Francis Chan - Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

What people are saying about

FORGOTTEN GOD

Are you spiritually empty and searching for something more? Perhaps youre missing out on Gods 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 Chans 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 alltime, money, health, even their livesin obedience to Christs 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 Chans excellent book.

Publishers Weekly

In Francis Chans 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

Franciss life reflects authentic leadership tempered by a deep compassion for the lost, the last, the littlest, and the least. Its 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 Jesusan intimacy which cant 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 youre 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

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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.

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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. Lets follow Him together, forever.

Contents

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Lisa and the kidsfor supporting me as I seek to take our family wherever the Spirit leads. I know its not always easy.

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

DanaeOnce again, I wouldnt 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 & Associatesfor your guidance.

The team at David C. Cookfor all your work.

Jimfor 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 didnt really help with anything, but youre good friends, and its 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 dont think so.

From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten. While no evangelical would deny His existence, Im 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 were 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 youd 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 believers 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 didnt make sense to the culture around them, and ultimately to spread the story of Gods grace around the world.