Francis Chan Quotes
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201. “There is a big gap between what we read in Scripture about the Holy Spirit and how most believers and churches operate today.”

— Francis Chan

202. “I confess to you guys, I confess to the church, I know I have backed away from certain things because of my arrogance. I thought I could attract more people to Jesus by hiding certain things about him.”

— Francis Chan

203. “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 that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering.”

— Francis Chan

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

— Francis Chan

205. “Many of us make decisions based on what brings us the most pleasure... We pursue what we want; then we make sure there are no biblical commands we are violating. In essence, we want to know what God will tolerate rather than what He desires. Maybe we are afraid to ask what will bring Him the most pleasure. Ignorance feels better than disobedience.”

— Francis Chan

206. “By catering our worship to the worshippers and not to the Object of our worship, I fear we have created human-centered churches.”

— Francis Chan

207. “You can’t fully mature without being attacked.”

— Francis Chan

208. “There’s no sense in improving your marriage until you are secure with God.”

— Francis Chan

209. “The best things in life are gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: are we in love with God or just His stuff?”

— Francis Chan

210. “If we really want to love our neighbors as ourselves, then it makes sense that we spend at least as much on them as we do on ourselves.”

— Francis Chan

211. “We need to stop giving people excuses not to believe in God.”

— Francis Chan

212. “Jesus evidently hates it when we tear into our brothers or sisters with demeaning words, words that fail to honor the people around us as the beautiful image-bearing creatures that they are.”

— Francis Chan

213. “While we can’t force people to be devoted, it may be that we have made it too easy for them not to be. By trying to keep everyone interested and excited, we’ve created a cheap substitute for devotion. Rather than busying themselves with countless endeavors, the early followers devoted themselves to a few. And it changed the world. It seems like the Church of America is constantly looking for the next new thing.”

— Francis Chan

214. “When I don’t think biblically, I go nuts. I just go, ‘This is crazy.’”

— Francis Chan

215. “If I could read a manuscript of your prayers over the past month, what would I see as the “one thing” you repeatedly ask for? Actually answer that. Our prayers reveal a lot about us. Our requests show us what we treasure, and our tone reveals our opinion of Him.”

— Francis Chan

216. “What evidence do you have that you know Jesus?”

— Francis Chan

217. “The enemy just hates our prayers.”

— Francis Chan

218. “If you are going to make disciples, you need to be putting your faith into practice so that the people around you can imitate your faith.”

— Francis Chan

219. “You should really spend the rest of your life and the rest of your marriage trying to live more humbly and more sacrificially with respect to the people around you.”

— Francis Chan

220. “Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you? Do you really know and believe that God loves you, individually and personally and intimately?”

— Francis Chan

221. “Parents are supposed to instruct their kids. It doesn’t mean they necessarily have that gift of teaching.”

— Francis Chan

222. “For a person to be truly discipled and growing in their faith, they need more than one person discipling them.”

— Francis Chan

223. “In an effort to gain “converts,” Christians often refrain from telling the full story. We want people to follow, so like cheap salesmen, we share the benefits without explaining the cost. We tell them about Jesus’ promises of life and forgiveness, but we don’t mention His calls for repentance and obedience. We avoid His promise that we will experience persecution. When we do this, we cheapen the gospel.”

— Francis Chan

224. “Is there anything you want more than to hear “well done” come from God’s lips? Not “well said” or “well thought out,” but “well done.” Do.”

— Francis Chan

225. “We live in a world where people say that you can believe anything you want about God.”

— Francis Chan

226. “Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we’ve been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won’t be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God’s strength, our problems are small, indeed.”

— Francis Chan

227. “I don’t want to keep crawling when i have the ability to fly.”

— Francis Chan

228. “Here’s a blueprint for marriage: 1. We become overwhelmed by Christ’s care for us. 2. So we shower our wives with the same love we receive from God. 3. Then, people are shocked by our extravagant love toward our wives. 4. As a result, we are given an opportunity to tell them about the love of Christ that compels us.”

— Francis Chan

229. “Some people say I would love to take a selfie with Moses. Do you understand the gap between Moses and God?”

— Francis Chan

230. “Both worry and stress reek of arrogance.”

— Francis Chan

231. “I’ve grown up in a generation that questions God for setting boundaries. Does He have the right to set boundaries? I’ve grown up in a generation that thinks where meeting with a God is an ordinary thing.”

— Francis Chan

232. “The greatest good on this earth is God.”

— Francis Chan

233. “God is not like anything. He is incomprehensible, incomparable, and unlike any other being. He is outside our realm of existence and, thus, outside our ability to categorize Him. While.”

— Francis Chan

234. “I don’t believe God wants our church life to be centered on buildings and services. Instead, God wants our churches – whatever specific forms our gatherings take – to be focused on active discipleship, mission, and the pursuit of unity.”

— Francis Chan

235. “Pray with reverence, not half-heartedness.”

— Francis Chan

236. “I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit’s leading on a daily basis. Christ said its better for us that the Spirit came and I want to live like that is true. I don’t want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly.”

— Francis Chan

237. “God cares more about your obedience to His Spirit’s leading TODAY than what you will do next year.”

— Francis Chan

238. “Oswald Chambers writes, “Never make a principle out of your experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you.”

— Francis Chan

239. “What makes worship amazing is the object of our worship.”

— Francis Chan

240. “I love being in the ocean. I love the unpredictability of it- size of wave, animals you see, etc.”

— Francis Chan

241. “But hey, if that’s too much to ask, tell them to just become Christians – you know, the people who get to go to heaven without having to commit to anything.”

— Francis Chan

242. “Even our church growth can happen without Him. 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.”

— Francis Chan

243. “You’ve got to do some work now. Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue. Virtue is about moral excellence.”

— Francis Chan

244. “It’s not that there aren’t a million other things to learn about God, but He says you’ve got to start with the fear of the Lord because that’s the beginning of wisdom.”

— Francis Chan

245. “Do you understand that it’s impossible to please God in any way other than wholehearted surrender?”

— Francis Chan

246. “Trying harder doesn’t work for me. Slowly I’ve learned to pray for God’s help and He has become my greatest love and desire.”

— Francis Chan

247. “The God of the universe is not something we can just add to our lives and keep on as we did before. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is not someone we can just call on when we want a little extra power in our lives. Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us. He died and rose again so that we could forget everything else and follow Him to the cross, to true Life.”

— Francis Chan

248. “Many people will tell you to focus on your marriage, to focus on each other; but we discovered that focusing on God’s mission made our marriage amazing.”

— Francis Chan

249. “It is the Holy Spirit who keeps us from this path and gives us confidence so we can enjoy intimacy with our Creator. Though I do not believe God gives us His Spirit solely for our personal benefit, it is undeniable that one of the greatest aspects of being in relationship with the Holy Spirit is the intimacy, security, and encouragement He brings us. It is then we can serve God as a beloved child rather than a stressed-out, guilt-ridden slave.”

— Francis Chan

250. “Every year in my life, I trust fewer and fewer people.”

— Francis Chan