Archives: February 2009

“It is true, religion [by which he means Christianity only] in the souls of men is the immediate work of God, and all our natural endeavours can neither produce it alone, nor merit those supernatural aids by which it must be wrought: the Holy Ghost must come upon us, and the power of the Highest must overshadow us, before that holy thing can be begotten, and Christ be formed in us: but yet we must not expect that this whole work should be done without any concurring endeavours of our own: we must not lie loitering in the ditch, and wait till Omnipotence pull us from thence; no, no! we must bestir ourselves, and actuate those powers which we have already received: we must put forth ourselves to our utmost capacities, and then we may hope that, ‘our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 15.58)” (Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man, 95).

“When a movement develops around a dominant personality, the real test of the quality of his leadership is the manner in which that work survives the crisis of his removal. This fact was tacitly recognized by Gamaliel when he counseled his fellow Pharisees: “Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel of this work be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it” (Acts 5.38-39). A work originated by God and conducted on spiritual principles will surmount the shock of a change of leadership and indeed will probably thrive better as a result” (Sanders, Spiritual Leadership, 132).

“In the early days of his ministry, one might have concluded that the greatness of John the Baptist lay in his fierce denunciation of the evils of his day, in the burning eloquence and blistering words which pierced and exposed the hearts of his contemporaries. But the secret that made him the greatest of those born of woman is to be found in his unconscious but infinitely revealing affirmation: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3.30). In this one sentence his spiritual stature is revealed” (J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership, 57).

“The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office he has held, but only the quality of his deeds and the character of his mind and heart” (Hall, Samuel Logan Brengle, 274).

“Grammar is a science which is the guardian and moderatrix of articulate speech: whose profession involves the necessity of collecting even all the figments of the human tongue, which have been committed to memory and letters, not making them false, but teaching and enforcing concerning these certain principles of true interpretation” (Augustine, The Soliloquies, 286).

Here’s a quote I found that I thought was insightful. It deals specifically with church-planting, but the general principle is sound enough for all of the Christian life.

If God has called you to move to a new community and start a new church, then coupled with that call is an invitation to become the primary ear to which God will whisper His desires for the new church. As the Lead Planter, this will be your primary role. It will be more important than preaching, vision casting, evangelism, and team building put together. Why? When all the elaborate definition, flowcharts, arrows, and terms are stripped away, strategic planning in the new church is nothing more than finding out what God wants your church to do next and doing it. That’s strategic planning in a nutshell, and that’s your primary task as the point person. (Brian Jones, Church Planting from the Ground Up, 193).

In summary, all of our activity is nothing without listening and obeying God in Jesus Christ.