El Dios olvidado: Cómo revertir nuestra trágica desatención al Espíritu Santo

Por Francis Chan

 ¿Por qué tratamos de vivir como si el Espíritu Santo no fuera real? ¿Será que tememos ser verdaderamente guiados por el Espíritu y todo lo que ello implica? A través de una sólida base bíblica y una convincente narrativa, el autor Francis Chan?quien se caracteriza por romper esquemas?, lleva de nuevo al Espíritu Santo como la Biblia lo describe. No hace sentido que el Todopoderoso tenga hijos que se caracterizan por tener miedo e inseguridad. Él colocó su Espíritu en nosotros para que seamos conocidos por nuestro poder (Hechos 1:8; 2 Timoteo 1:7).  


 Chan sostiene que hemos ignorado al Espíritu y estamos cosechando los desastrosos resultados. Llegó el momento que la amada Iglesia de Jesucristo le dé un revés a la tendencia de negación. Busquemos la efectiva vida llena del Espíritu que Dios y nosotros deseamos. ¿Será que nos hemos olvidado de Aquél que nos distingue de toda religión y culto en el mundo? 

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Casa Creación
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 27 sept 2013
• ISBN: 9781616382865

Francis Chan

Francis Chan es pastor principal de la Iglesia Cornerstone en Simi Valley, California. Es el fundador del Eternity Bible College y pertenece a la junta de la organización Children’s Hunger Fund. Su primer libro, Loco Amor, vendió más de 175,000 copias su primer año. Francis y su familia residen en el sur de California.

Vista previa del libro

Lo que la gente dice sobre…

EL DIOS OLVIDADO

"¿Está usted espiritualmente vacío y buscando algo más? Quizá no esté entrando en la presencia y el poder de Dios mediante el Espíritu Santo. En El Dios olvidado, Francis Chan imparte un transformador mensaje sobre el poder del Espíritu Santo y su deseo de desatarse a Él mismo en nuestras vidas cotidianas."

Craig Groeschel, pastor fundador de

LifeChurch.tv y autor de It: How Churches and

Leaders Can Get It and Keep It

Con frecuencia se ha dicho que el Espíritu Santo es la Cenicienta de la Trinidad. Pero ninguna iglesia ni ningún cristiano pueden ser sanos u obtener madurez sin una vida vivida en el Espíritu Santo y guiada por Él. El último libro de Francis Chan es un oportuno recordatorio y un contagioso aliento para llegar a conocer íntimamente al Dios olvidado.

Simon Ponsonby, maestro de la Biblia,

Pastor, y autor de And the Lamb Wins,

More y God Inside Out

Elogios para…

LOCO AMOR

Chan escribe con una infecciosa exuberancia, desafiando a los cristianos a tomarse la Biblia en serio. Describe detalladamente el lamentable estado de los cristianos ‘tibios’ que se esfuerzan por una vida caracterizada por el control, la seguridad y la ausencia de sufrimiento. En claro contraste, el libro ofrece relatos de la vida real de creyentes que lo han dado todo—tiempo, dinero, salud, hasta sus vidas—en obediencia al llamado de Cristo. Chan también relata sus propios intentos de vivir ‘loco’ al mudarse a una casa significativamente más pequeña y donar sus recursos a los pobres. Los cristianos sinceros encontrarán valiosas lecciones prácticas en el excelente libro de Chan.

Publishers Weekly

"Con el estilo único de Francis Chan, y con una urgencia que busca despertar a una Iglesia dormida y atascada en la comodidad del terreno medio, Loco amor llega rápidamente al corazón del asunto y le deja queriendo más… más del Jesús sin igual que ofrece una vida radical para el aquí y ahora."

Louie Giglio,

arquitecto visionario, director de las conferencias

Passion, y autor de I Am Not, but I Know I AM

"La vida de Francis refleja un auténtico liderazgo templado por una profunda compasión por los perdidos, los últimos, los más pequeños y los menos. Todo se debe a que este hombre, mi amigo, es un ardiente y dedicado discípulo de su Salvador. En su nuevo libro, Loco amor, Francis muestra lo que nosotros pensamos que es la vida cristiana, y nos guía por el camino hacia una intimidad con Jesús poco común: ¡una intimidad que no puede evitar cambiar el mundo que nos rodea!"

Joni Eareckson Tada,

autora de éxitos de ventas y oradora

"En una época de farsantes religiosos, apatía espiritual, y libros desalentadores que sugieren que Dios es un engaño, Loco amor brilla como un glorioso faro de esperanza y de luz. Si está usted atascado en una rutina religiosa, lea este refrescante libro. A mí me abrió los ojos y emocionó mi alma. Ya sea en el púlpito o en las páginas, Francis Chan desprende amor por Jesucristo y demuestra maneras prácticas de zarandear al cristianismo tibio y abrazar un amor pleno y apasionado por Dios."

Kirk Cameron,

actor y autor de Still Growing

Chan-DiosOlvidado_QUOTE_0005_001

FRANCIS CHAN

con Danae Yaukoski

Chan-DiosOlvidado_QUOTE_0005_002

La mayoría de los productos de Casa Creación están disponibles a un precio con descuento en cantidades de mayoreo para promociones de ventas, ofertas especiales, levantar fondos y atender necesidades educativas. Para más información, escriba a Casa Creación, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, Florida, 32746; o llame al teléfono [phone] en Estados Unidos.

El Dios olvidado por Francis Chan

Publicado por Casa Creación

Una compañía de Charisma Media

600 Rinehart Road

Lake Mary, Florida 32746

www.casacreacion.com

No se autoriza la reproducción de este libro ni de partes del mismo en forma alguna, ni tampoco que sea archivado en un sistema o transmitido de manera alguna ni por ningún medio– electrónico, mecánico, fotocopia, grabación u otro–sin permiso previo escrito de la casa editora, con excepción de lo previsto por las leyes de derechos de autor en los Estados Unidos de América.

A menos que se indique lo contrario, el texto Bíblico ha sido tomado de la Santa Biblia, Nueva Versión Internacional® NVI®. Copyright © 1999 por Biblica, Inc. Usada con permiso. Todos los derechos reservados mundialmente.

Copyright © 2010 por Casa Creación

Todos los derechos reservados

Este libro fue publicado originalmente en inglés con el título: Forgotten God

© 2009 Francis Chan

David C. Cook, 4050 Lee Vance View, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80918 U.S.A.

All rights reserved.

Traducido por: Belmonte Traductores

Director de diseño: Bill Johnson

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010922749

ISBN: 978-1-61638-051-9

E-ISBN: 978-1-61638-285-5

A Rachel,

mi hija y amiga:

No tienes idea de lo feliz que soy al ver al Espíritu

Santo vivo en ti. Sigámosle juntos para siempre.

ÍNDICE

Reconocimientos

Introducción

Acerca de la portada

Capítulo 1: Tengo a Jesús. ¿Por qué necesito al Espíritu?

Capítulo 2: ¿De qué tiene miedo?

Capítulo 3: Teología básica del Espíritu Santo

Capítulo 4: ¿Por qué lo desea?

Capítulo 5: Una verdadera relación

Capítulo 6: ¡Olvide la voluntad de Él para su vida!

Capítulo 7: La Iglesia sobrenatural

Epílogo

Notas

Acerca de la coautora

Extracto de Loco amor

RECONOCIMIENTOS

Lisa y los niños, por apoyarme a medida que busco llevar a nuestra familia dondequiera que el Espíritu dirija. Sé que no siempre es fácil.

Los ancianos de la iglesia Cornerstone, por su instrucción paciente y dirigida por el Espíritu en mi vida. Me encanta servir al lado de ustedes.

Danae, una vez más, no habría sido capaz de hacer esto sin ti. Tu don es obvio, y admiro tu compromiso con el cristianismo verdadero y bíblico.

Don y Jenni, de DC Jacobson and Associates, por su guía.

El equipo de David C. Cook, por todo su trabajo.

Jim, por diseñar una portada tan bonita. Todos deberían comprar una página web en www.CloverSites.com. (Me debes mucho sushi por ese anuncio).

Jesse y Reesh, Keith y Kristi, Gene y Sandra, Chris y Julie, Jim y Sherry, Ted y Sandy, Frank y Christy, Adam y Steph, Bill y Kathleen, Brice y Shelene, Mark y Jen, Doug y Frani, Kevin, Paul, Rochelle, y Susan. Ustedes realmente no me ayudaron en nada, pero son buenos amigos, y siempre es divertido ver sus nombres publicados.

INTRODUCCIÓN

Uno podría pensar que llamar al Espíritu Santo el Dios olvidado es un poco radical. Quizá esté de acuerdo en que la Iglesia ha centrado demasiada atención en otros lugares, pero sienta que es una exageración decir que hemos olvidado al Espíritu Santo. Yo no lo creo.

Desde mi perspectiva, el Espíritu Santo es trágicamente abandonado y, para todo propósito práctico, olvidado. Aunque ningún evangélico negaría su existencia, estoy dispuesto a apostar a que hay millones de asistentes a las iglesias en todo lugar que no pueden decir con confianza que han experimentado su presencia o su acción en sus vidas en este año anterior. Y muchos de ellos no creen que puedan experimentarla.

El punto de referencia para determinar el éxito en los servicios de la iglesia se ha marcado más en términos de asistencia que del mover del Espíritu Santo. El modelo de iglesia de entretenimiento se adoptó generalmente en los años ochenta y noventa, y aunque mitigaba parte de nuestro aburrimiento durante un par de horas por semana, llenó nuestras iglesias de consumidores centrados en sí mismos en lugar de siervos abnegados sensibilizados al Espíritu Santo.

Quizá estemos demasiado familiarizados y cómodos con el actual estado de la iglesia para sentir el peso del problema. ¿Pero y si usted hubiera crecido en una isla desierta sin ninguna otra cosa excepto la Biblia para leer? Imagine ser rescatado después de veinte años y entonces asistir a una iglesia típica evangélica. Es probable que se sintiera anonadado (a causa de muchas razones, pero eso es otra historia). Al haber leído las Escrituras fuera del contexto de la cultura eclesial contemporánea, usted estaría convencido de que el Espíritu Santo es tan esencial para la existencia de un creyente como lo es el aire para permanecer vivos. Usted sabría que el Espíritu Santo guió a los primeros cristianos a hacer cosas inexplicables, a vivir vidas que no tenían sentido para la cultura que los rodeaba, y finalmente a difundir la historia de la gracia de Dios por todo el mundo.

Existe una gran brecha entre lo que leemos en la Escritura acerca del Espíritu Santo y el modo en que la mayoría de creyentes y de iglesias operan en la actualidad. En muchas iglesias actuales, uno quedaría anonadado por la obvia ausencia del Espíritu Santo en cualquier manera manifiesta. Y esto, creo yo, es el meollo del problema.

Si yo fuese Satanás y mi objetivo final fuese frustrar el reino y los propósitos de Dios, una de mis principales estrategias sería conseguir que los asistentes a las iglesias ignorasen al Espíritu Santo. El grado hasta el cual eso ha sucedido (y yo argumentaría que es una enfermedad extendida en el Cuerpo de Cristo) está directamente relacionado con la falta de satisfacción que la mayoría de nosotros sentimos con la Iglesia y en la Iglesia. Entendemos que falta algo muy importante. El sentimiento es tan fuerte que algunos se han alejado por completo de la iglesia y de la Palabra de Dios.

Yo creo que este algo que falta es realmente un Alguien que falta: es decir, el Espíritu Santo. Sin Él, las personas operan con sus propias fuerzas y solamente logran resultados del tamaño del hombre. El mundo no es movido por el amor o los actos que son una creación humana y la iglesia no tiene capacidad de vivir de modo distinto a cualquier otra reunión de personas sin el Espíritu Santo. Pero cuando los creyentes viven en el poder del Espíritu, la evidencia en sus vidas es sobrenatural. La Iglesia no puede evitar ser diferente, y el mundo no puede evitar notarlo.

Chan-DiosOlvidado_QUOTE_0013_001

Mientras escribía este libro, la pregunta que ardía en mi mente era: ¿cómo puede cualquier ser humano escribir bien sobre el sagrado tema del Espíritu Santo de Dios? Ningún otro tema me intimida más, sin embargo, no puedo pensar en ninguna otra cosa más esencial para la Iglesia de Dios en todo lugar, y especialmente en el hemisferio occidental, donde parece que el Espíritu Santo está todo menos desaparecido de la mayoría de nuestras iglesias. Estoy escribiendo, sin ninguna duda, desde un contexto occidental, y sé que el Cuerpo de Cristo es vibrante y está creciendo, y el Espíritu Santo está activo en continentes como África, Sudamérica y Asia. También sé que Dios obra de manera única en varios lugares y momentos, y sí creo que eso explica parte de la diferencia entre aquí y allá. Sin embargo, también creo que el Espíritu está activo más obviamente en lugares donde la gente está desesperada por Él, humillada delante de Él y no distraída por su búsqueda de riqueza o de comodidades (como nosotros sí lo estamos).

La luz de la Iglesia de América está parpadeando y casi extinguida, habiendo en gran parte claudicado a los reinos y valores de este mundo. Mientras la mayoría de la gente ve que existe un problema, pocos hacen algo al respecto, y la mayoría de quienes sí hacen algo corren hacia las soluciones equivocadas. En lugar de hablar con significado y perspectiva a la cultura, hemos capitulado y en muchos casos no nos vemos diferentes del mundo. No estoy seguro de si es un llamado o un sentimiento de pura urgencia lo que me guía a escribir esto. Quizá sean ambas cosas. El hecho es que no yo no tengo derecho a escribir este libro, pero creo que es un libro que necesita escribirse, así que

Comentarios para El Dios olvidado

[Bismark Josue Guadamuz · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Es el segundo libro que leo de Francis y cada uno ha sido increíble. Gracias por ser de bendición...

[José Rg · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Extraordinario. Un libro que en lo personal me abre los ojos para ver la majestuosidad del Dios tan grande que tenemos.

[drt_4 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Book title and author: Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan reviewed 9-11-25

Why I picked this book up: I had Crazy Love read it and bought Francis Chan’s collection that had 4 of his books and Forgotten God is the 2nd book in this quad and was intrigued to see how I’d rate this one.

Thoughts: Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit written by Francis Chan. “In the name of the Father, the Son, and … the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of all three, but how often do we live with an awareness of only the first two? As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today’s church has admired the gift but neglected to open it. Breakthrough author Francis Chan rips away paper and bows to get at the true source of the church’s power—the Holy Spirit. Chan contends that we’ve ignored the Spirit for far too long, and we are reaping the disastrous results. Thorough scriptural support and compelling narrative form Chan’s invitation to stop and remember the One we’ve forgotten, the Spirit of the living God.” This small book is seven chapters.
1. I’ve Got Jesus. Why Do I Need the 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

Why I finished this read: This book does a good biblically based study of the Holy Spirit, what His role is, how he is the Paraclete, how He guides, leads, and is a compelling invitation to embrace the Holy Spirit’s transformative presence and power in our lives and the church. I finished because as I read he focuses and calls us to deeper focus, prayer and reading so we can focus and learn his message on the Holy Spirit.

Stars rating: This is another one of Francis’s books that is deep but also comfortable and things I enjoy catching. I rated this as a 5 of 5 stars and highly recommend buying, reading and remembering how the Holy Spirit is real and we can use the Holy Spirit as the scripture tell us.

[jordanf150 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Chan is great at taking the basics of theology and pressing them to their simple (yet powerful and radical) implications. This isn't a book of deep theology in the Spirit, but it is a powerful challenge to walk in the Spirit, which is often more needful than an academic textbook.

[highlander6022 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is a dangerous book! Read it only if you dare!

If you claim to be a Christian, this book could very well convict you, as it did me. Convict you of thinking or praying too much to God to reveal what He wants you to DO rather than praying to Him about who God wants you to BE . Do you wonder about what God's will is for you in a year? 2 years? What is God's 5-year plan for you? WHY? Why are you not seeking to understand God's will for you TODAY?

This book will also remind you that Christians believe in a triune God, three persons - three co-EQUAL persons - manifested in one God. I know for me, as I read it and discussed it in a small group, I started to understand Chan's message more and more and realized that I had, perhaps unintentionally, excluded an equal focus on the Holy Spirit as I do on God the Father and Jesus the Son of God.

Chan is not telling us we must change to a different faith tradition that may focus more on the Spirit. In fact, he specifically tells us such a change is not what he is suggesting. What he is teaching is that to fully have God's presence in our lives, we must seek out the Holy Spirit's guidance and presence in our lives as much as we seek out God the Father's and Jesus the Son's guidance and presence. After all, before Jesus left his physical life on earth, he gave a part of himself to his disciples and us in the form of the Spirit. For me, that has pushed me to not only pray specifically to God the Father and to God the Son, but also to the Holy Spirit every day.

I really enjoyed the book. A couple in the group struggled a bit more with understanding that Chan's teaching is not in conflict with their Christian beliefs.

I think that the traditions they grew up in simply did not focus on the Spirit as a co-equal. And that was the reason they struggled with Chan's teaching.

I challenge you to read and discuss this book in a small group.

[hgbutchwalker · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Francis Chan picks up the mantle of Bill Bright in helping the church form a biblical understanding of the way that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit should change us. This is a challenging book and you may or may not agree with everything (I didn't) but all believers do need to think through the things he is saying. Come Holy Spirit and fill your church!

[bradkautz · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

When thinking of God, or praying to God, what is it that Christians usually have in their minds? Quite often the image is “God” as a somewhat generic supreme being, if God can be considered generic in any way. Another image is of God as “Father,” one where God is again supreme and also embodying all of the best qualities a person may think of in a parent, without having any of the human characteristics that are somewhat unsavory and may be found even among the best persons, such as fits of temper when exasperated.

And there is always “Jesus” as the God to whom we pray. Jesus lived on earth as God’s divine Son, and lives today in heaven at “the right hand of the Father,” to cite the Apostles Creed. There are numerous Bible verses that instruct Christians to pray to, and through Jesus, so praying to Jesus is another easy image to hold in mind as we pray.

But to be Christian is to also know that God has revealed himself as Triune, having three distinct persons of Father, Son and Spirit, and yet always being God. This last person of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit, is the subject of Francis Chan’s Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Colorado Springs, CO: David Cook, 2009). Chan’s thesis is that the Holy Spirit is frequently neglected among Christians and the aim of his book is to help Christians understand the absolutely essential nature of the Spirit to being a follower of Jesus. He wants us to love the Spirit as deeply as any other aspect of God, including Jesus, and to be empowered to discern the presence and follow the lead of the Spirit in every aspect of our lives.

Chan is a gifted preacher, with the ability to clearly express deep and powerful thoughts in ways that make his audience want to love and follow God more than anything else. His writing has a similar style, and in the seven chapters of this book he leads his readers to a greater understanding of who the Spirit is, what the Spirit does, and what the Spirit can do in the lives of Christians today, should they take the time to listen and follow God’s voice as made known in the Spirit.

Each chapter addresses a way in which the Spirit impacts Christian living, such as why Jesus alone is insufficient, or what a personal relationship with the Spirit might look like for the person who doesn’t yet have one. Each chapter also includes a brief story of someone that Chan knows who is living in a way that demonstrates the Spirit at work in their life.

Chan believes that many Christians often look to God to meet their own needs, rather than seeking God and submitting themselves to God’s purposes. He writes, “[God] wants us to know that His gift of the Holy Spirit is really not for our own pleasure or purposes. The Spirit is meant to lead us toward holiness. The Spirit is here with us to accomplish God’s purposes, not ours.” (93) It is the Spirit, living within Christians, that guides, strengthens, and comforts Christians for a life of joyful submission to God in the world, come what may.

I really liked this book and thought it was a good follow-up to his preceding book, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. In Crazy Love Chan wrote about the greatness and goodness of God, a God so wonderful that, in faith, we should be head-over-heels in love with him. In Forgotten God we are shown that it is the Spirit active in us that makes that type of love of God possible.

Forgotten God ends with this heartfelt word of prayer, “Come, Holy Spirt, come. We don’t know exactly what that means and looks like for each of us yet, in the particular places You’ve called us to inhabit. But, nonetheless, whatever it means, we ask for Your presence. Come, Holy Spirit, come.”

[dckenney · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Typically the Holy Spirit is one of those “forgotten subjects.” Like tithing or faith exhibited through works, it’s not a popular subject from either pulpit or book. So if anyone was going to find the “lost morsel” and bring it to light, it’s Francis Chan.

Right now, I don’t even know how to describe Francis - he was a pastor of a local LA church, I suppose now he is a book author, a husband, a father, a Calvinist, a public speaker, a prophet, a sounding board for resolute doctrine and a very funny and likable guy.

In Forgotten God, Chan makes a case that the true “power” and “tapability” (my own word) of the Holy Spirit is often left unaccessed, by both Christians and the Church. Chan writes,

“You are most likely familiar with the fruit passage in Galatians 5 which says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, (and) self-control…” You may even have the list memorized. But look over those traits right now and ask yourself if you posses each to a supernatural degree. Do you exhibit more kindness and faithfulness than the Mormons you know? Do you have more self-control than your Muslim friends? More peace than Buddhists? More Joy than atheists? if GOD truly lives in you, shouldn’t you expect to be different from everyone else?”

Francis is one of those voices who can look at scripture and find the “obvious” point we have all been missing – he finds some prophetic way to see something new in the same text we have all been reading.

Chan tells a story about how two Jehovah’s Witness knocked on his door one day to share their message – Francis “gently” told them that he found their message offensive because they believe that Michael the arc-angel is also Jesus. Francis shared that Jesus is so much more than an angel, to which the JW’s assured him that Jesus/Michael is the only one. Francis then read Daniel 10:13 to them that says “Michael was only one of many chief princes.” Francis went on to say that he could not believe that honest bible study had led to their conclusions. He accused them of being spoon fed and instructed them to read the bible for themselves.

And I think I would offer the same advice, but to all of us…again Francis Chan

“”I left that conversation feeling a bit proud of myself because I stumped them and got them to question their beliefs. Yet I couldn’t help but wonder whether I was fair to them. Had I ever sat down with the Bible and sought after its self-evident truth? Or had a passively ingested what I heard from other people, much like my front-door visitors?”

Forgotten God will challenge you to beak open the word and unlock the truth that the power of God resides in you – and that power and gifting is available to you today. And if you do not possess it to a ‘super natural degree’ may you hunger and seek after it all the more.

[revslick_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Frances Chan gathers together a nice primer on the Holy Spirit.
Top clips from the book are as follows:
forget what God wants for our life and concentrate on what God wants you to do right now (dwelling on God's plan for us in the future often enables us to neglect God's call NOW.)
sometimes we don't feel the HS because our life is too safe; or too loud
don't let the church normalize, mellow, or institutionalize you

[deusvitae · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

A discussion of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit.

A fairly good discussion, although the author never seems to account for likely differences between the work of the Spirit in the first century from what He has done since the first century. Nevertheless, Chan makes many compelling observations about how whatever God is doing, man must also work as well and submit his will to His; that we should seek to follow God more than keep begging to try to find out His particular will for us; that we should seek to participate in God's work more than expecting God to bless our work; that if we live according to the Spirit there should be evidence of His fruit in our lives-- love, peace, patience, etc.

A more theological bent that is greatly appreciated; nevertheless, an issue that still requires a lot of wrestling and challenges, and many vexing issues that could have some clarification and yet not.

[l_millsaps · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

One of the great mysteries of Christianity is wrapped up in our understanding of the very God we worship – one God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Though we accept this to be true, we have trouble grasping exactly what it means, and we especially have trouble with the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Many of us would echo the title of Forgotten God's first chapter: “I've Got Jesus. Why Do I Need the Spirit?” In his book, Francis Chan tries to answer this question for us.

As the pastor of a mega church in California, Chan was bothered by the lack of supernatural power and dramatic life-change within his congregation. It began to dawn on him that “something very important (was) missing..... namely, the Holy Spirit.” This realization pushed him to search the Bible for truths about who the Holy Spirit is and how He operates in our lives. The result is a book that is scripturally sound, personally convicting, and powerfully motivating. Chan's book is a wake-up call to the church, as he urges us to live radical, spirit-filled lives that show we are different from the rest of the world. He reminds us that we have the same power within us that created the universe and raised Jesus from the dead. Too often, we want to live safe, comfortable lives, taking no risks and avoiding danger at all costs. This book made me realize that if I am filled with the Spirit, I should be doing things that seem crazy at times...and I should be encouraging – not discouraging – other Christians to live the same way

[wilsonknut · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Chan's second book focuses on the part of the Trinity most people don't understand and find most mysterious: the Holy Spirit. Chan brings the same passion for God he described in Crazy Love to this book and challenges the reader to really think about his or her relationship to God and how they are living.

[true54blue · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

The Forgotten God that Francis Chan is referring to is God the Holy Spirit. He ably addresses the fact that we as Christians seem to have forgotten the place of Holy Spirit in our lives. He seeks to redress this failure by reminding us of our calling to live like Christ empowered by his Holy Spirit. Chan focuses on the role of Holy Spirit in sanctification and our need to not only focus on Christ and God the Father.

In the introduction he states, "While no evangelical would deny His [Holy Spirit's] existence, I'm willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can" (15). I don't think too many would argue with this statement. Unfortunately, too many Christians are convinced that they can't do any better and they accept the status quo. Of course, that is the point - they can't do any better and need to let Holy Spirit empower them. Why are so many Christians discouraged and feel disempowered about living holy lives?

Chan addresses this issue in seven chapters each of which seeks to answer a specific question. At several points in the book he cautions readers to stop and think about where they are at, or to read a certain section of Scripture and reflect on it before coming back to this book. This is helpful if people are willing to do it. Like most things in life, readers will only be successful in receiving a fill-up of Holy Spirit and living out of his strength if they seek to place themselves within his sphere of influence. Exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit isn't about intellectual knowledge but about allowing Holy Spirit to control us. Let us renew our minds and walk in his ways. Amen!

This book isn't overly long (167pp) so it will be an easy read for most. There is more to be said about Holy Spirit and his role in our lives and in the church but if there was one introductory book I would want church goers to read this would be it.