Powering Up by Jack Graham

August 19th, 2009

Graham, Jack.  Powering Up.  Wheaton:  Crossway Books, 2009.  224 pp.  $14.99. 

Jack Graham is the pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Tx.  He is no stranger to evangelical Christianity as he served for two years as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention.  He continues to preach to the masses through PowerPoint Ministries, a ministry dedicated to biblical teaching.

In Powering Up Jack Graham shows what a spirit-filled Christian life looks like. He sets out in the first section to help the reader understand the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. The second section he entitles the Rules of Engagement. In this section, he challenges every believer to learn how to “tap into” the power of the Holy Spirit and to remain close to Him. For by so doing, you will begin to live the “powered-up life.”

The final section strikes the vision for what a Christian living in the power of the Spirit looks like. Jack takes it a step further and shows what a church full of “powered up,” spirit-filled Christians looks like. The old adage of how Rome was taken down by 12 fishermen still stands regarding what the Lord can do with little if everyone is sold out to serving through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This book makes for a great small group study or book discussion group. Everyone will be challenged at some point in their reading. I appreciate Jack’s candor in discussing about the spirit-filled life. It seems as though in recent years if you want anything to do with the Holy Spirit, you need to go to a Pentecostal church. Jack, being a Southern Baptist, shows that the Holy Spirit is vital for every believer regardless of denominational affiliation. If nothing else, this book will help you to see how you need to more rely on the Holy Spirit for your sustenance.