My friend Jason and I are reading through Francis Chan’s book, Forgotten God, and I thought it would be nice if you joined us in our reading. I will share my thoughts as I read, and we can interact over what the book has to say. Feel free to add your comments as we go.
How you receive the book will depend on your church background. In fact, in his intro, Chan promises that reading the book “will not be easy.” Good! We have too many easy reads already. We have too many works designed simply to “itch” our ears—to say what we want to hear. We have too many books too deep in theology and not rich in the Spirit. We have too many books filled with experiences and lean on theology.
I first thought Forgotten God was designed to bring a good “balance” between the excess of some and the neglect of others, when it came to the Holy Spirit. But, Chan promises to avoid this temptation towards balance. To be somewhere in the middle when it comes to God, he feels, is not enough, and I agree.
Whatever the truth concerning the Holy Spirit, we are called to be ALL IN. God wants ALL that we are. If we are to “live by the Spirit” then we must be “filled with the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5, Eph. 5:18). This means we are to be CONSUMED by the Holy Spirit in such a way that ALL OF LIFE is transformed (Rom. 12:2).
Chan wrote,
“When I read Scripture, I see the truth an necessity of a life wholly surrendered to and dependent upon the Holy Spirit” (21).
There is really no other way to be Christian than a life surrendered to God through His Holy Spirit. Anything less is not truly living—not truly the Christian life. Dependence is VERY Christian and dependence on the Holy Spirit is essential to the life called “eternal.”
So, “may our desire to experience more of the Holy Spirit be our starting point. And may we open our hearts and lives to His presence and action more fully than we have ever done before. By the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, may we be different people when we finish from when we started” (22.)
(I have included a little link to the book and a status bar to the right so you can see my progress.)
Copyright©2010 Hudson Russell Davis
Great! So far there is some good stuff. The chapter I just read is called “What Are You Afraid Of?” Sadly there is fear associated with the Holy Spirit. Falsely so! Send me your comments when you start reading. I am NOT the only one with something to say.
Looking forward to getting my book ,ordered one for a friend too!!!