The Familiar Stranger

1. The Holy Spirit is a Person, Not a Force, Essential for Experiential Faith

Meaning nearly two-thirds of American Christians believe the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is a force to be wielded, not a person to know and be known by.

A Quiet Crisis. Many Christians experience a "quiet, subtle crisis" where their lived faith doesn't match the vibrant, powerful spirituality described in the New Testament. This gap between biblical promise and daily reality often stems from a misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit, viewing Him as an impersonal force rather than a divine person. The author's own journey, from a stressed pastor to one experiencing the Spirit's power, highlights this longing for a "lived story" beyond mere paper.

Biblical Foundation. From creation, where the "Spirit of God was hovering over the waters," to the Old Testament's tabernacle and temple, God's presence was always seeking intimacy with humanity. Jesus, the living tabernacle, embodied this presence, performing miracles and forgiving sins by the Spirit's power. Post-Pentecost, every believer becomes a "living temple," indwelled by the same Spirit that empowered Jesus, enabling them to continue His ministry.

Familiar Stranger. Despite this profound biblical truth, the Holy Spirit remains a "familiar stranger" in much of the modern church—often unknown, feared, or divisive. This leads to a troubling gap between what is believed intellectually and what is experienced relationally. The book aims to bridge this gap, emphasizing that spiritual health is about narrowing the distance between biblical rumor and actual life, making the supernatural accessible to ordinary people.

2. The Spirit's Presence is God's Breath, Re-creating and Healing Our Deepest Wounds

The Holy Spirit pushes the teachings of Jesus from the head, where they can be understood, down into the heart, where they can heal our emotions and become a new foundation for us to live from.

Divine Breath. The Hebrew word "ruakh" (breath/spirit) connects the Spirit's presence at creation, where God breathed life into humanity, to His ongoing work of re-creation. Just as God breathed life into dry bones in Ezekiel's vision, the Spirit continues to breathe new life into fallen, chaotic situations, bringing order and vitality. This re-creative power is not limited to grand acts but extends to personal, intimate healing.

Beyond Intellect. The Spirit's ministry is to translate Jesus' teachings and promises from intellectual understanding ("explicit knowledge") to relational and experiential knowing ("implicit knowledge"). This means God's love isn't just a concept to be learned but a healing balm poured directly into our hearts, addressing our deepest pains and traumas. The story of John's octopus dream, where a prophetic word uncovered deep-seated anxiety, illustrates this profound, targeted healing.

Co-Creative Power. The Spirit empowers believers to become conduits of this same re-creative love. When we allow God's love to touch our personal wounds, we are then freed to see and minister to the sacredness in others. This co-creative power, breathed into ordinary individuals, enables them to speak words that bring life, break down barriers, and participate in God's ongoing work of world renewal.

3. The Spirit's Power is Living Water, Transforming Chaos into Life

Into the very place of fear, confusion, darkness, and disorder, there’s a promise: I’ll pour out my Spirit, and it will be like an unstoppable current of life and peace.

Water as Chaos and Life. In ancient thought, "the waters" symbolized chaos and disorder. Yet, in Genesis, the Spirit hovers over these waters, bringing order and life. This metaphor continues through Ezekiel's vision of a river flowing from the temple into the lifeless Dead Sea, purifying it and making it teem with life. This signifies God's promise to transform places of fear and confusion into oases of peace and vitality.

Jesus' Invitation. Jesus dramatically fulfilled this prophecy, declaring, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." This is a twofold invitation:

• To come: To personally experience Jesus as the source of this living river.
• To become: To be so filled with the Spirit that one becomes a source, a part of the current that heals the world.

Wounded Healers. The church, empowered by the Spirit, becomes this river flowing into the world's dead places. This means embracing our own wounds, as God often uses our healed brokenness to bring healing to others. The story of Felix, a former addict whose deepest shame was healed, becoming a chef for the houseless, exemplifies how our redeemed wounds can become sources of living water for a broken world.

4. The Spirit's Anointing Empowers Ordinary People for Supernatural Ministry

The belief that Jesus did miracles as proof of his identity is not the historic view of the Christian church and certainly not the view of the earliest Christian communities.

Jesus' Power Source. The Gospels consistently show that Jesus' miraculous ministry began after the Holy Spirit descended on Him "like a dove" at His baptism. This anointing, not merely His divinity, was the source of His power to heal, teach with authority, and cast out demons. This understanding is crucial because it implies that the same power is available to His followers.

Acts as Continuation. The book of Acts is presented as a continuation of "all that Jesus began to do and to teach," now through His Spirit-filled disciples. At Pentecost, the Spirit rested on all believers, enabling ordinary people to perform extraordinary acts:

• Healing the sick
• Speaking words of knowledge
• Breaking down social barriers
• Proclaiming the gospel with power

Availability, Not Qualification. The early church was largely composed of "unschooled, ordinary men" who, despite their lack of formal qualifications, were filled with the Spirit and did "the stuff Jesus did." This highlights that God uses the available, not necessarily the qualified. While abuses of power can occur, the solution is not to avoid the Spirit's gifts but to steward them in love and humility, recognizing that the divine dove has descended on every follower of Jesus.

5. Beware of Distorted Spiritual Experience: Seeking Control or Passive Avoidance

A version of Christian spirituality then results that sidelines the presence and power of the Spirit altogether.

Simon's Error. The "Curious Case of Simon the Sorcerer" illustrates the danger of seeking the Spirit's power for self-centered gain or control. Simon, accustomed to manipulating spiritual forces, saw the Holy Spirit as a depersonalized power source to be bought and wielded for ego gratification and crowd approval. This "B. F. Skinner model" of spirituality, driven by a desire for predictable results, contradicts the Spirit's nature, which brings freedom, not control.

Nicodemus's Tragedy. Conversely, the "Subtle Tragedy of Nicodemus" reveals the pitfall of intellectualizing faith while avoiding the vulnerability of genuine spiritual experience. Nicodemus, a respected religious leader, sought explanations from Jesus but struggled to embrace the call to be "born again"—to humble himself and risk feeling foolish. This leads to "functional cessationism," a passive stance where one believes God can act supernaturally but doesn't actively seek or practice it, remaining a spectator rather than a participant.

Unhealed Wounds. Both distortions often stem from unhealed trauma, whether from manipulative spiritual environments (Simon's side) or a fear of the unknown and a need for control (Nicodemus's side). The book argues that acknowledging these malformations is the first step toward a healthy, authentic relationship with the Spirit, one that embraces both biblical truth and experiential reality without falling into either extreme.

6. Discernment: Learning God's Whisper Amidst the Noise

What if God is speaking to you far more than you realize?

Prudent Money Changer. Discernment is the gift and practice of recognizing God's voice amidst competing internal and external noise. Like a money changer intimately familiar with genuine coins, believers must learn to distinguish God's whisper from the deceiver's lies and the clamor of their own ego. This is crucial because God's voice is often subtle, easily missed in the "anticlimax of life's nonevents."

God's Whisper vs. Deceiver's Weeds. God's native language is a whisper, not a shout, because intimacy, not coercion, is His goal. His voice appeals to the soul's deepest longings, while the deceiver's lies appeal to shallow hungers and the ego. Discernment involves:

• Attentiveness to inner dynamics (thoughts, images, feelings).
• Recognizing if a voice inflames ego or nourishes the soul.
• Understanding that imagination can be a medium for God's voice.

Community and Practice. Discernment matures in community through:

• Spiritual friendship: Intentional conversations with trusted peers.
• Spiritual direction: Guidance from a seasoned, qualified listener.
• Formal group discernment: Collective wisdom for major decisions.
  Individually, practices like the Examen (daily review of God's presence and missed invitations) help cultivate this skill, transforming hindsight into present awareness of God's constant presence.

7. Prophecy: Eagerly Desiring to Speak God's Heart to Others

All prophecy directs us toward Jesus.

Prophecy Throughout Scripture. Prophecy, defined as hearing and speaking a message from God to another, is central to the biblical narrative. From God speaking creation into being to Moses' longing for all God's people to prophesy, and Joel's prophecy of the Spirit being poured out on "all people," the trajectory points to a widespread prophetic ministry. Post-Pentecost, Paul encourages believers to "eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy," for "strengthening, encouraging and comfort."

Ordinary and Intimate. Prophecy is presented as an ordinary aspect of church life, where God speaks through believers to one another. It invites intimacy, as learning God's voice requires risk and a willingness to "get it wrong" sometimes. The story of Gavin's prophetic word to Emi about her career choice, echoing God's private whisper to her, demonstrates how prophecy personally reveals God's character in a way that transcends mere intellectual understanding.

Practice and Purpose. To grow in prophecy, one must practice listening (revelation, interpretation, application) and speaking (affirming, biblical, Christlike, and always in love). It's not about prediction but about revealing God's heart. The power of prophecy lies in its ability to make Jesus' general truths personally real, drawing hearts to Him. The practice of "encouragement" is a foundational step, as it trains us to speak what we observe, preparing us to speak what only God can reveal.

8. Healing: A Sign of God's Kingdom, Sought with Faith and Persistence

Healing is an “already” taste of the “not yet” eternal life we still await.

Sign, Not Substance. Healing, like the raising of Lazarus, is a "sign" of God's coming Kingdom—a preview of the promised future where sickness and death are banished. It points to salvation, the "substance" of the Kingdom, which is a life of redemption and wholeness, both now and eternally. While all physical healing in this life is temporary, it serves as a tangible demonstration of God's power and love.

Biblical and Complicated. Miraculous healing is abundant throughout the Bible, from Abraham's prayers to Jesus' ministry and the early church's acts. It's a core part of the church's ministry, yet it's complicated by the reality of suffering and the "already/not yet" tension of God's Kingdom. The author's own cancer diagnosis and stories of unanswered prayers highlight this complexity, emphasizing that God's will to heal is clear, but the when and how remain mysterious.

Ingredients, Not Formula. There's no step-by-step formula for healing prayer, as seen in the diverse ways Jesus healed. However, key "ingredients" include:

• Faith: A crucial factor, though lack of healing is not always due to lack of faith.
• Preparation: Consecration through prayer and fasting.
• Simple Prayer: Direct, concise prayers, trusting God's desire to heal.
• Persistence: Sometimes multiple prayers are needed, as Jesus demonstrated.
• Redemptive Suffering: Understanding that suffering can also be repurposed for glory.
• Medicine: Healing prayer complements, never replaces, medical care.

9. Witness: Living as Jesus' Hands and Feet Through Spoken, Supernatural, and Sacrificial Love

The Holy Spirit empowers every one of Jesus’ followers to bring his Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Go, But Wait. Jesus' final instruction to His disciples was to "Go, but wait" for the Holy Spirit's power before becoming His witnesses. This highlights that true witness is not driven by human willpower or political ambition, but by divine empowerment. The Spirit transforms disciples from those focused on an earthly kingdom to those embodying a new humanity, spreading rumors of another world.

Beyond Evangelism. "Witness" means seeing and experiencing something important to share. While it includes evangelism (speaking the good news), it encompasses the full ministry of Jesus:

• Spoken Love: Being honest about one's spiritual journey, sharing joys, struggles, and hope without manipulation. Everyone preaches a "gospel" about where hope lies; Jesus' witnesses simply preach His.
• Supernatural Love: Living by the "natural order of the Kingdom," where miracles are not "supernatural" but the true "natural" in a wounded world. This involves asking God to open our eyes to His invading Kingdom in everyday life, like Kirsten's encounter with Stan.
• Sacrificial Love: Emulating Jesus' humble service and self-giving, often in hidden ways that don't yield immediate, measurable results. This "martyrdom of sorts" expands the soul and brings profound meaning, as Mike experienced serving in a hospital.

The Bargain of a Lifetime. Witness is a journey of discovering and embodying our identity as a supernatural people. It's a "bargain of a lifetime" where losing one's life for Christ leads to true freedom and abundant life. The Spirit enables us to live out this costly love, making us His hands and feet in a world desperately in need of His Kingdom.

10. Redemptive Suffering: The Spirit Transforms Our Pain into Glory

All the pain we face is repurposed by the Spirit as a key ingredient in the redemption of the world.

Suffering's Paradox. Suffering is a universal human experience, unique to each individual, and often where God seems most absent. Yet, the apostle Paul "glories in sufferings," connecting them to the Holy Spirit's work. The Spirit's power is present not just in triumphs but profoundly in suffering, repurposing it into a "key ingredient in the redemption of the world."

God's Grief and Jesus' Example. The Bible reveals God's deep grief over suffering, a consequence of humanity's choice to believe the deceiver's lie. Jesus, led by the Spirit into the wilderness to suffer temptation, modeled a victorious but suffering God. His suffering on the cross, empowered by the Spirit, was substitutionary, bearing the cost of the curse and making suffering sufferable by entering into it.

Spirit's Work in Our Pain. The Holy Spirit dignifies our suffering, converting it into:

• Love: Weakness creates space for giving and receiving love.
• Compassion: Personal pain can be repurposed into empathy for others.
• Gratitude: Suffering re-calibrates priorities, revealing life's true treasures.
• Groaning: The Spirit intercedes through "wordless groans," translating our pain into communion with God, acknowledging His presence even in absence.
  Ultimately, the Spirit makes our suffering redemptive, forging our character into Jesus' image and weaving our pain into the tapestry of redemption, promising that suffering does not have the final word.

11. The Way of Love: Rooted Community as the Crucible for Spiritual Growth

The most famous and popularized version of this desert wisdom came through Saint Benedict, who authored the Benedictine Rule, a set of commitments to order the life of an emerging group of monks.

Pentecost's Power in Community. The Holy Spirit's power, dramatically displayed at Pentecost, was sustained and worked out in the ordinary, communal life of the early church. This highlights that the Spirit's fruit (character formation) and gifts (supernatural manifestations) are not at odds but interconnected, both growing in the "soil of deeply rooted community."

Resisting Transience. Modern Western culture, with its emphasis on individualism and transience, resists deep community. This leads to "duty-free relationships" and a focus on personal well-being over collective good. The church, often mirroring this trend, risks becoming a "platform for individual performance" rather than an "academy for discipleship." This "spiritual de-formation" stunts growth, as true healing and spiritual maturity are fostered in committed, long-term relationships.

The Vow of Stability. Jesus' repeated command to "remain" (meno) in Him implies a concrete, grounded expression: rooting one's life in an imperfect community of His followers. Like the ancient monastic "vow of stability," this radical commitment to a fixed place and people, enduring "messy interpersonal discord and conflict resolution," is the "crucible of genuine progress in the Christian life." Power flows through love, meaning that eagerness for the Spirit's manifestations should be channeled into loving those in one's local church, especially the difficult ones.

12. The Holy Spirit is Our Advocate: Always Called Alongside to Help

The one who comes and finds you when you’re lost and alone, and pulls you back to the heart of the Father.

Parakletos: The One Called Alongside. Jesus' most frequent name for the Holy Spirit is "Parakletos," meaning "Advocate" or "Helper," literally "one called alongside to help." This title, with ancient maritime roots referring to a rescue boat, perfectly encapsulates the Spirit's role: to draw alongside us when we're lost, pulling us back to God's heart. This was profoundly experienced by the author and his wife during their youngest son Amos's life-threatening heart diagnosis.

Comforter, Advocate, Counselor. The Spirit fulfills this role in three ways:

• Comforter: He promises, "I will not leave you as orphans," providing God's felt presence even in the midst of unpredictable desperation and pain. His comfort outlasts desperation.
• Advocate: He intercedes for us with "wordless groans" when we lack words, and incessantly assures us of our "untakable, unlosable belovedness," countering the accuser's lies.
• Counselor: Like a skilled therapist, He asks pointed questions, guiding us through complex life plots, and propelling us forward like wind in a sail, even when we feel lost at sea.

Presence More Powerful Than Pain. The Holy Spirit's intervention is promised, though its expression remains mysterious. Even when God doesn't come in might, He comes in comfort, making His presence more powerful than our pain. The Spirit is always present, always active, translating Jesus' sure promises into tangible experiences, guiding us home to the Father's heart, especially in our deepest moments of need.

Last updated: August 7, 2025