Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
by Francis Chan
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Powerful. When is the last time someone used that word to describe you? It doesn't make sense that Almighty God would have children characterized by fear and insecurity. He put His Spirit in us so we could be known for our power (Acts 1:8; 2 Tim. 1:7). Sadly, most believers and churches are known for talent or intellect rather than supernatural power. What's worse is that we're okay with it. Could it be that we've forgotten the One who distinguishes us from every religion and cult in the show more world? Through solid scriptural support and compelling narrative, breakthrough author Francis Chan returns us to the Holy Spirit as the Bible describes Him. He reminds us that we were not created and saved merely to survive our time on earth. Chan contends that we've ignored the Spirit and are reaping the disastrous results. It's time for the beloved church of Jesus Christ to reverse the trend of neglect. Let's pursue the Spirit-filled life of effectiveness.. show less
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This is a dangerous book! Read it only if you dare!
If you claim to be a Christian, this book could very well convict you, as it did me. Convict you of thinking or praying too much to God to reveal what He wants you to DO rather than praying to Him about who God wants you to BE . Do you wonder about what God's will is for you in a year? 2 years? What is God's 5-year plan for you? WHY? Why are you not seeking to understand God's will for you TODAY?
This book will also remind you that Christians believe in a triune God, three persons - three co-EQUAL persons - manifested in one God. I know for me, as I read it and discussed it in a small group, I started to understand Chan's message more and more and realized that I had, perhaps show more unintentionally, excluded an equal focus on the Holy Spirit as I do on God the Father and Jesus the Son of God.
Chan is not telling us we must change to a different faith tradition that may focus more on the Spirit. In fact, he specifically tells us such a change is not what he is suggesting. What he is teaching is that to fully have God's presence in our lives, we must seek out the Holy Spirit's guidance and presence in our lives as much as we seek out God the Father's and Jesus the Son's guidance and presence. After all, before Jesus left his physical life on earth, he gave a part of himself to his disciples and us in the form of the Spirit. For me, that has pushed me to not only pray specifically to God the Father and to God the Son, but also to the Holy Spirit every day.
I really enjoyed the book. A couple in the group struggled a bit more with understanding that Chan's teaching is not in conflict with their Christian beliefs.
I think that the traditions they grew up in simply did not focus on the Spirit as a co-equal. And that was the reason they struggled with Chan's teaching.
I challenge you to read and discuss this book in a small group. show less
If you claim to be a Christian, this book could very well convict you, as it did me. Convict you of thinking or praying too much to God to reveal what He wants you to DO rather than praying to Him about who God wants you to BE . Do you wonder about what God's will is for you in a year? 2 years? What is God's 5-year plan for you? WHY? Why are you not seeking to understand God's will for you TODAY?
This book will also remind you that Christians believe in a triune God, three persons - three co-EQUAL persons - manifested in one God. I know for me, as I read it and discussed it in a small group, I started to understand Chan's message more and more and realized that I had, perhaps show more unintentionally, excluded an equal focus on the Holy Spirit as I do on God the Father and Jesus the Son of God.
Chan is not telling us we must change to a different faith tradition that may focus more on the Spirit. In fact, he specifically tells us such a change is not what he is suggesting. What he is teaching is that to fully have God's presence in our lives, we must seek out the Holy Spirit's guidance and presence in our lives as much as we seek out God the Father's and Jesus the Son's guidance and presence. After all, before Jesus left his physical life on earth, he gave a part of himself to his disciples and us in the form of the Spirit. For me, that has pushed me to not only pray specifically to God the Father and to God the Son, but also to the Holy Spirit every day.
I really enjoyed the book. A couple in the group struggled a bit more with understanding that Chan's teaching is not in conflict with their Christian beliefs.
I think that the traditions they grew up in simply did not focus on the Spirit as a co-equal. And that was the reason they struggled with Chan's teaching.
I challenge you to read and discuss this book in a small group. show less
Despite its shortness, there was a lot of repetition: depend upon God. And despite its emphasis early on about exegesis vs. eisegesis, there was not much "Bible" study at all. Not that I disagreed with much of what he said, it was just not what I thought was promised. But the conclusions are right on: if the God of the universe dwells in us, shouldn't we be different from the world? The answer has to be yes, yet sadly, we look around the world, and we can't often tell; I know in my life, I can't tell.
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 show more 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.” show less
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 show more 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.” show less
A follow up to the profound message of Crazy Love, Pastor Francis Chan offers a compelling invitation to understand, embrace, and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives. 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 show more 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. show less
Chan is great at taking the basics of theology and pressing them to their simple (yet powerful and radical) implications. This isn't a book of deep theology in the Spirit, but it is a powerful challenge to walk in the Spirit, which is often more needful than an academic textbook.
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) show more 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 show less
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) show more 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 show less
Man, this was convicting ... in a super-good way. Really challenged me to rethink how I see the Holy Spirit, and invite him into my life - to be its driver, not to be in the sidecar.
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Francis Chan has been a pastor for over thirty years. He is a New York Times-bestselling author of several books, including Crazy Love and Letters to the Church. He and his wife, Lisa, have been married nearly thirty years and coauthored You and Me Forever. Currently, Francis and his family split their time between ministry and church planting in show more Northern California and Asia. show less
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- Original publication date
- 2009
- Dedication
- 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.
- First words
- 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 forgot... (show all)ten about the Spirit. I don't think so.
Chapter 1-
I've Got Jesus. Why Do I Need the Spirit?
We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the t... (show all)hings of the Spirit is all but gone... [We] have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost. -A. W. Tozer-
I am convinced there is a desperate need in the church for the Holy Spirit of God to be given room to have His way. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Afterword-
Come, Holy Spirit, 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. - Blurbers
- Groeschel, Craig; Ponsonby, Simon
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