Spiritual food for thought

Publishing Secretary

Major Malcolm Martin reviews Holiness Ablaze!

influence and witness fell away. The fear of mockery needs Pentecostal power to overcome it.

The Holy Spirit who bestowed the power to preach upon the disciples in Jerusalem at Pentecost is still alive and will give you and me the same power to proclaim Christ to a dying world. For some reading this it could be that you are being called to devote your entire abilities and your entire span of years to proclaim Christ.

Richard Slater, quoted earlier, wrote:

Make me, Holy Spirit, strong to fight

For the Lord who died for me; Help me point the lost to Calvary’s height

Where for sinners there is mercy. (SASB 292)

For group discussion

What regrets do you most decidedly wish not to have at the end of your days?

Read again the account of the young lady Sunday school teacher. What would you have said to her by way of guidance?

THE Twenty Talks book series by General Shaw Clifton (Retired) has consistently offered readers fresh insights and considerable spiritual food for thought. This latest volume blends thoughtful teaching from Scripture with helpful illustrations, drawn from personal ministry and The Song Book of The Salvation Army. The Talks are delivered in the author’s characteristic conversational style, helping to make complex concepts accessible.

Each chapter is rooted in key scriptural texts exploring the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Understandably some texts are used repeatedly – particularly Acts 2 and Galatians 5 – but on each occasion the passages are explored from a particular angle – or in combination with complementary texts –that emphasises a slightly different theme.

They focus particularly on the powerful presence of the Spirit as the foundation of holiness, both for the individual believer and the body of Christ. Indeed, about half offer teaching on how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is essential for growth in Christlikeness, fostering the development of spiritual fruit and binding believers together in the unity of peace. Readers are repeatedly encouraged to reflect upon how their lives might be better orientated towards the holy love of God, with one Talk quoting Bramwell Booth’s assertion that ‘the great gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of love’.

A minor personal niggle in a few places was the use of an older edition of the New International Version, which lacks the inclusive language approach adopted by recent versions in recognition that the original Greek terms were probably understood more broadly.

As with previous titles in the series, the Talks are adaptable to a variety of situations – preachers will find helpful prompts, study groups can use the suggested questions, while individuals can reflect on their own experience of purity and power as the outcomes of Pentecost.