Top 328 Quotes & Sayings by Francis Chan - Page 2

Let us be eager to leave what is familiar for what is true.

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 into 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.

Our lack of intimacy is due to our refusal to unplug and shut off communication from all others so we can be alone with Him.

We have a God who is a Creator, not a duplicator.

Do you understand that it's impossible to please God in any way other than wholehearted surrender?

Where it gets weird is that nowadays there are millions of people on this earth who call themselves followers of Jesus, but their lives look nothing like His, and they're not obeying the things that He called them to do.

Again, our marriage problems are not really marriage problems. They are heart problems. They are God problems. Our lack of intimacy with God causes a void that we try to fill with the frailest of substitutes. Like wealth or pleasure. Like fame or respect. Like people. Like marriage.

Has your relationship with God changed the way you live your life?

A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled up on top of it.

People who are obsessed with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.

God doesn't want religious duty. He doesn't want a distracted, half-hearted, 'Fine, I'll read a chapter...now are You happy?' attitude. God wants His word to be a delight to us, so much that we meditate on it day and night.

I’ve got this amazing relationship with God that is better than life, itself, so marvelous, so wonderful that everything else can fall apart and I’m okay.

Marriage is one of the most humbling, sanctifying journeys you will ever be a part of. It forces us to wrestle with our selfishness and pride. But it also gives us a platform to display love and commitment.

The message of the Bible is not about God in Heaven who wants to take from you. It's about God who wants to give to you.

Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you?

We need to be more concerned about who we are before God than our reputation before people.

Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy.

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.

Without action and fruit, all the theology in the world has little meaning.

God is love, but He also defines what love is. We don't have the license to define love according to our standards.

Lukewarm people call 'radical' what Jesus expected of all His followers.

It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.

You find that the things you let go of while following Jesus were the things that were going to destroy you in the end.

The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.

I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know I couldn't be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn't come through, I am screwed.

Colossians 1:16 tells us that everything was created FOR God... don't we live instead as though God is created for US, to do OUR bidding, to bless US, and to take care of OUR loved ones?

Why would we need to experience the Comforter if our lives are already comfortable?

God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him.

In China I told pastors about how, in the West, we have these church buildings and how we go to services each week that last an hour or so. I told them how if we don't like the music or the message then we can go to different buildings and services... They all broke out into laughter. They thought I was the funniest guy they had ever seen.

We live in a time when Christians need to be told that they are supposed to live like Christ. That's Weird.

Christians are like manure: spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they stink horribly.

My biggest concern for this generation is your inability to focus, especially in prayer.

My pride and immaturity caused me to make things more of a struggle than they had to be. I can always blame others or circumstances, but the truth was that my own sinful pride led to more stress than anything else.

He wants all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a 'Christian' without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.

I believe He wants us to love others so much that we go to extremes to help them. I believe He wants us to be known for giving—of our time, our money, and our abilities—and to start a movement of ‘giving’ churches. In so doing, we can alleviate the suffering in the world and change the reputation of His bride in America.

People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God's Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages.

Churchgoers all across the nation say the Holy Spirit has entered them. They claim that God has given them a supernatural ability to follow Christ, put their sin to death, and serve the church. Christians talk about being born again say that they they were dead but now have come to life. We have become hardened to those words, but they are powerful words that have significant meaning. Yet when those outside the church see no difference in our lives, they begin to question our integrity, out sanity, or even worse, our God. And can you blame them?

Frankly, you need to get over yourself. It might sound harsh, but that's seriously what it means [1 Corinthians 10:31].

...when we love God, we naturally run to Him-frequently and zealously. Jesus didn't command that we have a regular time with Him each day. Rather, He tells us to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' He called this the 'first and greatest commandment' (Matt. 22:37-38). The results are intimate prayer and study of His Word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love.

In the midst of our failed attempts at loving Jesus, His grace covers us.

When I am consumed by my problems-stressed out about my life, my family, and my job-I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice.

We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving ourselves because we were made to do these things.

Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens- they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them- they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what life God would have them live- they have life figured and mapped out. They don't depend on God on a daily basis- their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.

I quickly found that the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don't swear, and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ literally, and seriously, is rarely considered. That's for the 'radicals' who are 'unbalanced' and who go 'overboard.' Most of us want a balanced life we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering.

I believe He wants us to love others so much that we go to extremes to help them.

We have got to make disciples. Fun nights and pizza nights are not going to sustain us.

My love for prayer was an answer to prayer.

James 2:19- 'You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that- and shudder.' God doesn't just want us to have good theology; He wants us to know and love Him.

Are we in love with God or just His stuff?

As we begin to focus more on Christ, loving Him and others becomes more natural. As long as we pursuing Him, we satisfied in Him. It is when we stop actively loving Him that we find ourselves restless and gravitating toward other means of fulfillment

The point is not to completely understand God but to worship Him. Let the very fact that you cannot know Him fully lead you to praise Him for His infiniteness and grandeur.

The disciples obey because that's what people do when someone rises from the dead and gives instructions.

Lukewarm living and claiming Christ's name simultaneously is utterly disgusting to God.

A disciple is a disciple maker.

Can you worship a God who isn't obligated to explain His actions to you? Could it be your arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation?

We often think of prayer as a means to an end. Prayer is the goal.

Are you willing to say to God that He can have whatever He wants? Do you believe that whole hearted commitment to Him is more important than any other thing or person in your life? Do you know that nothing you do in this life will ever matter; unless it is about loving God and loving the people He has made?

Proclaiming the gospel to a lost world cannot be just another activity to add to the church's crowded agenda. It must be central to who we are. It forms our identity.

I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit.

Only the Holy Spirit can give you the power to not think about yourself, to set you free from yourself.