"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.
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Don Carson on the True Joy and Power of the Gospel
Sunday, 31 May 2009
John Hosier on the Word of God
"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.
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Al Mohler on Defining Expository Preaching
"I define expository preaching as that mode of Christian preaching which takes as it's central purpose the presentation and application of the text of the Bible. All other issues and concerns are subordinated to the central task of presenting the biblical text. As the Word of God, the text of Scripture has the right to establish both the substance and the structure of the sermon. Genuine exposition takes place when the preacher sets forth the meaning and message of the biblical text and makes clear how the Word of God establishes the identity and worldview of the church as the people of God".
Al Mohler - "Preaching the Cross" - Crossway Books, Illinois (2oo7) - (p66).
Mark Dever on John Piper
"While too many of us are saying a lot of things quickly and running onto the next, John stops and stands and stares at God's Word. Sometimes he stares at something that seems so obvious but he keeps staring until it begins to expand and fill the horizon of his sight. It becomes rich and detailed and lucious and intricate and full and demanding and hope-giving and life-affirming and sin-denying and sacrifice-requiring - and adjective adding".
Mark Dever - "Preaching the Cross" - Crossway Books, Illinois (2007) - (p15).
Friday, 19 December 2008
Dr Lloyd-Jones on Paraphrasing 1 Corinthians 4:19
1 Corinthians 4:19-20: "But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power".
Paraphrase: "I am coming to see you and I am going to test you. And let me make it clear to you - I am not interested in your words but in power. Any fool can get up and speak. The question is, is there power in the man's speech? What does it accomplish? What does it lead to?".
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones - "Romans: The Gospel of God (1:1-32)" - Banner of Truth, Edinburgh (1985) - p222.
Monday, 4 August 2008
Tom Schreiner on Word and Spirit
"The Holy Spirit's role in the writing of Scripture is one example of the alliance between the Spirit and the Word. The Spirit speaks through the written word of Scripture and the human authors of Scripture spoke their words under the aegis of the Holy Spirit".
Thomas R Schreiner - "New Testament Theology - Magnifying God in Christ" - Apollos, Nottingham (2008) - (p445).
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Tom Schreiner on the Coming of the Holy Spirit
"The coming of the Spirit is the hope of the Lord's people, for when the Spirit is sent, God's people will keep His law and reside in the land (Ezekiel 39:29)".
Thomas R Schreiner - "New Testament Theology - Magnifying God in Christ" - Apollos, Nottingham (2008) - (p431).
Tom Schreiner on the Holy Spirit and the Book of Ezekiel
"Ezekiel could almost be called the "prophet of the Spirit".
Thomas R Schreiner - "New Testament Theology - Magnifying God in Christ" - Apollos, Nottingham (2008) - (p434).
Tom Schreiner on the Holy Spirit and Prophecy
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Steve Barker on "Leaven" in Scripture
"When Scripture refers to "leaven" it is always referring to law. So if you get a prophetic word about leaven then there is legalism in your church. Sin won't ruin a whole congregation but legalism will".
Steve Barker - "Power of Agreement" - City Church International, Hong Kong - Sunday 18th May 2008.
Friday, 2 May 2008
Dr Lloyd-Jones on Heretics
"There is a sense in which it is true to say that you can prove anything you like from the Bible. That is how heresies have arisen. The heretics were never dishonest men; they were mistaken men. They should not be thought as men who were deliberately setting out to go wrong and to teach something that is wrong; they have been some of the most sincere men that the Church has ever known. What was the matter with them?
Their trouble was this; they evolved a theory and they were rather pleased with it; then they went back with this theory to the Bible and they seemed to find it everywhere".
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones - "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" - Eerdmans, Grand Rapids (1987) - (p11)
Saturday, 5 April 2008
Bill Johnson on the Baptism of the Spirit and Scripture
"The best ground for us to stand on when considering the baptism of the Spirit is the Scriptures. Much of the confusion and debate that has arisen over this issue derives from people evaluating it on the basis of their experience or lack of experience, rather than inviting the Holy Spirit to bring their level of experience into alignment with what He has already declared. Those who intentionally ignore elements of Scripture that are outside of their experience betray a lack of trust in the God who wrote it".
Bill Johnson - "Face to Face Intimacy with God" - Charisma House Publishing, Florida (2007) - p81
Friday, 4 April 2008
Bill Johnson on Scripture and the Quest for God
"Scripture is saturated with the theme that we were made for a relationship that allows us to know by experience the supernatural God who created us and it soon becomes evident to me that the encounters God had with people in the Bible were not reserved only for those of that era. Encounters of that magnitude actually started to look possible, even probable again".
Bill Johnson - "Face to Face Intimacy with God" - Charisma House Publishing, Florida (2007) - p7
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Rob Rufus on the Word of God
"This is a supernatural book - God-breathed - we have no doubt that everything in it is alive and vibrating with divine life".
Rob Rufus - "Power Of Authoratative Command For Healing - Part 1" - City Church International, Hong Kong - 10th September 2006
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Rob Rufus on Spiritual Diet
"Truth takes hours listening to it and studying it and being under the influence of it. F W Bosworth says; "Most Christians are so weak because they eat 3 physical meals a day but they take one cold spiritual snack a weak. If you fed your body only one small snack a week - just think how weak your body would be. No wonder your spirit is so weak because you are not listening to tapes, videos and DVDs on a daily basis - feeding your spirit the Word of God so you can handle these things".
Rob Rufus - "Invading the Impossible - Part 9" - "Invading Through Reigning" - City Church International, Hong Kong - 9th March 2008.
Rob Rufus on How Faith Comes and Goes
"So faith comes by hearing the Word of God - but faith goes by hearing the word of law, rules and religion. Faith goes by just watching TV or hearing bad news. Faith goes by listening to backslidden Christians who are bitter and twisted and cynical and unimpressed and oppressed".
Rob Rufus - "Invading the Impossible - Part 9" - "Invading Through Reigning" - City Church International, Hong Kong - 9th March 2008.
Rob Rufus on Daily Faith
"Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Any person on the planet who is walking with faith - you know they are listening to CD's, that someone is listening to tapes and DVD's on a regular basis - because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Faith goes by not hearing and hearing the wrong things. Faith is like Vitamin C - you cannot store it for long. You take it today and you are going to need to take it tomorrow because you don't store it for long. Faith can be used today but it will need to be replenished by hearing and the hearing of the word of righteousness.
Because when you use your faith to see a miracle happen, you use your faith for a marriage problem or for a demand or a challenge, then that faith is depleted. And you know that if you keep drawing out of your bank account without putting back in then the day will come when they will say if you keep drawing out of your bank account then you will go to jail. Do you know what a nervous breakdown is? A nervous breakdown is a sign that you are in a faith overdraft and there is nothing left in their account because they have not put faith back in. Faith comes by daily hearing the Word of God".
Rob Rufus - "Invading the Impossible - Part 9" - "Invading Through Reigning" - City Church International, Hong Kong - 9th March 2008.