Saturday, August 15, 2020

Notes on The Forgotten God by Francis Chan, Part 1

Pg. 34 - "Imagine the peace that would come from knowing you would always receive perfect truth and flawless direction from Him." Him refers to Christ functioning as a personal counselor, something He promised the Spirit would do. On page 35, after quoting John 16:7, Chan writes "When the disciples heard that two thousand years ago, I'm sure it was hard for them to grasp." There's the crux of the human dilemma when seeking the Sacred: while we might, indeed, receive perfect truth and flawless direction, it is often hard for us to grasp. Enthusiasm for living by the Spirit must be tempered with the knowledge that we will often fail to fully perceive what is being given to us. Do we need the Spirit in our lives daily, hourly, every minute by minute? Of course! How else can we come to understand the direction we are given? We humans need to be taught the Divine Lesson repeatedly. We need infinite repetitions and numerous failures and attempts before we open up. So saying, that means we do need to act on what we receive, never forgetting that the first and greatest commandment is to love.

Also on page 34, Chan says the Greek word for "another" when describing another Comforter means another just like the first, not one that's different. So the presence of the Holy Spirit is just like the presence of Jesus.

Pg. 36-37 Caterpillar to butterfly analogy is not too far distant from child to adult in the physical sense. We do not hibernate through puberty but the change is as profound. The ability to procreate and the ability to fly are both profound powers to come into after not having them from birth.