Jim Cymbala - Spirit Rising: Tapping into the Power of the Holy Spirit

WITH JENNIFER SCHUCHMANN

To my late friend
Dave Wilkerson,
whose dependence on the Holy Spirit
in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ
was an inspiration to so many.

E very Sunday millions of people sit bored in church services. Even the churches that spend a fortune on production and put on a great show eventually dissatisfy. But think about something: Is it possible to be bored of the Holy Spirit? If He was truly moving, would we ever look at our watches? So isnt boredom a sure sign of the Spirits absence?

This book is not about asking for the Holy Spirits help. It is about asking Him to take over. It is for those who refuse to put up with going through the motions any longer.

It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh is no help at all (John 6:63).

Stare at that verse. Do you believe it? Does your prayer life reflect it?

The Holy Spirit is not merely helpful. He is our only hope. He is the one who gives life. Yet when people lack life, the church often points to other solutions. When church services lack life, we grasp at so many other methods to try to generate excitement. This is not true at Brooklyn Tabernacle, where Pastor Jim has served faithfully for decades. Their solution for everything is prayer. And it shows.

One of the things I love about this book is that it is written by a man of God. Not a kid with a theory, but a man of God who has watched the Spirit work mightily during his many years of faithful ministry.

I remember, years ago, sitting at a conference and being amazed and a bit jealous as speakers impressed me with their knowledge and charisma. Then Pastor Cymbala stepped on stage. He was every bit as captivating as the others, but he spoke in such a way that I forgot all about him. He made me focus on Jesus. At the end of the sermon, I was in awe of God. I was focused on His word, not his.

It is clear from his teaching and writing that Jim Cymbala has an agenda: to make sure that Jesus is the only person glorified. While many scholars make every effort to assure us that we are not intelligent enough to understand the Scriptures without their help, Jim champions the ordinary person filled with the Holy Spirit. He encourages us to examine the Scriptures for ourselves in the power of the Spirit. He reminds us that its all about Him, and He wants to empower, lead, teach, and use us. All of us.

We all see the problems in the church. We dont need another book to point those out. We now need the faith to believe that the solution really is that simple. The Holy Spirit.

Francis Chan

Author of Crazy Love

I wasnt expecting the Holy Spirit to join me for lunch, yet thats exactly what happened.

My wife, Carol, was out of town, so I went to a little caf that I like on Long Island. I found a quiet table against the wall, ordered my usual salad, and while I was enjoying my healthy food, I caught up on some reading. I subscribe to the New York Times on my Kindle, and Id already read through several stories when a headline caught my attention: Hate Engulfs Christians in Pakistan. I was well into my salad by then, but I set my fork down as I read the article:

The blistered black walls of the Hameed familys bedroom tell of an unspeakable crime. Seven family members died here on Saturday, six of them burned to death by a mob that had broken into their house and shot the grandfather dead, just because they were Christian.

The family had huddled in the bedroom, talking in whispers with their backs pressed against the door, as the mob taunted them.

They said, If you come out, well kill you, said Ikhlaq Hameed, 22, who escaped. Among the dead were two children, Musa, 6, and Umaya, 13.

The article described a rampage by a crowd of twenty thousand Muslims that lasted eight hours in Gojra, Pakistan, where Christians represent less than 5 percent of the population. In addition to the murdered members of the Hameed family, twenty Christians were wounded, and the mob burned and looted a hundred Christian homes, in some cases also wiping out the familys livelihood.

Why?

The day before, Christians at a wedding party in a nearby village were accused of burning a Quran. Officials who looked into the accusation said the charges were false, but local religious leaders used the news to rally Muslims against the local Christian minority.

The Hameeds, a Christian family, werent involved in any of that. They were just eating breakfast in their home as the mob gathered nearby. When the grandfather opened the door to see what all the noise was for, the crowd of Muslims rushed inside. The Hameeds tried to take refuge in a back room as the mob entered their house and looted it before setting it on fire.

I couldnt believe what I was reading. Often the mistreatment of Christians goes unreported in the national media, but this story was in the New York Times. I searched other newspapers for additional information and learned that apparently Pakistani police had stood by while the carnage went on. A comment by one of the survivors moved me the most. He said he wouldnt retaliate because the Bible taught him to pray that his enemies would see the light.

I began to pray for the Christians in Pakistan, but as I prayed, I found myself weeping, and I had to turn my face toward the wall. I was concerned others in the caf would see my tears and wonder what was wrong. What a tragedy! I couldnt imagine the suffering those people were going through because of their faith in Jesus. I felt such a bond with themthose brothers and sisters whom I didnt know personally but would one day spend eternity with.

Like Mr. Hameed, I am a Christian and a grandfather, but thats where the similarities end. I have never opened my door to an angry mob and tried to protect my family from looters. Ive never watched my family die while trying to escape the flames of our burning house. Ive never suffered physical violence because of my devotion to Christ. I could only try to imagine how those circumstances would test their faith. Or my faith.

Here in America, we believers may feel like our faith is being tested by something as silly as a traffic jam or a car that wont start. The truth is were all spoiled, including me. I had so much and they had so little; our lives and experiences were worlds apart. And yet I now felt such a burden to help them. But how? I didnt know anyone in Pakistan. I was just a simple man eating lunch alone in a Long Island caf.

The Holy Spirit had stirred my heart in an unusual way, and I couldnt cease praying for them. Lord, be with your people. Help them to find food, work, a roof over their heads, and a bed where they can rest. Comfort them in their grief. Protect them. Guard their mindsdont let them lose faith because of the violence committed against them. I prayed until I didnt know what else to pray. When I finished, I felt as if Id done what I could, yet their tragedy remained in my heart like a weight.

For the rest of that Monday and most of the next day, I went about my business, but my mind frequently returned to those people, and each time it did, I interceded in prayer for them. One man had sold grain from a cart, but the mob had burned it along with a chest for his daughters dowry. Where would he find work now that the tools of his trade were gone? Families were suddenly homeless and on the street searching for a place to live. The people in their church couldnt even help them, because a hundred other houses had also been burned and looted. Only God could help them cope with such pain and loss.