Purpose of Communism

"If you ever wondered what the historic purpose of communism was, it was to build buildings large enough for Pentecostal congregations."

—Philip Jenkins, Anglican scholar, speaking at the recent Synergize3! interdenominational conference, discussing the fact that exploding churches in the old Soviet Union are using previous communist venues that were built for great rallies

Success and Opposition

"The work here is progressing gloriously, although the opposition is deep and bitter."

—The Apostolic Faith, Dec. 1906

The early Pentecostal revival in Salem, Oregon, demonstrates that success does not mean ease.

Risk

"Unless there is an element of risk in our exploits for God, there is no need for faith."
— Hudson Taylor

The Message Is What Matters

"Early on while still in Bible School I made a feeble, flimsy, fumbling attempt to preach to the lost at Victory Servicemen’s Center in Long Beach, California. I knew I had failed miserably … and it was true. But that night 30 sailor boys knelt and wept through to salvation. That night changed my life … for suddenly I realized that even when the messenger’s delivery is a total failure, the message itself remains powerful to save."

— Missionary Ralph Hiatt (on his blog, "Ralph Hiatt's Argentina," 10/29/11)

China

"If I had a thousand pounds China should have it—if I had a thousand lives, China should have them.
No! Not China, but Christ.
Can we do too much for Him?
Can we do enough for such a precious Saviour?"

Missionary Hudson Taylor, in a letter to his sister and brother-in-law

Crowd Is Not a Church

“There is no correlation between the size and the strength of a church. … A crowd is not a church.”

— Rick Warren, 8/4/11, General Council of the Assemblies of God, Phoenix, AZ

Little Things

"A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in little things is a great thing."

—James Hudson Taylor

No Generational Curse

"There is no such thing as a 'Generational Curse' to a child of God. We must stop blaming our failures on parentage and accept responsibility for our lives. 'Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for me: that the blessings of Abraham might come upon the gentiles [that's me] through Jesus Christ: That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.' (Gal. 3:13-14)"

—James Cossey

Standard for Success

"The standard for success is not great numbers or noticeable accomplishments but obedience. Our sense of accomplishment comes in fulfilling God’s will. If it is less glamorous or powerful, even ignominious, nevertheless it is there that true success lies."

— Ken Horn

Servanthood

"Servanthood: the true measure of a leader. Many fail the test. Those who fail the test do not deserve to be followed. Those who serve gain followers by virtue of their demonstrated Godly character."

—Ken Horn

God's Wrath and the Gospel

“No doubt it is true that the subject of divine wrath has in the past been handled speculatively, irreverently, even malevolently. No doubt there have been some who have preached of wrath and damnation with tearless eyes and not pain in their hearts. No doubt the sign of small sects cheerfully consigning the whole world, apart from themselves, to hell has disgusted many. Yet if we would know God, it is vital that we face the truth concerning his wrath, however unfashionable it may be, and however strong our initial prejudices against it. Otherwise we shall not understand the gospel of salvation from wrath, nor the propitiatory achievement of the cross, nor the wonder of the redeeming love of God."

—J.I. Packer, from Knowing God

What We Have/Are

"It is right to be contented with what we have, never with what we are."

— Sir James Mackintosh

Dare

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered with failures, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

—Theodore Roosevelt

Privileged

‎"Instead of comparing our lot with that of those who are more fortunate than we are, we should compare it with the lot of the great majority of our fellow men. It then appears that we are among the privileged."

—Helen Keller

Hudson Taylor's Peace

A person once expressed his surprise to [Hudson] Taylor that he remained at peace while he was surrounded by so many pressures. Taylor responded that for him peace was "more than a delightful privilege, it was a necessity."

—From Christ Alone: A Pictorial Presentation of Hudson Taylor's Life and Legacy, an official publication of OMF International.

Use Your Mind

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."

—Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

Crime Against Love

“Sin becomes a crime, not against law, but against love; it means not breaking God's law so much as breaking God's heart.”

—William Barclay

Freedom

"Let a man set his heart only on doing the will of God and he is instantly free."

—A.W. Tozer

"We can only pray"?

"We can do nothing, we say sometimes, we can only pray. That, we feel, is a terribly precarious second-best. So long as we can fuss and work and rush about, so long as we can lend a hand, we have some hope; but if we have to fall back upon God - ah, then things must be critical indeed!"

— A. J. Gossip

True Prosperity

"When you have Christ you are rich and have enough."

—Thomas a Kempis