Letters to the Church

by Francis Chan

Scott County Library paperback  216 pages

Published: 2018

Genre: Non-fiction, Christian faith

I really, really like Francis Chan. It was interesting at the start of this book that he criticized his own early ministry . . . but not entirely surprising. He had a personal "re-set" of his faith and it led him to look at the New Testament church and compare it to what he had been doing at Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley. Wow. I seriously thought about buying my own copy of this book, but decided against it. (I have too many books already!) And I can read the New Testament myself to see how God intends church to be.

The chapter headings are interesting in and of themselves:

The Departure (why he left his thriving megachurch)

Sacred

The Order

The Gang

Servants

Good Shepherds

Crucified

Unleashed

Church Again

Afterword: Surviving Arrogance

In "Sacred," I noted a passage on page 30:

"To us, many situations in Scripture involve a punishment that was too severe for the crime. But why do we feel this way? We don't understand what it means for something to be 'sacred.' We live in a human-centered world among people who see themselves as the highest authority. We are quick to say things like 'That isn't fair!' because we believe we deserve certain rights as humans. Yet we give little thought to the rights God deserves as God. Even in the church we can act as though God's actions should revolve around us."

In "The Order," I love the section on pages 54-55 about being devoted to His Orders:

"The first church was built on the things that pleased God most. It was their focus on the right things that actually made them attractive. . . . Acts 2:42-47 . . . Absent from this account is any attempt on the part of the early Christians to conjure up some sort of powerful experience. They weren't strategizing ways to get people interested."

 

I think of Jamie saying we "need to keep the main thing the main thing." It's too easy to get distracted by bells and whistles, trends and fads. Even in the church.

 

My favorite part of "The Order" was when Chan wrote about the power of reading God's Word aloud. He shared about his experience of a church group reading Revelations aloud. Revelations 1:3 says "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near."

 

Page 59: "Isn't it ridiculous that God promises a blessing to anyone who reads Revelation out loud yet no one actually does this?"

 

It bugs me a tiny bit that he says "no one actually does this," because he himself has just given an example of people doing this. Does he think he's the only one? But I digress . . . throughout this section he talks about the power of reading God's Word aloud and I love the reminder! God's Word has so much to offer us!

 

In the chapter "The Gang," he has a section called "Supernatural Love." The first paragraph is worth noting:

 

"Is it just a nice cliché to say the Church should be like a family? I mean, it's a great thought, but our families are our families! Does God really expect us to be this close with people we're not related to, people we wouldn't even choose to be friends with? I agree that it's natural to be close with your family and unnatural to experience this with people who are not like you. But that's exactly the point! It's not supposed to be natural - it's supernatural!"

Chan follows this with John 13:34-35. I love how he relies on Scripture for all the points he's making (and makes it clear when he is purely offering his opinion and/or experience). He has a spirit of repentance for his mistakes.

Also in "The Gang," he says "What if we took God's description of the Church as a family seriously? What would happen if a group of people sought Jesus fervently, loved one another sacrificially, and then shared the gospel boldly?" (Page 82)

It's kind of funny to me that "Servants" was my favorite chapter while I was reading, but I didn't put any post-it notes there . . . I love to serve. I only noted Acts 20:35 (more blessed to give than receive).

In "Good Shepherds," I noted an interesting paradox on page 110:

"It is only going to get more difficult for pastors to speak in front of large crowds with boldness and humility. Maybe that's why we are finding fewer pastors known for being humble and courageous. I was deeply affected by a pastor in China who said to me, 'In America, pastors think they have to become famous to have a big impact. In China, the most influential Christian leaders had to be the most hidden.' My soul leaped when I heard that, imagining a chance to fight for impact and obscurity all at once. It feels as if our current way of doing things in America sets us up for failure. Those who pursue massive Kingdom impact seem to always be fighting a losing battle with pride. It is how the Enemy lures us away from the very character that makes us effective."

Also in the "Good Shepherds," he talks about prayer. "I once told my staff to let me know if they were not praying at least an hour a day. This way I could replace them with someone who would. I would much rather hire someone who prayed and did nothing else than someone who worked tirelessly without praying. That may sound harsh, but prayer is that critical."

Ouch. I'm too often too quick to do things and too impatient to spend time in prayer. Food for thought . . . 

I was encouraged to read his comment in "Unleashed" on page 162:

" . . . Having said this, there has been a significant shift among Christian parents toward homeschooling. I'm not saying this is inherently bad. All my children have gone to public school thus far, but that doesn't mean we will continue public schooling. I just have to say that I have seen God use my children in powerful ways in the public school."

 

There's so much more in this chapter and throughout this book that interest me. I'd love to do a book discussion on this!

 

 In "Surviving Arrogance," Chan writes: "Ephesians 5 explains that the Spirit-filled person continually worships and gives thanks. Satan hates the sound of our praise and thanksgiving, so he makes it his mission to disrupt worship. He loves when our minds are filled with frustration and discouragement rather than praise. Don't give him the victory. Control your thoughts." (Page 214)