Forgotten God « Journeyman Journal

I’d Like to Find Out…

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

I started reading the latest book by Francis Chan, Forgotten God, this morning. I fully expected to to challenge me as his last book, Crazy Love, did. I could not have been more spot on. So much so that I’m not exactly sure what to do with what I’m reading.

It saddens me. It challenges me. It shakes me to my core spiritually.

Chan is talking about the Holy Spirit in our spiritual lives and how the Holy Spirit is supposed to be evident in our lives. But that’s not often the case. He goes so far to say…

I think the worst part is when you get outside the church’s walls and interact with believers and nonbelievers in the same sphere. Can you really tell a difference? (p 31)

OUCH! If I answer that question honestly the answer is far too often that I cannot tell the difference. And I am including myself in that indictment. But we’re supposed to be different. We’re not just supposed to ACT different (although even that doesn’t always happen); we’re supposed to BE different…

This is the question I just can’t get around: If it’s true that the Spirit of God dwells in us and that our bodies are the Holy Spirit’s temple, then shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not? (p 32)

Um….yes. There should be a huge difference. So why is that not often the case? Why is that not the case in my own life?

That’s what I’m going to start examining and praying about. Where have I missed the mark? What am I holding back from God? What am I afraid will happen if I live my life fully in the presence of God’s Spirit? What would happen if I fully allowed Him to guide and direct my life on a daily basis?

That the question we’re asking over the next three weeks at Pinecrest too. As a community, what would happen if God really got a hold of us and we let Him lead…let Him do some amazing things…got out of the way and got on-board with God’s plan?

All I know is that I’m going to start this journey, because I’d like to find out…

22.09.2010 Books, Holy Spirit, New Pastor Journal, Spiritual Musings No Comments

The Holy Spirit: Part 1

Monday, March 8th, 2010

I just picked up the book Forgotten God by Francis Chan. I absolutely loved Crazy Love so I thought this book would make for a good devotional read for Anita and me. We haven’t started it yet, but here’s a quick synopsis…

A follow up to the profound message of Crazy Love, Pastor Francis Chan offers a compelling invitation to understand, embrace, and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives. 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? 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.

During a breakfast meeting last week I had a quick discussion about the Trinity…and specifically about the neglect of the Holy Spirit in many Christian circles. So I’m excited to read the book. BUT…I’m not going to start it just yet. Why? Simple…I want to do a little study of my own and see what I can uncover myself before getting into Chan’s analysis (I fully expect his version to be much better than mine, but I still want to do a little discover on my own).

So I’m starting simple, and slow. I decided to take a look at what the Old Testament has to say about the Holy Spirit. We don’t typically think about the Holy Spirit in the OT, but He’s there. A quick word search of “Holy Spirit” turns up three verses in the New Living Translation(NLT):

Psalm 51:11: “Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.”
Isaiah 63:10-11: “But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he became their enemy and fought against them. Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out, “Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people?”

The Hebrew phrase used here is “qodesh ruwach” which is literally translated “Holy Spirit” or “spirit of holiness”. It carries with it the idea that God’s Spirit is sacred and set apart. It’s a direct reference to God’s Spirit…to the Holy Spirit. The Psalm passage makes it clear that we have relationship with the Holy Spirit and that it’s this Spirit that can change and transform us. The Isaiah passage talks about grieving the Holy Spirit and that God sent the Holy Spirit to be with the Israelites. Both passages make it clear that the Holy Spirit referenced is not just an abstract concept or one way to think about God…but that the Holy Spirit is real and tangible.

The Holy Spirit is right there in black and white…but this isn’t the only place we see God’s Spirit referenced in the Old Testament. In fact, we’re just getting started. Next, we’ll take a look at the more common phrase used in the Old Testament: “The Spirit of God”. And that’s when things start to get really good…but you’ll have to wait for more…

08.03.2010 Holy Spirit, Spiritual Musings 1 Comment