Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, by Francis Chan
Why do so many of us settle for lukewarm, half-hearted devotion to God? What are you doing in your life that requires true faith? What if you stopped believing in God—would anyone notice? When is the last time you sacrificed something for the sake of Christ? Francis Chan takes these issues head-on in Crazy Love.
This book is a modern, refreshing look at ancient truths. It reminded me of God’s call to live a life of passion, dedication and faith, holding nothing back.
I’ll paraphrase one of my favorite examples from the book:
Imagine you are an extra in a movie—there’s a one-second scene where the back of your head can be seen in a crowd. Now, imagine inviting hundreds of your friends to this movie and telling them it’s about you. How absurd!
“So many of us think and live like the movie of life is all about us,” Chan concludes.
Here’s something else that impressed me: Francis Chan practices what he preaches. He moved his family into a smaller house so they could give more to ministry. His church downgraded their building plan so more money could go to missions/ministry—why is this the exception and not the rule among churches?
Here are some of the author’s concluding remarks:
I wrote this book because much of our talk doesn’t match our lives. We say things like, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” Then we live and plan like we don’t believe God exists.
I highly recommend this book.
One minor disagreement:
Chan argues that the “lukewarm” in Revelation 3 were not true Christians. I disagree with his conclusion: the “church” is, by definition, God’s people (literally “the called out ones”). I believe the rebuke of Revelation 3:14-22 was directed at God’s church/people, not unbelievers.
Regardless, I agree 100% with the spirit of Chan’s message: lukewarm “faith” is nauseating and unacceptable to God.