Francis Chan Quotes

Refusing to teach a passage of Scripture is just as wrong as abusing it

The God who loans you life sees your every move, hears each word you speak, and knows your every thought. And this is a good thing. You are seen by God. Noticed. Known.

I don't think my church's teachings were incorrect, just incomplete.

God gave me the same power He gave Jesus. I ask myself daily, Why do I waste such a priceless gift?

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

The idea of holding back certainly didn't come from Scripture.

I want the joy of knowing that I am doing something with my life, the joy of battle.

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

When we work for Christ out of obligation, it feels like work. But when we truly love Christ, our work is a manifestation of that love, and it feels like love.

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.

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

While every individual needs to obey Jesus's call to follow, we cannot follow Jesus as individuals.

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

More than any other attribute of Jesus, his humility is the key to a healthy marriage. If two people make it their goal to imitate the humility of Christ, everything else will take care of itself.

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

When the church really takes on the humble characteristics of Christ, that's going to lead to revival.

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.

Is this idea of the non-fruit-bearing Christian something that we have concocted in order to make Christianity "easier"?

I don't want to speak about Jesus; I want to know Jesus. I want to be Jesus to people. I don't want just to write about the Holy Spirit; I want to experience His presence in my life in a profound way.

I honestly believe that most of us - while we might say we want to be led by the Spirit - are actually scared of this reality. I know I am. What would it mean? What if He asks you to give up something you're not ready to give up? What if He leads you where you don't want to go? What if he tells you to change jobs? To move? Are you willing to surrender to Him, no matter where He wants to take you? Am I?

Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy.

...when we are loving, we can't sin.

Fear of God failing us leads us to "cover for God." This means we ask, expect, and are satisfied with less.

There is a big gap between what we read in Scripture about the Holy Spirit and how most believers and churches operate today.

It is easy to use the phrase 'God's will for my life' as an excuse for inaction or even disobedience ... My hope is that instead of searching for 'God's will for my life' each of us would learn to seek hard after 'the Spirit's leading in my life today.' May we learn to pray for an open and willing heart, to surrender to the Spirit's leading with that friend, child, spouse, circumstance, or decision in our lives right now.

What we do reverberates through the heavens and into eternity.

My suggestion as you think, make decisions, and discern how God would have you live is to ask yourself, "Is this the most loving way to do life? Am I loving my neighbor and my God by living where I live, by driving what I drive, by talking how I talk?" I urge you to consider and actually live as though each person you come into contact with is Christ.

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.

Before you say one word to God, take a minute and imagine what it would be like to stand before His throne as you pray.

While hell can be a paralyzing doctrine, it can also be an energizing one, for it magnifies the beauty of the cross.

It is impossible to make disciples aside from the church of Jesus Christ.

Stories of people who died after living godly lives are stories with happy endings.

I was raised Christian after age 5, but I didn't really understand it until high school. A friend of mine invited me to his youth group. There I heard the gospel, understood it, and accepted it.

God wants to change us so much that it intrigues others.

A strong woman has waited patiently while her roots grew down deep into the Word of God. Over time, she becomes unshakeable in her faith. She starts bearing fruit naturally and is full of life. People are attracted to her strength and growth, and many find rest and peace as they lean on her. And when storms and trials come, as they always do, they will not be able to take her down. A few branches may be lost or pruned away, but in their place comes new growth, new life. This is what I long to be! A strong woman who is anchored in God's promises. But it starts by setting down your roots in God's Word. It will not happen as you stand up for yourself, and demand attention, and fight for yourself. It will happen as you stand in Christ, and demand that He gets your attention, and fight for His glory. The beautiful thing is that as we pursue this, God takes His rightful place in our lives.

...no worship is better than apathetic worship.

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.

Do you believe that God is the greatest thing you can experience in the whole world?

I want to stop writing, stare you in the face, and scream: Jesus died! He chose the most grueling death to bring you to God! Everything is changed! You and I were destined for a horrifying encounter with God - we were "objects of wrath" (Eph. 2:3) - but that has all changed! Death

I have one reason why you should walk away from that temptation right now. One reason: God. Is. Better.

Jesus asks for everything, but we try to give Him less.

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

We are each given different gifts and talents by our Master. The thing that matters most is how we use what we have been given, not how much we make or do compared to someone else. What matters is that we spend ourselves.

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

Our culture says anything goes; fear of God is almost unheard of.

Most marriage problems are not really marriage problems, they are God problems. They can be traced back to one, or both, having a poor relationship with God, or a faulty understanding of him. An accurate picture of God is vital to a healthy marriage. It's vital to everything.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28).

She cannot imagine spending her life more comfortable when so many people are desperate and dying throughout our world.

I was challenged to do a little exercise with these verses (1 Cor 13:4-8), one that was profoundly convicting. Take the phrase "Love is patient" and substitute your name for the word "love." (For me, "Francis is patient ... ") Do it for every phrase in the passage.
By the end, don't you feel like a liar? If I am meant to represent what love is, then I often fail to love people well.
Following Christ isn't something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side. It is not a label we can display when it is useful. It must be central to everything we do and are.

Nothing compares to being truly, exuberantly wanted by your children.

True love requires sacrifice.

It's easy to write for God and about God, because what a thrill to remind the church that the Holy Spirit of God is in you. What a rush! What an amazing blessing!

There are periods that we forget that in the pursuit of fruit, that if we just abide in Him, then fruitfulness is a guarantee.

When we present the gospel, we try to answer one question: How do I keep from going to hell? After that question is answered, we stop asking questions about God. With the American church being so concerned about converts, we don't take the time to present the God-centered universe to people. We don't try to dig deep into the truth of God. We need to learn the attributes of God before we know what He is like.

We have to learn how to control our minds. We have to learn self-control.

Our God listens to us. Our God is a living God. He's not a block of wood you made up that's not going to answer you. My God listens to me. He answers me.

What would your church (and the worldwide church) look like if everyone was as committed as you are? If everyone gave and served and prayed exactly like you, would the church be healthy and empowered? Or would it be weak and listless?

Due to our consumer mindset, people are prone to jump from church to church, which weakens the church overall.

Through this experience, I came to understand that my desire for my children is only a faint echo of God's great love for me and for every person He made. I am just an earthly, sinful father, and I love my kids so much it hurts. How could I not trust a heavenly, perfect Father who loves me infinitely more than I will ever love my kids? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew 7:11

I hope reading this book will convince you of something: that by surrendering yourself totally to God's purposes, He will bring you the most pleasure in this life and the next.

I think the fear of God failing us leads us to "cover for God." This means we ask for less, expect less, and are satisfied with less because we are afraid to ask for or expect more.

People see only my actions. Instead, if I focus on Christ with thanksgiving, people see Him.

Salvation is all about the grace of God. There is absolutely nothing that you can do to save yourself or earn God's favor.

Christians today like to play it safe. We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe 'even if there is no God.' But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way.

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.

[I]t's impossible to please God in any other way that wholehearted surrender...

It's breathtaking to picture almighty God saying, "I know Francis Chan. He's my son. I love him!" Are you confident this is what God would say if I asked Him about you? Do you know God or just know about Him? Are

He persists in loving us with unending, outrageous love.

If I have a script, I tend to stick to it even if God may be leading me elsewhere in the moment.

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?

I had come out of a church that was filled with petty arguments and hatred. I just wanted to meet with some friends and worship with them.

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.

God is compassionate and just, loving and holy, wrathful and forgiving. WE can't sideline His more difficult attributes to make room for the palatable ones.

The majority of believers on this earth find it laughable that we could reduce the call to follow Jesus and make disciples to an invitation to sit in church service.

In the same way, you have to stop loving and pursuing Christ in order to sin. When you are pursuing love, running toward Christ, you do not have opportunity to wonder, Am I doing this right? or Did I serve enough this week? When you are running toward Christ, you are freed up to serve, love, and give thanks without guilt, worry, or fear. As long as you are running, you are safe.

I don't want Him to return and find me sitting in a theater.

Our concern is more about going to heaven than loving the King.

Deep down in the heart of every person is a hidden desire to reinterpret Jesus in light of our own culture, political bent, or favorite theological belief.

When Jesus was asked, "What is the greatest commandment?" he responded with "Love.

We need to stop giving people excuses not to believe in God. You've probably heard the expression 'I believe in God, just not organized religion'. I don't think people would say that if the church truly lived like we are called to live.

It's pride, plain and simple, that keeps me from giving God all the glory and keeping some of it for myself. It is a battle we all fight in some form or another, some of us daily or even hourly.

God's art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like.

Our understanding of God's love must be more profound than the naive expectation of a carefree life.

Because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.

What are you doing right now that requires faith?

And your own heart generates enough pressure as it pumps blood throughout your body that it could squirt blood up to 30 feet. (I've never tried this, and I don't recommend it.)

It's a pretty crazy task to try to describe God "quickly." Everything starts with a healthy fear of Him.

The fact is, I need God to help me love God. And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault-filled humans.

God is the only true Giver, and He needs nothing from us. But still He wants us. He gave us life so that we might seek and know Him.

We don't get to decide who God is.

He is saying that lukewarm, halfhearted following is useless, that it sickens our souls. He is saying that this kind of salt is not even fit 'for the manure pile.' [Luke 14:34-35]

The church becomes irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.

The God of the universe is not something we can just add to our lives and keep on as we did before.

He does not have to know us so well, but He chooses to.

All my life I've heard people say, 'God loves you.' It's probably the most insane statement you could make to say that the eternal Creator of this universe is in love with me. There is a response that ought to take place in believers, a crazy reaction to that love. Do you really understand what God has done for you? If so, why is response so lukewarm?

If you'd rather watch your kids grow up than see the face of your Savior today, you don't grasp the beauty of God. If you worry about what would happen to your children if you were gone, you don't understand the providence of God.

In reality, not one of us will ever be worthy. It is useless to attempt earning it; you'll never feel ready. It is unknown and uncomfortable. But there really is a God who forgives everything and loves endlessly.

Our view of the Holy Spirit is too small. The Holy Spirit is the One who changes the church, but we have to remember that the Holy Spirit lives in us. It is individual people living Spirit-filled lives that will change the church.

An obsessed person knows there can never be intimacy if he is always trying to pay God back or work hard enough to be worthy. He revels in his role as child and friend of God.

In the craziness of our world, it takes tremendous effort to find a quiet place. It takes time to quiet your mind and your heart before the Lord.