Life in the Spirit
This book explores the many references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament in an effort to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in our individual lives and in the life of the church. Understanding the Spirit’s work positions us to be aware of, open to, and responsive to that work so that we can experience its transforming results.
Why the Bible is So Hard to Understand…and tips to understanding it
The first challenges Steve identifies are those found within how we naturally, unconsciously read the Bible. Then he addresses the Bible’s nature as sixty-six different books written from an ancient, near-Eastern, pre-scientific perspective. He then offers a simple model of interpretation that guides the reader in unwrapping the spiritual truth from the human “wrapper” used to deliver it.
The model is followed by guidelines for using it. Two bible studies are included, one of Jesus walking on the water that illustrates how to use the model and one from the life of Peter that outlines the process of spiritual growth that is prompted as we read the Bible.
The book also offers guidelines for exercising spiritual discernment and for praying the Bible using the practice of lectio divina. It presents an outline of biblical history that helps the reader put each of the six-six books in its historical context. It ends with theological reflections on God’s eternal redemptive purpose, the kingdom of God, and the church.
God’s Plumb Line
A plumb line is a builder’s tool used to align a builder’s project. Similarly, God’s plumb line is a tool that aligns our thinking with the character of God and the ways of God, positioning us to discern the will of God. This Spirit-guided way of thinking is what the apostle Paul called “the renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2) and “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
Our lives are transformed as the Spirit teaches us the things of God that Jesus taught, moving us beyond the way the world trained us to think and live. God’s plumb line is a tool that, under the guidance of the Spirit, helps us think with the mind of Christ and, thereby, to discern the will of God.
