Letters to the Church by Francis Chan
Week 4: Chapter 3 — "carried"
Read Chapter 3 of Letters to the Church. Primary passages: John 15:1–5; Romans 8:9–11; Galatians 5:16–25.
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This chapter confronts one of the most uncomfortable questions in the Christian life: Are we genuinely being carried by the Holy Spirit, or are we running a well-organized religious operation in His name? Come to these questions honestly.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Chan opens this chapter with the haunting question of whether our churches could function just as well without the Holy Spirit — because so much of what we do is explainable by human talent, planning, and resources. How does that question land on you? Is it unfair, or does it hit something real?
2.He references Jesus' warning in John 15 that apart from Him we can do nothing — and draws out the implication that "nothing" means nothing of eternal value. What does genuine Spirit-dependence look like in the daily life of a local church? What would have to change for your church to move toward that?
3.Chan describes his own experience of building something impressive — staff, budget, programs — and slowly realizing that the impressiveness had become a substitute for dependence on God. Have you ever experienced something similar in your own spiritual life? A competence that quietly replaced a need for God?
a.What are the warning signs that we are operating in our own strength?
b.What does genuine repentance from self-sufficiency look like?
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