Forgotten God

I recommend this book. It was informative, giving foundational truths about the Holy Spirit and how He works, it’s was encouraging, full of testimonies that made me want to be a better servant of Christ, and on top of all that, it’s was an enjoyable book to read, not something heavy but something I’d want to read again. I hope this book challenges other readers like it did me to pray to be much more dependent on the Holy Spirit and to let Him work in and through my life so radically that people give God the glory.

As I read through Francis Chan's Forgotten God, I became so convicted of neglecting the Holy Spirit's presence in my own life. I've just haven't addressed His power nor presence. And I'm completely embarrassed, as a pastor and a Christian, to share that. But it's the truth. And while I was reading this book, it taught me to look at the Holy Spirit in a different way and to focus more on my relationship with Him, rather than how well Drew is doing ministry. In this book Chan gives an overview of who the Holy Spirit is Biblically, and what the Holy Spirit can do through someone's life. And that's exactly what it is. It's only an overview of who the Spirit is and what He can do through someone's life. Chan doesn't go into a great theological debate or use terms that only seminary professors and students can understand, but he writes this to the common Christian that attends church every Sunday morning. He writes this to the Christian who longs to have a relationship with God on a daily basis. He writes this to the person who wants something more for their life, rather than the same old motions and routines day after day. The way that Chan is able to communicate throughout the book is amazing. His words and imagery that he uses makes it so easy for the reader to follow along with Chan's ideas and what he is trying to communicate. Communicating is a gift that Francis Chan has and he uses it for the glory of God. Between each chapter, Francis shared stories of how the Holy Spirit is working throughout the lives of different people throughout the world. They were encouraging stories; stories of hope and what a life could do when you have a strong relationship with the Holy Spirit. Those alone make this book worth the read. But that's not even the best part of the book. There were a few solid chapters that really spoke to me within the book, but the one that really convicted me was the chapter "Why Do You Want Him?" In this chapter, Chan goes into great detail of our purpose for wanting the Holy Spirit in our lives? Is it for our own benefit? Or for God's glory? Often times I will try to do ministry, my marriage, and life on my own without relying on the Holy Spirit for strength and direction. But when I do, it will be often for my own benefit and not for the glory of God. The Holy Spirit is what our churches are missing today. And that's what Francis is trying to communicate with his book. They're not missing better speakers, musicians, flashier lights or anything else like that. It's the Holy Spirit. That's what we're missing. (I posted a blog on that while I was reading this book. Check it out here) This book is so well written, and gives a great overview of who the Holy Spirit is, what He can do in your life when you rely on Him, what a relationship with the Holy Spirit is supposed to look like, and what the Holy Spirit can do through the modern day American church. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in who God is, and how a relationship with Him can further His Kingdom and give you a purpose and calling that far outweighs your hopes, dreams, and understanding. Chan is an excellent communicator and if you come across any book or message with Francis in it, you must listen or read it! He is Biblically rooted and presents the Truth of the Scriptures in a relevant and easy to understand way. Kudos Francis on writing a book that many Christians need to read. I know that I needed it. 5 out of 5. <...>

"The world is not moved by love or actions that are of human creation. And the church is not empowered to live differently from any other gathering of people without the Holy Spirit. But when believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in their lives is supernatural. The church cannot help but be different, and the world cannot help but notice." ― Francis Chan, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit Forgotten God is a book that, once I got started into it, I couldn't put it down. It challenged me to take what I thought I knew of the Holy Spirit and search the Bible for what it actually says about the Holy Spirit. Chan challenges the reader to accept the fact that they might be wrong. What I thought I knew of the Holy Spirit was so basic compared to what Chan was bringing to the table. It was so much more in depth than what I had ever gone before in a church setting. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a greater knowledge of the Holy Spirit. I have used the knowledge I gained from this book to then do further study of the Holy Spirit to have a more personal relationship with the the third member of the trinity. The title fits so well because the Holy Spirit is often neglected in today's churches. They are afraid of being to charismatic or outgoing. The Holy Spirit is so much more than speaking in tongues or prophecy. The Holy Spirit is about encouraging the believers and giving them knowledge of the depths of God. He searches the deepest depths of God and makes that knowledge known to us. He helps lead us in the paths that are best for us. It is awesome to think that we have the one who was present at the beginning living inside of us. Willing and desiring to have a personal relationship with us. "I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a daily basis. Christ said its better for us that the Spirit came and I want to live like that is true. I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly." If we as a modern day church were more accepting to see and have the Holy Spirit take over in our daily lives, I feel like we would see a revival in our churches. It wouldn't be about what we can do but what God can do. God can accomplish things so much greater than we could fathom. There would be no way we could take the credit. We have gotten comfortable with living a life at ease. Chan challenges this mentality by saying, "It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn't call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace." I really wanted to take this as a challenge and also challenge my class to really get out of their comfort zones and see where the Spirit would take them. This book and the knowledge gained from it has been making its way into my Sunday school lesson planning. It is valuable knowledge and I would definitely give the book a 5 out 5. Chan does such a wonderful job at challenging the reader. His real life application for each chapter show real ways to live out the faith. The biblical basis is solid and Chan demonstrates his knowledge of the bible flawlessly in yet another amazing book.

Great book! Makes you think. Francis Chan really questions our ability to know the Holy Spirit in many ways. Our ladies Bible Studt group has really enjoyed the book and the bible study. Each could stand alone but can expand think with both. Great Job Francis!!!

This is the second book published by the author of "Crazy Love" (which is one of the greatest books published in the last few years). Those familiar with Chan's previous work will undoubtedly love this one. In it, he explores the theology of the Holy Spirit. His premise is that the Holy Spirit is the "forgotten" person of the Holy Trinity -- not in the sense that he is actually forgotten or left out completely, but that our understanding of the Spirit lags behind our understanding of the roles that the Father and Son play in the Godhead. We have neglected the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, choosing in most churches to either over- or under-emphasize the Spirit's power in the lives of believers. "Forgotten God" is light reading, but offers questions that require deep reflection. Chan does not offer an exhaustive study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Rather, his purpose in this book is to stimulate conversation and thought about the Holy Spirit, which will lead in turn to more Christians taking up further study of the Spirit from God's Word. He does this primarily through sharing testimonies of believers who exemplified spirit-filled lives (such as Joni Eareckson Tada and Francis Schaeffer), and by gently confronting pre-conceived notions about the work and purpose of the Spirit through asking tough questions ("I think most of us would...choose a physical Jesus over an invisible Spirit. But what do we do with the fact that Jesus says it is better for His followers to have the Holy Spirit?") and pointing out uncomfortable truths ("Let's be honest: If you combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, and some hip, creative events, people will attend your church. Yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit of God is actively working and moving in the lives of the people who are coming."). Highly recommended reading for any Christian.

This helped to the importance of the Holy Spirit. Reading this helped me to see I myself neglected that relationship. I can see how it is missing from a lot of churches, and just how important it is. Each chapter included a brief story to give real examples along with the teaching within. I often find it hard to read books these days, but was able to finish this one. I plan to read it again and do some more highlighting next time. Thank you Abba, my Lord and of course you Holy Spirit.

In this short work Francis Chan does a wonderful job of explaining the role of the Holy Spirit and our lack of full understanding or commitment to allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. Each chapter builds on the work of the Spirit and also builds on why it is that we don't seem to hear from the Spirit or allow him to work. What I found really helpful was that Chan at times asks you to stop reading and spend some time with God in prayer or in reading different chapters of scripture. Those exercises make the book even more helpful and future help the reader to work on their relationship with God, specifically with the Holy Spirit. One challenge that really resonated with me was the question, "do you love the people of your church?". The issue being that love is one of the major commandments that Christ taught us to include in our lives. But many of us today don't consider the others we worship with, instead we just go to church to get our own selfish desires meet. Those typically are our social needs meet, and also to earn enough good points to go to heaven when we die. But God is not concerned with those things. He is concerned with us having a strong relationship with him and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us to meet the needs of people around us. Do you regularly hear from the Lord? Do you regularly feel the nudging (leading) of the Holy Spirit? If not it is your issue not Gods. He desires to use you, but way to often we are thwarting the work of the Holy Spirit by our own selfishness and stubbornness. Philippians chapter two reminds us that we are to humble ourselves and to look out for the needs of others as more important than our own needs. Chan remindsnus that as we live this selfless life that the Holy Spirit can then do His work. The bottom line is this, do you love God and love His church so much that your joy is only complete when the church of God is growing? If thatbis true of your life then you will notice the Holy Spirit working in and through you. This book is a great book to keep around and probably one that you should read every year or two as a good reminder of how to allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life. Enjoy.

excellent book. We used it in the adult Sunday school class.

Francis Chan does it again! God really speaks through Him and this book is evident. He doesn’t write it to be popular or to get attention, you can tell that he writes this from the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t pull punches and really challenges the reader. A must read for all Christians who want to advance in their relationship ship with Jesus.

My husband and I read this book together -- it took us a couple of months, not because the book is big but because after every few pages, we had to put the book down and reflect on what we had read. I personally found the beginning felt a little like it could be going over my head but my husband didn't find that at all. We both found that by the end of the book, our thoughts on the Holy Spirit had been challenged and grown and our attitudes to our relationship with God has completely changed. Our focus has shifted and it's helped us grow closer to God. We liked the book so much that we bought two more copies to give to friends.

I often buy from medimops and they have yet to disappoint. The book was in reasonable condition and I am very happy with it. Looking forward to a good read.

conosco Francis Chan da ormai un anno e posso garantire che la sua semplicità è la parola chiave. Sia le sue predicazioni che i suoi libri sanno trasmettere la verità in modo semplice ma potente. Assolutamente da leggere, un libro che porta al primo piano l'importanza dello Spirito Santo nella vita di ogni cristiano. In effetti la Sua presenza è fondamentale, essendo anche Egli Dio. Molte volte le persone si rivolgono allo Spirito chiamandolo "esso", in realtà, come ci insegna la Bibbia e come ce lo spiega Francis, lo Spirito è un individuo, una persona. Insomma, leggetelo e capirete molte cose, ma soprattutto leggete la Bibbia!

Challenging, loving and exciting, Chan once again gives us a lot to think about concerning our relationship to the Holy Spirit, the forgotten part of the Trinity, and how to give Him more place to move in our lives and live the Christian adventure to the full.