The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about accepting and validating who you are. It’s about changing and transforming who you are. He changes us.
1960s: political polarization, sexual confusion, drug overdoses, wars & rumors of nuclear disaster. Then, the Jesus Movement began. 2020s: political polarization, sexual confusion, drug overdoses, wars & rumors of nuclear disaster. Lord, bring revival again!
The "where two or three are gathered” scripture verse, in Matthew 18, was never meant to be used as justification for not being a part of a local church. This verse in context is about helping a community of believers know how to walk with someone caught up in continual sin.
When GOD Brings YOU OUT...Stay OUT!
PRAY MORE AND YOU'LL PANIC LESS.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT, ENJOY WHAT'S NOW!
you’re called to be a disciple (to follow Jesus) and to make disciples (to help others follow Jesus)."
“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” - C.S. Lewis
God retains no hatred against a pardoned person. —Puritan Stephen Charnock, Works 5:444
On declaring the faults of other Christians: “Speak not of him, but to him. When men are absent it is not fit they should be judged, for then they are not able to make a defense, then it is backbiting.” —Thomas Manton, Works 6:421
Men cannot defend thee if God will condemn thee; they cannot condemn thee if God acquits thee. —Thomas Manton, Works 6:418
"He would be an unwise man who, having broken his leg, should only mind to be eased of his pain, but not take care to have it set aright again; so foolish is that Christian who is earnest for comfort, but takes no care how to be directed and enabled to please God." - Manton
Nothing will more effectually hinder your progress in true holiness than either to hope that you shall obtain heaven for your works of obedience or to fear that you shall be cast into hell for your sins. —John Colquhoun, A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, Pg. 239
When we have enough of God and Christ, and yet desire to make up our happiness in the creature, this is plain spiritual whoredom. —Isaac Ambrose, Looking Unto Jesus
The church is like a river. If it gets wider instead of deeper it will lose its power. —Puritan Thomas Manton
Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet. —Thomas Watson, The Doctrine of Repentance, 63
The thing we desire may be right, but we may desire it in a selfish spirit. Let us commit it to Him, and not cease to believe for it. At the same time keep our purpose fixed on His will and glory, and claim even His promised blessings, not ourselvesmbut for Him. AB Simpson
My daily life involves the clock; and the more I bind myself to it, the less I follow the heavenly schedule. The only clock Jesus paid any attention to was the clock of His Father’s will (John 9:4). Glyn Evans
No breath of true prayer is lost. The longer it waits, the larger it becomes. AB Simpson
The world doesn’t stand a chance before God or His promises. His promises hold true. You can stand on them. You can take them to the bank. They’re good. Pastor Jeff Johnson
A clear and full apprehension of the universal providence of God is the solution of most theological problems. B. B. Warfield
Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. What! Than ten hours over your books on your knees? B. B. Warfield
To be in Christ is the source of the Christian life; to be like Christ is the sum of his excellence; to be with Christ is the fullness of his joy. Charles Hodge
The gospel is so simple that small children can understand it, and it is so profound that studies by the wisest theologians will never exhaust its riches. Charles Hodge
I do not think that there is any general statement in the Bible or any part of the account of creation, either as given in Genesis 1 and 2 or elsewhere alluded to, that need be opposed to evolution. B. B. Warfield
The New Testament is unrivaled among ancient writings in the purity of its test as actually transmitted and kept in use. B. B. Warfield
"You must be saved as a sinner or not at all." — Charles Spurgeon
One of the more loving things Jesus did was preach about hell and the wrath of God. Burk Parsons
"We cannot too often tell someone that the only hope for salvation lies in Jesus." — Charles Spurgeon
"Preaching is characteristic of Christianity. No other religion has made the regular & frequent assembling of groups of people, to hear religious instruction and exhortation, an integral part of divine worship." - John Broadus
“If you listen to only one preacher, you become a clone. If you listen to two, you become confused. If you listen to fifty, you’re on the edge of wisdom and beginning to become yourself.” - D.A. Carson
"Where Scripture is silent, you be silent." — Charles Spurgeon
"The sermon which does not lead to Christ will make the devils in hell laugh, but make the angels of God weep." — Charles Spurgeon
“To preach a sermon is a great and awful task. Woe to that man, who slights it with a perfunctory preparation and a careless heart.” —R.L. Dabney
Tony Evans
May we all endeavor to be people of the Truth so that we can be servants of the King.
"No solid, permanent work can be expected where the piety and spirituality of the instrument is low, whatever his gifts may be." -Thomas Charles.
Jerry Bridges
A serious view of the holiness of God—His own moral perfection and infinite hatred of sin—will leave us, as it did Isaiah, seeing with utter dismay our own lack of holiness. His moral purity serves to magnify our impurity.
"The nature of the Lord Jesus should inspire us with the fullest confidence." — Charles Spurgeon
Inerrancy is not the most critical issue facing the church today. The most serious issue, I believe, is the Bible’s sufficiency. —James Montgomery Boice
The more we are occupied with God's goodness, the more careful we will be about our obedience. -A.W Pink -
The Lord gets his best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction. -C.H. Spurgeon -
When you are afraid of dying, trust in the living Saviour, for in Him are life and immortality. Charles Spurgeon
"It is an insult to the Savior to dream that our works can save us." — Charles Spurgeon
"The successful preacher does not end his sermon with the congregation on its feet applauding him, but on its knees adoring Christ." -Leonard Ravenhill
The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all. A.W. Tozer
"Jesus would not have died to save us if we could have been rescued at less expense." — Charles Spurgeon
The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word. A.W. Tozer
Can you not see that your need is of that heavenly oxygen - the Holy Spirit? - Martyn Lloyd-Jones
"Men are not saved by our word, but by God's Word." — Charles Spurgeon
One of the biggest dangers in biblical counseling is teaching something that is true from the wrong text. – Keth Palmer
"It is always essential for us to supplement our reading of theology with the reading of church history." -Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
"It is not what you feel that will save you, but what Jesus felt." — Charles Spurgeon
Let all your words and ways, your actions and purposes, your crosses and losses, redound to His praise. -John MacDuff -
O my country, is not your wickedness great, and your iniquities infinite? -Samuel Davies
The only reason that we are ever scared of the will of God is because we cannot see the grace that will be there. Elisabeth Elliot
If I was saved by a simple gospel, then I am bound to preach that same simple gospel till I die, so that others may be saved by it. When I cease to preach salvation by faith in Jesus, put me into a lunatic asylum, for you may be sure that my mind is gone. Charles Spurgeon
When we reflect upon the fruit of the Spirit, the character of Christ typically comes to mind. This is appropriate, since godly fruit comes to us through the presence of Jesus in our lives. "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." When we depend upon the Holy Spirit, He imparts the life of Jesus, our true vine, into and through our experience. The character of Christ is then seen in us. Consequently, all glory and praise goes to God!
"Beloved, we are God's children now." That is easy to read, but it is not so easy to feel. How is it with your heart this morning? Are you in the lowest depths of sorrow? Does corruption rise within your spirit, and grace seem like a poor spark trampled underfoot? Does your faith almost fail you? Fear not, it is neither your graces nor feelings on which you are to live: you must live simply by faith in Christ.
Perfect love knows no because.
~A. W. Tozer~
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
So many people have the patience to make $10.00 an hour but they don't have the patience to build a business that will take care of them the rest of their life. A lot of people will sit there and keep that man on the hill instead of getting on the hill themselves.
The only person to blame for the life you have today is the person you see in the mirror every morning.
When it’s all said and done, we are the reason for our successes and failures. It’s time for everyone to take responsibility for their lives, no matter the condition.
Be passionately on purpose about your right livelihood.
“Treat your body like a temple, not a woodshed. The mind and body work together. Your body needs to be a good support system for the mind and spirit. If you take good care of it, your body can take you wherever you want to go, with the power and strength and energy and vitality you will need to get there.” — Jim Rohn
“Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.” — Denis Waitley
“The health of your body influences what you experience in your mind. There is no split. If you can engage your whole spirit in the pursuit of total fitness - not just your intellect, not just your emotions - but instead everything inside you that is truly you, you'll discover what it is to be a whole person.” — David Patchell-Evans
“It is not work that kills men; it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more upon a man than he can bear. Worry is rust upon the blade. It is not the revolution that destroys the machinery, but the friction. Fear secrets acids; but love and trust are sweet juices.” — Henry Ward Beecher
“Laughter is the most healthful exertion.” -- Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland
The speed of one's team is directly tied to the speed of its leader!
If you are not seeking the Lord, judgment is at your heels.
~C.H. Spurgeon~
As the Holy Spirit works the grace of God in our hearts, the various aspects of spiritual fruit are manifested through us.
Most of us understand that storms of life come our way. They come in different shapes and sizes, always unleashing something that teaches us more about who God is and how He wants us to rely on Him. But the real test of faith comes when the storms come suddenly, out of nowhere. One minute everything seems fine, but then the phone rings and there is instant trauma. Or one minute a relaxing car ride on a Sunday afternoon suddenly turns into tragedy. "Suddenly storms" are the ones that really put life into proper perspective; they show us just how little we are, and how big God is. It's in those "suddenly" moments that we need to rely on Jesus Christ the most.
Wisdom is evident in our actions not what we say, nor is it present in our thoughts.
Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more. -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
A judgmental spirit is a sure sign of SELF-righteousness, not godly righteousness.
“People wrap themselves up in the flimsy garments of their own righteousness and then complain of the cold.” (unknown)
Grace is only grace if it goes both ways. Grace is a two-way street. Receiving it from God but refusing to give it to others isn’t an option. Grace flows.
Kyle Idleman ~ Grace is greater
We will enjoy the works God has designed for us to WALK in, as we believe He has given HIS acceptance to REST in.
Christ pleased not Himself, but lived in total devotion to the honor of God and the welfare of mankind, and when He died He set a crown of beauty upon a God-centered and an others-centered life.
~A. W. Tozer~
As Christians, everything we do should be motivated by the love of God. So, we should be conscious of the choices we make, and whether or not they are causing others to stumble.
Half the battle is knowing your enemy.
People focus on money probably more than they would like to admit. Take time today to ask God to examine your heart. Do you desire financial gain more than what He wants you to have? Search God’s Word for riches that can never be stolen.
A man who is a great provider and loses sight of love has forgotten the basics of the word of God.
The self-sufficient do not pray, the self-satisfied will not pray, the self-righteous cannot pray. No man is greater than his prayer life.” —Leonard Ravenhill
"Nothing “exalts itself against the knowledge of God” more than worry, anxiety, and fear. Our knowledge of God is that He promised, “I will never leave nor forsake you”(Hebrews 13:5). If I believe that statement is true, then I can also believe that once I have prayed—about anything and everything—I can trust God to take care of it all.
All that I was, my sin, my guilt, my death, was all my own; all that I am I owe to thee, My gracious God, alone.
~Horatius Bonar~
You are not useless so long as you can have the sound of praise in your heart and in your voice.
We shall never be clothed with the righteousness of Christ except we first know assuredly that we have no righteousness of our own.
~John Calvin~
Future generations will look back at modern science's attempt to explain creation through formulas and theories as just as backward and primitive as we view the beliefs of the native American Indians or Egyptians. At best they will view our attempts -- not as wise -- but foolishness. After all, how can anyone hope to capture the essence of the Creator and immortal God through images or scientific formulas?
“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” —Amy Carmichael
Satan knows only too well the chinks in the armor of the mightiest Christian warriors—not to mention the rest of us! Our points of greatest vulnerability are targets he will surely hit. Therefore, our thoughts, speech, and actions need close scrutiny.
Randy Alcorn
Billy Graham said, “God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.” Healthy relationships involve both parties giving and receiving. Only giving results in a person feeling used. Only receiving results in a person feeling useless. Poet Maya Angelou once said, “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” Giving is a two-way street. Don’t forget to give and don’t be too proud or afraid to receive.
Faith goes up the stairs that love has built and looks out the window which hope has opened.
~Charles Spurgeon~
“The world does not understand theology or dogma, but it understands love and sympathy.” —
Dwight L. Moody
The doctrine of justification is the foundation that supports all of the other benefits we receive from Christ.
~Erwin W. Lutzer~
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