"The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? But: Are you in love with Jesus? Perhaps another way to put the question would be: Do you know the incarnate God? In our world of loneliness and despair, there is an enormous … Continue reading Quote of Note #85: Forgiving, Caring, Healing Heart of God
Tag: Religion and Spirituality
Prayer Note #59: Fleeing My Inescapable God
What savoriness sin has! It is so hard to leave it alone, Even when I know it for what it is. I come back to it again and again. But behind the savoriness, There’s a coldness, a darkness. Savoring my sin keeps me Far from you, Lord. I can’t savor my sin In your presence. … Continue reading Prayer Note #59: Fleeing My Inescapable God
Quote of Note #84: Antagonizing Idols–Respecting People
"[Contextualization in preaching] means to resonate with yet defy the culture around you. It means to antagonize society's idols while showing respect for its people and many of its hopes and aspirations. It means expressing the gospel in a way that is not only comprehensible but also convincing." Timothy Keller, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an … Continue reading Quote of Note #84: Antagonizing Idols–Respecting People
Quote of Note #83: The Bible and Free Grace
"There are, in the end, only two ways to read the Bible: Is it basically about me or basically about Jesus? In other words, is it basically about what I must do or basically about what he has done?" Timothy Keller, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism. New York: Viking, 2015, page 60.
Quote of Note #82: The Word of God
"The Word of God is the seed out of which the divine nature springs up in the human soul." R. A. Torrey, Power-Filled Living: How to Receive God's Best for Your Life. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1998, page 17.
Quote of Note #79: Living in Light of Dying
"John Wesley was once asked, 'If you knew that you would die at twelve o'clock tomorrow night, how would you spend the intervening time?' 'Why,' was the answer, 'just as I intend to spend it. I would preach tonight in Gloucester and again tomorrow morning. After that I would ride to Tewksbury, preach in the … Continue reading Quote of Note #79: Living in Light of Dying
Quote of Note #78: Training for a New Kingdom
"Yes, I believe that the kingdoms of this world, American, Venezuelan, and Chinese, will become the kingdom of our God and Christ, and I believe this new kingdom is already among us. That is why I'm a pastor, to introduce people to the real world and train them to live in it. I learned early … Continue reading Quote of Note #78: Training for a New Kingdom
Quote of Note #77: Being a Distinctive People
"The glory of the gospel is that when the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is make to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first. That is how revival comes. That must also be true of us as individuals. It … Continue reading Quote of Note #77: Being a Distinctive People
Pastor Note #86: Consumers or Disciples?
In the past few years, I’ve had some interesting conversations with folks who are involved with volunteer fire departments in various communities around where I live. All of those local departments are struggling. Funding is a challenge, to be sure. But the really difficult problem is getting enough volunteers to fill their ranks. People are … Continue reading Pastor Note #86: Consumers or Disciples?
Quote of Note #76: A Contrast Community
"If we hope to experience transformation, we need to develop a culture in the congregation that encourages people to live in the world for the sake of the world, without being of the world. Gerhard Lohfink, in Jesus and Community, makes a strong case that it has always been God's intention to work through a … Continue reading Quote of Note #76: A Contrast Community
