Revitalize Your Church

“Only the one who follows the command of Jesus single-mindedly, and unresistingly lets his yoke rest upon him, finds his burden easy, and under its gentle pressure receives the power to persevere in the right way. The command of Jesus is hard, unutterably hard, for those who try to resist it. But for those who willingly submit, the yoke is easy, and the burden is light.”   -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

"Much will be required from everyone to whom much has been given." -- Luke 12:48 ISV "There is not one saint in the Old Testament who received a fraction as much as you have in Jesus Christ.  Yet, we act as if all God wants from us is 'Oh, hi Lord', then we go about our way.  And we count millions of converts who have done nothing more than salute the Lord and continue in their wicked ways." -- Richard Owen Roberts

"The question I want you to consider is simply this: Which is more important, the birth or the training? I suggested what training can do and what it cannot do. And so the matter comes down to this: the nature we have is the one we were born with. Training can go so far, but birth, especially the new birth, establishes the true nature. And this is the difference between what I will call “denominational churchianity” and true Christianity. We are training people every week to be good church people. But when left to themselves, they will revert to their real nature and act like themselves. They have been trained to act like a good Christian on Sunday, but it is only an act. The rest of the week they act like themselves, naturally." -- A. W. Tozer, "Experiencing the Presence of God"

“Don’t just preach to your congregation for spiritual growth, assuming that everyone in attendance is a Christian; and don’t just preach the gospel evangelistically, thinking that Christians cannot grow from it. Evangelize as you edify, and edify as you evangelize.” -- Tim Keller I found this astute Keller quote in a great blog post, How Andy Stanley and Tim Keller Preach With Non-Believers in Mind, by Trevin Wax.

I awakened at a rooster crow, which seemed so strangely out of place In the busy marketplace of Addis Ababa. My first awakening in Africa To  foreign blends of sound, and above them all, a rooster crow -- Gallicantu. Yes, it was a rooster crow that called me From my dark and restless slumber into the light of day. And stirring in the misty haze of wakefulness and sleep I saw myself as Peter In blustering conceit Lulled to lethargy - Content with boistrous faith which quickly rose And quickly went When the first accusing finger posed the question, "Are you one of THEM?" "I am not!" I cried, and again with cursing, "I do not know that man!" Not one, not twice, but three times Christ denying. Then -- Gallicantu. A rooster crow that seemed so strangely out of place. I awakened from my dark and restless slumber, And wept bitterly.

"Churches don't make disciples.  Disciples make churches." -- Alan Hirsch

"Holiness is not for our own personal benefit -- but that others may see Jesus." --Matt Ohime

HT Scot McKnight

Art Erickson recently posed this challenging question: Am I a follower of Jesus Christ? If I am, what is my commitment: 100%, 50%, or 10%? 50% and 10% Folks Want: A safe neighborhood, a nice marriage, kids who behave, a good church, and good retirement benefits. Choose what is acceptable rather than what is right. Are moved by stories about the oppressed and the neglected… but do nothing. God is a part of their lives… but only a part (a small, controlled, and self-determined part). Will serve God… “But there are limits you know”. Hardly, if ever, share their faith with family, friends, neighbors or fellow workers. Hang with the rich… Do not hang with the poor To live by faith, but their lives are so structured that they never have to because they: Have a savings account Retirement plan in place Full refrigerators Good health mostly Have their lives figured out and planned Think more about this world than the next one. 100% Folks Want: To serve and glorify God. Are not motivated by ego ...

The great minister, Rev. A. J. Gordon, spoke of his grandmother back on the farm who had only two books in her possession: The Bible and Pilgrim's Progress. She studied these two books every day -- and in the process nurtured a deep devotion and sweet humility. Gordon's biographer writes, "Often did her grandson, coming back to the old home of summertime, marvel at the depths, the richness, the fullness of this hidden life." (W. B. Riley, The Perennial Revival , p. 166) A friend of the mighty prayer warrior, Robert Murray McCheyne. observed that as he studied the Scriptures, he "pored over the pages just exactly as a money-hunter might search through sands known to contain gold nuggets" and on every occasion brought forth a treasure. Do you think today's leanness of the evangelical soul is due, in part, to a lack of dilligent Bible study? It's certainly not a lack of resources.

Don't use your people to build a great church. Use your church to build a great people! -- Jack Hyles

A Child Shall Lead Them

As a college student, I learned (the hard way) that cars need routine maintenance if they are going to last long. Our spiritual lives are like that too. We must vigorously maintain our souls for continual spiritual health and victory. Here are a dozen good questions to ask yourself in order to "tune up": 1. Is anything in my life keeping me from experiencing the fullness of Christ? 2. Are there any frayed relationships which need mending? 3. Is there anything I have not surrendered fully to God? 4. Is my image more important to me than my integrity? 5. What is God calling me to do? 6. Have I been growing closer to Christ recently, or drifting further away? 7. How can I bless someone else? 8. Do others see the love, mercy and justice of Jesus in me? 9. Am I faithful in my Bible reading? my prayer life? my church attendance? 10. Do I love Jesus? How does it show? What real difference does Christ make in my life? 11. What would great faith have me do? 12. How can I be more gener...

Walking in the truth . . . requires not only the active engagement of our minds but also the warm embrace of our hearts. If we don't keep both in view, a generous heart can make error look like truth, just as arrogance can make truth look like error. Who can measure the confusion that occurs when truth is spoken with condemnation and self-righteousness, while lies are told with patience and love? Truth spoken without love is devastatingly harmful. Love expressed without truth is tragically misleading. -- Mart De Haan, Radio Bible Class (via Jim Watkins )