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Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
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Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

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In the name of the Father, the Son, and ... the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of all three, but how often do we live with an awareness of only the first two? As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today's church has admired the gift but neglected to open it.

Breakthrough author Francis Chan rips away paper and bows to get at the true source of the church's power—the Holy Spirit. Chan contends that we've ignored the Spirit for far too long, and we are reaping the disastrous results. Thorough scriptural support and compelling narrative form Chan's invitation to stop and remember the One we've forgotten, the Spirit of the living God.
 
LanguageEnglish
PublisherDavid C Cook
Release dateSep 1, 2009
ISBN9780781403504
Author

Francis Chan

Francis Chan es pastor principal de la Iglesia Cornerstone en Simi Valley, California. Es el fundador del Eternity Bible College y pertenece a la junta de la organización Children’s Hunger Fund. Su primer libro, Loco Amor, vendió más de 175,000 copias su primer año. Francis y su familia residen en el sur de California.

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Typically the Holy Spirit is one of those “forgotten subjects.” Like tithing or faith exhibited through works, it’s not a popular subject from either pulpit or book. So if anyone was going to find the “lost morsel” and bring it to light, it’s Francis Chan.Right now, I don’t even know how to describe Francis - he was a pastor of a local LA church, I suppose now he is a book author, a husband, a father, a Calvinist, a public speaker, a prophet, a sounding board for resolute doctrine and a very funny and likable guy.In Forgotten God, Chan makes a case that the true “power” and “tapability” (my own word) of the Holy Spirit is often left unaccessed, by both Christians and the Church. Chan writes,“You are most likely familiar with the fruit passage in Galatians 5 which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, (and) self-control…” You may even have the list memorized. But look over those traits right now and ask yourself if you posses each to a supernatural degree. Do you exhibit more kindness and faithfulness than the Mormons you know? Do you have more self-control than your Muslim friends? More peace than Buddhists? More Joy than atheists? if GOD truly lives in you, shouldn’t you expect to be different from everyone else?”Francis is one of those voices who can look at scripture and find the “obvious” point we have all been missing – he finds some prophetic way to see something new in the same text we have all been reading.Chan tells a story about how two Jehovah’s Witness knocked on his door one day to share their message – Francis “gently” told them that he found their message offensive because they believe that Michael the arc-angel is also Jesus. Francis shared that Jesus is so much more than an angel, to which the JW’s assured him that Jesus/Michael is the only one. Francis then read Daniel 10:13 to them that says “Michael was only one of many chief princes.” Francis went on to say that he could not believe that honest bible study had led to their conclusions. He accused them of being spoon fed and instructed them to read the bible for themselves.And I think I would offer the same advice, but to all of us…again Francis Chan“”I left that conversation feeling a bit proud of myself because I stumped them and got them to question their beliefs. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder whether I was fair to them. Had I ever sat down with the Bible and sought after its self-evident truth? Or had a passively ingested what I heard from other people, much like my front-door visitors?”Forgotten God will challenge you to beak open the word and unlock the truth that the power of God resides in you – and that power and gifting is available to you today. And if you do not possess it to a ‘super natural degree’ may you hunger and seek after it all the more.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A discussion of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit.A fairly good discussion, although the author never seems to account for likely differences between the work of the Spirit in the first century from what He has done since the first century. Nevertheless, Chan makes many compelling observations about how whatever God is doing, man must also work as well and submit his will to His; that we should seek to follow God more than keep begging to try to find out His particular will for us; that we should seek to participate in God's work more than expecting God to bless our work; that if we live according to the Spirit there should be evidence of His fruit in our lives-- love, peace, patience, etc. A more theological bent that is greatly appreciated; nevertheless, an issue that still requires a lot of wrestling and challenges, and many vexing issues that could have some clarification and yet not.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Frances Chan gathers together a nice primer on the Holy Spirit. Top clips from the book are as follows:forget what God wants for our life and concentrate on what God wants you to do right now (dwelling on God's plan for us in the future often enables us to neglect God's call NOW.)sometimes we don't feel the HS because our life is too safe; or too louddon't let the church normalize, mellow, or institutionalize you
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Forgotten God that Francis Chan is referring to is God the Holy Spirit. He ably addresses the fact that we as Christians seem to have forgotten the place of Holy Spirit in our lives. He seeks to redress this failure by reminding us of our calling to live like Christ empowered by his Holy Spirit. Chan focuses on the role of Holy Spirit in sanctification and our need to not only focus on Christ and God the Father.In the introduction he states, "While no evangelical would deny His [Holy Spirit's] existence, I'm willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can" (15). I don't think too many would argue with this statement. Unfortunately, too many Christians are convinced that they can't do any better and they accept the status quo. Of course, that is the point - they can't do any better and need to let Holy Spirit empower them. Why are so many Christians discouraged and feel disempowered about living holy lives?Chan addresses this issue in seven chapters each of which seeks to answer a specific question. At several points in the book he cautions readers to stop and think about where they are at, or to read a certain section of Scripture and reflect on it before coming back to this book. This is helpful if people are willing to do it. Like most things in life, readers will only be successful in receiving a fill-up of Holy Spirit and living out of his strength if they seek to place themselves within his sphere of influence. Exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit isn't about intellectual knowledge but about allowing Holy Spirit to control us. Let us renew our minds and walk in his ways. Amen!This book isn't overly long (167pp) so it will be an easy read for most. There is more to be said about Holy Spirit and his role in our lives and in the church but if there was one introductory book I would want church goers to read this would be it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love reading Francis Chan's books. He writes with such an easy voice. It is like he is having a conversation with just you. His book Crazy Love changed the way I see my faith. I picked up Forgotten God because I wanted to learn about creating a relationship with the Holy Spirit. This book had a lot of insight and practical information and lessons. I appreciated reading about real people making powerful connections with the Spirit of God as well. This is a book I need to purchase.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Francis Chan picks up the mantle of Bill Bright in helping the church form a biblical understanding of the way that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit should change us. This is a challenging book and you may or may not agree with everything (I didn't) but all believers do need to think through the things he is saying. Come Holy Spirit and fill your church!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    When thinking of God, or praying to God, what is it that Christians usually have in their minds? Quite often the image is “God” as a somewhat generic supreme being, if God can be considered generic in any way. Another image is of God as “Father,” one where God is again supreme and also embodying all of the best qualities a person may think of in a parent, without having any of the human characteristics that are somewhat unsavory and may be found even among the best persons, such as fits of temper when exasperated. And there is always “Jesus” as the God to whom we pray. Jesus lived on earth as God’s divine Son, and lives today in heaven at “the right hand of the Father,” to cite the Apostles Creed. There are numerous Bible verses that instruct Christians to pray to, and through Jesus, so praying to Jesus is another easy image to hold in mind as we pray. But to be Christian is to also know that God has revealed himself as Triune, having three distinct persons of Father, Son and Spirit, and yet always being God. This last person of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit, is the subject of Francis Chan’s Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Colorado Springs, CO: David Cook, 2009). Chan’s thesis is that the Holy Spirit is frequently neglected among Christians and the aim of his book is to help Christians understand the absolutely essential nature of the Spirit to being a follower of Jesus. He wants us to love the Spirit as deeply as any other aspect of God, including Jesus, and to be empowered to discern the presence and follow the lead of the Spirit in every aspect of our lives. Chan is a gifted preacher, with the ability to clearly express deep and powerful thoughts in ways that make his audience want to love and follow God more than anything else. His writing has a similar style, and in the seven chapters of this book he leads his readers to a greater understanding of who the Spirit is, what the Spirit does, and what the Spirit can do in the lives of Christians today, should they take the time to listen and follow God’s voice as made known in the Spirit. Each chapter addresses a way in which the Spirit impacts Christian living, such as why Jesus alone is insufficient, or what a personal relationship with the Spirit might look like for the person who doesn’t yet have one. Each chapter also includes a brief story of someone that Chan knows who is living in a way that demonstrates the Spirit at work in their life. Chan believes that many Christians often look to God to meet their own needs, rather than seeking God and submitting themselves to God’s purposes. He writes, “[God] wants us to know that His gift of the Holy Spirit is really not for our own pleasure or purposes. The Spirit is meant to lead us toward holiness. The Spirit is here with us to accomplish God’s purposes, not ours.” (93) It is the Spirit, living within Christians, that guides, strengthens, and comforts Christians for a life of joyful submission to God in the world, come what may. I really liked this book and thought it was a good follow-up to his preceding book, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. In Crazy Love Chan wrote about the greatness and goodness of God, a God so wonderful that, in faith, we should be head-over-heels in love with him. In Forgotten God we are shown that it is the Spirit active in us that makes that type of love of God possible. Forgotten God ends with this heartfelt word of prayer, “Come, Holy Spirt, come. We don’t know exactly what that means and looks like for each of us yet, in the particular places You’ve called us to inhabit. But, nonetheless, whatever it means, we ask for Your presence. Come, Holy Spirit, come.”
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved the revelation of God thru the authors words. Great
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    AMAZING!!! I thank God for the thing that He has enabled Francis Chan to be used for. This book really shed light on what I already believed, what I didn't know, and what I was "made to believe" about the Holy Spirit. A real eye opener! I recommend this to everyone that has questions about who and what the Holy Spirit is.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    a great book
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Chan's second book focuses on the part of the Trinity most people don't understand and find most mysterious: the Holy Spirit. Chan brings the same passion for God he described in Crazy Love to this book and challenges the reader to really think about his or her relationship to God and how they are living.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of the great mysteries of Christianity is wrapped up in our understanding of the very God we worship – one God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Though we accept this to be true, we have trouble grasping exactly what it means, and we especially have trouble with the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Many of us would echo the title of Forgotten God's first chapter: “I've Got Jesus. Why Do I Need the Spirit?” In his book, Francis Chan tries to answer this question for us.As the pastor of a mega church in California, Chan was bothered by the lack of supernatural power and dramatic life-change within his congregation. It began to dawn on him that “something very important (was) missing..... namely, the Holy Spirit.” This realization pushed him to search the Bible for truths about who the Holy Spirit is and how He operates in our lives. The result is a book that is scripturally sound, personally convicting, and powerfully motivating. Chan's book is a wake-up call to the church, as he urges us to live radical, spirit-filled lives that show we are different from the rest of the world. He reminds us that we have the same power within us that created the universe and raised Jesus from the dead. Too often, we want to live safe, comfortable lives, taking no risks and avoiding danger at all costs. This book made me realize that if I am filled with the Spirit, I should be doing things that seem crazy at times...and I should be encouraging – not discouraging – other Christians to live the same way

Book preview

Forgotten God - Francis Chan

What people are saying about …

FORGOTTEN GOD

"Are you spiritually empty and searching for something more? Perhaps you’re missing out on God’s presence and power through the Holy Spirit. In Forgotten God, Francis Chan imparts a life-changing message on the power of the Holy Spirit and His desire to unleash Himself into our daily lives."

Craig Groeschel, founding pastor of LifeChurch.tv and author of It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It

It has often been said that the Holy Spirit is the Cinderella of the God-head. But no church and no Christian can be healthy or attain maturity without a life lived in and led by the Spirit. Francis Chan’s latest book is a timely reminder and engaging encouragement to get intimately acquainted with the Forgotten God.

Simon Ponsonby, Bible teacher, pastor, and author of And the Lamb Wins, More, and God Inside Out

Praise for …

CRAZY LOVE

Chan writes with infectious exuberance, challenging Christians to take the Bible seriously. He describes at length the sorry state of ‘lukewarm’ Christians who strive for a life characterized by control, safety, and an absence of suffering. In stark contrast, the book offers real-life accounts of believers who have given all—time, money, health, even their lives—in obedience to Christ’s call. Chan also recounts his own attempts to live ‘crazy’ by significantly downsizing his home and giving away his resources to the poor. Earnest Christians will find valuable take-home lessons from Chan’s excellent book.

Publishers Weekly

In Francis Chan’s unique style, and with an urgency that seeks to awaken a sleeping church mired in the comfort of middle ground, Crazy Love quickly gets to the heart of the matter and leaves you wanting more … more of the matchless Jesus who offers radical life for all right now.

Louie Giglio, visionary architect, director of Passion Conferences, and author of I Am Not, but I Know I AM

Francis’s life reflects authentic leadership tempered by a deep compassion for the lost, the last, the littlest, and the least. It’s all because this man, my friend, is an ardent and devoted disciple of his Savior. In his fresh new book, Crazy Love, Francis peels back what we think the Christian life is, and guides us down the path toward an uncommon intimacy with Jesus—an intimacy which can’t help but change the world around us!

Joni Eareckson Tada, best-selling author and speaker

In an age of religious phonies, spiritual apathy, and disheartening books suggesting that God is a delusion, Crazy Love shines like a glorious beacon of hope and light. If you’re stuck in a religious rut, read this refreshing book. I found it eye-opening and soul-thrilling. Whether in the pulpit or on the page, Francis Chan effuses love for Jesus Christ and demonstrates practical ways to throw off lukewarm Christianity and embrace full-on, passionate love for God.

Kirk Cameron, actor and author of Still Growing

FORGOTTEN GOD

Published by David C Cook

4050 Lee Vance View

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook Distribution Canada

55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5

David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, resold, or distributed by or through any print or electronic medium without written permission from the publisher. This ebook is licensed solely for the personal and noncommercial use of the original authorized purchaser, subject to the terms of use under which it was purchased. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

The Web site addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a

resource to you. These Web sites are not intended in any way to be or imply an

endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©

2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used

by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken

from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973,

1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.

All rights reserved; Scripture quotations marked TNIV are taken from the

Holy Bible, Today’s New International® Version. TNIV®. Copyright 2001,

2005 International Bible Society. All rights reserved worldwide; Scripture

quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible,

Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The author has added italics to Scripture quotations for emphasis.

LCCN 2009929661

ISBN 978-1-4347-6795-0

eISBN 978-0-7814-0350-4

© 2009 Francis Chan

Published in association with the literary agency of

D.C. Jacobson & Associates LLC, an Author Management Company

www.DCJacobson.com

The Team: John Blase, Amy Kiechlin, Sarah Schultz, Caitlyn York, and Karen Athen

Cover Design: The Regime, Jim Elliston

First Edition 2009

To Rachel,

My daughter and friend:

You have no idea how happy I am to see the Spirit alive in you. Let’s follow Him together, forever.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

About the Cover

Chapter 1:I’ve Got Jesus. Why Do I Need the Spirit?

Chapter 2: What Are You Afraid Of?

Chapter 3: Theology of the Holy Spirit 101

Chapter 4: Why Do You Want Him?

Chapter 5: A Real Relationship

Chapter 6: Forget About His Will for Your Life!

Chapter 7: Supernatural Church

Afterword

Notes

About the Coauthor

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Lisa and the kids—for supporting me as I seek to take our family wherever the Spirit leads. I know it’s not always easy.

The elders of Cornerstone Church—for your patient and Spirit-led instruction in my life. I love serving alongside you.

Danae—Once again, I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you. Your gift is obvious, and I admire your commitment to true, biblical Christianity.

Don and Jenni at D.C. Jacobson & Associates—for your guidance.

The team at David C. Cook—for all your work.

Jim—for designing such a cool cover. Everyone should buy a Web site from www.CloverSites.com. (You owe me a lot of sushi for that advertisement.)

Jesse and Reesh, Keith and Kristi, Gene and Sandra, Chris and Julie, Jim and Sherry, Ted and Sandy, Frank and Christy, Adam and Steph, Bill and Kathleen, Brice and Shelene, Mark and Jen, Doug and Frani, Kevin, Paul, Rochelle, and Susan. You guys didn’t really help with anything, but you’re good friends, and it’s always fun to see your name in print.

INTRODUCTION

You might think that calling the Holy Spirit the forgotten God is a bit extreme. Maybe you agree that the church has focused too much attention elsewhere but feel it is an exaggeration to say we have forgotten about the Spirit. I don’t think so.

From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten. While no evangelical would deny His existence, I’m willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can.

The benchmark of success in church services has become more about attendance than the movement of the Holy Spirit. The entertainment model of church was largely adopted in the 1980s and ’90s, and while it alleviated some of our boredom for a couple of hours a week, it filled our churches with self-focused consumers rather than self-sacrificing servants attuned to the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps we’re too familiar and comfortable with the current state of the church to feel the weight of the problem. But what if you grew up on a desert island with nothing but the Bible to read? Imagine being rescued after twenty years and then attending a typical evangelical church. Chances are you’d be shocked (for a whole lot of reasons, but that is another story). Having read the Scriptures outside the context of contemporary church culture, you would be convinced that the Holy Spirit is as essential to a believer’s existence as air is to staying alive. You would know that the Spirit led the first Christians to do unexplainable things, to live lives that didn’t make sense to the culture around them, and ultimately to spread the story of God’s grace around the world.

There is a big gap between what we read in Scripture about the Holy Spirit and how most believers and churches operate today. In many modern churches, you would be stunned by the apparent absence of the Spirit in any manifest way. And this, I believe, is the crux of the problem.

If I were Satan and my ultimate goal was to thwart God’s kingdom and purposes, one of my main strategies would be to get churchgoers to ignore the Holy Spirit. The degree to which this has happened (and I would argue that it is a prolific disease in the body of Christ) is directly connected to the dissatisfaction most of us feel with and in the church. We understand something very important is missing. The feeling is so strong that some have run away from the church and God’s Word completely.

I believe that this missing something is actually a missing Someone—namely, the Holy Spirit. Without Him, people operate in their own strength and only accomplish human-size results. The world is not moved by love or actions that are of human creation. And the church is not empowered to live differently from any other gathering of people without the Holy Spirit. But when believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in their lives is supernatural. The church cannot help but be different, and the world cannot help but notice.

As I wrote this book, the question that kept burning in my mind was how can any human being write well on the sacred topic of the Holy Spirit of God? No subject intimidates me more, yet I can’t think of anything more essential for God’s church everywhere, and especially in the western hemisphere where it seems that the Holy Spirit is all but missing from most of our churches. I am most definitely writing from a western context, and I know that the body of Christ is vibrant and growing and the Holy Spirit active on continents like Africa, South America, and Asia. I also know that God works uniquely in various places and times, and I do think this explains part of the difference between here and there. However, I also believe that the Spirit is more obviously active in places where people are desperate for Him, humbled before Him, and not distracted by their pursuit of wealth or comforts (like we are).

The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished, having largely sold out to the kingdoms and values of this world. While most people see that there is a problem, few do anything about it, and most of those who do, run toward the wrong solutions. Instead of speaking meaningfully and insightfully into the culture, we have capitulated and in many cases look no different from the world. I’m not sure if it is a calling or a sense of pure urgency that leads me to write this. Maybe both. The fact is, I don’t have the right to write this book, but I believe it is a book that needs to be written, so I have written it, trusting that God will use it for His glory.

The Holy Spirit is absolutely vital to our situation today. Of course,

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