GEAR Logo (large)
John Proctor writes with his usual clear and succinct style to explore what is said about the Holy Spirit in each book of the New Testament. He highlights the distinctive emphases characteristic of each author, each giving their own particular insight into the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
This booklet contains freshly-written material alongside articles originally published within the In GEAR magazine.
* Only available as a file.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
GEAR has been like a refreshing stream, helping nurture and develop dynamic spiritual life in the congregations and councils of the church and providing a focus for those with a common experience of Holy Spirit renewal.
This booklet celebrates 40 years of GEAR’s ministry and brings together honest reflections from the three men who have served as chairman over this period, as well as an overview from Chris Vivian who served in several key roles on the committee for many years.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
The late Bishop Lesslie Newbigin, a URC minister, wrote this booklet in response to the Moderator’s Address at General Assembly in July 1993 and examines the roots of the liberal theological tradition and its inherent inconsistency.
The common accepted dichotomy between faith and fact is also “weighed in the balance and found wanting” and the author sets out cogent reasons for basing life on a biblical faith.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
For those seeking to explore the life of the Spirit. John Hall draws on his considerable experience to address the question “What is Renewal?” He offers practical advice to those who are in leadership trying to foster renewal in their Churches, and also to those who are themselves renewed, but who are in churches that have not yet experienced renewal.
* Only available as a file.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
What happens at death may be the most crucial question a person ever asks, yet also the one we all most avoid. It challenges us in our faith or lack of it and presents us with a mystery with many unanswerables. Yet it remains the one question to which we would all like to know the answer.
Revd. John Proctor’s biblical insight and evangelical theology are combined with an obvious pastoral heart which gives clear teaching yet avoids the route of making judgements which are not ours to make. It will be of great help to the pastor seeking to care for the bereaved and dying as well as to anyone who asks this basic question of themselves or has it asked of them.
* Only available as a file.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
A fresh look at some of the different ways that Christians can join together in prayer as a faith community. This booklet steps aside from many of the more common themes covered in books on prayer, and deals specifically with:
In recent years there has been a lot of interest and study into the subject of leadership in the United Reformed Church. As part of the debate, GEAR produced a response to the leadership paper for the General Assembly in 1986, which was well received by many sectors of the Church.
This booklet is produced by a GEAR Editorial team, and is offered for use by members, elders, ministers, district councils and any other groups who would value its thoughts. It is not meant as a training document but more a starter for discussion.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
A look the essential role that the Holy Spirit has to play in enabling the Church’s mission and evangelism. Beginning with Jesus’ imperative that we should be engaged in evangelism, it then looks at his teaching on the Kingdom of God, his promise to send the Holy Spirit, and then activity of the Holy Spirit in the Early Church and in the Church today.
The booklet concludes with some helpful appendices. One offers a ‘walk of preparation’ which allows time and space for the Holy Spirit to lead. Another tackles what has been for some the contentious question of whether Christians are to be ‘baptised’ or ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
One of the charges laid at the door of evangelicals has been their inability to back up beliefs with scholarship and sometimes our dogmatic statements take no account of apparent discrepancies in the Bible. Alan Dunstone, attempts to try to answer both of these comments with a scholarly approach to apparent contradictions in scripture. Do paradoxes in scripture take away the Bible’s power as God’s Word?
* Only available as a file.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
In some quarters the Church is faced with extinction, and programmed plans of evangelism will not bring back the lost lustre to the life of the Church. What is needed is something beyond our resources, a movement from God in which He takes the initiative.
The late Revd. Bob Gordon explores some of the characteristics of spiritual renewal, noting how the Holy Spirit’s role is to direct us towards Jesus, bond us to his Church, and give fresh hope in our faith.
* Only available as a file.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
Written while Bert was Principal Lecturer in Religious Studies at Avery Hill College in South London, this booklet argues for an approach to evangelism which is contextually sympathetic towards our audience and their assumptions, but which nevertheless stands firm on the conviction that there is indeed a message to give and an ultimate aim of conversion. The task of presenting the gospel message must be rooted in and positively supported by the local church.
* Only available as a file.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
Written while David was Theological Secretary for the Evangelical Alliance, this booklet is an extensive overview of the various movements and streams of Holy Spirit renewal in the British Isles. Beginning with the Celtic tradition and tracing the influence of Catholicism, Medieval Charismatics, the Anabaptists, Puritans, Quakers and Methodists, David then finishes by looking at the 20th Century Charismatic Movement and subsequent developments.
This is a must-read resource for church leaders and anyone else interested in activity of the Holy Spirit in these lands.
* Only available as a file.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
“The only reason you’re blessed is because God has still got someone else to bless through you.” (Vai’iga Tuigmala, former New Zealand ‘All Black’).
Christianity should be an infectious blessing, and this booklet looks at some of the ways in which Christian communities can beceome contagious communities, dangerously able to bless hardened cynics and weary materialists with hope in God. Especially helpful is the reflection on some key values that need to underlie evangelism – values such as compassion, courage, conviction and a dependence on the Spirit’s leading.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.
Recent decades have seen a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the church and many are hoping for revival in this country. Behind much of what is happening is an experience of the personal touch of the Holy Spirit God is meeting with His people again and bringing a fresh intimacy and experience of His power, life and love.
Many have relegated such experiences to a neo-pentecostalism reserved for fanatics. This booklet seeks to uncover what has become, for many, normal Christian living. It attempts to describe and explain something which can sometimes seem beyond words.
* Only available as a file.
Download the .pdf version free of charge by clicking here.