The Holy Spirit, the Gifts, and Jesus

On Sundays we have been working through the book of 1 Corinthians. Recently we have been focusing on chapters 12-14 and have been talking about the manifestations of the Spirit. With a church that includes people from many backgrounds and many cultures, it has been a wonderful time of discussion and seeking God together.

A.B. Simpson

Our church is part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. I believe that the Alliance has an incredibly balanced view of these gifts and of the Holy Spirit's role in the life of the believer. For those that are unfamiliar with the Alliance, its founder A.B. Simpson had a passion for the deeper life and missions. He became convinced that it was easy to focus on gifts rather than on Jesus. He wanted to have the focus on Jesus rather than the gifts that he gives. I think that is important for a healthy Christian life.

Simpson was a man who loved to write hymns. Frankly, many of them are unsingable, but because he led such a great move of God and the lyrics contained such powerful truth, they became popular. One of them, Himself, has been set to a more modern tune, and is worth listening to. It catches some of Simpson's heart when it came to where our vision should be focused. Listen to Modern Version of Himself

An Alliance man even more well known that Simpson is A.W. Tozer. His books have been a blessing to many and his ability to teach about the Christian life is profound. He died in 1963 but fortunately many of he sermons were recorded. He was not a Christianity-lite preacher like many today. The Christian and Missionary Alliance US has put many of his sermons on its website.  They are all excellent. If you have been struggling with the subject of the Holy Spirit I would recommend listening to his series on the subject. Load them up and listen while you walk, do the dishes or drive to work. But don't be surprised if you have to turn it off and spend some time praying or find yourself lost in worship. Tozer has a way of speaking deep into the heart and turning eyes to Christ.