This third book in Cymbala's bestselling trilogy (Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire and
Fresh Faith) explores the third person in the Trinity: the Holy Spirit. Like
its award-winning predecessors, it combines unforgettable anecdotes culled from
Cymbala's ministry as pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle with deep theological
and biblical truths, many of which are not easy to hear. It is clearly the
edgiest, most cutting book of the series, with Cymbala's passionate voice
urging Christians to abandon their comfort zones in favor of the unpredictable
leadings of the Spirit. He criticizes churchgoers who neglect the power of the
Spirit, chastising, for example, Christians who are so fixated on end-time
prophecies that they neglect God's work in the here and now. His harshest words
are reserved for the "the disastrous `church-growth' movement," which, he says,
has convinced Christians everywhere that worship must be entertaining and
inoffensive. Cymbala utilizes the Book of Acts to explore the early Church's
practice of complete dependence upon the Spirit, citing not just the famous
Pentecost scene of Acts 2 but also many other examples of transformation
throughout the book (particularly Peter's metamorphosis from a fair-weather
friend of Jesus into a committed, Spirit-led apostle). Some readers may be made
uneasy by Cymbala's hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners approach, but others will
cheer his prophetic call to reformationDand, more importantly, be changed by
it. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
