The Reformation was a movement of doctrinal purification that emerged from the decay of institutional heresy. Apparently the strong “leadership” of generations of popes, bishops and priests was inadequate to protect the church from doctrines and practices so bizarre they would be considered downright cultish by today’s standards. An indulgence anyone? In fact, as many would argue, the leaders were the ones who concocted these abberations to begin with! It was when the exclusive right to interpret the Word of God was pried from the grasp of clergy that the laity discovered that they had been duped. Then, like now, the church is not in need of more leaders, it’s in need of more readers–believers who will embrace the responsibility of their own spiritual health and stop subcontracting it to paid clergy."
–Matt Green, editor of Ministry Today
"A Muslim moderate is a Muslim who's run out of ammunition."Unknown
A camel starts his day on his knees and ends the day on his knees and can go 24 hours without a drink.
Jesus' half-brother James was called "camel knees."
John 4:4-14
The following is an excerpt from an article appearing in the March 2004 "Jubilee Extra" newsletter of Prison Fellowship:
"...the Bible is clear about the sanctity of human life. If a Christian lawmaker votes for abortion, he should be called to account. Taking unborn life is a sin; one can't disregard this and still be faithful to Christ.
"...Evangelicals...seldom discipline members whose votes violate biblical teaching. I know one prominent congressman who has for years worn his faith on his sleeve and frequently speaks at large Christian gatherings. But last year he voted against the ban on partial birth abortion. Astonishing! Even more astonishing is he remains prominent in evangelical circles.
"All of us must search our consciences this year and weigh each issue carefully against scriptural teachings. We mustn't settle for scorecards or knee-jerk reactions, as many have in the past. Ask yourself how politicians meet God's standards of justice and righteousness, how they respect life and care for the marginalized. And then decide who best reflects these convictions and can best preserve order and restrain evil, the first tasks of government ordained by God.
"As for candidates who proclaim their Christianity and then vote against clear biblical teachings, hold them accountable at the polls--and at church. When the world looks at the Church, it should be offended by the scandal of the Cross, not the scandal of hypocrisy."
Chuck Colson
“The question, of course,” he continued, “is how will you suffer? Will you suffer with bitterness or will you suffer prophetically? . . . You see, your generation is experiencing the fallout of a culture profoundly confused about who God is and therefore about what it is to be human and what it is to love. Your relational disappointments and suffering are, sadly, emblematic of the age.”
–Connally Gilliam, Revelations of a Single Woman: Loving the Life I Didn’t Expect
"The religion of Jesus is the most peaceful, mild, and benevolent religion that was ever propagated. When we compare it with any set of dogmas invented by men, there is not one of them that can stand the least comparison with it for gentleness, mildness, and love. As for the Muslim religion, it is the religion of the vulture; but the religion of Jesus is that of the dove-all is mercy, all is mild; it is, like its Founder, an embodiment of pure benevolence, grace, and truth."
--C.H. Spurgeon, The Offense of the Cross, Sunday Evening, 1856
"The most momentous thing in human life is the art of
winning the soul to good or evil."
Pythagoras
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
--Jay Leno
The following is an excerpt from an article by Ravi Zacharias published in the Decision magazine, page 33, May 2006 issue:
"In 1971, I was 25 years old and preaching in Vietnam. I had a 17-year-old interpreter named Hien Pham. We traveled the length and breadth of the country, all the way to the demilitarized zone. Seventeen years later my phone rang. It was Hien, and he was living in the United States, working on his MBA.
"He said that after Vietnam fell he was captured by the Viet Cong and put into prison. Marxism was drilled into his head, and one night as he went to sleep, he said, "Tomorrow when I wake up, I won't pray. Maybe God does not exist."
"The next day he was assigned to clean the latrines. As he was cleaning he saw in a waste bin a filthy piece of paper with English words. He hosed it off and put it into his pocket. Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, he flashed a flashlight on that piece of paper. It was Romans, chapter 8: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28, KJV).
"The commanding officer had been given a Bible. He was tearing out pages and throwing them away in the latrine. Hien started to sob and said, "God, You didn't let me go 12 hours without praying to You."
"Hien asked if he could clean the latrines every day. He would clean them, wash off the page from the Bible and have his devotions at night.
"Years later, as he visited us in the United States, Hien took my children's hands and said, "Whenever you are tempted to go it alone, don't. The God of all power and grace is always near at hand, and what He wants from you is an intimate relationship with Him."
