Growing the Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit

Summary

We would all like to see our churches grow. The Holy Spirit is a crucial aspect to any growth in our congregations. The Holy Spirit is still a very mysterious person of the Trinity to many of us. We don’t know how the Spirit works. We don’t know how to step into a spiritual dance with the Spirit. In the book Growing the Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit, Brad Long, Paul Stokes, and Cindy Strickler share their experiences and learnings to help lead other people into a meaningful dance with the Holy Spirit. They want others to learn how to embrace the work of the Spirit so that the church grows. This is not just numerical grown, but spiritual growth. We want all glory to go to God, and the Holy Spirit can work in miraculous ways to show the glory of God.

Takeaways

1. “In our dance of cooperation with the Spirit, he is the director of the whole process: he calls us into the dance, leads the steps, and directs our movement towards his purpose. At the same time, he leaves room for our full, responsive, joyful participation.”
2. Entering into the dance of cooperation with the Spirit takes risk. It involves us giving up control. It is not easy, but when the Spirit moves God is glorified and lives are changed. Entering the dance is a risk worth taking.

Who should read this book?

Christians, especially church leaders. Church leaders have the opportunity to impact a whole congregation. As the leader goes so does the church. If we want to see churches transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit then the leaders have to start by entering the dance. Other Christians can be those leaders. They can help lead their churches, families, and friends into a life changing relationship with the Holy Spirit.