PRAYER & SUFFERING

'Prayers and pains through faith in Christ Jesus will do anything!'

John Eliot in John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad, p.74.

PRAYER

'Life is war. That's not all it is. But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth. Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief. It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try and make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts for the den. God has given us prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as the kingdom of God advances in the world.'

John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad, p.65.

EVANGELISM

'The liberating fact is that the message we take to the frontiers is that people everywhere should seek their own best interest. We are summoning people to God. And those who come say, "In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps. 16:11). God glorifies himself among the nations with the command, "Delight yourself in the LORD!"(Ps. 37:4). His first and greatest requirement of all men everywhere is that they repent from seeking their joy in other things and begin to see it only in him.'

John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad, p.56.

GOD

'The difference between the true God and the gods of the nations is that the true God carries and the other gods must be carried. God serves; they must be served. God glorifies his might by showing mercy. They glorify theirs by gathering slaves.'  

John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad, p.56.  

CHRISTIANITY

'The uniqueness at the heart of Christainity is the glory of God manifest in the freedom of grace.'

John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of Goid in missions, p.55.  

RIGHTEOUSNESS

'The righteous are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community; the wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves.'

Bruce Waltke in Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.323.

CHURCH

'....community is best understood as the way we are to do all that Christ told us to do in the world. Community is more than just the preaching of the gospel: it is itself a declaration and expression of the gospel. It is the demonstration of the good news of freedom in Christ through the evident display our transformed character and our life together. It is itself part of the good news, for the good news is this: This is what Christ has won for you on the cross - a new life together with the people of God. Once you were alienated from others, but now you have been brought near.'  

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.320.

SIN

'Our natural condition under sin is to be "glory empty" - starved for significance, honor, and a sense of worth. Sin makes us feel superior and overconfident (because we are trying to prove to ourselves and others that we are significant) and inferior and underconfident (because at a deep level we feel guilty and insecure). Some people's glory emptiness primarily takes the form of bravado and evident pride; for others, it takes the form of self-deprectaion and self-loating. Most of us are wracked by both impulses. Either way, until the gospel changes us, we will use people in relationships. We do not work for the sake of the work, we do not relate for the sake of the person. Rather, we work and relkate to bolster our own self-image - to derive it, essentially from others.'

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.318.

EVANGELISM

'The real secret of fruitful and effective mission in the world is the quality of our community. Exceptional character in individuals cannot prove the reality of Christianity. Atheism, as well as many other religions, can also produce individual heroes of unusual moral greatness. Though such individuals may inspire us, it is all too easy to conclude that these individuals are just that - extraordinary heroes who have set unattainable standards for the rest of us. What atheism and other religions cannot produce is the kind of loving community that the gospel produces. In fact, Jesus states that our deep unity is the way the world will know that the Father sent him and has loved us even as the Father has loved him (John 17:23). Jesus says that the main way people will believe that Christains have found the love of God is by seeing the quality of their life together in community.'

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.311.

CHURCH

'Because the gospel not only converts nonbelievers but also builds up believers, the church should not have to choose evangelism over discipleship. Because the gospel is presented to the world not only through word but also through deed and community, we should not choose between teaching and carrying out practical ministry to address people's needs. Because the gospel renews not only individuals but also communities and culture, the church should disciple its people to seek personal conversion, deep Christian community, social justice, and cultural renewal in the city. These ministry areas should not be seen as independent or optional but as interdependent and fully biblical.'

Timothy Keller, Center Church, p.291.