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Open to the Spirit

God in Us, God with Us, God Transforming Us

Scot McKnight

About Open to the Spirit

World-renowned New Testament scholar offers a straightforward examination of what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.

Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does he do in our lives? How can we know him more deeply, and is it possible to tap into his power? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to be aware of his promptings and speaking into our lives? Dr. Scot McKnight answers these questions and more in this comprehensive examination of what the Bible says about this divinely important, but often confusing member of the Trinity.

This is the third work in a three-part series examining some of the more mysterious components of the Christian faith. Scot's The Heaven Promise examines the afterlife. The Hum of Angels elucidates the Bible's teaching on God's supernatural messengers and protectors. Now, Open to the Spirit examines the most mysterious member of the Trinity.

Scot blogs at Patheos, a large multi-perspective blog format. It serves many influential voices from many faith and non-faith traditions. Scot's blog draws primarily a Christian readership; one that is looking for intellectual engagement and thoughtful analysis of Scripture, Theology, and Culture.

Praise

“Frederick Dale Bruner once called the Holy Spirit the ‘shy member of the Trinity.’ Scot McKnight draws on his learning and his life to help us know better the One who ‘transforms and transcends’ mere human abilities.”
—John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Church and author of I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me

“This biblically rooted, honest, and impressively comprehensive account of the person and work of the Spirit should persuade all Christians everywhere of the need for more of the Spirit in our lives. It is exciting to have a book that brings together the Word and the Spirit, making such a persuasive case for the need of both and rooting it all in real life. It is a gift to the whole church.”
—Lucy Peppiatt, principal of Westminster Theological Centre

“Reading Scot McKnight’s latest book evoked within me a renewed openness to the Holy Spirit. Combining his usual astute biblical and theological wisdom with his accessible and down-to-earth stories and personal anecdotes, he whets our appetites to live more responsively to the Spirit. He reminds us that when we live wide-open lives to the Holy Spirit, we step into God’s world of newness and re-creation. May the Lord who is Spirit use this book to reflect his glory among his people!”
—Trevor Hudson, Methodist minister in South Africa and author of eighteen books, including Holy Spirit Here and Now

“McKnight has done it again—he has provided the church with a rich resource for personal and communal growth. Open to the Spirit provides a guide for exploration into how God communicates, indwells, and empowers Christians for lives of holiness and mission.”
—Dr. Sara Barton, Pepperdine University chaplain

“In Open to the Spirit, the eminent New Testament professor and scholar, Scot McKnight, offers a breathtaking invitation to an interactive life with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is often the most neglected member of the Trinity (unless you are Pentecostal or charismatic!). This book puts the Spirit front and center. As in all his works, Scot brings a balance of scriptural truth, sound theology, and practical application. I found this book particularly, of all of his, more focused on Christian spiritual formation and experiential transformation, which makes it an important book that should be required for seminarians, pastors, spiritual directors, and Christian educators. But then again, I cannot think of a single type of Christ follower who would not be blessed by this deep dive into life in the Spirit.”
—James Bryan Smith, author of The Good and Beautiful God

"McKnight (The Blue Parakeet), a New Testament professor at Northern Seminary, makes a powerful case that Christians should refocus on the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. He contends that there is a lack of emphasis on the role of the spirit in the lives of many Christians. After using specific examples (for instance, Peter’s first sermon on Pentecost) to demonstrate the centrality of the Holy Spirit in all of scripture, McKnight suggests new ways of celebrating a spirit-filled existence through examples drawn from his own life. He relates personal experiences, such as his conversion during a high school Bible camp after reading the verse, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” He also tells the stories of his students coming to the power of the Holy Spirit through “pursuit of the Spirit’s power to achieve victory.” McKnight calls for Christian readers to receive love through immersion in the spirit, and then to live out that love in everyday life in this heavily scriptural call for deeper spiritual connection."
—Publishers Weekly

"McKnight has created a rich mosaic of personal narrative, scholarly research, and biblical exegesis in Open to the Spirit. This book would be perfect for group studies, especially for those seeking more in-depth reading on the Holy Spirit. McKnight offers prayers and practical ways that readers can engage the Spirit as they go through their lives, encouraging readers to seek after that union with the Spirit that so characterized Jesus. Open to the Spirit is also a book that can be read repeatedly due to the depth of its content on the Holy Spirit. Through Open to the Spirit, McKnight shows us how the Holy Spirit is available to all believers, affirming Jane Kenyon’s words, “God does not leave us comfortless.”
—Englewood Review

About Scot McKnight

Scot McKnight (PhD, University of Nottingham) is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. He is the acclaimed author of more than sixty books, including The Jesus Creed, The Heaven Promise, and Open to the Spirit. He regularly speaks at venues such as Catalyst, the Q Conference, and churches throughout the world. Scot and his wife, Kris, live in the Chicago suburbs.

Product Details

240 pages | Published by WaterBrook

On Sale Date: Apr 3, 2018

Trim Size: 5-3/16 x 8

Carton Quantity: 24

Sneak Peek

Read the first chapter of Open to the Spirit. World-renowned New Testament scholar offers a straightforward examination of what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. Who exactly is the Holy Spirit? What does he do in our lives? How can we know him more deeply, and is it possible to tap into his power? Should we pray to the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to be aware of his promptings and speaking into our lives? Dr. Scot McKnight answers these questions and more in this comprehensive examination of what the Bible says about this divinely important, but often confusing member of the Trinity. This is the third work in a three-part series examining some of the more mysterious components of the Christian faith. Scot's The Heaven Promise examines the afterlife. The Hum of Angels elucidates the Bible's teaching on God's supernatural messengers and protectors. Now, Open to the Spirit examines the most mysterious member of the Trinity. Scot blogs at Patheos, a large multi-perspective blog format. It serves many influential voices from many faith and non-faith traditions. Scot's blog draws primarily a Christian readership; one that is looking for intellectual engagement and thoughtful analysis of Scripture, Theology, and Culture.

Press Release

 
World-Renowned Biblical Scholar Contends Every Believer
Needs to Be Open to the Work of the Holy Spirit
 
The identity of the Holy Spirit has perplexed believers for centuries. What specifically does the Spirit do in our lives? How can we know the Spirit more deeply and tap into the Spirit’s power? And is it possible to be more aware of how the Spirit prompts us and speaks into our lives? The answers are bigger and better than believers have dared to imagine. Because the issue isn’t whether each person can grow closer to the Spirit but whether a person is open to all the Spirit offers.
 
This is the invitation behind world-renowned New Testament scholar Scot McKnight’s book Open to the Spirit: God in Us, God With Us, God Transforming Us (WaterBrook, 4/3/18). Rather than a scholarly treatise or systematic theology of the Holy Spirit, this book is a practical exploration of more than a dozen biblical themes about the Holy Spirit. These include:
 
-Worship
-Victory Over Sin
-The Gifts of the Spirit
-A Life of Love (The Fruit of the Spirit)
-A New Assurance
-A New Holiness
 
While exploring these themes, McKnight helps readers discover how to be increasingly open to the Spirit every moment of every day. This will change their understanding of the Bible, how they relate to others, how they approach worship and prayer, and how they experience victory over sin, sickness and death.
 
McKnight explains what the Bible says about the various spiritual gifts and encourages believers to be open to them. He challenges readers to follow the Apostle Paul’s biblical admonition to build others up through these gifts.
 
Open to the Spirit is a significant and practical guide on the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer that will be appreciated by readers from a variety of faith backgrounds.

This is a helpful resource as the Church celebrates Pentecost on May 20, 2018.

  
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity and the historical Jesus. He is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. McKnight is the author or editor of 50 books, including The Heaven Promise, The Hum of Angels, and The Jesus Creed, which won Christianity Today Book of the Year for Christian Living (2004). He regularly speaks at local churches, colleges, conferences (like Catalyst and Q Conference) and seminaries in the United States and abroad. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986). He writes regularly on his popular blog Jesus Creed, hosted on Patheos.com. McKnight lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife Kris.

Website: patheos.com/jesuscreed
Twitter: https://twitter.com/scotmcknight
Facebook: https://facebook.com/scot.mcknight

Praise for Open to the Spirit:
“Scot helps us to know better the One who ‘transforms and transcends’ mere human abilities.”
John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Church

Open to the Spirit is a rare kind of book, one that is grounded in solid biblical theology but at the same time, very accessible and readable. It is refreshing to learn from someone like Scot, who has the authority of an intellectual but writes as if you are reading from his journal.”
Dave Ferguson, founding and lead pastor of Chicago’s Community Christian Church, coauthor of Finding Your Way Back to God (From the foreword)
 
"McKnight, a New Testament professor at Northern Seminary, makes a powerful case that Christians should refocus on the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. He contends that there is a lack of emphasis on the role of the spirit in the lives of many Christians. After using specific examples (for instance, Peter’s first sermon on Pentecost) to demonstrate the centrality of the Holy Spirit in all of scripture, McKnight suggests new ways of celebrating a spirit-filled existence through examples drawn from his own life. He relates personal experiences, such as his conversion during a high school Bible camp after reading the verse, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” He also tells the stories of his students coming to the power of the Holy Spirit through “pursuit of the Spirit’s power to achieve victory.” McKnight calls for Christian readers to receive love through immersion in the spirit, and then to live out that love in everyday life in this heavily scriptural call for deeper spiritual connection." -Publishers Weekly 

Notable Quotes from Open to the Spirit:
“We are called by God to be open to the Spirit, because it is the Spirit who is working to transform us and who is bringing the world to Christ.”
 
“In the death of Christ we die to sin; in the resurrection of Christ we are raised to a new kind of life; and in the Spirit we are empowered to live our lives to God.”
 
“The Spirit takes up residence in our bodies, not to take us into a spirit-world of nonbodies, but to make physical the reality of the Spirit-prompted life.”
 
“Death is not always the final word; sickness is not always the final word; those who are open to the Spirit do sometimes experience healing and resurrection. We are not yet in the new heavens and new earth, when all tears and sickness will be removed. We live between the Pentecost and the kingdom, that is, in an era when the Spirit is unleashed but before the fullness of redemption occurs. We dwell in an era we might call The Meantime.”

Religion/Christian Living
ISBN 978-1-60142-634-5 ● Tradepaper ● 240 Pages ● $15.99 U.S. / $21.99 Canada
eBook ISBN 978-1-60142-636-9  ● $11.99 U.S. / $13.99 Canada

Contact Publicist

Brett Benson