“There is an old adage that says you can give a hungry man a fish, or better still, you can teach him how to fish. Jesus would add that you can teach a person how to fish, but the most successful fisherman has hungers fish will not satisfy.”
Zacharias, Ravi K. Jesus among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message. Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 2000. Print. (p. 89)
“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charities expenditure excludes them. I am speaking now of ‘charities’ in the common way. Particular cases of distress among your own relatives, friends, neighbours or employees, which God, as it were, forces upon your notice, may demand much more: even to the crippling and endangering of your own position. For many of us the great obstacle to charity lies not in our luxurious living or desire for more money, but in our fear—fear of insecurity. This must often be recognised as a temptation. Sometimes our pride also hinders our charity; we are tempted to spend more than we ought on the showy forms of generosity (tipping, hospitality) and less than we ought on those who really need our help.”
From Mere Christianity
“The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them. It is God’s love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother when we learn to listen to him. Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking where they should be listening. But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too. This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life, and in the end there is nothing left but spiritual chatter and clerical condescension arrayed in pious words. One who cannot listen long and patiently will presently be talking beside the point and be never really speaking to others, albeit he be not conscious of it. Anyone who thinks his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but only for himself and for his own follies.”
“Life Together” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Satan accuses Christians day and night. It is not just that he will work on our conscience to make us feel as dirty, guilty, defeated, destroyed, weak, and ugly as he possibly can; it is something worse: his entire play in the past is to accuse us before God day and night, bringing charges against us that we know we can never answer before the majesty of God’s holiness.
What can we say in response? Will our defense be, ‘Oh, I’m not that bad?’ You will never beat Satan that way. Never. What you must say is, ‘Satan, I’m even worse than you think, but God loves me anyway. He has accepted me because of the blood of the Lamb.”
—D.A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 98-99
One of the things I have been trying to do lately is to pay closer attention to the culture around me so that I can understand what people actually believe and eventually find the “cracks in the armor” that may present an opportunity to share the truth of Christ. I love it when I can allow other people, especially people who don’t even confess faith in Jesus, to make a point for me. These are the lyrics to the rap song “welcome to heartbreak” by Kanye West. I think this is a candid admission of the emptiness of life apart from the grace of God, and things like this may help to provide an open door with people that would otherwise be closed.
Welcome To Heartbreak lyrics
My friend showed me pictures of his kids
And all I could show him was pictures of my cribs
He said his daughter got a brand new report card
And all I got was a brand new sports car, oh
And my head keeps spinning
Can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And my head keeps spinning
I can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
Dad cracked a joke, all the kids laughed
But I couldn’t hear him all the way in first class
Chased the good life my whole life long
Look back on my life and my life gone
Where did I go wrong?
And my head keeps spinning
Can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And my head keeps spinning
I can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it before
I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it before
I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it before
I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it before
Oh my God, sister getting married by the lake
But I couldn’t figure out who I’d wanna take
Bad enough that I showed up late
I had to leave before they even cut the cake
Welcome to heartbreak
And my head keeps spinning
Can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And my head keeps spinning
I can’t stop having these visions, I gotta get with it
And I and I can’t stop
No, no, I can’t stop
No, no, no, no, I can’t stop
No, no, no, no, I can’t stop
Can’t stop, I can’t stop, I can’t stop
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no, no
No, no, I can’t stop
I can’t stop having these visions
I gotta get with it
Get equipped, and then get out of the church and into the world!
“Despite his insistence on the primacy of the church, Calvin knew the church had its limits. John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress illustrates these limits well. In his classic allegory, Bunyan calls the church “the house built by the Lord of the HIll for the safety and rest of pilgrims.” Bunyan has his main character, Christian, enter this house, the church; he has him “fed,” his allegory for the sermon and for the Lord’s Supper; and he has him led into the armory, where he is equipped. Then Bunyan has the keepers of the house send him away, out into the world. Calvin did the same for his parishioners by locking the church doors after the service. Christians, having been fed and equipped, refreshed and nourished, are to be in the world, according to Calvin…Calvin locked the church doors so the church could be in the world…Calvin locked the church doors after the service because he wanted the church to be salt and light in the world that God made and entrusted to us.”
Stephen Nichols, The Reformation, Crossway Books: 2007, pg. 79-82.
“In many ways the great Head of the Church scatters His servants abroad; but they ought of themselves to scatter voluntarily. Every Christian should say, “Where can I do the most good?” and if he can do more good anywhere beneath the sun than in the land of his birth, he is bound to go there, if he can. God will have us scattered; and if we will not go afield willingly, He may use providential necessity as the forcible means of our dispersion.”
CH Spurgeon
“If God desires every knee to bow to Jesus and every tongue to confess Him, so should we. We should be ‘jealous’ for the honor of His name—troubled when it remains unknown, hurt when it is ignored, indignant when it is blasphemed, and all the time anxious and determined that it shall be given the honor and glory which are due to it.
The highest of all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God), but rather zeal—burning and passionate zeal—for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Only one imperialism is Christian, and that is concern for His Imperial Majesty Jesus Christ, and for the glory of his empire or kingdom. Before this supreme goal of the Christian mission, all unworthy motives wither and die.”
—John Stott, The Message of Romans (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 53
“…they maintain their churches by converts from other systems. I have even heard them say, ‘Oh, yes, the Methodists and Revivalists are beating the hedges, but we shall catch many of the birds.’ If I harboured such a mean thought I would be ashamed to express it. A system which cannot touch the outside world, but must leave arousing and converting work to others, whom it judges to be unsound, writes its own condemnation.” –Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: Complete & Unabridged, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, page 243, Zondervan, 1979.
I cannot help think of this quote and evaluate myself and the whole Reformed Baptist movement in America.
Here is a quote I read from Jack Miller’s book, “Heart of a Servant Leader,” this morning. It is truly humbling and inspiring at the same time! I want to put others first for the Glory of Jesus!
“A particular challenge I’d like to put before you. What does it mean to serve one another in love? Practically it means to labor to make others successful. Ask yourself: What can I do to make the other team members successful? What about choosing one [team member] to major on–perhaps Richard–and working with intensity to make his work successful? Maybe this isn’t practical at this time, but still I have found that it can really release the gifts of others and give direction to the ministry” (HOASL, p. 146)
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