Francis Chan - Remembering the Forgotten God: An Interactive Workbook for Individual and Small-Group Study

REMEMBERING THE 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. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

without written permission from the publisher.

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 KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.)

LCCN 2009943453

ISBN 978-1-4347-0088-9

eISBN 978-1-4347-0209-8

2010 Francis Chan and Mark Beuving

Published in association with the literary agency of

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

www.dcjacobson.com

The Team: Don Pape, Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Kiechlin, Sarah Schultz, Caitlyn York, Karen Athen

Cover Design: Jim Elliston

First Edition 2010

Contents

Session 1:

Session 2:

Session 3:

Session 4:

Session 5:

Session 6:

Session 7:

Getting Started

To a frightening extent, the church has forgotten about the Holy Spirit. We talk about Him from time to time, and we believe that He is actually living inside of us, but what difference do you see between a typical Christian, who has the Holy Spirit, and a typical non-Christian, who doesnt?

Due in large part to our Western mind-set, we tend to assume that God wont work supernaturally in our lives. Sure, the Spirit did some crazy things in the book of Acts, but He doesnt work that way anymore. Or does He? One thing is certain: We will never know the power of the Spirit until we open our lives to follow His leading.

Without the supernatural power of God in our lives, we remain incredibly ordinary. Our churches remain ordinary. At times we will attempt big things for God, but we dont expect anything supernatural. Our natural tendency is to work in our own strength rather than relying on the Holy Spirit, and the results are not surprising.

How do we explain the absence of the Spirits power in the church today? Is the Holy Spirit weaker now than He was in New Testament times? Or have we simply restructured our lives to be safer, more comfortable, and more self-dependent?

This workbook is about exploring the person of the Holy Spirit and reflecting on His power to work in and through you . Its not enough to believe in the Spirits power generally or His plan for the church as a whole. Its time for each of us to develop a relationship with the Spirit of the living God and begin to follow His leading in our daily lives.

As you work through these seven sessions, you will study the person and work of the Holy Spirit. But rather than focusing on doctrine in an abstract sense, you will be asked to consider the implications for your life, question your motives, challenge your assumptions, and ultimately learn to love, follow, and rely on the Spirit of God.

Before you start, ask yourself if you really want to be changed. Studying the most powerful being imaginable is bound to make you uneasy about certain aspects of your life. Do you really want to meet Him in the days and weeks ahead?

It is impossible to encounter the Holy Spirit of God and not be changed.

How to Get the Most Out of This Workbook

There are a few different ways to use this workbook. You can work through the study as an individual, as a part of a small group, or even during a weekend retreat. Ive made some suggestions for using the workbook in each of these settings below.

This workbook is designed to work hand in hand with the Forgotten God book and the Forgotten God DVD Study Resource . Ideally, you will read the relevant chapter from Forgotten God, then go through the corresponding session in this workbook, watching the appropriate video from the DVD when prompted. Use the Reflection pages at the end of each session to elaborate on any additional thoughts your study prompted.

But while that is the most thorough way of studying the material, the workbook also stands on its own. Youll notice that each session refers to the book and the DVD, but you can get a lot out of this workbook without those resources.

Using the Workbook on Your Own

The most effective way to use this workbook is to go through it on your own, even if youre also going to discuss it in a group or on a retreat. Many of the questions are personal, and taking the time to read through the sessions and think through how each question should affect your life will give the study depth and immediate personal application.

If you have the Forgotten God book, I suggest reading the corresponding chapter before starting each session of this workbook. If you have the Forgotten God DVD Study Resource , youll notice that each session prompts you to watch the appropriate video at a particular point in the study. I recommend watching the video when prompted, then working through the rest of the session.

Using the Workbook in a Small Group

If youre working through the material as a part of a small group, the best way to begin is by working through each chapter on your own before the group discussion (see the section for individuals above). Reading and thinking through each session on your own before your group meets will better prepare you for the discussion. I recommend writing in your answers and any notes or questions you may have before you meet with your group, and then adding to your notes based on the discussion.

When you meet with your group, establish a discussion leader. (If youve been chosen for this task, see the Notes for Discussion Leaders at the end of this workbook.) This person doesnt need to have all the answers. (Who does when it comes to studying the Holy Spirit?) The discussion leader will simply guide the conversation and decide when to move on to the next question.

For each session, discuss the numbered questions as a group. Feel free to read a section out loud if the questions are unclear. Some of the questions can be answered quickly, but I encourage you to take your time, giving multiple group members a chance to share. This will enrich the discussion, and different perspectives will often give you more ideas for practical application.

At a specific point in each session, you will be prompted to play the Forgotten God DVD Study Resource . I suggest getting one copy for your group and watching the videos together while you meet. If you do it this way, individual group members will work through the material on their own and wait to watch the videos until the group meets. When you get together, discuss the numbered questions until you are prompted to watch the DVD. After the video, discuss the rest of the questions.

It may be helpful to arrange chairs in a U shape around the television so that everyone can see the screen when you watch the video, and so that everyone can see one another as you discuss your thoughts before and after the video. If this arrangement is possible, then you wont need to move chairs during your meeting.

Most importantly, I encourage you to be honest with the members of your group. If your desire is to grow and change, you will need the other group members to pray for you, support you, and at times challenge your thinking. By opening up to one another, your whole group will become more open to the Spirits leading.