Last week I read “The Forgotten God” by Francis Chan.
The basic premise of the whole book is that we have forgotten, downplayed, at times incorrectly portrayed the Holy Spirit in our churches and in our own lives.
Francis said a few things that really struck a cord with me.
1. We don’t hear the Holy Spirit speak to us because
Comfort – We live lives that are to safe. We have no need for the Holy Spirit to guide protect or lead us. When was the last time you were in a place that you needed the Holy Spirit of God did come through for you?
Volume – We are surrounded by so much noise, activity it makes it impossible for us to be still and know that He is God.
2. We minimize the power and place of the Holy Spirit because of the abuse by others.
3. If we truly have the Holy Spirit of God living inside us there should be a tangible difference in our lives. We should have more righteous, peace and joy in our lives than anyone else we know.
4. Am I trying to build the church, my ministry, apart from the Holy Spirit? Because if that is true what I am doing and building will not last.
– In conclusion – This was a great book very timely for me. I have one of those personalities that when I see someone abuse a idea or doctrine I become skeptical of all of it because how it was being misused angers me so much. This book for me was a wake up call for me. It served as a fresh reminder that you can be filled with the Holy Spirit and not be a fruitcake. I need the Holy Spirit, my family needs it, the kids I minister to need it.
Here are some Questions I am asking myself as a result of reading this book and plan to unpack some of these this week.
- What is the Holy Spirits role in the life of a Child?
- Can a child be filled with the Holy Spirit?
- If Jesus said that it is better that he leaves so he can send the helper to us, why is the Holy Spirit such a controversial topic?
- What is the role of the Holy Spirit in Children’s Ministry?
Wow they are some really good questions. I think it's such a controversial topic because it is something that has been so abused in the past, and probably still is. But that by no way means it shouldn't be a part of kids ministry. Im really keen to find out what others think about this.
loved this book…in fact, it affected me to the point we did a whole series on not just the ‘fruits of the Spirit’, but Who is the Spirit, What does the Spirit do?, Where is the Holy Spirit? Why do I need the Holy Spirit?, predictably kids knew next to nothign about the Holy Spirit.
Hi, I’ve noticed that you’ve blogged about Forgotten God, by Francis Chan. As you may know, we have just released a Forgotten God DVD Study Resource. Because of your wonderful blog post about the book, I’d like to offer you a free copy of the DVD to review. Please email me your address, and I’d be happy to send it. Thanks!