Crazy Love Podcast

Episode: Striving for Holiness | Francis Chan

Date: November 17, 2025
Host: Crazy Love Ministries | Guest: Francis Chan

Overview

In this powerful episode, Francis Chan challenges listeners to pursue true holiness and sanctification with intentionality and effort. Centered on 2 Peter 1, Chan reminds believers that through God’s divine power, they have been equipped with everything necessary for life and godliness. He passionately urges listeners not to settle for passivity but to actively strive towards the life God calls them to—becoming true partakers of the divine nature, pursuing moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Gratitude for the Cross & The Example of John the Baptist

• Sustained Reflection on the Cross

  • Francis and a co-host discuss how the previous night’s sermon kept them in awe of the cross, inspiring ongoing gratitude.
    • “Last night, that’s what I did. I went to bed praising God for the cross. When I woke up, the first thing on my mind was, God, thank you for the cross. I want this to be every night and every day, but it isn’t.” (00:44, Co-host)
  • The goal for every minister and preacher: drop people at the feet of Jesus and leave them with Him, not the personality of a speaker.
    • “Can we somehow just drop you off at the feet of Jesus and then you go with him?” (02:29, Francis Chan)

• John the Baptist: Becoming Less, Pointing to Jesus

  • Emphasizes the humility and mission of John: his ministry was to direct everyone to Christ and then “decrease” so Jesus would “increase.”
    • “He’s got to increase. He’s got to become more. And I’ve got to become less and less and less. …They’re supposed to go with Jesus. And that was the plan here.” (01:51, Co-host)

2. The Father's Perspective in the Garden of Gethsemane

• Francis contemplates Jesus’ agony as God’s Son, imagining himself in the father’s place.
  • “What would I feel if she’s looking at me and going, dad, is there any other way?...But not my will, but your will...And to hear that it was the will of the Lord to crush him. And all night, I’m just going, God, are you kidding me? You went through that for me?” (04:03, Francis Chan)

3. Striving After Holiness: 2 Peter 1

Divine Power and Equal Standing

• You Have Everything You Need

  • Believers possess a “faith of equal standing” with the Apostles, and God has given them “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” (13:39)
    • “Please get it out of your heads that somehow you are inferior to someone else in your faith with God…You’ve got a faith of equal standing with the Apostle Peter.” (11:56, Co-host; 12:45, Francis Chan)

• Living as Partakers of Divine Nature

  • Through God’s promises and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Christians become genuine “partakers of the divine nature” (17:02).
    • “What did I tell you? My spirit would actually enter into you…But you’re an actual partaker of the divine nature. Amazing. These promises are for you.” (17:31, Francis Chan)

The Miracle of Transformation

• Francis likens spiritual transformation to Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones coming alive (Ezekiel 36-37).
  • “He goes, this is what it’s gonna be like. People are gonna go, this is nuts. God just put these people together. He just put their spirit, his spirit in them.” (21:05, Francis Chan)
  • The true miracle is a changed life: “The Bible says that's what people should see when they see you.” (22:32, Co-host)

Active Pursuit: Make Every Effort

• Sanctification is Not Passive
  • Christians must strive in faith, rather than waiting passively for God to make them holy.
    • “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue…” (25:05, Co-host)
    • “This is not a passive…Yes, God does this…But then he says in the very next verse, he goes, so now you make every effort, okay? You do something. You don’t just sit there and go, okay, God, make me holy.” (25:16–25:59, Francis Chan)
  • Self-Control & Perseverance are Key
    • “There are times when it’s gonna take every bit of energy in you...He says, make every effort towards that. Yes. There are times when a different miracle happens…But that’s the exception…others who just have to make every effort, Every effort. And you fight and you fight and you fight…that’s what self control is all about.” (30:46–31:43, Francis Chan)
  • Knowledge Requires Effort (Even When It’s Hard)
    • “Have you made every effort to do that? Seriously, are you a student of the word of God?...The issue is, are you making every effort to pursue this knowledge?” (27:39–27:59, Co-host)
    • “I hate reading. I just don't like it…But I go, you know what, Lord? Your Word says I should be making every effort to add…this knowledge of you.” (28:04–28:29, Francis Chan)

The List of Virtues (2 Peter 1:5–7)

• Faith supplemented by:
  • Virtue (moral excellence, the “expected result” of faith) (26:41)
  • Knowledge
  • Self-control
  • Steadfastness (perseverance)
  • Godliness (worshipful living)
  • Brotherly affection (genuine Christian love, even across differences)
  • Love
• Each requires dedication and action.

Spiritual Nearsightedness vs. Eternity

• Warning Against Spiritual Nearsightedness
  • Letting temporal frustrations eclipse eternal realities is spiritual blindness.
    • “Whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind…” (39:32, Francis Chan)
    • “You crack your [phone] screen and you’re so nearsighted…You miss out on all of these things. And I’ve seen this in so many people.” (40:58–41:13, Francis Chan)
• Eternity and Unseen Reality
  • Draws from 2 Corinthians 4:17–18: true hope is rooted in what is unseen and eternal.
    • “So we don’t look to the things that we can see. We look to the unseen.” (42:07, Francis Chan)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue…”
  — (25:05, Co-host, reading 2 Peter 1:5)
• “You have everything you need when it comes to life and godliness. Do you believe that?”
  — (13:59, Francis Chan)
• “We have physical limitations. We have intellectual limitations. …But what the scripture is saying [is]…all things that pertain to life and godliness. …There’s no reason why I can’t be the one that’s most alive, you know? And there’s no reason why I cannot be the godliest person in this room.”
  — (14:32–15:21, Francis Chan)
• “God, I want all of that life. I want all of that godliness. I want your spirit just to flow through me.”
  — (16:25, Co-host)
• “If these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
  — (36:50, Francis Chan)
• “Don’t you want to be at the end of your life, go, God, I just want to be the most loving…”
  — (36:28, Co-host)
• “Don’t get so nearsighted that you lose sight of these spiritual realities.”
  — (41:27, Co-host)
• “Look to the things that are unseen...the things you can see are transient. They’re temporary. Everything you see right now is temporary.”
  — (42:07–42:24, Francis Chan)
• “Can you see that you’re a partaker of the divine nature?”
  — (44:48, Co-host)
• Practical Exercise in Worship—Focus on the Unseen:
  • Francis leads listeners in a moment of prayer, urging them to block out physical distractions and worship God “in spirit and in truth” (45:05–47:33).

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Reflecting on the Cross and its Cost
  00:41 – 05:33
• John the Baptist: Pointing Only to Jesus
  01:51 – 02:29
• Personal Anecdote: Dropping Off a Daughter & Trust in Jesus
  02:29 – 03:33
• Analogy: The Miracle of Transformation—Chicken Bones & Ezekiel’s Vision
  21:05 – 22:56
• Emphasis on Individual Responsibility: Make Every Effort
  25:05 – 27:22
• Self-Control and Perseverance
  30:05 – 32:43
• Brotherly Affection & Unity Despite Differences
  35:13 – 36:27
• Spiritual Nearsightedness (Temporal vs. Eternal Perspective)
  39:32 – 41:27
• Exercise in Focusing on the Unseen (Closing Application & Prayer)
  45:05 – End

Conclusion / Takeaway

Francis Chan’s message is a passionate call to recognize the depth of God’s provision and the active, striving role believers must take in sanctification. The indwelling Holy Spirit equips every Christian with all they need for life and holiness; their only limitation is their own willingness to “make every effort.” The true miracle is a transformed, holy life—obvious to the world as something only God could do. Chan closes with an invitation to pray and see beyond the temporary, focusing on union with Christ, gratitude for the cross, and the pursuit of godliness above all else.