Forgotten God

This book by Francis Chan is phenomenal. For some reason, his writing style is so honest and genuine that it draws me to read further and actually study what I'm reading about.

The book is essentially about how we neglect the Holy Spirit in our churches and daily lives as if we can do things without guidance from the true Helper. Honestly, we can do things without God... but not very successfully. I know that I ran for a long time and knew that the Holy Spirit was breaking my heart for the things and people around me. I was running from salvation and from the One I needed to rescue me.

I will not say that once I allowed the Holy Spirit to fill me I was able to do everything with ease. On the contrary, things can get more difficult from time to time. However, I have seen that God makes things more clear the more you invest your time and effort in Him. The more you know about God, the more you know essentially what your task is. This sounds weird, but maybe you don't know what your life is supposed to be like. Maybe you don't have a huge set of goals to accomplish before death. The thing is, your general task is very clear: to carry out the Great Commission in the best way you know how; albeit through secular jobs, ministry roles, or being homeless, God can and will work through the gifts you've been given.

Back to the Holy Spirit.. We can do things (even church) without God, but no successfully.. I know I repeated myself from before, but this is true. It's also in Forgotten God. In a nutshell, Chan illustrates that with a charismatic speaker, great production equipment, and an awesome praise band, anyone would be entertained and/or kept inside of a church for a couple of hours. The main point is that they won't be eying God.. They will have been talking about the service, speaker, and the band.

When was the last time the church focused on the Holy Spirit, and moving as He guides us? How is it even possible to claim Christianity without acknowledging the existence and movement of the Holy Spirit?

A challenge I would like to extend to all of us is this: be sensitive to God's calling in your life. If it's ministry, drop all else and DO IT. If it's getting out of a job where you've broken bridges for ministry, LEAVE. God didn't give much direction to anyone in the Bible without them taking the step towards Him first.

For example, Abram was told to GO before he was told WHERE (Genesis 12:1-3). Through this obedience, he was blessed so much past what he could have seen when he was first asked to go. Peter didn't know exactly what was going to happen to him when he stepped out of the boat (Matthew 14:22-33). Peter sought the Lord and said "if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." He asked what the Lord wanted of him, and did it.

If you have any doubts about God's call for you, press into Him. Ask Him what it is, holding nothing back. You may be afraid of what He has called you to do, but you should not be afraid to be bold and do it. Be bold family, and be what God is calling you to be.

Peace
M