Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

by Francis Chan

The benchmark of success in church services has become more about attendance than the movement of the Holy Spirit. The “entertainment” model of church was largely adopted in the 1980s and ’90s, and while it alleviated some of our boredom for a couple of hours a week, it filled our churches with self-focused consumers rather than self-sacrificing servants attuned to the Holy Spirit.

!!!!!!!

churchgoers to ignore the Holy Spirit. The degree to which this has happened (and I would argue that it is a prolific disease in the body of Christ) is directly connected to the dissatisfaction most of us feel with and in the church.

Without Him, people operate in their own strength

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.

I also believe that the Spirit is more obviously active in places where people are desperate for Him, humbled before Him, and not distracted by their pursuit of wealth or comforts (like we are).

The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.

That by keeping in step with the Spirit, we might regularly fellowship over what He’s doing rather than what He did months or years ago.

Some people talk a lot about—even boast of—the Spirit, but their lives do not bear His fruit.

I know only that when you surrender fully to the Spirit, Christ will be magnified, not you (John 16:14).

Exegesis: an attempt to discover the meaning of the text objectively, starting with the text and moving out from there. Eisegesis: to import a subjective, preconceived meaning into the text.

Start with God’s Word; pray that the Spirit gives you clarity; then study to see what the text actually says.

Scripture tells us that the Spirit not only inspired the Bible, but also illumines it for us today (1 Cor. 2:12–16 and 2 Tim. 3:16).

The word exegesis comes from a Greek word meaning “to lead out.”

For years people have used this style of interpretation in order to justify greed, lust, divorce, and countless other sins. Cults also use eisegesis to justify their beliefs.

we can easily pursue just about any lifestyle we desire, then find Scriptures to show everyone it’s all right to live that way.

We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone…. [We] have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost. -A. W. Tozer-

Jehovah’s Witnesses

their teachings about Jesus offensive because they taught that Jesus was the same person as Michael the archangel. I told them that I believe He is much more than one among many angels; that I believe He is God. My visitors replied, “No, Jesus/Michael is the only archangel. There are no other archangels.” So I asked them to open their Bibles to Daniel 10:13, which reads, “But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me” (NIV). I pointed out that this passage is clear: Michael is only “one of” the chief princes (or archangels).

No one could come to that conclusion. You only believe it because that’s what you were told,

I challenged them to read the Bible for themselves,

We were simply told, “This is the way it is,” and didn’t question. The problem is much of what we believe is often based more on comfort or our culture’s tradition than on the Bible.

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 the appeal of the sermon than the One who is the reason people gather for “church” in the first place.

!!!!!!!

my unbelieving neighbors seem more joyful, welcoming, and at peace. Why does this happen? And how is it even possible?

According to this verse, if I am a believer, the Spirit of God dwells in me.

we have the Spirit of the living God, the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead, living inside of us.

what do we do with the fact that Jesus says it is better for His followers to have the Holy Spirit? Do we believe Him? If so, do our lives reflect that belief?

The goal is to learn to live faithfully today. First of all, it is impossible for us as finite humans to completely understand an infinite God.

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.

A 1967 diving accident left then-seventeen-year-old Joni a quadriplegic.

God gave her a humility and a love that enables her to look beyond her own pain and to see others’ hurts. She is a person who consistently “in humility count[s] others more significant” than herself (an embodiment of Philippians 2:3).

learning to paint with a brush held between her teeth.

sharing not only her Christian testimony but a biblical perspective on right-to-life issues that affect our nation’s disabled population.

This is the testimony of the apostles and in particular of the representative, administrating Spirit. A Christian is fearless. -Tertullian-

Do you have enough humility to be open to the possibility that you have been wrong in your understanding of the Spirit?

I’ve heard many people question God for not responding when they prayed in faith. I don’t doubt that these people prayed in faith, but the question is whether they prayed for things God has promised. Often, it’s the un-promised requests that God answers with a no.

It really comes down to trust. Do you trust God that when He says no or “not in this way” to you, you still believe He is good and doing what is best?

!!!!!!!

When it comes down to it, many of us do not really want to be led by the Holy Spirit. Or, more fundamentally, many of us don’t want to be led by anyone other than ourselves.

The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you to the way of the cross, as He led Jesus to the cross, and that is definitely not a safe or pretty or comfortable place to be. The Holy Spirit of God will mold you into the person you were made to be. This often incredibly painful process strips you of selfishness, pride, and fear.

Sometimes the sin we take on becomes such a part of us that it requires this same kind of ripping and tearing to free us. The Holy Spirit does not seek to hurt us, but He does seek to make us Christlike, and this can be painful.

But if you decide you do want to know His will, there will be moments when you have to let go of the fear of what that might mean—when you have to release your grip of control on your life and decide to be led, come what may.

"Bring it on"

One question I’ve had to ask myself repeatedly is am I even open to the possibility that I could be wrong in my beliefs? If so, would I have the courage to change my actions if I were shown that my interpretation of Scripture was faulty?

I didn’t want to become like “them”—those people down the street who were hyped on emotions and ignored the Scriptures.

Maybe you think that most conservatives are afraid of the Holy Spirit, and you fear becoming like “them.”

we need to base our understanding of and experience with the Holy Spirit on biblical truth and not on fear.

As disciples of Jesus, being in relationship with Him must be our focus.

Though there is a sense in which this kingdom of God is still future (Zech. 14:9; Acts 1:6–7), there is also a sense in which it is here now (Matt. 6:10; 12:28).

As citizens of this kingdom, we are called to live in a way that reflects the reality of the kingdom of God. When we become overly concerned about our appearance, our spiritual reputation, our coolness, and our acceptance, we are living as citizens of this world rather than as ambassadors.

And that is really what it comes down to: Where does your allegiance lie?

We think about making our friends mad or not being accepted or being thought of as different or strange. But rarely (if ever) do we consider whether our actions or lifestyle are grievous to the Spirit of the living God.

“Do not treat prophecies with contempt” (1 Thess. 5:20 NIV). I had contempt toward anyone who claimed to have “a word from the Lord.” I felt it was a righteous contempt because I’d seen people use the phrase “I have a word from the Lord” to manipulate others for personal gain.