Pentecostal/Charismatic Post-It Notes

Stephen Dempster on the Song of Solomon

2011-09-22T22:47:00.003+01:00

"Shorn of it's literary context, the song could almost be pornographic. But the context of the canon both restricts the context ... and expands it to include the relationship between Yahweh and Israel. When reading this text, the reader hears ... of the passionate and fiery love that Yahweh has for His people".

Stephen G Dempster - "Dominion and Dynasty - a theology of the Hebrew Bible" - New Studies in Bible Theology (ed: D A Carson) - Apollo (2003) - (p207).

Alex Buchanan on Quenching the Spirit

2011-09-06T19:00:00.001+01:00

"I believe that some of the most extreme critics of charismatic things are in danger of their lives because they have attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to demons".

Alex Buchanan - "Burnham" - "Grace, Grit and Glory" - published on Alex Buchanan website - downloaded Tuesday 6th September 2011.

Dave Harvey on Mimicking Heroes

2011-08-29T10:44:00.002+01:00

Very important advice for SGM - a family of churches that perhaps have been guilty in the past of particularly copying C J Mahaney's mannerisms, vocabulary, hair cut etc.

"A pastor is not called to be a template ... we have to be careful not to create a culture where people feel obligated to mimic their pastors or any leader in the church. In the past there has been some of that - certainly not explicitly taught by any pastors that I am aware of but has somehow been assumed".

Dave Harvey - "Answering Your Questions" - SGM Blog - 28th August 2011.

Dave Harvey on Apostles Today

2011-08-29T10:14:00.004+01:00

An interesting quote from the acting President of SGM on apostles today;

"That is one reason why we have refrained from using the term "apostle" for those who serve as Sovereign Grace Ministries regional representatives to our churches - see, as our understanding of polity has matured, we have become cautious of conveying any type of authority to SGM leaders that no one has today - an authority that is reserved for the first generation apostles. See - authority is never in a man, it's in the Word of God".

Dave Harvey - "Answering Your Questions" - SGM Blog - August 28th 2011.

Brent Detweiler on Sin and Forgiveness

2011-08-23T20:13:00.002+01:00

"It is easy to meet and forgive when sins are biblically expressed".

Brent Detweiler - "A Final Appeal" - 2011 - (p4).

Kelly Kapic on John Owen and the Song of Solomon

2011-07-27T20:26:00.002+01:00

"We should not let a neo-platonic fear of the physical lead us to neglect this natural reading of the text".

Kelly M Kapic and Justin Taylor (ed); "Communion with the Triune God - John Owen" - Crossway Books (2007) - (p34).

C J Mahaney on Pride in a Church

2011-07-17T22:41:00.001+01:00

“Pride also undermines unity and can ultimately divide a church. Show me a church where this is division, where there is quarreling, and I’ll show you a church where there is pride.”

C J Mahaney - "Humility" - Crossway Books, USA (2006) - p34.

Rob Rufus on Apostles

2011-06-25T21:31:00.002+01:00

"The primary ministry of an apostle is government of grace and laying foundations and the primary sign of an apostle is signs, wonders and miracles. Apostles equip the church for miracles as do evangelists!".

Rob Rufus - "The Flow of the Anointing" - Grace and Glory Conference - the Phillipines

Terry Virgo on the Growth of Church History

2011-06-22T08:44:00.002+01:00

"Church history does not grow by gradual evolution but by divine intervention".

Terry Virgo - "Main Session 1" - Stoneleigh Bible Week 1998 - audiotape.

Ern Baxter on the Christian and Community

2011-06-21T19:48:00.002+01:00

"There is no such thing in the New Testament as a Christian out of community".

Ern Baxter - "A Crisis Beginning - 1" - (Where Are We Going? Series) - Dales Bible Week 1976 - audiotape.

Terry Virgo on the Vital Need for ALL Ephesians 4 Ministries

2011-06-21T17:42:00.002+01:00

"The Lord Jesus ascended on high and gave gifts to men. He appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. If the church is to arrive at full maturity, become a functioning body and fulfil its glorious destiny, it must derive the benefit that comes from embracing all of these promised ministries. Without them we inevitably fail to benefit from all that was in God’s heart in making provision of them".

Terry Virgo - "Fathering Leaders - Motivating Mission" - Terry Virgo's Blog - June 21st 2011

Terry Virgo on Apostles Laying Foundations

2011-06-21T17:40:00.001+01:00

"Clearly the planting of churches was foundational to the task of world mission, and apostles played a very significant part in that process. They presented a clear body of doctrine centred in the coming of Christ, his life, death, resurrection and ascension, and the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which led to the formation of an international people of God".

Terry Virgo - "Fathering Churches - Motivating Missions" - Terry Virgo's Blog - June 21st 2011

Terry Virgo on the Myth that Apostles Must Write Scripture

2011-06-21T17:37:00.001+01:00

"The frequently held view that apostles functioned only in the first century and that their primary task was the writing of the New Testament Scriptures. Of the original Twelve only three made any contribution to the New Testament while Luke, who was never regarded as an apostle, wrote more of the New Testament than any other.

While the stance that apostles were essentially Scripture-writers has been maintained the vital work of an apostle as described in the New Testament has been almost entirely overlooked. Paul writing to the Corinthian church said that as a wise master builder he had laid a foundation in that particular church. As an apostle he had a task which was related to the formation of local churches".

Terry Virgo - "Fathering Leaders - Motivating Mission" - Terry Virgo's Blog - June 21st 2011

Anthony Hopkins on Exorcism

2011-06-21T00:23:00.003+01:00

"Does a burglar turn on the lights? No - he prefers you to know that he isn't there. Just so with demons ... Choosing not to believe in the devil won't protect you from him".

Anthony Hopkins - "The Rite" - 2011.

Ern Baxter on Hope

2011-06-20T22:24:00.002+01:00

"Now the Word of God says that we are to entertain this as a hope. In the New Testament when the Holy Spirit uses the word “hope” – He doesn’t use it in the sense of the word “wish for”. Hope in the New Testament is that which God has declared will be and that toward which we move with certainty".

Dr Ern Baxter - "Crisis Beginning" - ("Where Are We Going" series) - Dales Bible Week 1976 - audiotape 1.

Terry Virgo on Sovereign Grace Ministries

2011-06-20T19:29:00.001+01:00

True?

"This is a loving group of churches - no one is here to beat anyone else up".

Terry Virgo - "Grace to Say No" - Celebration Mid-South 2001 - audiotape.

Ern Baxter on the Effects of the Anointing

2011-06-20T15:19:00.003+01:00

"When the anointing is upon you, it has physical effect".

Dr Ern Baxter - "The Ephod" (Priestly Garments Series) - Anglia Bible Week 1984 - video cassette.

Terry Virgo on Church Growth

2011-06-19T20:50:00.003+01:00

"Churches can sometimes become obsessed with numbers so that members feel that they are merely the means to an end and not particularly valued for themselves. Growth can be measured purely in terms of the body count on Sundays while spiritual growth and developing maturity can be marginalized or go unnoticed".

Terry Virgo - "The Spirit-Filled Church" - Monarch Books, London (2011) - p139

C J Mahaney on the Doctrine of Sin

2011-06-16T19:56:00.001+01:00

"If we do not unveil and apply grace, our emphasis on the doctrine of sin will leave the members of our churches devoid of hope, without joy and aware only of their sin and not of the grace of Christ".

C J Mahaney - "The Pastor and the Trinity" in "For the Fame of God's Name" (Storms and Taylor ed) - Crossway Books (2010) - p393.

C J Mahaney on the Error of Preaching the Gospel

2011-06-16T19:51:00.002+01:00

"The other error, one to which many of us are prone, is to teach and apply the doctrine of sin while neglecting grace".

C J Mahaney - "The Pastor and the Trinity" in "For the Fame of God's Name" (Storms and Taylor ed) - Crossway Books (2010) - p392

Terry Virgo on Falling from Grace

2011-06-15T17:39:00.001+01:00

"Falling from grace"(Gal 5:4) is not about backsliding; it's about trusting in your law keeping skills".

Reference: Terry Virgo - Twitter - @TerryVirgo - 15th June 2011

Phil Wilthew on New Testament Prophets

2011-06-13T00:50:00.002+01:00

"A New Testament prophet’s job is not actually to do all of the prophesying, but rather to empower others to hear God for themselves (Eph. 4:12)".

Phil Wilthew - "Creating Prophetic Cultures" - Newfrontiers Magazine - Apr-June 2011.

Terry Virgo on Law and Sanctification/Justification

2011-06-10T17:43:00.002+01:00

"All evangelicals know that they can never be justified by the law, but what they often fail to realise is that they cannot be sanctified by it either. The law ALWAYS condemns".

Terry Virgo - "The Spirit-Filled Church" - Monarch Books, Oxford (2011) - p59.

Ryan Rufus on Mortifying Sin

2011-06-10T17:16:00.000+01:00

From the recent "Glory and Grace Conference" in the Philippines;

"To say that focusing on your past sin helps you to fight temptation is a lie from the pit of hell. What right to we have to focus on sin that God has declared He will not remember? Focusing on your past sin will simply cause an increase in the law in your life, and resulting in further sin and self-righteousness - guilt and pride".

Gordon Fee on the Experience of the Holy Spirit

2011-06-09T20:52:00.004+01:00

"For Paul, the Spirit was an experienced, empowering reality. Paul would not have understood most historic Protestantism. I know that sounds unkind but it is true. The reason he would not have understood it is because he would not have understood a Christian life in which the experienced life of the Spirit was not the key to every dimension of that life".

Gordon Fee - speaking at Holy Trinity Brompton 1996 - cited by Greg Haslam - "Be filled with the Spirit" - Preach the Word! (Ed. Greg Haslam) - Sovereign World, London (2006) - p606.

Greg Haslam on Being Filled with the Spirit

2011-06-09T20:13:00.002+01:00

"In explaining this matter of being filled with the Spirit, we are sometimes urged to seek a "second blessing". But this might imply that we could end our spiritual quest right there, on the ground that we have now "had it". The New Testament never urges us to settle for the first time we were baptised in the Holy Spirit as if that was the sum total of His power and Presence that we would ever need. The truth is, we need the Lord to pour out on us a continual effulgence of the Spirit's life and power so that we will be filled with joy, victorious over temptation, bold in witness and maturing in all our relationships".

Greg Haslam - "Be Filled with the Spirit" - Preach the Word! (Ed. Greg Haslam) - Sovereign Books, London (2006) - p600.

Philip Greenslade on Ephesians 4 Ministries

2011-06-09T19:33:00.003+01:00

"Without the prophet, the church becomes a spiritless organisation in which even apostolic work hardens into a new form of religious bureaucrac, and without the prophetic thrust - the teaching ministry perpetuates cycles of timeless truth but is deaf to what the Spirit is saying now to the churches. Without a prophetic voice challenging God's people to lay down their lives for the world, pastoral nuture can easily degenerate. Evangelism too, desperately needs to hear the prophet if it's methods are to be as godly as it's message and if it is to avoid giving stereotyped answers to questions people are not asking".

Philip Greenslade - "Leadership: Reflections on Biblical Leadership Today" - CWR.

Greg Haslam on Ephesians 4 Ministries

2011-06-04T22:50:00.003+01:00

"We cannot omit any of these dimensions of ministry of the Word without suffering loss. If we delete apostolic and prophetic ministry, we are missing two-fifths of Christ's Word-ministry to His Church. If they are operating and being received well, all five of these ministries 'prepare God's people for works of service'; they are equippers of the saints".

Greg Haslam - "Prophetic Preaching" - in "Preach the Word!" (ed. Greg Haslam) - Sovereign World, London (2006) - p428

Ryan Rufus on Asking Forgiveness for Sin

2011-05-28T17:18:00.003+01:00

"As a New Covenant born again believer, to now go and ask forgiveness after you have sinned - is a sin. It is the sin of unbelief. You don't believe in the finished work of the Cross. You are trying to do something and don't realise it is already done!".

Ryan Rufus - "Totally Forgiven! Totally United! Totally Filled!" - Grace and Glory Conference - The Philippines - Tuesday 26th April 2011.

Ben White on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

2011-05-24T19:08:00.002+01:00

"So what of baptism in (or with) the Holy Spirit? To me, it is a work of God distinct from the new birth by which we are empowered for service and endowed with spiritual gifts".

Ben White - "A Taste of Revival" - Kingsway Publishing, Eastbourne (1997) - p20.

David Holden on Relational Apostles

2011-05-24T18:33:00.001+01:00

"To be "amongst the churches” and not just with the elders, makes apostolic ministry a lot more accessible and meaningful. May apostles never become distant figures at conferences or too busy to relate. We need to find creative and workable ways to ensure that apostolic input stays close, real, ongoing and non-professional".

Dave Holden - "Relational Apostolic Input" - Dave Holden's Blog - 5th February 2010.

Gordon Fee on the Radical Balance of Glossolalia

2011-05-19T20:53:00.001+01:00

"Paul does not damn tongues with faint praise (as some have said) nor does he stand in awe of the phenomenon as apparently the Corinthians had done and some later Pentecostals/charismatics as well".

Gordon Fee - "A Theology of Glossolalia" - Regent College, Vancouver.

Rob Rufus on the Cross and the Power of the Gospel

2011-05-16T19:24:00.004+01:00

"When the Cross of Christ is not central to all we preach, the power of God stops moving in the church and through the church".

Rob Rufus - "Glory and Grace Conference - Session 2" - Glory and Grace Conference, Hong Kong - Sunday 23rd October 2010.

Terry Virgo on the Recovery of Word and Spirit

2011-05-16T15:26:00.001+01:00

"How I long for a recovery of true biblical Christianity, where the apostle Paul, who wrote the book of Romans, also raised the dead! It seems that profound theology and great signs and wonders happily cohabited in Paul’s life and ministry".

Terry Virgo - "Guest Post from Terry Virgo on the Word and Spirit" - Adrian Warnock.com - May 15th 2011.

Rob Rufus on Encounters with God and Mission

2011-05-16T15:18:00.003+01:00

"You will not make it unless you regularly encounter God. We are so much about mission - and I believe in mission! We are on a mission. You cannot get just one in-breaking of the power of God on you and then run on mission for the rest of your life. You won't make five years - you will dry up and get disillusioned. The power of God is not enough - you have got to know the Person of God, the glory of God - Who God is. Everyone of you who is a New Covenant believer ought to hear the inward audible voice of God yourself!".

Rob Rufus - "Mobilise Main Session" - Together on a Mission 2007.

Terry Virgo on the danger of Word over Spirit

2011-05-16T14:09:00.002+01:00

"Sadly, some Christians have developed such a love and respect for the word itself that simply to hear it faithfully expounded can become an end in itself. Delighting in “sitting under” good teaching, we can be in danger of becoming like Ezekiel’s hearers – that is, those who love to hear a love song sung well, or an instrument played well (Ezekiel 33:32). The fact is that Paul’s gospel was with word and power. He reminded the Corinthians, “my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5)".

Terry Virgo - "Guest Post from Terry Virgo on the Word and Spirit" - Adrian Warnock.com - May 15th 2011

Gordon Fee on the Vital Presence of the Spirit

2011-05-15T19:19:00.002+01:00

"Whatever else the Spirit was experienced in the Pauline churches".

So why isn't He today in cessationist churches (and many so-called charismatic churches)?

Gordon Fee - "The Theology of Glossolalia" - Regents College, Vancouver.

Gordon Fee (and the apostle Paul's) answer to Cessationism!

2011-05-15T19:17:00.001+01:00

"The evidence for example from 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 and 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Romans 12:6 and especially Galatians 3:2-5 - with it's matter of fact appeal to the continuing presence of miracles in the churches - makes it certain that Pauline churches were charismatic in the sense that a dynamic Presence of the Spirit was manifested in their gatherings".

Gordon Fee - "The Theology of Glossolalia" - Regents College, Vancouver.

Matthew Hosier on Grace-Approach to Sin

2011-05-15T17:37:00.003+01:00

"By staying in the course of grace, we can build churches that are a witness to the world. We can be theologically conservative while culturally liberal, yet radical in our pursuit of holiness. We can be that apparently paradoxical thing - a community intolerant of sin, but so breathtakingly honest that sin is confessed and lovingly dealt with".

Matthew Hosier - "Grace based purity in the church" - Newfrontiers Magazine - January to March 2011.

Stef Liston on Fighting for the Charismatic

2011-05-12T15:05:00.000+01:00

"We need to challenge the missional movements such as Acts 29. Our gatherings are not primarily for the unbeliever - they are for the Lord. It is not good enough - rather it is insulting - to be simply "open" to the gifts". We need, want, desire, long for the Presence of the Holy Spirit with His gifts. If you as a leader communicate one element of caution about the gifts of the Spirit, you will kill in a moment what has taken years to build. What is the church without the activity of the Holy Spirit? Simply Acts 1".

Stef Liston - "Fighting for the Charismatic in our Churches" - Training Track - Together on a Mission 2010 - Newfrontiers Brighton

Stef Liston on Being Charismatic

2011-05-12T15:02:00.000+01:00

"The big deal about this is not that we are charismatic but that we are biblical".

Stef Liston - "Fighting for Charismatic Life in the Churches" - Together on a Mission 2010 - Newfrontiers Brighton.

Rob Rufus on Disappointment and Theology

2011-05-12T14:27:00.000+01:00

"I want to say today that disappointment is a very dangerous and disastrous father of theology. If we develop our theology out of our disappointments, we will lower the Word of God down to the level of our current experience of the supernatural rather than allowing God to elevate our experience up to the levels in His Word".

Rob Rufus - "Main Session" - Together on a Mission 2006 - Newfrontiers Conference Brighton.

C J Mahaney on Theological Books

2011-04-20T21:22:00.003+01:00

"These are the individuals - dead and alive - who serve me. They are my friends, my teachers, my mentors and reading the volumes present here has made all the difference in my soul ... these are not just books, they are treasures".

C J Mahaney - "Study Tour (T4G 2010)" - Together for the Gospel You-Tube video.

Terry Virgo on God's Ultimate Purpose

2011-03-22T19:22:00.002Z

"God's eye was always on the whole earth. His purpose is not simply to take us to heaven but to recover His creation and win all the nations for His Son, Israel's Messiah" -

Terry Virgo - "Book Review: The Mission of God by Christopher Wright" - Newfrontiers Magazine - July-September 2007.

Bill Johnson on Victory and Vision

2011-02-24T19:44:00.001Z

"The area of our greatest loss is an invitation to the area of our greatest victory".

Bill Johnson - "The Renewed Mind" - Morningstar Teaching DVD.

Bill Johnson on the Purpose of the Holy Spirit

2011-02-24T19:27:00.003Z

"The Holy Spirit is within you but He wants out! He is a river - not a lake".

Bill Johnson - "Renewing Your Mind" - Morningstar Teaching DVD.

Terry Virgo on Water Baptism

2011-02-01T12:55:00.002Z

Simon Virgo: "So is water baptism optional?".

Terry Virgo: "It's optional if you don't take the Bible seriously".

4a. Baptism into Christ and the Holy Spirit from Terry Virgo on Vimeo.

Thomas Schriener on Christian's Good Works

2010-12-15T20:00:00.002Z

"The emphasis on good works is seriously misunderstood if such works are conceived as the basis of justification. Believers are justified by grace alone but faith always produces good works and such good works are necessary for eternal life. They function as evidence that one has new life in Christ".

Thomas Schriener - "40 Questions on Christians and Biblical Law" - Kregel Books - 2010 - p146.

Thomas Schriener and Christian Tithing

2010-12-15T19:58:00.002Z

"Even though tithing is not mandated, there is no call in the New Testament to hoard one's possessions or to live selfishly ... The tithe itself is not mandated by Scripture and Scripture is our rule and authority rather than a tradition that requires believers to tithe".

Thomas Schriener - "40 Questions on Christians and Biblical Law" - Kregel Books - 2010 - pp221.

Thomas Schriener on the Purpose of the Law

2010-12-15T18:51:00.001Z

"The purpose of the law is to reveal human sin so that it will be clear that there is no hope in human beings".

Thomas Schriener - "40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law" - Kregel Books - 2010 - p84.

Rick Warren on the "Day of Small Things"

2010-08-14T20:14:00.002+01:00

"When you're down to nothing,God's up to something. "Stand firm &see the deliverance the Lord will give you!" 2Chron.20:17".

Rick Warren Twitter Account - Accessed Saturday 14th August 2010.

C H Spurgeon on Sin and the Cross of Christ

2010-08-13T21:21:00.001+01:00

"Sin virtually committed suicide when it slew the Saviour, for his death became its death."

Charles Spurgeon

Joseph Prince on "Falling from Grace"

2010-07-29T20:39:00.002+01:00

"The rejection of God's grace is to fall from grace back into works. Contrary to popular belief, falling from grace does not mean falling into sin. According to the Bible, falling from grace is to fall back into works and into the old covenant of law".

Joseph Prince - "Unmerited Favour" - Charisma House Publications Florida (2010) - (p223).

C Peter Wagner on Mistaken Teaching on Pastors

2010-04-14T16:58:00.002+01:00

"We taught in the 1990's that church pastors were the spiritual gatekeepers of the city ... and we were mistaken. It is in my books and you should tear those pages out. Church pastors are very low on the influence scale in most societies ... My friend Che Ahn is seeing high influence actors coming from Hollywood to his church in Pasadena because he is equipping his people to move in arts and entertainment".
C Peter Wagner - "The Seven 'M' Mandate" - Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship Church - accessed from God T.V - Wednesday 14th April 2010 17:00.

C Peter Wagner on Modern Dissatisfaction

2010-04-11T21:11:00.002+01:00

"Many modern Christians are not satisfied with Christianity as usual. They are fed up with playing church. The status quo has little appeal. Their desire is to look back at the end of the day and say; "Praise God! His Kingdom has advanced and He has allowed me to be a part of it!". They don't want to be spectators; they want to be participants in the great work that God is doing today".
C Peter Wagner - "The Book of Acts - A Commentary" - Regal Books, California (2008) - (p11).

John G Lake on Praying for Revival

2010-04-10T15:20:00.002+01:00

"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” - Exodus 14:15-16

God did not even say, you stretch out your hand, and I will divide the sea. But God said to Moses: “Stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it.” It was not an act for God to perform,but it was an act for Moses to believe for. The responsibility was not with God, it was with Moses. A weak Christianity is ever inclined to whine in prayer, while God waits for the believer to command it. In my judgment, that is the place of extreme weakness in Christian character. I feel that very frequently prayer is made a refuge, to dodge the action of faith".

John G Lake (HT: Cornel Marais) "Stop Praying for Revival!" - Charisma Ministries - April 10th 2010.

Terry Virgo on Sinner or Saint?

2010-03-31T20:29:00.002+01:00

"The Cross amazes me and fills me with wonder and worship, praise and thanksgiving! To insist on still calling myself a sinner could not add value to the Cross for me. Indeed, to call myself essentially a sinner actually dishonours the wonder of the gospel".

Terry Virgo - "Firstline" - Newfrontiers Magazine - January/March 2010 edition.

Adrian Warnock on Christian Hedonism

2010-02-05T21:16:00.002Z

"The message of Christian hedonism is intoxicating!".
Adrian Warnock - "Pastors Conference - Day One" - Adrian Warnock dot com - February 2nd 2010.

Larry Tomczak on the Book of Acts

2010-01-24T13:21:00.002Z

"Remove the pages from the book of Acts where supernatural activity is recorded and there's hardly anything left!".
Larry Tomczak - "Beyond the Ordinary - A Supernatural Lifestyle" - Restoration Magazine - July/August 1990 - Harvestime Publications, Leicester.

Arthur Wallis on the Church as Bride

2010-01-16T19:49:00.002Z

"This is the most intimate and sacred and precious figure of the Church’s relationship to Christ ... Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for it; that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph.5:25-27)
We see how this great truth is emphasised in the Song of Solomon, as the Bridegroom addresses the Bride, “Thou art all fair, my love; and there is no spot in thee.” (4:7.) and again, “My sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled.” That is the sort of bride He expects. The church as a bride must be pure".
Arthur Wallis - "The Purity of the Church" - "The Church of Jesus Christ - It's Purity, Power, Pattern And Programme in the context of Today" - Conference at Exmouth, UK - May 1958

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Christian Experience

2010-01-01T15:24:00.002Z

"The essence of the Christian position is experience - experience of God! It is not a mere intellectual awareness or apprehension of truth. That can be of the devil ... If the experience is not an experience of the living God through His Son who has come to live and to die again in order to give it; if it is not through the Holy Spirit, it is not a true Christian experience".
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones - "Ephesians Chapter 6:10-13 - The Christian Warfare" - Banner of Truth, Edinburgh (1976) - (p197).

Terry Virgo on Apostolic Teams

2010-01-01T13:39:00.001Z

"What we mustn’t do is encourage a group of pastors to say ‘we are an apostolic team’. No you are not. You are a group of pastors. It’s very important that we don’t muddle the gifts or we come unstuck".
Terry Virgo - "The Future of Newfrontiers - Part 6" - Terry Virgo's Blog - 24th December 2009.

Sir Winston Churchill on Totalitarian Leadership

2009-12-16T17:17:00.003Z

Sir Winston Churchill was making this statement against government - but it could just as easily apply to wrong and legalistic church leadership;

"The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist."
Sir Winston Churchill - "Quotes from Sir Winston Churchill" - Date: November 21, 1943

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones - A Warning to Cessationists!

2009-11-27T22:44:00.003Z

"If your doctrine of the Holy Spirit does not leave any room for revival, then you cannot expect this kind of thing. If you say the baptism of the Spirit was once and for all on Pentecost and all who are regenerated are just made partakers of that, then there is no room left for this objective coming, this repetition, this falling of the Holy Spirit in power and authority on a church. But thank God - there IS room left! The teaching of Scripture plus the long history of the Christian church shows this so clearly".
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones - "Joy Unspeakable" - Kingsway Books, Eastbourne (2000) - (p44o).

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

2009-11-27T21:48:00.002Z

"The purpose of the gifts is to call attention to the Lord ... The second object of the gifts is evangelistic ... We must test anything that claims to be a movement of the Spirit in terms of it's evangelistic power ... God's way has been to revive His people and then because they are revived, His power is manifested in their preaching, their witness, their testimony and in the whole of their lives".
Dr Martyn Ll0yd-Jones - "Joy Unspeakable" - Kingsway Books, Eastbourne (2000) - (p256).

Ern Baxter on the Church's Great Mandate

2009-11-22T19:38:00.002Z

"Where we in the Church have failed throughout history has been in losing our vision and a sense of our mandate. Rather than working towards the vision of Kingdom culture - God's government in it's ultimate form, we have been taken up with lesser things and have been satisfied with incomplete emphases".
Ern Baxter - "Kingdom Culture: Rediscovering our Biblical Mandate" - New Wine Magazine - September 1981 - page 15.

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Division

2009-11-16T20:14:00.002Z

"Many people at the present time say; "You mustn't touch (the baptism of the Holy Spirit) this subject, because it is only producing strife and division among Christian people". This I find really pathetic; that is the charge that has always been brought".
Dr Martyn Ll0yd-Jones - "Joy Unspeakable" - Kingsway Books, Eastbourne (2000) - p173

David Pawson on the Song of Solomon

2009-09-17T20:33:00.001+01:00

"The love between a man and a woman is like the love between God and human beings. Both are real and the former helps explain the latter".
David Pawson - "Unlocking the Bible" - Collins (2003) - (p373).

C H Spurgeon on Hebrews 12 & God's "Punishment"

2009-08-24T21:05:00.002+01:00

"God's people can never by any possibility be punished for their sins. God has punished them already in the person of Christ, Christ, their substitute, has endured the full penalty for all their guilt, and neither the justice nor the love of God can ever exact again that which Christ has paid. Punishment can never happen to a child of God in the judicial sense".
C H Spurgeon - "Chastisement" - New Park Street Pulpit - delivered on Sabbath Morning, October 28, 1855

Homer Simpson on Maturity

2009-08-23T19:28:00.004+01:00

"Oh Lisa ... when I was young I used to believe in things too".
Homer Simpson to Lisa after she had kidnapped a pig from his BBQ trying to promote her belief in vegetarianism.

Ryan Rufus on God's Master Plan - Relationship!

2009-07-31T07:02:00.001+01:00

"God’s grand master plan is that He would have and create a people that would not relate to Him and have relationship with Him on the basis of their righteousness but He would create a people that would relate to God and have relationship with God on the basis of Christ’s righteousness".
Ryan Rufus - "God's Eternal Covenant" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 28th October 2008.

Ryan Rufus on God's Master Plan

2009-07-31T06:59:00.001+01:00

"What is God’s grand master plan? To have a people clothed in His righteousness. His people – with revelation so that they can come before Him in perfect standing based on what He has done in His glory and His pleasure".
Ryan Rufus - "“God’s Eternal Grace Covenant” – City Church International, Hong Kong – Sunday 27th October 2008.

Dr Stanley Jebb on Covenant Theology

2009-07-28T20:25:00.001+01:00

"The emphasis should not be on “the covenant” as there are many, but on the God of the covenants and the blessings of the NEW covenant".
Dr Stanley Jebb - "Federal Vision" - Alethinos Reflections - July 28, 2009

Terry Virgo on the True Glory of the Church

2009-07-15T06:23:00.002+01:00

"Paul wrote to the Philippians, ‘My brothers, my beloved, my longed-for, my joy, my crown’ (Phil. 4:1). Will he ever stop? How many more words will tumble out to express his love and delight in the church that he has helped to bring to birth? How he expresses something of Christ’s heart to his beloved church.How far removed from the ‘hire ‘em’ and ‘fire ‘em’ atmosphere which sometimes prevails in the modern church".
Terry Virgo - "Firstline" - Newfrontiers Magazine - July-September 2009 issue.

Rob Rufus on God's Plans for Good for US!!

2009-07-05T20:25:00.002+01:00

"He is never trying to reduce or diminish or dwarf my world – He is always summoning me to expanding horizons of new encounters and experiences of influence for the Kingdom of Heaven".
Rob Rufus - "We are God's Workmanship" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 24th May 2009.

Rob Rufus on the True Equality of Sin and Gospel

2009-07-05T20:22:00.001+01:00

"When we are free from the law and the insanity of performance and trying to impress one another with ourselves and we find grace and the mercy and kindness and grace of God and the majesty of the gospel then it breaks down the dividing walls of prejudice and helps us see that the drunk in the street and the prostitute down the road is loved equally by God and we are as sinful as they are because there is only one standard and it is absolute perfection and anything below it is absolute imperfection. So who wants to be the best sinner?! Because the best sinner in hell is not a great rating to have. No one will get to heaven except by perfection".
Rob Rufus - "We Are God's Workmanship" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 24th May 2009.

Lydia on Genuine Relationship with God!

2009-06-26T07:09:00.002+01:00

"Genuine relationship starts when we see that the Father wants us desperately regardless of our choices in life. Regardless of our behavior. When we see His love is greater than our mistakes, we will trust Him. We won't fear Him because His love is perfect. And we know that perfect love casts out fear".

Lydia Joy - "Today's Musings ..." - A Joy to Be Me - Monday 22nd June 2009.

John Piper on the Cost of the Great Commission

2009-06-25T20:45:00.003+01:00

"The Great Commission is not child's play. It is costly. Very costly. The coddled Western world will sooner or later give way to great affliction. And when it does, whose vision of God will hold? Where are Christians being prepared for great global sorrows? Where is the Christian mind and soul being prepared for the horrors to come? Christians in the West are weakened by wimpy worldviews. And wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians. God is weightless in our lives. He is not terrifyingly magnificent. His sovereignity is secondary (at best) to His sensitivity".
John Piper - "Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ" - Crossway Books (2008) - (p13).

Dave Bish on the Song of Solomon

2009-06-24T16:01:00.001+01:00

"I turned to Song of Songs and didn't follow the popular line taken by the likes of MacArthur, Mahaney and Driscoll. I'm happy to derive lessons for marriage from the Song but convinced that firstly we must read it about Christ and his bride, the church".
Dave Bish - "Song of Songs 3:6-5:1 (Reading Family Church)" - The Blue Fish Project - Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Terry Virgo and the Challenge of Faith

2009-06-16T14:05:00.001+01:00

"The challenge is to make sure that faith remains faith even when we experience delay. We must not slip the car into neutral and begin to coast. We must keep the gear of faith fully engaged, especially when we encounter unexpected curves in the road".
Terry Virgo - "Faith to inherit – Part 2" - Terry Virgo's Blog - June 15th, 2009

John Piper on the Song of Solomon

2009-06-15T19:19:00.004+01:00

"It is no accident that centuries of biblical scholars construed the Song of Solomon as a story about Christ and the church ... they were not wrong in seeing that the ultimate meaning of marital sex is about the final delight between Christ and His Church".
John Piper - "This Momentary Marriage - a Parable of Permamence" - IVP, Leicester (2009) - (p128).

Don Carson on the True Joy and Power of the Gospel

2009-06-13T20:53:00.002+01:00

"If you and I, whether we are ministers of churches, simply talking to a neighbour over the fence, leading a choir or teaching a Sunday School Class, lose the joy of our salvation, we have bastardized the gospel. If ever we want simply the power of the gospel, but no longer delight in the simple and profound truth that before the heavens were formed our names were written down in the Lamb's book of life; if ever we want the power of the gospel and the unction of the Spirit of God but do not delight that our sins are forgiven, that endless eons into eternity still we will be trusting the Christ who shed His blood on our behalf - not cut off, not condemned, not confined to eternal perdition, but forgiven, transformed, renewed by the love of God in Christ Jesus - then the proclamation of the gospel degenerates to mere game".
Don Carson - “Rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven" - The Gospel Witness 61:7 (June 17, 1982): 6–7, 26–27.

Don Carson on the Puritans

2009-06-12T13:46:00.002+01:00

"Their works are not infallible, and in terms of scholarly criticism and modern exegetical tools, their tomes are strangely dated. Nevertheless it is impossible to read them without feeling the fire burn within, without being humbled by their almost fantastic grasp of Scripture, of theology. Indeed, it is a little disturbing to testify how difficult it is to find areas in which the Puritans may be faulted. Such an apparent scarcity of defects is likely to reduce the credibility of a historical account. If God by matchless grace has worked to to produce an abundant fruit of superior quality in centuries past, let us lay on Him with the importunate cries of faith to perform in men once again the good work done in those whom history dubs "the Puritans".
D A Carson - "THE PURITANS: WHAT THEY HAVE THAT THE MODERNS HAVE NOT" - Northwest Journal of Theology 1 (1972): 75–92.

Dr Stanley Jebb on Ezekiel 37 (Word and Spirit)

2009-06-09T10:05:00.002+01:00

"A doctrinalist may be very sincere, or he may not, he may be a religious hypocrite ... This is illustrated by Ezekiel’s vision in Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones. The bones are like doctrine. When they came together in proper order they were like a good systematic theology! But very dry. They needed flesh and sinews in order to live, move, act. In other words, the flesh, muscle, can illustrate living the life.
The flesh is shaped by the skeleton beneath it, and supported by it. Without the skeleton the muscle and sinew would be a heap on the ground. But those reconstituted bodies needed the life, the Spirit blowing through them. Only when all three were together did they become a living army. The skeleton alone (doctrinalism) is not enough. But the flesh and the Spirit without the skeleton becomes a writhing mass on the ground. We need sound doctrine, lived out in godly lives, empowered by the Holy Spirit".
Dr Stanley Jebb - "Beware of Doctrinalism" - Alethinos Reflections - June 9, 2009.

Don Carson on the Balance Between Intellect and Emotion

2009-06-07T16:32:00.002+01:00

"Biblical warnings about how knowledge puffs up but love builds up (e.g., 1 Cor 8) do not condone anti-intellectualism; conversely, biblical mandates to love God with our minds do not grant scholarship an elevated status that exempts it from adoration, faith, obedience, and love. At some level, scholarship without humility and obedience is arrogant; talk of knowing and loving God without scholarship is ignorant".
Don Carson - "The Scholar as Pastor" - Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School - Thursday, April 23, 2009.

Kathryn Kuhlman on Why God Sometimes Doesn't Heal

2009-06-06T17:46:00.003+01:00

"Most of us have our own personal interpretations of how God should run the universe - based on our own limited personal experiences. Kathryn on the other hand, defied all tradition. She defied the boxes men tried to fit her into. When asked why many who were sick left her service unhealed, she would just shake her head and say; "I don't know - I just don't know". In fact she once said that the very first question she wanted to ask Jesus when she got to heaven was, "Why were some not healed?".
The theologians had answers. Hundreds of them. But the theologians never saw miracles. Kathryn, who was one of the greatest instruments of the miracle power of the Holy Spirit had no answers. "I have no healing virtue", she said over and over again. "I cannot heal a single person. All I do is preach faith. God does the healing. Whom He heals and whom He chooses not to heal is His business. I am, but His handmaiden".
Jamie Buckingham - "Daughter of Destiny - The Only Authorised Biography of Kathryn Kuhlman" - Bridge-Logos, Florida (2008 - 6th edition) - (p48).

Joel Virgo on the Presence of God in Church

2009-06-05T20:34:00.002+01:00

"A central idea of Paul’s is that each member of the gathered church shares the privilege of carrying and conducting the presence of God and his many gifts. This adds enormous potential to what happens when we gather".
Joel Virgo - "1 Corinthians 14:1-25 Gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit Part III" - CCK Blog - June 1st, 2009.

John Hosier on the Word of God

2009-05-31T13:31:00.002+01:00

"Scripture doesn't tell us everything we want to know but it tells us all we need to know for living a godly life".
John Hosier cited in Terry Virgo - "Farewell to John & Sue Hosier" - CCK Blog - May 22nd, 2009.

Terry Virgo on MY Kind of Church!!

2009-05-28T21:33:00.003+01:00

"Independent individuals retain their personal devotions, do their personal evangelism and sustain their personal walk with God, but where is the family? Where is the intimacy? New converts need to encounter not simply a series of meetings and events but a family dwelling together in love and light where grace is not simply ‘in the air’, but in personal relationships which communicate life, support and strength".
Terry Virgo - "The Family of God – part 2" - Terry Virgo's Blog - May 28th, 2009

Rob Rufus on the Number 1 Cause of Stress and Anxiety

2009-05-25T18:16:00.002+01:00

"The number one ultimate reason for living with stress and worry and anxiety in your life - and I got this revelation by worry and stress in my life and learning over years! - is not lists that you get in books but it is simply this (and I say this tenderly and without judgement) - stubborn, arrogant pride and a refusal to trust the awesomeness of God".
Rob Rufus - "Stress-Free Living" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 17th May 2009.

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Possible "Abuse" of Grace

2009-05-18T16:13:00.002+01:00

"The true preaching of the gospel of salvation by grace alone always leads to the possibility of this charge being brought against it. There is no better way to test as to whether a man is really preaching the New Testament gospel of salvation than this, that some people might misunderstand it and misinterpret it to mean that because you are saved by grace alone it does not matter at all what you do; you can go on sinning as much as you like because it will rebound all the more to the glory of grace".
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones - "Romans; An Exposition of Chapter 6; The New Man" - Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh (1972) - (p8).

Jerry Bridges on the "Danger" of License

2009-05-18T15:34:00.003+01:00

"Paul realised that his unqualified presentation of the grace of God left him open to being misunderstood. Paul himself knew that his insistence on the pure grace of God without any admixture of commitment or discipline or obedience on our part could cause us to misunderstand him. He knew his readers could respond with this attitude; "Well if that's true, let's go out and sin all we want. The more we sin, the more we cause God's grace to abound".
This type of response is always a possibility. In fact if our concept of grace does not expose us to that possible misunderstanding then we do not throughly understand grace. I believe it is because we are afraid of this attitude that we often change the doctrine of grace into a doctrine of works".
Jerry Bridges - "Transforming Grace - Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love" - Navpress (1991) - (p74).

Jerry Bridges on Praying Our Needs to God

2009-05-18T15:32:00.001+01:00

"Think now of what you feel your greatest needs are, both spiritually and temporally. As you bring those needs to God in prayer, which would you rather present to Him as a consideration for meeting those needs; your spiritual disciplines, your obedience and your sacrifice imperfect as they are; or the infinite and perfect merit of Jesus? To ask the question is to answer it - is it not?".
Jerry Bridges - "Transforming Grace - Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love" - Navpress (1991) - (p72).

Jerry Bridges on the Promises of God

2009-05-18T15:30:00.003+01:00

"The Bible is full of God's promises to provide for us spiritually and materially, to never forsake us, to give us peace in times of difficult circumstances, to cause all circumstances to work together for our good and finally to bring us safely home to glory. Not one of those promises is dependent on our performance. They are all dependent on the grace of God given to us through Jesus Christ".
Jerry Bridges - "Transforming Grace - Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love" - Navpress (1991) - (p71).

Jerry Bridges on the Operative Kingdom Principle

2009-05-18T15:29:00.002+01:00

"In the Kingdom of heaven the operative principle is not merit but grace".
Jerry Bridges - "Transforming Grace - Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love" - Navpress (1991) - (p62).

R C Sproul on Relying on God's Grace

2009-05-18T15:25:00.002+01:00

"Perhaps the most difficult task for us to perform is to rely on God's grace and God's grace alone for our salvation. It is difficult for pride to rest on grace. Grace is for other people - for beggars. We don't want to live by a heavenly welfare system. We want to earn our own way and atone for our own sins. We like to think that we will go to heaven because we deserve to be there".
R C Sproul - "Suffering and Merit?" - Tabletalk Magazine - Volume 13 - No 1 - (February 1989) - Ligonier Ministries - Orlando, Florida - (p5).

Jerry Bridges on Experiencing God's Grace (or Not)

2009-05-18T15:23:00.003+01:00

"Perhaps the larger reason why we do not experience more of God's grace is our misconception that, having been saved by grace, we must now at least to some degree, "pay our own way" and earn God's blessings in our daily lives ... In fact this misconception that we must pay our own way is more than a mistaken theological notion. It actually springs from the perverse disposition of our hearts - the disposition of pride".
Jerry Bridges - "Transforming Grace - Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love" - Navpress (1991) - (p58).

Jerry Bridges on the Superabundance of God's Grace

2009-05-18T15:19:00.002+01:00

"Because we do not comprehend the superabundance of God's grace and generosity, we ask Him for paltry blessings, the fifty-cent variety, when we could be drawing on the abundance of His riches".
Jerry Bridges - "Transforming Grace - Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love" - Navpress (1991) - (p58).

Terry Virgo on God's Attitude Towards Us

2009-05-15T15:45:00.002+01:00

"Is that how it is with you? Do you obey because you are thoroughly persuaded that God can be trusted? When you know that God plans for you in love and that He is indeed totally for you, why should you not completely trust Him and therefore do what He says?".
Terry Virgo - "Do I have to? (Continued)" - Terry Virgo's Blog - May 15th, 2009

Terry Virgo on Victory Through Promises

2009-05-07T19:28:00.001+01:00

"Your giants will hurl cruel taunts at you: ‘You’re stupid and feeble!’ ‘You weren’t wanted in the first place.’ ‘You’re a nobody and no one cares about you.’ You feel the wounds and despise yourself – but you needn’t trail off dejected and despairing. God has given you his stones, his promises. He wants you to lift up your head, pick up those promises and fling the truth at the enemy: ‘God has called me by name. He loves me. I’m chosen and precious and I have a glorious inheritance! I’m going to move on with Jesus. I’ve lived with these negative feelings for years but I’m not going to put up with them any more. From now on I’m going to use the Word of God to overcome. I’m going to step out into the freedom and victory that Jesus has won for me!".
Terry Virgo - "His precious and magnificent promises" - Terry Virgo's Blog - May 6th, 2009.