In his discourse at the Last Supper, Jesus made a promise to his disciples:

“I will pray to the Father and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Trust, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
John 14: 16-17

Jesus knew that when he was no longer on earth, his disciples would not be able to live the kind of life he had called them to, by their own strength and ability.  He knew that Christians would need a supernatural source of strength, that they would need the strength and power of God himself.  So he promised His disciples the very Spirit of God, and on Pentecost that Spirit came down upon them, to remain with the Christian people forever.  The lives of the disciples were radically transformed by the Holy Spirit: they were able to preach the Gospel of Jesus in boldness and power, their words wee accompanied by signs and wonders, they drew together to live in new communities, united in one mind and one heart.

Today, Christians of all denominations are rediscovering the power that Jesus gives his people through the Holy Spirit.  They are discovering the power to live together in love and peace, to heal the sick and comfort the afflicted, and to worship God with new and abundant praise.  Above all, they are discovering a deeper and more personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their very own Lord and Savior.  The power of the Holy Spirit has made such a vital and tangible change in their lives that more and more people can see that power at work and begin to desire this new life for themselves.  Everywhere, people are coming alive to the new life in the Spirit, and they want to find out more about that life, they want to discover a new relationship with Jesus.

The Life in the Spirit Seminars are designed as an introduction to a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit.  They provide an opportunity for people to find out more about that life, and to be helped in taking the first steps of a new relationship with the Lord.  For those who are not Christians at all, they can serve as an introduction to Christianity and a time to make a first commitment to Jesus Christ.  For those who are already Christians, they offer help in finding a fuller release of the Holy Spirit to live a deeper Christian life.

The seminars are a series of talks and discussions which take place over a period of time.  In the middle of the seminar, there is an opportunity for people to be prayed with to be “baptized” in the Holy Spirit.  The time before that is devoted to an explanation of the basic Christian message of salvation and of what it means to be baptized in the Spirit.  During the remaining time, the teaching is oriented towards further growth in the life of the spirit.

But more than a series of courses or lectures, the Life in the Spirit Seminars are a chance for Christians who have found a fuller life in the Holy Spirit to come together with people who want to know more about that life, to share with them, and to help them take the first steps of a new life themselves.  

The Life in the Spirit Seminars have a very limited goal.  They are designed to be only the beginning, only he first step in a completely new way of life.  For people to continue to grow and develop in this new life they need to come together with others who are living this same way to receive support and further teaching.  For this reason, the seminars should be presented in the context of a Christian community or prayer group where people are already living the life in the Spirit together.  People completing the seminars should be brought into the life of these groups where they can receive the guidance and support they will need to go on with their new life.