there is no escaping the Spirit as a major character moving the story of salvation through every part of the Bible. In Chapter 1, we will look at how the Spirit creates and renews from the early days of Creation into our present lives. Chapter 2 lifts up dreams, visions, and the role of trusted mentors in the work of the Spirit to inspire God's people with a new word for a new day. Chapter 3 explores the empowering work of God's Spirit as it plays out in some of the Bible's most colorful figures and in Jesus' ministry. Finally, in Chapter 4, we look at how people have sensed God's continuing presence through the Holy Spirit.

      The watchword for this series of studies has been the question, "Why should I care?" How is the story of a spirit, even a holy spirit that moves like wind through human history, supposed to be compelling in a world that considers such thinking magical? For people who have given themselves over to Jesus, however, this talk is not craziness. It is a way of expressing something real about God. They know, as members of those early Celtic Christian communities knew, that there is nothing static about God. God is always on the move, upsetting apple carts and sending ordinary people on to do extraordinary things. The Holy Spirit language helps make sense of how God does this surprising work. Why should you care? Because the Holy Spirit just might be waiting to do the same with you!

      As always in these writing enterprises, I am indebted to those who keep me faithful to a calling that is far beyond me. More so than usual in this book I am grateful for my teachers who have helped me understand the work of the Holy Spirit. Eugene Rogers in particular was instrumental in helping me love the study of the Trinity and helping me know why I care about the Holy Spirit.

      The people of Franktown United Methodist Church, who know so much about wind and water and the ways the Spirit has moved on our edge of the world, have also provided me with spiritual sustenance and creative challenge that led to this book. The far-flung network of former students I worked with in campus ministry continue to inspire me with their following of the Spirit––journeys I now enjoy sharing through occasional visits and numerous Facebook postings. My family, as always, has encouraged my stories and enriched my days. My children have taught me that parenthood is a grand and glorious adventure. For writing partners and poets who never knew they touched me, I am also thankful.

      So here you are on the verge of beginning an exploration into a book on the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is waiting as well to give birth once more to what God will say and do in you. Let's begin!

       Alex Joyner

      ¹From Chasing the Wild Goose: The Iona Community, by Ron Ferguson (Collins, 1988); page 17.

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