If You Are Thirsty, You Can Be Spirit-filled
Be Empowered for Life and Witness
Peter Roennfeldt
One of the Bible’s recurring symbols to explain the nature and work of the Holy Spirit is water—living water, flowing water and seasonal rains that wash, baptise, refresh and bring life. The necessity of water was as equally true in the landscapes of the Bible times as it was in author Peter Roennfeldt’s experiences growing up on a farm on the southwestern coast of Western Australia. These reflections on the availability and importance of water ground If You Are Thirsty, You Can Be Spirit-filled in life experiences that point to the larger truths of life with the Spirit of God.
Beginning with Creation itself, the Old Testament has more than 90 references to the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit’s role, promise and presence came into much stronger focus in the ministry and teaching of Jesus, before manifesting in a tangible way at Pentecost and in the experiences of the early church, with significant focus on the Holy Spirit in some of the grand passages of the New Testament. Yet the Holy Spirit has been a contested and confused topic throughout Christian history—and continues to be so.
As such, If You Are Thirsty, You Can Be Spirit-filled points us back to Jesus as the starting point for understanding and experiencing the Holy Spirit. Dr Roennfeldt outlines the different streams through which the Spirit works and the importance of not focusing on a single stream while disregarding other streams. His study addresses many of the points of misunderstanding and controversy—including an appendix tackling questions about the supposed necessities of speaking in tongues and perfectionism—and urges a vital but quieter, everyday dependence on the filling of the Spirit for our lives and witness.
If you are thirsty for a life through which the Spirit of God flows, refreshing you and bringing life to others, this is the invitation repeated and explored in this book, with discussion questions to prompt conversations and further reflection. If You Are Thirsty reintroduces us to the Holy Spirit’s power and presence in a grounded and practical ways, in ways that must make a difference in our lives, our churches and our communities.
A virtual book launch for If You Are Thirsty, You Can Be Spirit-filled is planned for 12 noon (AEDT) on Tuesday, November 17. For your online invitation, register here.
If You Are Thirsty, You Can Be Spirit-filled and other books by Peter Roennfeldt are available from Adventist bookshops in Australia and New Zealand, or online.
