ChosenRebel's Blog

Missional Musings on (mostly) Other Peoples Thoughts

“Since Christianity is true, there is an echo of it (however faint) in every heart. You never know when the open statement of your conviction will strike a deep chord of rightness in some secular group.”   —John Piper, (A Godward Life), p. 79

“Souls blistered by sin are good soil and respond more readily to the healing balm of the gospel. Don’t give them therapy; give them the glorious truths of the gospel.”  —Marty Schoenleber

“Well intentioned people will slow or squelch a multiplication movement by pursuing ‘quality,’ waiting for ‘maturity,’ or insisting on adherence to the existing organizational structure.  // With ‘disciples multiplying church,’ [Ralph Moore term] you are inviting the unknown. It is the place where the person in the pew, chair, or theater seat is given permission–or, better stated, given marching orders–to go and change the world by starting a new church.”
—Viral Churches, p. 41

“Why don’t more churches multiply? The quick answers are: their leaders have not thought of it, they don’t know how, and it seems too difficult. Ultimately, though, it’s because they don’t understand the importance of doing it.”
—Viral Churches, p. 41

“While doing the research that led to this book, Ed [Stetzer] collaborated with David Garrison and wrote a research paper that we have adapted in this chapter. As they discussed church planting movements around the world and also the one that occurred two centuries ago here in North America [after the Revolutionary War], they considered an important question: Why haven’t we experienced another one in North America since then? … // We believe that a movement could occur today and that one vital ingredient is lay empowerment at a local church level.“
—Viral Churches, p. 52  (Bold emphasis and brackets added)

“Every human wish dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.”
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer,Life Together, p. 27

AND THIS FROM OVER AT THE GOSPEL COALITION WEB SITE
(From Jonathan Edwards via Dr. Ray Ortlund)

“Spiritual pride is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christianity.  It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit, to darken the mind and mislead the judgment.  It is the main source of all the mischief the devil introduces, to clog and hinder a work of God.

Spiritual pride tends to speak of other persons’ sins with bitterness or with laughter and levity and an air of contempt.  But pure Christian humility rather tends either to be silent about these problems or to speak of them with grief and pity.  Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others, but a humble Christian is most guarded about himself.  He is as suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart.  The proud person is apt to find fault with other believers, that they are low in grace, and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are and to be quick to note their deficiencies.  But the humble Christian has so much to do at home and sees so much evil in his own heart and is so concerned about it that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts.  He is apt to esteem others better than himself.”
—Jonathan Edwards, Works (Edinburgh, 1979), I:398-400. Style updated.