Thought provoking quotes

Quotes from www.watchword.org

“The men that will change the colleges and seminaries here represented are the men that will spend the most time alone with God…It takes time for the fires to burn. It takes time for God to draw near and for us to know that He is there. It takes time to assimilate His truth. You ask me, How much time? I do not know. I know it means time enough to forget time.” - John R. Mott

“The chief danger of the Church today is that it is trying to get on the same side as the world, instead of turning the world upside down. Our Master expects us to accomplish results, even if they bring opposition and conflict. Anything is better than compromise, apathy, and paralysis. God give to us an intense cry for the old-time power of the Gospel and the Holy Ghost!” -A. B. Simpson

“The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came...Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.” - R. A. Torrey

“Oh, to realize that souls, precious, never dying souls, are perishing all around us, going out into the blackness of darkness and despair, eternally lost, and yet to feel no anguish, shed no tears, know no travail! How little we know of the compassion of Jesus!" - Oswald J. Smith

"When we get a glimpse of the worth of a soul, and begin to realize that we stand between lost men and Heaven or Hell, then we shall have real concern and the Lord will hear our prayers of intercession." - J. W. Mahood

In Christ Alone....

Ahh yes, my favorite song:

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save'

Till on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

'Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

I don't have to write another word. The song says it all. But, I do want to write some thoughts. I get so excited every time we sing this song because of the truths it communicates. In a moment I want to share about just the first few words and what they mean to me, but first I must climb up on my soapbox and tell you guys what verse I think needs to be repeated every time we sing it and why.

I'm sure E Hughes is tired of me saying this, but I absolutely love verse 3. There is something about the progression of the verse that gives me the chills every time we sing it. It starts off a bit somber, talking about his body in the ground, light of the world by darkness slain. There almost seems like there needs to be a But at the beginning of the next sentence. I love buts. (No not butts, buts, the kind that you know that a complete change of thought is coming, kind of of like in Ephesians 2 where Paul was talking about us being dead in our sins, and then he says BUT God, being rich in mercy....anyways, i digress) Our faith, though, does hinge on the next two lines. Because, as Paul said somewhere in 1 Corinthians 15, if Christ wasn't resurrected from the dead, we should be pitied among ALL men.

Can you feel the excitement build with the next couple words... Then BURSTING forth, in GLORIOUS day, UP FROM THE GRAVE HE ROSE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAHOOOO!!!!!!!! I'm pumped just writing this.... We have hope because Jesus paid the price and defeated death. Sins curse has lost its grip on me because he defeated death and rose again!!!! If death couldn't hold him down, and we are in Him, what will hold us down? Can we please sing the verse again?? I want that excitement again.... death had seemingly won, BUT then, BURSTING forth in GLORIOUS day...HE ROSE!!! HE ROSE AGAIN!!! and He STANDS IN VICTORY!!!!!! and because he's victorious, SINS CURSE HAS LOST ITS GRIP ON ME!!! Are you serious???? How utterly amazing is that?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I am HIS and he is mine...BOUGHT with the precious blood of Christ!!!! the great thing about this verse is that its not about me!!! Its stating the facts about what Jesus did! HE rose, He stands victorious, because He's victorious sins curse and lost its grip on me, and finally because I am his and HE bought me with HIS blood, i am HIS!!!!

So that's my soapbox of why verse 3 is sooo rocking and why I think it needs to be mandatory that every time we sing this song verse 3 must be repeated and I think we should all get ruckus (as Keith would say) because wow, history hinged on Christs finished work on the cross. We can't separate Christs death from his resurrection. If Christ wasn't raised from the dead, we would have no hope because we wouldn't have a living savior, interceding for us on our behalf. We couldn't pray to someone who isn't glorified, standing before God complete. If Christ wasn't resurrected, our faith is no different than that of Islam and Buddhism. Jesus is the way because his life paid the penalty and opened the way through us by defeating death and cancelling the sin debt that was against us (sounds like something from Colossi ans 1 or 3).

So i wanted to write about the weight of the statement In Christ Alone... however, I think my excitement got the best of me in that post. I'll leave my musings about In Christ Alone to another post. I hope you are encouraged and excited about this song, because WOW, its powerful. ALL 4 verses are (even though 3 is my favorite!)

Seeking God and....

“When religion has said its last word, there is little that we need other than God Himself. The evil habit of seeking God-and effectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation. In the `and' lies our great woe. If we omit the `and', we shall soon find God, and in Him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing.” AW Tozer "The Pursuit of God"

This past weekend I took a mini retreat to get away from every day life and seek the Lord on some issues in my life. I came expecting God to meet me in a powerful way. I left not feeling like my prayers had been answered. During worship this morning, however, I began to realize just how much God has showed me this weekend.

First was this quote by Tozer. After reading it, I became increasingly convicted by this statement. I had thought I was doing good since I had sold my motorcycle. I had kind of given myself a get of jail free card. But I soon realized just how much of 'and' I was seeking with God. It was things like God and comfort. God and being accepted by my friends. God and a new motorcycle. I realized this weekend, much to my chagrin, that I wasn't satisfied solely with God. My current lifestyle dictates I need God and television, and Internet, and a new bike, and acceptance from peers, etc. I was deeply disturbed by this revelation and just how much I had become friends with the world.

I encourage you to examine yourself in light of the opening statement. I pray that the Holy Spirit would illuminate any 'ands' in your life.

The second thing I was convicted by was this simple statement the Lord gave me: "If you do the things you've always done, you'll get what you've always got." I know this isn't earth shattering, and I'm sure its been said somewhere before, but its a very challenging and convicting statement. Here I was crying out to God for more of him this weekend and instead of the shekinah glory of God filling my room, I was left with a sense of God's nearness and his desire to meet me in my day to day life. The challenge to me was changing what I always do. If I want more of God, I can't continue to do the same things I have been doing and expect God to meet me more.

So where does that leave us? With a bunch of 'ands' and doing what you've always done. Hopefully you are encouraged. Not in your short comings, but in the knowledge of the fact that its God kindness that leads us to repentance. If God didn't want to draw near to us, he wouldn't reveal to us how we can draw closer to him.

Is what you are living for.....

A friend posed a question to me a while ago that I have been pondering this week, so I decided why not share it with my friends. He posed the question, "Is what are you living for worth dieing for?"

That is an earth shattering question. Not just because of the personal introspection that the question demands. Its earth shattering because of the paradigm it commands. As Christians, our worldview encourages us that this life isn't our home, that we were made for a higher purpose. The claims of Christianity demands a faith that is counter cultural to our society at hand. Immediate gratification is the theme of our culture, yet Christ tells us to store treasures in heaven. The media tells us to live it up now for there's no life after death. Christ promises eternal life with no more sickness, no more crying, no more pain, and oh yes, no more sin!!

Death can be morbid to dwell on, but encouraging to sometimes think about. I often wonder what it will be like to cease to exist on earth. How do people who don't know Christ have any hope?

I ask you this question again and i hope it encourages you to deeper faith in Christ: Is what you are living for worth dieing for? If the answer isn't Christ it isn't worth it.

Jesus Loves You.... So what???

As I was walking up to the checkout lane at Walgreen's last Sunday, I felt the compassion of the Lord for the cashier. I wanted to say something to her, but I only had a brief window of opportunity. I felt my heart breaking for this girl as it seemed that she didn't know the Lord. The thoughts of eternal punishment ran through my head as I searched for the words to say that might bring her hope. The only words I could think of were "Jesus loves you."

Being way to analytical, i started breaking down the theological implications of this statement and its worthiness to encourage this person at this time. What would her response be if I were to say this? Does this statement clearly communicate the gospel to her? Does she understand the full weight of what that statement means?

Unfortunately, much to my chagrin, this conversation/debate in my head carried me to my car without saying word one to the cashier. I am a bit embarrassed to think that the only words i could think of to say to his girl was "Jesus loves you." As Christians, we are blown away by that statement because we understand from which we came. There was absolutely nothing lovable about us. But God, being rich in mercy, loved us, because he is love.

But what about to the nonbeliever who doesn't understand the doctrine of total depravity, or understand the wonder of the doctrine of the substituitionary atonement. Jesus loves me? So what? To one who doesn't understand the weight of their sin, or the eternal consequences of it, the statement of Jesus's love for them is rendered inconsequential.

What then can you say in those fleeting few moments that could change someones life? What will plant the seed that others might come behind and water it? What would point to the gospel of Jesus Christ as the best news a person could ever hear? Saying nothing is too heart wrenching, there must be something to say.... but what?