Forgotten God

Many of us have wished that we could have Jesus right here, by our side. Even for a day that would be incredible! But Jesus said it was better for us if He went away so that we could have the Holy Spirit. How many of us really believe that?

The subject of the Holy Spirit has become such a controversial subject. There have even been church splits as a result - I have experienced it. There are people/churches who have gone to the extreme, and others who completely ignore Him. I like Francis Chan's approach in his book "Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit." He says that what we need is not to find a balance . . . . . we need to find out what the Word of God teaches. It's the "desert island" challenge. Don't go by what anyone has told you. Don't go by your experience. Live by the Word of God.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in finding God's will for our lives that we miss what He is wanting to do right now. What would my life look like if I lived in moment by moment fellowship with the Holy Spirit? As I think about the life of Jesus I see Someone who, while you could say He was obsessed with doing the will of God, He was not obsessed with knowing the will of God - it was all about knowing the Father, walking in continual fellowship with Him.

"It's much less demanding to think about God's will for your future then it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next 10 minutes."

It is sort of hard to wrap my mind around the fact that my body IS His temple . . . . but as a result, my life should look dramatically different than someone who doesn't have the Holy Spirit.

"I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn't be doing this by my own power."

I agree completely.

Here's a sample of what you'll find in the chapters of this book ~

1. I've got Jesus. Why do I need the Holy Spirit?
2. What are you afraid of?
3. Theology of the Holy Spirit 101
4. Why do you want Him?
5. A real relationship
6. Forget about His will for your life
7. Supernatural Church

For the month of June, this book is the free audio book at christianaudio.com. There is even a bonus interview with Pastor Chan, and he reads the book himself.

Let me close with another quote from the book ~

"Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us. He died and rose again so that we could forget everything else and follow Him to the cross, to true life. . . . . His call is to come and take up the cross (Lk 9:23). 'Taking up my cross' has become a euphanism for getting through life's typical burdens with a semi-good attitude, yet life's typical burdens . . . are felt by everyone whether or not they follow the way of Jesus. When Jesus calls us to take up our cross, He is doing much more than calling us to endure the daily circumstantial troubles of life . . . . It is a call to radical faith. Jesus is calling us to be willing to suffer anything and forsake everything for the sake of the gospel . . . . . His call is for total surrender."