Salt, when dissolved in water, may disappear, but it does not cease to exist. We can be sure of its presence by tasting the water. Likewise, the indwelling Christ, though unseen, will be made evident to others from the love which he imparts to us.

According to a May 2002 article in U.S. News & World Report, those who call themselves Christians in the U.S. were asked, "In general, how often would you say you have experienced God's presence or a spiritual force that felt very close to you?" They replied: Never: 10 percent Once or twice: 17 percent Several times: 23 percent Many times: 49 percent Don't know/not applicable/refused: 2 percent

Percentage of Americans who believe in divine miracles: 84 Percentage who believe in the reality of miracles described in the Bible: 79 Percentage who have personal experiences with miracles: 48 Percentage who know of people who have: 63 Percentage who have prayed for a miracle: 67 Percentage who believe God or the saints cure or heal sick people who have been given no chance of survival by medical doctors: 77

To be filled with the Holy Spirit means that we allow him to occupy and control every area of our lives…How much of you does the Holy Spirit have? When teaching this to my seminary students, I bring two glasses of water and two packets of Alka-Seltzer to class. I drop a packet of Alka-Seltzer, with the wrapper on, into one glass. Then I plop an unsealed packet into the second glass, and watch it fill with fizz. I say to my students, "Both glasses have the Alka-Seltzer, just as all Christians have the Holy Spirit. But notice how you can have the Holy Spirit and not his filling." Our goal is to live in such a way as to unwrap the packaging around the presence and power of the Holy Spirit within us. Citation: Adapted from James Emery White, Long Night's Journey into Day (WaterBrook, 2002)

Warren Wiersbe put it this way—what God the Father planned for us and God the Son purchased for us God the Spirit personalizes for us and applies to our lives as we yield to him. (Bible Exposition Commentary volume 1 p 717)

Hi, Glen Hope this reaches you in time. It's no secret. I have heard one horror story after another from young adults who had youth camp experiences that went something like this: DYD brings in "youth evangelist" who wears everyone down for 3 nights. On night 4, there is an altar call for Spirit baptism to which many respond. The prayer methods used to bring people through to this experience include mimicking gibberish syllables, having a group of others scream at you in tongues, and keeping you at the altars until your physical strength is gone and the choice seems to be Spirit baptism or death. The upshot of all of this is that some kids go home without having the experience feeling like second rate citizens. Those who do receive are often perplexed by why their more godly friends did not. All in all, lots of kids are traumatized by the highly stylized, pressure-cooker environment that focuses on body counts instead of empowerment for mission. This finding was a total surprise in my interview research. While the sentiment may only be from one group of kids, I have heard similar stories time and time again. At least some of the adult resistance to Pentecostal doctrine I've located in my studies is actually rooted in adolescent trauma, not in theology. Application: the DYD needs to guard youth camp with her/his life. It is a spiritually forming experience for young Pentecostals, not just a youth event. E -----Original Message----- From: Glen Davis Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 1:23 PM To: Creps, Earl Subject: Youth camp Earl, You mentioned once that there's something that youth pastors consistenly do wrong at youth camp that has apparently scarred an entire generation of emerging leaders. I'm speaking briefly at a youth camp tomorrow. Are you willing to let me in on the secret? God bless, Glen

The Holy Spirit is the Christ in the Christian.