Man is hopeless, helpless, and hell bound without Christ. In Christ
he is righteous, redeemed, and ready.
Judge doctrine and behavior, not a man's heart or ministry.
Two things are of eternal value, God's word and people.
Three effects of nearness to Jesus. HUMILITY, HAPPINESS,
and HOLINESS.
He chose me therefore I am His responsibility.
Readiness for Christ's return involves both expectancy and
endurance.
Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are integral and inseparable
realities of salvation. How they operate together, only the infinite mind of
God knows.
We are saved by grace alone- through faith alone- in Christ alone.
Learn to live by grace instead of by performance. Preach the gospel to
yourself every day. In the joy, and strength of knowing your sins are
forgiven, and sins dominion is broken, press on in the power of the Holy
Spirit to become holy as He is holy.
Holiness needs to be preached, not in the context of legalism but in the
context of grace.
The only things we are denied by our obedience are those things which God
knows will harm us.
The word of God is the tool which the Holy Spirit uses to
turn the will of man.
If our worship is barren and lifeless, God's glory has not captivated us.
Who would have thought to have found adultery in David, or drunkenness in
Noah, or cursing in Job? If God were to leave any man to himself, how suddenly
and scandalously would sin break forth, even in the holiest of men! I say to
all WATCH! A wandering heart needs a watchful eye. Thomas Watson
There may be some sins of which a man cannot speak, but there is no sin
which the blood of Christ cannot wash away. -Spurgeon
We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.
God wants us to walk in obedience not victory. Obedience is oriented
toward God, victory is oriented toward self.
Grace keeps law, liberty, and love in right relationship to one another.
Faith is simply taking God at His word, and living on that basis.
Compare scripture with scripture. The greatest interpreter of scripture
is scripture itself.
This is the will of God that we believe in Christ, that we repent of
sin, that we live a holy life, and that we love one another.
We always have need of the mercy of God.
GRACE is-- God's Riches At Christ's Expense.
No Christian is totally carnal, and no Christian is totally spiritual.
God's mercies are always unmerited, and His grace is never earned.
Repentance is never a work to be rewarded.
Worldliness is not easily observed. It is not to be measured by the
style of our clothes, the means of innocent relaxation and entertainment, or
the place of our residence. Worldliness is the love of the world, the
atmosphere of greed, the spirit of ambition, the passion for pleasure and
self-gratification, which consumes the hearts, lives, thoughts, and deeds of
lost souls.
-Don Fortner
"The
way to grow strong in Christ is to become weak in yourself. God pours no power
into man's heart till man's power is all poured out. The Christian's life is
one of daily dependence on the grace and strength of God."
--Spurgeon
The extent to which we have surrendered ourselves to Christ can be seen
in our thoughts, attitudes, actions, our worship, and our service for Him.
The love of God for His children is planned, personal, promised, particular,
permanent, precious, and powerful.
We can be confident that God is sovereign over His world. God acts according
to His schedule and in His way. Ultimately God will judge and punish evil.
God's people will enjoy His provision in His presence forever.
A
man is not saved against his will, but he is made
willing by the operation of the Holy Spirit. A mighty
grace which he does not wish to resist enters into the
man, disarms him, makes a new creature of him, and
he is saved.
God has in Himself-
all power to defend you;
all wisdom to direct you;
all mercy to pardon you;
all grace to enrich you;
all righteousness to clothe you;
all goodness to supply you; and
all happiness to crown you.
-Thomas Brooks
I do not pray for a lighter load, but for a stronger back
--Phillips Brooks
Make your life a mission, not an intermission. --Arnold Glasgow
A faith that hasn't been tested can't be trusted. --Adrian Rogers
It is difficult to steer a parked car, so get moving. --Henrietta Mears
It is a greater compliment to be trusted than to be loved. --George
MacDonald
Sit loosely in the saddle of life. --Robert Louis Stevenson
The best way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend. --Abraham
Lincoln
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. --Corrie Ten
Boom
God gives the birds their food, but He does not throw it into their
nests. --Anonymous
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and
remove all doubt. --Socrates
Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround
us daily. --Sally Koch
Better to be pruned to grow than cut up to burn. --John Trapp
Let Christ be lifted up, magnify His name. Halleluiah.
Jesus doesn't ask "are you sorry?" or "Will you promise
never to do that again?" Jesus Christ ask each one of us, not for
obedience primarily, not for repentance, not for vows, not for conduct, but
for a heart; and that being given, all the rest will follow. --MacLaren
Prayer is not a means to get what you want. Prayer is a relationship
between God and His people.
Sin is basically anything that is contrary to the nature and purpose and
will of God.
Because our greatest good is a right relationship with God; sin is our
greatest enemy.
Freedom without limits is not freedom but slavery.
Lessons learned in childhood will last a lifetime.
True godly reverence expresses itself in piety, obedience, and service
to God.
True faith results in right living that brings God's blessings.
A Christian home needs to be a place where the word of God is discussed
openly as part of everyday life.
A commitment to serve the Lord needs to be affirmed daily in our walk
with the Lord.
We need to serve the Lord without any hypocrisy or compromise.
Love for Christ is the only foundation for Christian ministry; if you do
not love Christ you have no business ministering in His name.
Obedience to God's word not only proves faith, but also requires faith.
Repentance is a change in a moment of time, that brings a change for a
lifetime. [James Merritt]
God whispers to us in our pleasures, but shouts to us in our pain. [C.S.
Lewis]
A missionary is someone who, in response to God's call
and gifting, leaves his or her comfort zone and crosses cultural, geographic,
or other barriers to proclaim the gospel and to live out a Christian witness
in obedience to the Great Commission.
Ministry is always a matter of stewardship. We don't
design it, develop it, or own it. Ministry isn't about our ingenuity,
personality, or skill. It's not something we earn, deserve, or achieve.
Ministry is a trust, a treasure, to be guarded and protected. We are
responsible to God for how we serve. There is no room for pride, ambition, or
empire building. Ministry is from God, by God, to God.
Saving faith produces a new nature in the believer that
reveals itself in obedience to the Lord. Obeying the Lord does not earn a
person salvation but rather reveals that person's salvation.
One cannot acquire salvation by good works, by religious
activities, or through natural birth. Faith is the channel or means whereby
one receives this gift of God and it is the way one lives the Christian life.
God is revealing both righteousness and wrath in the
message of the gospel.
God reveals His wrath because unbelieving human beings
are continually being godless, being unrighteous, and suppressing the truth.
Humanity's sin incurs the wrath of God in this present life and will also
incur it in the final judgment on the day of wrath. (Rom. 2:5)
People who live a sinful lifestyle are putting aside the
truth they can know about God and inviting His wrath upon themselves.
When people reject God, they have only the capabilities
of fallible people like themselves as sources of information.
People who reject Christ and live in sinful ways descend
to the point where they have no restraint against the evil in their lives, and
it continually multiplies.
God's wrath is always a function of His having judged
something against the standard of His righteousness or His established order.
You will not see a display of God's wrath without also
seeing a display of His grace at the same time.
Light rejected is light denied. Those who don't want to
see, lose the capacity to see.
Indifference to God's truth, results in worthless
speculation, pride, and idolatry.
When men persist in following their totally depraved
natures, God allows them free rein.
If God judged us at any time based on character and
conduct, we would be no more deserving of any blessing, temporal or eternal
than any other sinner.
Praise and thanksgiving are not emotions that we fall
into, but attitudes we choose to exhibit.
God's children don't live by explanations, but by
promises.
I know the Bible is inspired because it inspires me. (D.
L. Moody)
Satan may build a barrier about us, but he can never roof
us in, so that we cannot look up. (J. Hudson Taylor)
The delays of God are not meant to discourage our faith
but to develop it. (Amy Carmichael)
Never, for fear of feeble man, restrain your witness. (C.
H. Spurgeon)
Repenting for a little while is just a delayed version of
not repenting at all.
People avoid change until the pain of remaining the same
is greater than the pain of changing.
There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square
inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter- claimed by Satan. (C.
S. Lewis)
The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer,
but unoffered prayer. (F. B. Meyer)
One drop of Christ's blood is worth more than heaven and
earth. (Martin Luther)
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and
righteousness. (Edward Mote)
The devil has the power to suggest evil but not the power
to compel you against your will.
The Christian life is not about performance or religious
stuff. The Christian life is about freedom, joy and faithfulness to Christ.
Satan is like a dog on a leash that is held in the hand
of God.
The more you get to know the truth, and the One who is
Truth, the easier it will be to spot deception when it appears. (David
Jeremiah)
If we hold on to God's truth, we won't be trapped by
Satan's lies.
Christianity isn't all that complicated; it's Jesus.
(Joni Erickson Tada)
You must be willing to follow if you want God to lead.
Cracked or broken mirrors distort images, but the Word of
God reflects with clarity God's love and purpose. (David Jeremiah)
A person can choose to reject the truth of God's Word,
but he cannot escape the consequences that result from such a decision.
We humans are a spiritual being in a physical body with a
mind (soul) to do what the Holy Spirit teaches.
The degree we are conformed to Christ is the degree to
which conformity to the world is averted.
Forgiveness does not mean we will forget the past; only
God can forget such things. Forgiveness on our part does not change the past,
or others for that matter; what it does is release us from the stranglehold
the past has on our present life. Thus, it creates in us a new perspective
that allows us to move forward in life. Forgiveness creates a condition in
which memories of the past do not continue to control us emotionally.
There is no joy while our mind is held captive to
anything but Christ.
The Lord gets His best soldiers out of the highlands of
affliction. (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)
Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts
itself, but because it contradicts them.
People who struggle with the teaching of man's total
depravity fail to recognize that God compares us with Himself, not with each
other.
To live by law is to live by self effort and leads to
failure and condemnation. To live by faith is to respond to God's grace and
leads to justification and eternal life.
Salvation based on law depends on man's performance.
Salvation based on faith depends on God's power.
The purpose of the law is to make men aware of the
magnitude of their sins, to drive them to despair over their sins, and to
create in them a desire to receive the salvation that God's grace offers
through Christ Jesus.
Salvation and sanctification are brought about within us
by God's Spirit, working through faith. When we exercise the faith that God
has given us; the Holy Spirit empowers us to walk in obedience. We need to be
responsive to, controlled, and guided by the Holy Spirit.
If we're going to have congregations that make a
difference, we must focus more on people than on programs. (David Jeremiah)
God has a ministry for you in His church, and finding it
adds a sense of purpose and fulfillment to your life. (David Jeremiah)
The Bible, the written Word, is the expression of Christ,
the Living Word.
Most church members live so far below the standard that
you'd have to backslide to be in fellowship! (Vance Havner)
Temptation usually comes in through a door deliberately
left open.
It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to
talk about it. (D. L. Moody)
God's retirement plan is out of this world.
The world at its worst needs the church at its best.
The turning point of our lives is when we stop seeking
the God we want and start seeking the God who is. (Patrick Morley)
We will find no greater satisfaction in life than
following the Lord and being a good steward, and using the gifts He has given
us.
Encouragers see potential where others see problems.
Believers cannot deny or diminish the value of any other
believer without declaring God's judgment flawed and God's choice an error.
Both the mature and immature believer tend to give first
place to secondary things. The immature Christian exaggerates the importance
of minor things. The mature Christian insists on rights; that really don't
matter. Both should ask, "are my scruples about this, or my insistence on
this particular right, more important than maintaining the unity of fellowship
in Christ?"
As Christians we should not be boasting of our own
achievements, but of what Christ has accomplished through us.
Doing church work can stroke the ego but drain the body.
If we keep focused on Christ, serve out of love, and our gifts, then our
service will be satisfying, even when it is hard or painful.
The Christian whose mind has been transformed and shaped
by the Holy Spirit obeys God's Word not from fear of punishment but from the
full conviction that being in accord with God's will is the right thing and
the best thing to do.
Salvation---an act of faith---Sanctification---a
walk of faith---Service---a work of faith---Faith a gift from
God. All His doing, start to finish.
It's not what you do; it's who you are in Christ. (Steve
Brown)
Your concept of what God is like touches everything you
do. No area of life, worship, prayer, ministry, attitudes, habits,
relationships, will ever rise higher than your view of God. (John MacArthur)
As we contemplate God's truths, they become imprinted on
our minds and influence our actions. Scripture is meant to shape our thinking
and cause us to follow biblical principles. The more we think God's way, the
more we will act like Him. (Charles Stanley)
We have short memories in magnifying God's grace. Every
blessing that God confers upon us perishes through our carelessness, if we are
not prompt and active in giving thanks. (John Calvin)
In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a
great deal more that we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life
becomes rich. It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own
achievements in comparison with what we owe others. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
It is probable that in most of us the spiritual life is
impoverished and stunted because we give so little place to gratitude. It is
more important to thank God for blessings received than to pray for them
beforehand. For that forward-looking prayer, though right as an expression of
dependence upon God, is still self-centered in part, at least, of its
interest; there is something we hope to gain by our prayer. But the
backward-looking act of thanksgiving is quite free from this. In itself it is
quite selfless. Thus it is akin to love. All our love to God is in response to
His love for us; it never starts on our side. "We love, because He first
loved us." (1 John 4:19) ---(William Temple)
God is pleased with no music below so much as with the
thanksgiving songs of relieved widows and supported orphans; of rejoicing,
comforted, and thankful persons. (Jeremy Taylor)
If you have a passion to proclaim Christ, you will not
have to figure out how. God will always show you the way to be obedient to
what He has called you to do. (Charles Stanley)
Christian hope comes from two sources: the inspired
Scriptures, and the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.
Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only
empties today of its strength. (Charles Spurgeon)
What God provides by grace we must appropriate by faith;
always recognizing that He has already given us a position at His right-hand
in Christ. This should motivate us to serve Him from a heart that is dedicated
to pleasing Him and not ourselves.
Treasure God's Word in your heart. Live each day as He
wills in accordance with His Word and His will. Enter your quite time with the
Lord seeking His face. Rest in His care, and let His peace carry you through
your days.
Put your faith into practice, trust the Lord to handle
difficult situations. Place Him first and let nothing distract you from His
presence.
The growing Christian is not morally and spiritually
flabby and anemic, but robust and energetic, and because there is so much in
the world and the church that should be resisted, he is an indefatigable
resister, and inveterate non-conformist. (W. Graham Scroggie)
Ministry that cost nothing accomplishes nothing. (J.
Hudson Taylor)
Christ's life is reproduced in others when we take the
initiative to witness in the power of the Holy Spirit.
God wants us to grow in our understanding that Christ's
life and destiny is our life and destiny.
Spiritual maturity is the state of completeness and
balance whereby a believer is conformed-slowly, surely and incrementally, to
the image and model of Jesus Christ. Once this process starts, it cannot stop.
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