What’s It About
Spirit Forward: How I Encountered The Spirit of Jesus is Pastor Ken Schaap’s personal story of encountering the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives and a personal, inviting introduction for the reader to do the same. In the opening pages, Schaap shares his own story of being a struggling Christian and pastor whose heart had been wounded by the blows of painful life experiences, battling an addiction and the shame that comes with it, and how God set him free by the power of the Holy Spirit as he listened to a sermon on deliverance while painting his bathroom.
In each chapter he shares a personal story about how God led him into experiencing a particular gift of the Spirit or aspect of the Holy Spirit’s healing and freeing power in his personal life and the lives of those to whom he ministers, coupled with biblical teaching about that gift. He also gives practical application points to help you experience the Spirit’s work in your life and through your life as you minister to others. For example: how to pray through forgiveness, how to pray for the sick, how to pray and break demonic influence in your life, how to understand dreams, etc. Finally, every chapter ends with a prayer to help you ask God to bring to the work of His Spirit to bear on your life in fresh ways.
Spirit Forward covers topics such as: the baptism with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, deliverance (casting out demonic influence), inner healing and physical healing, experiencing God’s love, forgiveness, prophecy, dreams and visions, and more.
Favorite Quote
“Peter’s words [Acts 2:16-17] tell us that Pentecost began the age in which all Christians would dream, prophesy, and have visions.” – Ken Schaap, Spirit Forward
How It Impacted Me
I absolutely loved this book! I’ve watched several episodes of the Spirit Forward Podcast, which Schaap hosts with his friend and fellow pastor, Jerod Long, and I’ve really appreciated their humble, accessible, and biblically grounded approach to introducing Christians to the gifts of the Spirit and equipping them to experience those gifts. So, I was so excited to read the book.
I’ve shared my personal experience with the Holy Spirit’s work in my relationship with God and teaching about His ministry in the lives of Christians here on the blog. The topic of spiritual gifts is not new to me. In fact, it’s a topic I am passionate about and love helping others to understand and experience. But every time I read about the Holy Spirit my heart is refreshed and ignited in a fresh way, and reading Spirit Forward was another such experience.
In particular, the chapter about inner healing impacted me. I have been led in prayer times to allow God to heal wounded places in my heart and have led others in those prayer times as well. This book found me on the back end of a painful and challenging season of life. Reading these familiar concepts of God’s desire and power to heal the brokenhearted and bandage up their wounds and how to practically pray through those things felt like a personal invitation from God for me to start talking to Him about some of the current wounds in my own heart.
Why You Should Read It
Fitting with my last statement of how the book impacted me personally, Spirit Forward will not only give you biblical teaching as it introduces you to scriptural concepts for the first time or deepens your understanding and faith in what you already know to be true, it will also lead you into personal conversation and fellowship with God. Something about the way Schaap writes feels like God working through him to tug at your heart personally and draw you deeper into relationship with Himself through His Spirit.
The work of the Holy Spirit is a subject many Christians are not very informed about or are intimidated by, either because of misunderstandings or ways we’ve seen people claiming to be led by the Spirit misuse spiritual gifts. But this is a vital part of the Christian life and the fullness of what God wants to make available to us as walk with Him daily and make Him known to others. Knowing the Holy Spirit deeply and experiencing His power and gifts is not just for some special group of Christians–it’s for you! If you’re looking for a friendly, relaxed, scripturally grounded, safe place to open your heart more to the work of the Spirit, learn what God’s Words says about that, and be activated to experience it, read Spirit Forward. I wholeheartedly believe God will meet with you and change your life as you read this book.
About The Author
Ken Schaap is an author, co-host of the Spirit Forward podcast, pastor of The Father’s House church, and founder of Rapha Rooms. Connect with Ken online and on Instagram.
Spirit Forward is available now. Get your copy on Amazon or wherever you buy books.
Let’s Talk: Have you read Spirit Forward? What impacted you most from the book? Discuss this post in the comments below.
