Alright, so I want to apologize for the lack of postings that I have made to the blog lately. This semester has been crazy for me. I just graduated with my master's degree in library and information studies. I have busy with finishing up final projects, applying for jobs, and doing interviews. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine notified me that Amazon was giving away free Kindle editions of some of Francis Chan's most popular works. I have seen Francis Chan speak a few times and I read his book Crazy Love last year. So, I figured that I would download the Kindle App on my trusty i-Pad to get the books. A few days ago I started Forgotten God. In this book, Chan writes about how the Church plays down the importance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can not be forgotten if the work of YHWH is to be done. After all the Holy Spirit is apart of the Godhead. It is important to remember that the Holy Spirit is God, like Christ is God. The Holy Spirit counsel believers. The Holy Spirit gives believers understanding when they read Scripture. He is also where we strong strength from God. He is God dwelling within us (Romans 8:9). He gives believers spiritual gifts to enhance his kingdom. He gives believers the words to say to Outsiders concerning God. The Holy Spirit convicts people of their sin in order to lead them to Christ. I just wanted to share a few passages from the introduction and first chapter of his book.
"Even our church growth can happen without [the Holy Spirit]. 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. It simply means that you have created a space that is appealing enough to draw people in for an hour or two on Sunday.
It certainly does not mean that people walk out the doors moved to worship and in awe of God. People are more likely to describe the quality of the music or appeal of the sermon than the One who is the reason people gather for church in the first place."
Okay, so there is a lot in there. I could probably write a book about many of themes that Chan touches on. However, in many modern churches we tend to focus more on our music, activities, and buildings that we forget that it is the movement of the Holy Spirit that builds churches not us. Many churches are monuments to wealth and human achievements.
Here is a final quote:
"It really is an astounding truth that the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. He lives in me I do not know what the Spirit will do or where He'll lead me each time I invite Him to guide me. But I am tired of living in a way that looks exactly like people who do not have the Holy Spirit of God living in them. I want to consistently live with an awareness of His strength. I want to be different today from what I was yesterday as the fruit of the Spirit becomes more manifest in me.
I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a daily basis. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want to live like I know that is true. I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly."
That quote should be our prayer. If you say that you are a Christian, what you are saying is that God is living inside of you. Think about that for a second. Think about the shear magnitude of that statement. God is within us. That is huge. The Holy Spirit is God living inside of us. If God lives inside of a person then that person can not continue to be the same person that they were before their encounter with YHWH, creator of the universe. In churches across the world we must put more emphasis on the Holy Spirit and a lot less emphasis on what we can bring to the table. Everything that we do for God comes from God through the Holy Spirit.
I am going to continue reading this book over the next few days.I encourage you to read some of the books written by Francis Chan. They are very enlightening.
