"The Power of
the Cross" (later published by Regal asThe Kingdom and The
Power:) Are Healing and the Spiritual Gifts
Used by Jesus and the Early Church Meant for the
Church Today?, eds. Dr. Gary Greig and Kevin Springer. [Footnotes in
document are at the end of the document].
Contributors in this book include
Jeffrey Niehaus, Wayne Grudem, Peter H. Davids, Gary S. Greig, Don Williams,
Walter R. Bodine, J. I. Packer, Roger Barrier, Lloyd Fretz, Kirk Bottomly,
Stanley M. Burgess, John White, David C. Lewis, Charles H. and Marguerite G.
Kraft.
Permission
to post here given by editor Gary
Greig.
Excerpts below from "Seven Keys to Hearing God's
Voice". (c) 2004 Craig von Buseck from "Seven Keys to
Hearing from
God's Voice", Hensley Publishing. You can read more from Craig von Buseck at
his Web site, www.vonbuseck.com or on CBN.com
“ReadingPresence
Powered Livingbrought back to mind a spirituality I practiced
in the past. It was characterized by a lingering low level guilt that came from
a sense that I was not praying, fasting, or reading the Bible enough. I prayed
through prayer lists, memorized Scripture; faithfully read the Bible for at
least thirty minutes a day, interceded for forty-five minutes a day, ad
nauseam.
One Friday I was walking and praying through my long
intercessory prayer list, that was specified “Friday Intercession,” when
suddenly I said, “Lord, I can’t do this any longer. It’s killing me. I need
relationship not prayer lists.” My praying had been characterized up to that
point as my talking to God. Since that day, my spirituality has been
characterized by listening to God.
This is the timely message that Frank
DeCenso develops in Presence Powered Living. The Christian
life is not about rules and disciplines; it’s about living in a moment by moment
relationship with the Triune God. It’s not about just talking to God; it’s about
listening for His voice. It’s not about praying and then going out to do the
work of God; it’s about partnering with God in all that He is doing in the
world. It’s not about doing what we can for God; it’s about a relationship of
fullness with the Spirit of God so we can do with Him what we cannot do in
ourselves.
I commend Presence Powered Livingto you. It will help you draw closer to the Father, through Christ, by the
Spirit.”
“There is an ongoing, unrelenting
issue that plagues virtually every individual who seeks to follow Jesus Christ.
It is the issue of whether I will live in a predictable pattern of religious
behavior, seeking to please God and earn His approval by my spiritual
productivity, or whether I will succeed in cultivating a personal and intimate
relationship with this God whose heart is ravished over
me.
Frank DeCenso captures this issue beautifully in this little
volume, Presence Powered Living. One phrase in Chapter Five particularly
grabs my heart and massages it with that familiar longing for the presence of
God: “It is God’s desire for us to make our dwelling in only one place—His
presence—and stay there, encamped with Him.” Oh, how I long to live in the
fullness of that desire—to be with Him and live and move from within that place
of intimate friendship and love!
This book will help you get there. Frank has done his
homework well, weaving together stories of his personal journey with the
testimonies of many who have gone deep in the pursuit of God. Following the
instructions of the King to the Shulamite in Song Of Solomon, he has followed in
the footsteps of those forerunners, and the impact of that journey on his life
is clearly revealed in his writing. As I move through the pages of Presence
Powered Living, I find myself wanting to go further and deeper in my own
walk with this God who desires friendship with me.
For those whose minds question the
practicality of this journey into intimacy, Frank gives us an excellent summary
of the ministry of Jesus, whose life was completely characterized by a dynamic
friendship with His Father. Jesus’ model prayer life and ministry style is the
only one that works in building the Kingdom of God, even in our time of strategic and
technological gluttony. I so appreciate a book that draws us back to the
essentials—what it means to walk daily in the presence and power of
God.
This book does
that in excellent fashion. Line by line, Frank gives us a model of living in the
presence and power of Jesus Christ, doing what He did in the way that He did it.
Personal stories intertwined with the testimony of others draw me from page to
page, and I am encouraged and empowered in my own walk of
faith.
I am grateful
to God for those who write books like this out of their own longing and passion
to know God and to see His kingdom come on the earth. Read it eagerly, and grab
hold of what is written, for your life will be powerfully affected as you
do.”
“Frank DeCenso writes, "There are
lists of gifts in the New Testament but 'spectatorship' is not in any of
them." His book, Presence Powered
Living is an invitation to love God and live for Him more
completely. Frank's joy in his relationship with God is inspiring and
motivating, and he includes many practical ideas about how to grow. His faith is
contagious.”
Dr. Peter Fitch, Dean of Ministry Studies, St. Stephen's University, New
Brunswick “In this book, Presence Powered Living, Frank DeCenso, Jr. has
given a great gift to Christians who seek a deeper walk with God. Drawing from
his own rich experiences of a lifetime devoted to the service of the Kingdom, he
has given to the world a devotional book of depth and
beauty. This well written book is full of
well chosen scriptures as well as pointed quotations from the great devotional
writers of times past. The sections describing his personal spiritual pilgrimage
add a sense of authenticity and reality to the book. The appendices for personal
or group reflection at the end of the book will serve as a useful study and
prayer guide that will bless the
readers. I am certain that Presence Powered Living will take its place as a
wonderful spiritual resource for all who read it.”
Dr. Vinson
Synan, Dean Emeritus of the School of Divinity, RegentUniversity, Virginia BeachVirginia
“A timely word for an urgent need.
With sound scholarship and well-paced readability, Frank DeCenso masterfully
unpacks what you need to know about caring for your soul. Every reader will
learn from his spiritual insights and will have their personal relationship with
God deepened beyond what they thought possible.”
“I want to thank Mr. DeCenso for dealing so well with a very
important topic. So much of American Christianity is overlyinfluenced by an
academic knowledge-orientation that it is refreshing to see him take us back to
the basics—relationship and intimacy with Jesus.
Unfortunately, the relational factors that
are the core of our faith are often inundated by the information and knowledge
that our training institutions and pulpits specialize in. Springing from his own
personal experience of being rescued from that fallacy, Mr. DeCenso refocuses us
Scripturally and practically on the most important
thing.
Warning: this book could change your life. I hope and pray
so.”
"In his book, Presence Powered Living, Frank DeCenso reminds
us that intimacy with God is the ultimate purpose for our lives. Frank's
insights will awaken a deeper longing for God within your heart, as he invites
you to not only enjoy God but also partner with Him in the work of His Kingdom."
“Frank DeCenso has written a gem of a
book that exposes the heart of an empowered life. We live day by day out of our
abiding relationship with Christ as we walk through his world in the routines
and when facing the challenges of life. Also, he demonstrates that our ministry
to others flows from an uninterrupted relationship with Christ. We all need to
be confronted with these basics no matter how long we have been a
Christ-follower or how much theological education we have
received.”
“I have been in ministry for
thirty-seven years, and I know first-hand the revolutionary power of the approach to
Christianity that puts front and center the cultivation of intimacy with a
tender God and learning to live with power out of that ongoing Presence.
Frank DeCenso has captured the essence of the journey as well as anyone I
know. Presence Powered Living is
teaming with insight and practical guidance for a life of supernatural presence
and power. I encourage churches to require this book to
be read and studied carefully by their congregants. I gladly recommend
it.” Dr. J.P. Moreland Distinguished Professor of Talbot School of Theology Author of “Kingdom Triangle”
(Zondervan)
