I just finished “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan (BONUS: There is a study guide I would recommend that goes along great with the book. You can pick it up at Amazon here).
What is Forgotten God?
“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 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.”
My Take?
Forgotten God is not a bad work directed at revealing how the Holy Spirit moves throughout us as Christians and in the church. While the last parts of Forgotten God were insightful and engaging, I think it might have been too soon after the follow up of his last book (Chan has another book called Crazy Love that I’m still processing!). However, while the first couple of chapters may have been repetitive to the well versed, we can all learn a lot from the last chapters. We can hope and pray that they will speak to the believers heart regardless of where they are at in their walk.
Other resources:
Chan on Forgotten God:
Book Quotes:
“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 1980’s and ‘90’s 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….The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished, having largely sold out to the kingdoms and values of this world….We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God….shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not?”
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“The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you into the way of the cross, as He led Jesus to the cross, and that is definitely not a safe or pretty or comfortable place to be. The Holy Spirit of God will mold you into the person you were made to be…”
Check out Chan’s work. It’s engaging material that you are sure to enjoy.
-jordan
Hi. I have not read the book but from the excerpts, it sounds like a very powerful book. True…very few Christian talk let alone believe in the power of the HOLY SPIRIT, to speak and guide them in all their action. Would love to read this one. God bless.
I am reading Francis Chan’s Forgotten God right now and blogging all about it. Check it out here: http://whatsnextgod.wordpress.com/