Love the Lord your God with all your Heart, Mind and Soul

Two books that address this admonition are good reading for the New Year. InterVarsity Press has recently released new editions of John Stott’s Your Mind Matters and Baptism and Fullness. The titles indicate the subjects of these books , originally published in 1972 and 1964. They were both expanded from lectures and are further amplified in these new editions.

In his forward to this 2006 edition of Baptism and Fullness, Michael Horton explains several reasons for the endurance of this book. Stott presents the material from a firm basis in Scripture. He centers the material on Christ and recognizes the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity who keeps our eyes on Christ while empowering us for personal and corporate life. In his conclusion, Stott reiterates that we are all given the promise or baptism of the Spirit, that we must pray persistently for the filling of the Spirit, and we must remember that the Holy Spirit is concerned for the church as well as for individual Christians. Between the forward and the conclusion, Stott explores the promise, the fullness, the gifts and the fruit of the Holy Spirit, drawing on a rich knowledge of Scripture.

In The Mind Matters, Stott addresses those who would tilt the Christian experience by exalting blind faith over thought, treating social reform as a substitute for doctrine, or elevating experience over reflection. Stott explores the way that diligent thinking can contribute to the worship, belief, holiness, guidance, evangelism, and ministry. In the final chapter, Stott emphasizes that, as with all that we are given, the purpose of the use of our mind is to serve others and glorify God.

The biblical, concise writing of John Stott is always a joy to read. These two InterVarsity Press books will not disappoint and will move the careful reader more fully toward maturity in Christ, the renewing of the mind and the filling of the Holy Spirit.