Craig T. Owens

Every time I read or hear Jim Cymbala speak, I know I’m hearing from a man who is hearing from God. This is a humble man who has his spiritual ears tuned-in to the Holy Spirit’s voice, and in Spirit Rising we hear a clear call for us to tune-in to the Spirit’s voice as well.

As I began to read this book, a quote near the beginning jumped off the page and into my heart—

“Many of us want more of God but not to the point of being ridiculed. Our Western minds think, I will serve the Lord, but I will remain in control as I do it. But whether we like it or not, that’s not how the church began. The church began with Spirit-controlled Christians who yielded themselves to God. That’s radical, yes, but that’s the way the Lord did it.

“Some might say, ’Yeah, but we’ve improved upon the New Testament style of Christianity.’ If that’s true, I want to see the spiritual fruit our improvements have produced. People may have mocked those first, ’unsophisticated’ Christians, but thousands got saved in the first four chapters of Acts. The Word of God was treasured. The churches were filled with sacrificial love. A holy excitement pervaded the atmosphere. Have we really improved upon that?”

Through a closer look at the New Testament church, through personal experience, through the voices of notable leaders in the church’s history, and through personal testimonies, Pastor Cymbala makes it clear that today’s Christianity is sadly missing an intimate connection with the Holy Spirit. The subtitle—tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit—is an apt description of what you will find in this book.

If you are hungry for more of God’s presence in your life, in your church, in your community, please dive into Spirit Rising and be prepared to have your spiritual eyes opened!