J.D. Greear. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2014. 237 pp. (Paperback).
Let me begin by admitting I am a fan of J.D. Greear’s writing. Apparently I am not alone. When a book is endorsed by people like David Platt, Paige Patterson and Jim Cymbala you pretty much know it’s a winner.
Why the title? In the preface Greear points out that Jesus said to the disciples that it was better for Him to go and send the Holy Spirit. Greear points out, “They needed the Spirit’s presence so much that Jesus told them not to so much as lift a finger toward the Great Commission until the Spirit had arrived.”
After Pentecost they turned the world upside down.
One reason I like Greear’s work so much is that he is open and honest. In a chapter titled, “When You Can’t Feel God,” he admits that there are times in all of our lives when God seems to be absent. But is He really absent? Greear points to Gideon, who asked in Judges 6:13 — right before he destroyed the whole Midianite army with 300 men — “If the Lord is really with us … where are all His wonderful deeds?” I’ll bet Gideon didn’t have to ask again. In the same way the Holy Spirit is always working in our lives even though we do not always recognize it.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians is often overlooked and neglected. Yet Jesus said the Holy Spirit’s presence was better than His own. Once you read this book I suspect you will not overlook nor neglect the Holy Spirit in your life again.
Share with others: