But Why The Holy Spirit?

By: Alexis Faubel

This was the question that a girl I was mentoring brought to me during my sophomore year of college. She told me that while she had grown up in church, she had never heard the book of Acts taught or preached on, and while she knew about the Trinity, she had never heard her pastors or church mention the Holy Spirit.

This seemed very strange to me, a person who had grown up in a thick Spirit-empowered, Pentecostalism culture, but I came to learn that my friend was one of many people who had never really had the chance to stop and think about the Holy Spirit before college. Now that I’m on staff, I want to name a couple of things that might be helpful for someone entering into a community that is empowered by the Holy Spirit, when they may not have heard of it before. 

For starters, we believe that the Holy Spirit is an equal and powerful part of the Trinity (The Godhead, 3-in-1). There is God the Father, Jesus His Son, and His Spirit is the third part, often depicted as a dove or as wind in the Bible. And while I think the name “Forgotten God” (Francis Chan), is a perfect description of how the Holy Spirit is often treated in the American Church, here in Chi Alpha we believe that the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential to everything we do. In fact, Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever. That helper is the Spirit of Truth… You know him because he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)”. Jesus literally left Earth so that the Holy Spirit could be with us, and IN us, instead of Christ’s physical body. That’s a pretty important gift!

And with the arrival of the Holy Spirit on the scene, we believe that it is the same Spirit that lived in Christ, that now lives in us if we ask Him to come into our lives. We believe in a separate baptism of the Spirit for this reason, and we can see many times in scripture that the evidence of this baptism is the gift of speaking in other tongues or languages. We also believe that the Holy Spirit gives the gift of interpreting those languages/ tongues, along with giving gifts words of wisdom and knowledge, faith and healing, miracles, prophecy, healing, or even discernment between spirits (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). We believe these are all part of the Spirit’s power manifesting in our lives, and in our community for good. 

This is what it means to be Pentecostal. To believe that the same power that lived in Jesus, that comes from God, now is inside of us if we want the gift of His Spirit and the gifts that come with it. And if you are stepping into a community that believes these things that you may have never heard of before, I hope you feel encouraged, excited, and curious about the joy and goodness that come from this Loving Spirit of God.

The Spirit In Ministry

Written By Alexis Faubel

Growing up in the Church, I didn’t realize how unique my specific experience was until much later. My parents met in Bible College in their twenties, but this Bible college had a unique, Pentecostal culture associated with it. They later landed in Las Vegas, NV at a church that carried those same distinctives. As I was raised in this church, I was taught that the Holy Spirit is living and active within me, right alongside the knowledge that Jesus loves me. As we studied Acts in children’s church, along with the rest of the classic Bible stories, there was never a doubt in my mind that our charismatic culture was unique. However, now that I’m older I’m grateful for the knowledge and understanding that the supernatural power and comfort of the Holy Spirit were taught to me at such a young age.

The lessons that I received when I was little weren’t the only experiences that I had in my Pentecostal church. I was able to speak in tongues as a young child, and I started developing the gift of discernment by the time I started high school. Being a witness to healing services and prophetic moments in my church also paved a way for me to form a deep belief and trust in God and His active presence. When I got older, I remember being used by God in college through dreams and prophetic statements for friends who were going through hard times. I’ve also had a vision of Him and was able to discern between negative spirits that threatened people close to me. All of these instances were directly tied to my relationship with the Holy Spirit, Him allowing me to “Know the Unknowable”, and ultimately impact others’ lives because of it. I am grateful to be able to work with the Spirit to serve others and speak into their lives when it may feel like they don’t know what to do or where to turn. And now I believe God has used these gifts to prepare me for full-time ministry.

Whether it is as intense as dreams and visions, or as gentle as speaking truth to my students who are doubting or discouraged, knowing that the Holy Spirit is within me and is working with me, gives me comfort and confidence that can only come from Him. Knowing that the same power that was with Jesus is now in me because of His gift of the Holy Spirit, has helped me often when I’m afraid. Whether it’s waking up from a nightmare, or walking alone at night, my knowledge that I can rely on the God who is with me always, is a not-so-secret strength that I am grateful I can rely on, especially as a minister. I hope that you too get to experience the empowerment and love of the Holy Spirit one day, and I encourage you to join me in praying for more of His Spirit in our lives.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Summer Reading List

Written By Alexis Faubel

Important things require time, attention, and a platform. I know for me, every time I hear someone is speaking on any matter of social justice, or has a spicy take on relationships, I’m down to hear truth and be challenged…. Well, I mostly just want to hear truth. I’ve found myself consuming mass amounts of articles and videos exploring subjects varying from race, to dating, to our justice system and singleness. I’ve had hours worth of conversations with my friends on these topics alone, and could probably host a whole channel dedicated to my own thoughts on these themes.

But while the idea of hosting a platform to spill all of my opinions is very appealing, I’ve come to understand that there are folks who have dedicated years of their lives curating and pouring out the results of God-given discernment, understanding, and life-experience that I will never obtain, into books! A lost art in our easy-to-access digital world, but man have I benefited from reading books by numerous different authors if I just… yep... humble myself, take a seat, open their book, and absorb the words they have chosen to share.

The people represented in this list each carry a different weight. They shoulder differences in race, gender, nationality, relationship status, trauma, platform, level of education, and daily struggles. I encourage us all to take the time to pause and take in what these authors have to say about the world around them, and their experiences, and what it means for us, and our lives. As we take the time to listen to them, just as they have spent time listening to our God, I pray that our hearts are softened, our eyes opened, and that our ability to love others and ourselves well, is abundant. 

Women in Ministry & Gender Roles 

Troubling Her: A Biblical Defense of Women in Ministry - Jessica Faye Carter 

God's Women Then and Now - Dr. Deborah Gill and Barbara Cavaness 

Powerful and Free: Confronting The Glass Ceiling For Women in The Church - Danny Silk

Race & Reconciliation 

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness - Austin Channing Brown

Heal Us, Emmanuel: A Call for Racial Reconciliation, Representation, and Unity in the Church - Various Authors (Essays) 

Prophetic Lament - Soong-Chan Rah 

In Our Backyard: Human Trafficking in America and what we can do to stop it - Nita Belles

Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice That Restores - Dominique DuBois Gilliard 

Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities into Unity, Wholeness and Justice - Brenda Salter McNeil 

White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to Be White - Daniel Hill

Sexual Moral Ethic 

Fortify: The Fighter's Guide to Overcoming Pornography Addiction - FTND 

Getting to No: How to Break a Stubborn Habit - Dr. Erwin Lutzer 

Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ - Rosaria Champagne Butterfield 

Washed & Waiting - Wesley Hill

Is God anti-gay?: And other questions about homosexuality, the Bible and same-sex attraction - Sam Allberry 

Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations The Church Forgot - Mo Isom

Love, Sex & Dating - Andy Stanley 

Loveology - John Mark Comer

Why Both?

CHI ALPHA AND A LOCAL CHURCH

Written By Alexis Faubel

Picture this: It’s your freshman year, you were flagged down by a bunch of Christians tabling a couple of days ago, and long story short - you’re leaving your first Chi Alpha Large Group service and are feeling pretty good about it. The announcements, the worship, the sermon and prayer touched on familiar, yet brand-new notions of Church.

As you're heading out the door, one of the upperclassmen comes over to see you off and says “It’s so great that you made it Chi Alpha tonight! So I’ll see you at church on Sunday?” You stop, confused because you’re currently leaving what you thought was a pretty great church service… sp why go to both?

It may seem like an extra commitment right now, but I can promise that the regular practice of engaging with a local faith community outside of your Chi Alpha, will serve you for years to come. What I’ve learned is what I hope you will take away as well - both communities are necessary during this time of our lives.

On the college ministry side, I can’t imagine my faith growing as deep, my lasting friendships being as strong, or my college experience as fulfilling as it was, without a full immersion into my Chi Alpha community. Being able to text friends to grab dinner at the cafeteria, planning movie nights in dorms, or heading to the library to study together after Small Group or Large Group Service is something I could never find from a local church alone. Being able to learn, grow, and build friendships with my peers who were experiencing the same things on our campus was an irreplaceable part of my life. And I suspect some of you feel the same way.. so why pursue more than that?

The truth is, college and Chi Alpha are great, but everyone eventually graduates, and then that Chi Alpha experience will no longer exist for you (even if you join Xa staff). But you know what will still exist? The local church.

It is the local church that exists before, during, and after your college experience. It is the local church where intergenerational relationships can truly thrive, and an opportunity to become engaged in the community arrives. And then ultimately, a home is built to settle into post-grad life that will make all the difference when you transition from one big season to the other.

I was grateful for the church family that I was able to establish while I was still a student. This family that helped me as I graduated, started my first job, and moved around the city to start my professional career. And while my experience was great, it didn’t come without a cost. Consistent investment and attendance are what built up my relationships, and it wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it. I watched many of my friends who didn’t have strong bonds with the local church struggle greatly when they realized that their campus ministry experience doesn’t translate outside of campus. This is a harsh reality, but one that I hope all of you will take as a bit of wisdom when deciding where to invest in college.

Ultimately, both are worth it. Both provide community, relationships, and joy. Both are where Jesus resides. So why wouldn’t you want a double blessing?

Sabbath Vs. Self-Care

Written By Alexis Faubel

One thing we talk about often in DC Chi Alpha, is the importance of rest. For a ministry placed in one of the busiest cities in the world, with students who are high-achieving and striving for success, rest is usually a thing most desired, but also comes in last place in their minds. So, we talk about rest, and sabbath, and taking care of our holistic selves often.

Sabbath is a term that until Chi Alpha, I only associated with Sundays - the day that you go to church and try to rest, and not do homework. Turns out that’s a pretty good practice in college too. Chi Alpha introduced me to the active type of rest found on a sabbath day (ideally, though a half-day or a couple of hours blocked off can also be allocated).

I learned that a sabbath should be used to spend extended time with God, without distractions. This can be a flexible time made up of a longer quiet time, nature walks, worship, and/or journaling. I’ve used this time to go deep in prayer and wrestling with many things life has brought my way. Sabbath is a practice that forces us to make time to spend with our Creator, and tend to the parts of ourselves that we may not address otherwise.

This is where self-care comes in. While caring for ourselves can be achieved in many different ways, I think it is separate from a sabbath. I often practice self-care in my sabbath by napping, watching a movie, reading a favorite book, cooking something good, or taking a bath. And while all of those things are good ways to care for our body and minds, I think the difference is that sabbath is an intentional resting and abiding that can happen with or without self-care practices.

Both sabbath, and self-care, are important concepts to think about and to practice. I encourage you to spend some time this week being more intentional about both of them. Then maybe spend some time reflecting in a journal, or to a friend, about what you got out of a day spent with Jesus (including all of the naps you may have taken too!).