Jesus Manifesto

“Who do you say that I am?” The authors of Jesus Manifesto, Len Sweet and Frank Viola, seek to restore the centrality of Christ to Christianity. They argue that many churches and Christians have forgotten the Jesus of the Bible in favor of the Jesus of their own creation.  Jesus Manifesto seeks to restore Jesus Christ’s preeminence and importance in the lives of believers.  When I received my copy of Jesus Manifesto, kindly provided by Thomas Nelson for review, I was excited to read a book written by Len Sweet and Frank Viola, both have great reputations. I was struck by the favorable reviews given by well-known Christian authors and pastors.  Even though I was initially excited to read this book, I found it very difficult to get into and questioned who the authors’ intended audience was.  I felt as though much of the book was basic and repetitive.  While I’m sure there is a benefit to reviewing the basics of what the Bible says about Christ and His importance to our lives, I feel as though it could have been said much more succinctly.  The book definitely makes its points, especially those dealing with the practical outcomes of making the person of Christ central to everything we do.  This seems to me to be the real rub. Most Christians understand the importance of Christ on a theological/intellectual level, but few are willing to “take up their cross” and follow him.  Overall, I think this book is better suited for new believers and anyone with questions about the deity of Christ.

Being Led by the Spirit

Sometimes seeking to live each day in the power and presence of the Spirit can be confusing, even intimidating, for many believers. Often times it is easier for us to focus on the things that we know and can relate to, rather than things like the Holy Spirit that are somewhat mysterious. But the truth of the matter is no matter what we think or feel the Holy Spirit is essential for living the Christian life. 

So where do we start? How can we begin to be led by the Holy Spirit on a practical level? First, we must realize that there is no formula for seeing the Spirit’s presence in our lives. There are, however, a few practical steps we can take to help ensure that we are being led by the Spirit. The first step is to pray for the filling of the Spirit. Even though all believers are filled with the Spirit at conversion, the filling of the Spirit is an on-going event. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul commands us to “be filled with the Spirit”, when translated literally this filling reflects something that is continuous and on-going. We could understand the verse as “be being filled with the Spirit.” We must seek a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. 

The second step to being led by the Spirit is to seek to be led by the Spirit. I know this sounds redundant! But too often we live our lives on autopilot and fail to seek the leading of the Holy Spirit as we go about our normal everyday tasks. Think of how your life would be different if you sought to be led by the Spirit at work, at home, with your spouse, or with your neighbor. Too often we only seek God’s guidance and direction for only the big decisions. Yet, the truth is God wants to lead us on a moment by moment basis in our daily lives. 

Step three is that we must be willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Here is where the rubber meets the road. We can take the first two steps, but they are meaningless if we are unwilling to follow the leading of the Spirit. Chances are, if we were being honest, most of us are afraid to be led by the Spirit. We are afraid of not being in control, afraid of being forced out of our comfort zone, afraid of the unknown, or are afraid of being sent to an obscure 3^rd world country. The result is that we choose the rational things, the safe things, rather than keeping in step with the Holy Spirit no matter where he leads. God’s desire is to lead us. Our response is choosing to be led by the Holy Spirit on a moment by moment basis.

Life in the Spirit

What does it mean to live life in the Spirit?

Chances are most of us have a difficult time nailing down the exact role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives on a daily basis. Of the three members of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit seems to get the least amount of focus. We spend a lot of time talking about God the Father and God the Son, but we often tend to overlook the Holy Spirit. While most Christians wouldn’t readily admit to ignoring the third person of the Trinity, the truth is most believers would have a hard time pointing to His presence in their lives.

Francis Chan addresses this dilemma in his recent book, “Forgotten God; Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.” He argues that when believers live in the power of the Holy Spirit the evidence in their lives is supernatural. In other words, we should be experiencing the reality of the Holy Spirit in our lives on a daily basis and there should be things happening in our lives that cannot be explained apart from the working of the Holy Spirit. Herein lies the problem for most of us. We experience the Holy Spirit at conversion and shortly after, but He has less and less impact in our lives the longer we are Christians. Instead of seeking to live each day in the power of the Holy Spirit, we get wrapped up in the cares of this world and fall into the trap of living the Christian life in our own strength. We measure our success, not by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but by listing all of our accomplishments. Some Christians may even fall into legalism and develop an extensive list of do’s and don’ts. Instead of living life in the power of the Spirit, the Christian life becomes a joyless existence that is all about keeping the rules. Instead of God's grace, our acceptance is measured by the things we do. Life in the Spirit is a life of freedom and joy, as we simply seek to live each day in the Spirit's direction. As Paul points out in Galatians 5:25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” As believers we must seek to live each day in the power and presence of the Spirit. Are you living today in the power and the presence of the Spirit? When was the last time you experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life?