The Holy Spirit, or, Power from on high: an unfolding of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments. Part I. The Old Testament.

In Power from on High, Charles Finney boldly uncovers the awful truth that today’s Christians, even Church leaders, are sadly lacking from the critical gift of power, but he offers hope as he reveals the wonderful fact that this power is available to every Christian who dares ask for it in faith.

Power from on High offers the first critical survey of scholarship on the subject of Luke's view of the Spirit, assessing the rival theories by means of three criteria: continuity with Luke's background, relationship to other aspects of Luke's theology, and Luke's place in the development of more general New Testament thinking about the Spirit. Turner provides fresh insight on specific Lukan concepts and favored terms (including such phrases as "full of the Holy Spirit" and "baptize with the Holy Spirit") that have been of significance not merely for the discipline of New Testament studies but also for confessional theologies of major streams of Christianity today, and seeks to advance a more coherent understanding of the general shape of Luke's pneumatology than has hitherto been offered.

The person and work of the Holy Spirit is a neglected study in many churches. Some Christians think that the subject is so deep and mysterious that it is futile to study it. Others hesitate to emphasize the study of the Holy Spirit since some religious groups hold such extreme views regarding Him. Still, it is encouraging to see many Christians making a serious study of the Bible's teaching on the Holy Spirit. Dr. Jack Cottrell, with his "leave no stone unturned" approach to studying Scripture has completed the research for us tas he examines the many concepts and characteristics of the Holy Spirit. Power From On High: What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit has 11 chapters and 503 pages. Jack Cottrell was long-time Professor of Theology at Cincinnati Christian University. He received his BA, ThB, Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary; BA, University of Cincinnati; MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary; PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary.

Millions of believers around the world at this very moment are earnestly, and in some cases, desperately, crying out for God's help in real overwhelming needs in their life, on the premise that it is divine intervention they need to bring answers and resolution to those problems. But, Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is WITHIN you!"-which means the authority and power of the Kingdom of God is within every believer who has been regenerated, i.e., Born Again, by the infusion of the Holy Spirit in their human spirit! Jesus Himself testified to the early disciples and every other disciple of every age, "You shall receive POWER after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you to be my witnesses!" (Ac. 1:8). The ONLY WAY to be effective witnesses of the resurrected Christ is through the power believers receive through the BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE! Jesus was the Heavenly PROTOTYPE of the SONS OF GOD! And as the Heavenly Model He received the power He needed to perform the works of power, miracles, signs and wonders He performed throughout His personal earthly ministry when He Himself was baptized in the Holy Spirit. In so doing, Jesus, set the precedent for every other Son of God (believer) to likewise receive the power He operated in through the BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE to fulfill His Word that the works that He did and even greater works shall believers do! Within every Spirit-baptized believer is the same AUTHORITY and POWER that raised Christ from the dead and that Jesus Himself operated in to heal the sick, halt, paralyzed; open blind eyes and deaf ears; cleanse lepers; cast out demons; raise the dead, feed the 5,000 and 3,000; and walk on water is available to every Spirit-Baptized believer! The only way to receive the power of God into your life is by receiving the same Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Fire that Jesus Himself received. "DUNAMIS! Power from on High!" by Steven Lambert, is a journey to receiving that power into your life!

All the while the structure of higher and lower priesthoods fluctuated in response to pragmatic needs. Priests were needed to perform ordinances, teachers to lead congregations, bishops to manage church assets, and elders to proselytize-responsibilities which would be redistributed repeatedly throughout the prophet's fourteen-year ministry.