Jack Deere - Why I Am Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit

When my friend Jack Deere asked me in 1992 to read and critique the manuscript of Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, I was at first honored and later overwhelmed by its persuasive and, in my opinion, irrefutable argumentation. I remain convinced it was the most important evangelical book of the 1990s. Now, much to my delight, Jack has extensively rewritten that book, although his convictions about what the Bible says concerning the Holy Spirit remain the same. With new stories of verified healings and testimonies of the life-changing power of the prophetic, Jack has surprised me once again. More than twenty-five years have passed since his book released, and a new generation of Christians stands in great need of the profound biblical and practical insights that Jack brings to bear on this subject. Get it, read it, and discover why Jack is still surprised by the person and power of the Spirit.

S AM S TORMS , pastor, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City

This marvelous, game-changing work about the power of the Spirit is transformative and challenging. Jack Deere offers mature insights learned from Scripture, from enduring testing, and from a wider range of experience with spiritual gifts than most others, and we have much to learn from him. Its a great privilege to endorse this book.

C RAIG S. K EENER , F. M. and Ada Thompson professor
of biblical studies, Asbury Theological Seminary

This book is like its authorbright, accessible, full of practical wisdom, and bursting with inspiring stories of Gods love and power.

A NDREW W ILSON , teaching pastor, Kings Church London

Since its publication in 1993, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit has been a brilliant introduction to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit at work in our world today. If youre longing for a fresh baptism in the Holy Spiritfor the first time or the thousandth timethis new edition is for you. Jack Deere is a statesman in the body of Christ, and this is a wonderful update to what is arguably his classic work.

P ETE G REIG , author of How to Pray

More than twenty-five years ago, the story of Jack Deeres encounter with the Holy Spirit rocked the evangelical world, as this cessationist seminary professor discovered to his great surprise that the Spirit was still speaking and healing today. Now, in the year 2020, Jack has shared his story anew with refreshing candor and wonderful biblical insight. I cant wait to see how this new Surprised book rocks a new generation of readers!

D R . M ICHAEL L. B ROWN , host, The Line of Fire broadcast

This book is the perfect example of why I am still surprised by Jack Deere. With humility, winsomeness, and competence, he is able to bring biblical clarity to some of the fuzziest and most heavily debated topics in the church. A mix of easy-to-follow theology, church history, and personal experience, this book will kindly answer the skeptic, pastorally lead the student, and safely disciple the seeker.

D AVID B OWDEN , author of Rewire Your
Heart and founder, Spoken Gospel

ZONDERVAN REFLECTIVE

Why I Am Still Surprised by the Spirit

Copyright 2020 by Jack S. Deere

Portions of this book were previously published as

Surprised by the Power of the Spirit 1993

ePub Edition February 2020: ISBN 978-0-310-10813-9

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: Brian Bobel

Cover photo: iStockphoto

Interior design: Kait Lamphere

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 /LSC/ 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

For Leesa

For a half of a century,
Leesa and I have walked side by side
as brother and sister in Christ,
as friends and lovers,
as father and mother.

She is still as radiant as the dawn,
as beautiful as the full moon,
as pure as the sun,
as awesome as an army with banners.

Based on Song of Solomon 6:10 NASB