PREACHING

'The pulpit calls those anointed to it as the sea calls its sailors; and like the sea, it batters and bruises, and does not rest...To preach, to really preach, is to die naked a little at a time and to know each time that you must do it again.'

Bruce Thieleman in Kent and Barbara Hughes, Liberating Ministry for the Success Syndrome, p.183.

PREACHING

'My preaching almost always displeases me.'
Augustine of Hippo in Kent and Barbara Hughes, Libertaing Ministry from ther Success Syndrome, p.183.

PREACHING

'It may be light work to you men of genius and learning; but to me it is life and death work. Often have I thought that I would rather take a whipping with a cat-o'-nine-tails than preach again.'

Charles Spurgeon in Kent and Barbara Hughes, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, p.182.

THE BIBLE

'There are, in the end, only two questions to ask as we read the Bible: Is it about me? Or is it about Jesus? In other words, is the Bible basically about what I must do or about what he has done?'

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.78.

JESUS

'Jesus was so holy that he had  to die for us; nothing could satisfy his holy and righteous nature. But he was so loving that he was glad to die for us; nothing less would satisfy his desire to have us as his people.'

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.77.

SIN

'Christians typically identify two ways to respond to God: follow him and do his will, or reject him and do your own thing. Ultimately this is true, but there are actually two ways to reject God that must be distinguished from one another. You can reject God by rejecting his law and living any way you see fit. And you can can also reject God by embracing and obeying God's law so as to earn your salvation. The problem is that people who belong in this last group - who reject the gospel in favor of moralism - look as if they are trying to do God's will. Consequently, there are not just two ways to respond to God but three: irreligion, religion, and the gospel.'

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.63.

THE GOSPEL

'The power of the gospel comes in two movements. The first says, "I am more siunful and flawed that I ever dared believe," but then quickly follows with, "I am more accepted and loved than I ever dared hope." The former outflanks antinomianism, while the latter staves off legalism. One of the greatest challenges is to be vigilant in both directions at once. Whenever we find ourselves fighting against one of these errors, it is extraordinarily easy to combat it by slipping into the other. Here's a test: if you think one of these errors is much more dangerous than the other, you are probably partially participating in the one you fear less.'  

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.48.

THE GOSPEL

'The gospel is not just the ABC's but the A to Z of the Christian life. It is inaccurate to think the gospel is what saves non-Christians, and then Christians mature by trying hard to live accordiung to biblical principles. It is more accurate to say that we are saved by believing the gospel, and then are are transformed in every part of our minds, hearts, and lives by believing the gospel more and more deeply as life goes on.'

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.48.

PREACHING

'A good sermon is a profoundly interesting event because it is one of the few occasions – rarer by the day perhaps - when someone speaks as honestly and seriously as he can to people who listen in good faith. A rare moment!'

Marilynne Robinson on BBC Radio 4's Bookclub, 11th October 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n60lt

THE GOSPEL

'The gospel is not everything, yet in the final analysis it cannot be tamed into a simple formula with a number of points that must be recited to everyone, in every time and place. There is an irreducable complexity to the gospel. I do not mean that the gospel can't be presented simply and even very briefly. Paul himself does so on numerous occasions (e.g., Rom 10:9). The gospel is a clear and present word, but it is not a simplistic word...I want to resist the impulse, mainly among conservative evangelicals, toward creating a single, one-size fits all gospel presentation that should be used everywhere, that servesd as a test of orthodoxy.'

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.39.