Francis Chan encourages Christians: 'Kingdom first' before family
Pastor Francis Chan believes that Christians should prioritise God more than their marriages and families, because parents' relationship with God will ultimately shape and define their children's relationship with God.
He said in a video shared by ChurchLeaders.com that a lot of Christians put God in the backseat once they get married. They get so caught up in their personal bubbles that the flames of their passion for God and His work are somehow forgotten.
Even though Chan himself has been married to his wife Lisa for 20 years and they have seven children together, he still sets God as his priority.
"Could I be an example of someone who's married and has kids and is still thinking, 'Kingdom first?'" he said. "Your mission with the Lord doesn't end when you get married."
Chan said that there's nothing wrong with putting value on marriage and family, but the problem is that the focus on the ministry tends to shift as they spend all of their time and energy in preserving and growing their relationship, family, and security.
"It's not about going out in the harvest and being a worker [anymore]. It's about 'let's protect our family now. Let's keep us safe. Let's find some gated community and keep them all in our house — away from all the bad people.' There's no excuse for that," he said.
When people only worry about themselves and their families, Chan said they tend to miss out on life.
"That's why so many of the kids, when they turn 18, they just ditch God altogether," said Chan. "Because they didn't see anything real in your life. They didn't see that [sense of] adventure, and you didn't put yourself in positions where God had to come through — and then [when] He comes through and your whole family is going, 'Wow, that was amazing! I am never going to leave that God.' No, you just create a little bubble for yourself... how is God even going to operate in that?"
The pastor strongly encouraged Christians to "surrender [their] lives" and take risks for Christ. That way, children are going to be inspired to live by their parents' faith.
