review: crazy love

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan (David C. Cook, 2008), pp, 205pp review What words describe Crazy Love? Stimulating. Thought-provoking. Challenging. Convicting. Prayer-initiating.  Potentially life-changing. Buy a copy and prayerfully work through it. Acquire an extra copy or two to share with others. Teach and/or preach what you find resonating with the Word and your heart, which will be, I suspect, virtually every page. Spring for the accompanying DVD and you’ll find ten 6-10 minute videos, all of them exceedingly well done and each of them concluding with a couple of discussion questions, perfect for use in a Bible class or small group setting. It’s a perfect 10. Would that every member of every church would read it! And since I feel so strongly about this book, allow me to quote more generously from it than is typical in my reviews. Let these quotes be the review. quotes What if I said, “Stop praying”? What if I told you to stop talking at God for a while, but instead to take a long, hard look at Him before you speak another word? (p.25) Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.  (p.26, quoting R.C. Sproul) … the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at any given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives of God to be like. (p.30, quoting A.W. Tozer) When I am consumed by my problems – stressed out about how my life, my family, and my job – I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God’s command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a “right” to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities. (p.41) Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives. Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control. (p.42) First Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” … So what does that mean for you? Frankly, you need to get over yourself. (p.44) Fear is no longer the word I use to describe how I feel about God. Now I use words like reverent intimacy. (p.57) … Isaiah 64:6 says, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Our good deeds can never outweigh our sins. The literal interpretation of “filthy rags” in this verse is “menstrual garments” (think used tampons … and if you’re disgusted by that idea you get Isaiah’s point). (p.60) God’s one goal for us is Himself. (p.62) My caution to you is this: Do not assume you are good soil. (p.67) Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live? Do you see evidence of God’s kingdom in your life? Or are you choking it out slowly by spending too much time, energy, money, and thought on the things of this world? (p.67) … the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. … Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering. (p.68) 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. Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ? Or do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better? … take a searching, honest look at your life. Not who you want to be one of these days, but who you are now and how you are living today. … (p.68) Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe ‘good Christians’ do, so they go. … (p.68) Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church … as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? … (p.69) Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when there is conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. … (p.69) Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. … (p.70) Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for ‘extreme’ Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call ‘radical’ what Jesus expected of all His followers. … (p.70-71) Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable ny talking about private issues like religion. … (p.71) Lukewarm people gauge their morality or ‘goodness’ by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. … (p.72) Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives. … (p.72) Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors and missionaries and radicals. … (p.73) Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know, and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. … (p.73) Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give. … (p.74) Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C.S. Lewis writes, ‘If you read history you will find that Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.’ … (p.75) Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible, to the poor. They are quick to point out, ‘Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is.’ Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel ‘called’ to minister to the rich; very few feel ‘called’ to minister to the poor. … (p.75) Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be ‘good enough’ without it requiring too much of them. … (p.76) Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. Their focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God. … (p.77) Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament  warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a ‘Christian nation.’ … (p.78) Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens – they have their savings account. They don’t need God to help them – they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live – they have life figured out and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis – their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. … (p.78) Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong. … (p.79) This profile of the lukewarm is not an all-inclusive definition of what it means to be a Christian, nor is it intended to be used as ammunition to judge your fellow believers’ salvation. Instead, as 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, it is a call to ‘examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.’ We are all messed-up human beings, and no one is totally immune to the behaviors described in the previous examples. However, there is a difference between a life that is characterized by these sorts of mentalities and habits and a life that is in the process of being radically transformed. … now is the time to take a serious self-inventory. (p.80) If one hundred people represented the world’s population, fifty-three of those would live on less than $2 a day. Do you realize that if you make $4,000 a month, you automatically make one hundred times more than the average person on the planet? Simply by purchasing this book, you spent what a majority of people in the world will make in a week’s time. Which is more messed up – that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don’t think we’re rich? (p.89) Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter. (p.93, quoting Tim Kizziar) I believe that much of the American churchgoing population, while not specifically swimming downstream, is slowly floating away from Christ. It isn’t a conscious choice, but it is nonetheless happening because little in their lives propels them toward Christ. (p.95) It is hard to bear with people who stand still along the way, lose heart, and seek happiness in little pleasures which they cling to … You feel sad about all that self-indulgence and self-satisfaction, for you know that with an indestructible certainty that something greater is coming. (p.95, quoting Henry Nouwen) How many of us would really leave our families, our jobs, our education, our friends, our connections, our familiar surroundings, and our homes if Jesus asked us to? If he just showed up and said, “Follow me”? No explanation. No directions. (pp.95-96) The critical question for our generation – and for every generation – is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food your ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there? (pp.100-101, quoting John Piper) Lukewarm living and claiming Christ’s name simultaneously is utterly disgusting to God. And when we are honest, we have to admit that it isn’t very fulfilling or joyful to us, either. (p.103) 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. (p.104) People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa … I never made a sacrifice. We ought not to talk of ’sacrifice’ when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father’s throne on high to give Himself for us. (p.108, quoting David Livingston) Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers. (p.115) … God doesn’t want us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through. (p.124) The love for equals is a human thing – of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles. The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing – the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing – to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. The world is always bewildered by its saints. And then there is the love for the enemy – love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured’s love for the torturer. This is God’s love. It conquers the world. (p.132, quoting Frederick Buechner) People who are obsessed with Jesus give freely and openly, without censure. Obsessed people love those who hate them and who can never love them back. (p.132) We are consumed by safety. Obsessed with it, actually. Now, I’m not saying it is wrong to pray for God’s protection, but I am questioning how we’ve made safety our highest priority. We’ve elevated safety to the neglect of whatever is God’s best, whatever would bring God the most glory, or whatever would accomplish his purposes in our lives and in the world. Would you be willing to pray this prayer? God bring me closer to You during this trip, whatever it takes … People who are obsessed with Jesus aren’t consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. Obsessed people care more about God’s kingdom coming to this earth then their own lives being shielded from pain or distress. (p.133) People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. Obsessed people believe that Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was really important to him (1 John 2:4-6; Matt. 16:24-26). (p.135) Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God that doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don’t always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth (Luke 14:25-35; Matt. 7:13-23; 8:18-22; Rev. 3:1-6). (pp.136-137) A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the sin of pride is always a battle. Obsessed people know that you can never be “humble enough,” and so they seek to make themselves less known and Christ more known (Matt. 5:16). (p.138) If a guy were dating my daughter but didn’t want to spend the gas money to come pick her up or refused to buy her dinner because it cost too much, I would question whether he were really in love with her. In the same way, I question whether many American churchgoers are really in love with God because they are so hesitant to do anything for Him. (p.139) People who are obsessed with Jesus do not consider service a burden. Obsessed people take joy in loving God by loving his people (Matt. 13:44; John 15:8). (p.139) Non-churchgoers tend to see Christians as takers rather than givers. … People who are obsessed with God are known as givers, not takers. Obsessed people genuinely think that others matter as much as they do, and they are particularly aware of those who are poor around the world (James 2:14-26). (pp.140-141) A person who is obsessed thinks about heaven frequently. Obsessed people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is in front of them. (p.142) A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed, settled, passionate love for God, above and before every other thing and every other being. (p.143) People who are obsessed are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures. Obsessed people don’t put it on for God: he is their safe place, where they can be at peace. (p.144) The average Christian in the United States spends ten minutes per day with God; meanwhile, the average American spends over four hours a day watching television. … People who are obsessed with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God’s Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages. (p.145) A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort. Obsessed people know that true joy doesn’t depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God (James 1:2-4). (p.146) W tend to think of joy as something ebbs and flows depending on life’s circumstances. But we don’t just lose joy, as though one day we have it and the next it’s gone, oh darn. Joy is something that we have to choose and then work for. Like the ability to run for an hour, it doesn’t come automatically. It needs cultivation. (p.146) A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the best thing he can do is be faithful to his Savior in every aspect of his life, continually saying “Thank you!” to God. An obsessed person knows there can never be intimacy of he is always trying to pay God back or work hard enough to be worthy. He revels in his role as a child and friend of God. (pp.147-148) … I still struggle to stay focused on Jesus every day. But a couple of things help me keep going. First, I remember that if I stop pursuing Christ, I am letting our relationship deteriorate. We never grow closer to God when we just live life; it takes deliberate pursuit and attentiveness. … Second, I remember that we are not alone. Even now there are thousands of beings in heaven watching what is going on down here – a “great cloud of witnesses,” the Scripture says.  (p.170) Daniel Webster once said, “The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a holy God and give an account of my life.” He was right. (p.174)

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