In this book, Dennis and Rita Bennett, tell simply and readably how you can experience the same outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life that has been experienced in the lives of hundreds of thousand of others since it began in their church in 1960. Eve
In 1977 when I asked the Lord to come into my life I had never been to church before. This was really going to change my life when I did finally ask with sincerity. I read this book around that time as a huge revival had just started in St. Mark's Episcopal Church at Van Nuys. I was a little blind to what the differences of the denominations were at this time. I was saved in a Church of God, but left the church and traveled where the Holy Spirit led me...I was willing to go. This book has many translations all over the world and sold many copies. It explains the importance of a Spirit-filled life.
To keep my theology accurate...I never forget what I read on p 23... "No matter how cleverly we may work out our theories, if they don't agree with the scriptures, they are unacceptable."
Jesus dwelt in the Holy Spirit, so if He led by example then this is the something I did not understand until 1980. Another quest of mine as I felt like there was something missing. I keep stumbling but never back slide, because of the Holy Spirit keep guiding me just because I wanted to be just like Christ.
The early Christians lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. The miraculous new life they had in Jesus amazed the world, and "turned it upside down." If you have ever asked, "What happened to those wonderful things?" you will be excited to know that right now in these days many people are rediscovering them. Once again healing, miracles, prophecy and other gifts of the Holy Spirit are being seen and heard; love, joy and peace, and other other wonderful "fruit" of the Holy Spirit are being experienced by everyday folk who are receiving a new kind of life in the power of the Spirit.
In 1973 I had read a book by John Sherrill called "They Speak with Other Tongues". It talked about the benefits of speaking in tongues. I wanted these benefits. Especially the benefit of having a deeper more intimate relationship with God. So I started begging God to show me how to speak in tongues. About two weeks later I was in a Christian book stores a came across this book by Dennis and Rita Bennett called "The Holy Spirit and You". I noticed there was a chapter on "how to speak in tongues". So I bought the book and read it. I followed the instructions and started speaking in tongues. Praise the Lord for showing me this book and answering my prayer. If you do not speak in tongues, you need to read this book.
This book was used as the textbook in a study on the gifts of the Holy Spirit at my church. The class was excellent, but our priest added a lot of supplemental material and pointed out a few places where he felt the author of the book was in error. Well worth reading.
A plain-spoken man, Bennett gives refreshing insight in his explanation of spiritual gifts. I don't agree with everything he said, but most of it gave shape to my understanding of the subject.
Some of the details are archaic and irrelevant to the times, today. That said, for the most part, it’s an excellent read if you’re a young Christian hoping to learn more about the Holy Spirit as well as the gifts and fruits of the spirit.
I didn’t agree with some of the theology and found certain points very outdated/old-fashioned. But it still had its insights and I felt like was able to take some things away from it.