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Famous Quotes
God’s Faithful Watchman
“Some one, then, must
undertake the ungracious task of probing and laying bare the evils of
the age; for men must not be allowed to congratulate themselves that
all is well. If others will not, he will. If others shrink from the
obloquy of such a work, he will not. He loves the age too well; he
loves his nation too well; he loves his fellow-men too well. They may
upbraid him; they may call him a misanthropist, or a prophet of evil;
they may ascribe his warnings to the worst of motives, such as pride,
or arrogance, or self-esteem, or malice, or envy; but he will give no
heed to these unjust insinuations.
He will prefer being thus
misunderstood and maligned, to allowing men to precipitate themselves
upon a ruin which they see not. Rather than that they should perish,
he will allow his own good name to be spoken against. He will risk
every thing, even the hatred of brethren, rather than withhold the
warning. If they give no heed to it, he has, at least, saved his own
soul. If they do, he has saved both his own soul and theirs.
He would rather take up the glad
tidings of peace, and tell men of Him who came the first time for
shame and death, and who is coming the second time for glory and
dominion; but he feels as one who has a special and personal message
to deliver, which cannot be postponed.
He must remember that he is a
watchman; and, having seen danger pressing on, he must not hesitate
to make it known. He must speak his message of forewarning and
rebuke, sparing no arrows, and neither smoothing down nor hiding any
form of sin, but laying his finger upon every sore, and beseeching
men to turn from their ungodliness. The evils around him press upon
him sadly; the coming evils are foreshadowed upon his spirit, and,
therefore, he lifts up his voice like a trumpet.
Satan has many snares which need
to be detected; the world has many spells and lures which must be
disenchanted; religion has many guises which must be unmasked, many
devious paths of inconsistency which must be pointed out, many
cherished errors which must be condemned, many carnal taints which
must be abhorred and shunned. All these he must protest against
without fear or favour.”
Horatius Bonar, Scottish
pastor from the 19th century (1808-1889). He is writing about those
who speak the truth even when it is not popular or comfortable.
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A new type of preacher needed
If Christianity is to receive a
rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If
the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the
injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type
of leader. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do.
Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties,
takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral
type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to
everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.
Another kind of religious leader
must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who
has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When
he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will
stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth
civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in
the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large
segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged,
blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love
Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for
the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear
nothing that breathes with mortal breath.
~A.W. Tozer, The Size of the
Soul, 128-129.
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QUAKER Quotes
“Even in the Apostles' days,
Christians were too apt to strive after a wrong unity and uniformity
in outward practices and observations, and to judge one another
unrighteously in these matters; and mark, it is not the different
practice from one another that breaks the peace and unity, but the
judging of one another because of different practices... For
this is the true ground of love and unity, not that such a man walks
and does just as I do, but because I feel the same Spirit and Life in
him, and that he walks in his rank, in his own order, in his proper
way and place of subjection to that; and this is far more pleasing to
me than if he walked just in that track wherein I walk.” -
Isaac Penington
“We are inclined to call
things by wrong names. We call prosperity 'happiness', and adversity
'misery' even though adversity is the school of wisdom and often the
way to eternal happiness” - William Penn
“You will say, Christ saith
this, and the apostles say this; but what canst though say? Art thou
a child of Light and hast walked in the Light, and what thou speakest
is it inwardly from God?” - George Fox
“The adventure of the
Christian life begins when we dare to do what we would never tackle
without Christ.” - William Penn
“It is said by the
professors: “There is no order among you,” but I say the
order of God is a mystery. Its order will stand when all of theirs is
gone. The cry is: “There is no government amongst you!” Is
there not? Yes, the government of Christ.” - George Fox
“Let women then go on –
not asking favors, but claiming as a right the removal of all
hindrances to her elevation in the scale of being – let her
receive encouragement for the proper cultivation of all her powers,
so that she may enter profitably into the active business of life ...
Then in the marriage union, the independence of the husband and wife
will be equal, their dependence mutual, and their obligations
reciprocal.” - Lucretia Mott
“Be patterns, be examples in
all countries, places, islands, nations wherever you come; that your
carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them;
then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that
of God in everyone; whereby in them you may be a blessing, and make
the witness of God in them to bless you.” - George Fox
“True godliness doesn't turn
men out of the world but enables them to live better in it and
excites their endeavors to mend it.” - William Penn
“Keep within. And when they
say 'lo here', or 'lo there' is Christ; go not forth; for Christ is
within you. And they are seducers and antichrists, which draw your
minds out from the teachings within you.” - George Fox
“Now I find that in pure
obedience the mind learns contentment, in appearing weak and foolish
to the wisdom which is of this World; and in these lowly labors, they
who stand in a low place, rightly exercised under the Cross, will
find nourishment.” - John Woolman
“May we look upon our
Treasures, and the furniture of our Houses, and the Garments in which
we array ourselves, and try whether the seeds of war have any
nourishment in these possessions or not.” - John Woolman
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Fellowship Of The Martyrs Quotes
"Your growth in Christ is
directly proportional to your willingness to RUSH HEADLONG into the
refining fire and give it a wet sloppy kiss." - Doug Perry
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LEONARD RAVENHILL QUOTES
"A popular evangelist
reaches your emotions. A true prophet reaches your conscience."
"Can any deny that in the
modern church setup the main cause of anxiety is money? Yet that
which tries the modern churches the most, troubled the New Testament
Church the least. Our accent is on paying; theirs was on praying.
When we have paid, the place is taken; when they had prayed, the
place was shaken!"
"The last words of Jesus to
the church (in Revelation) were 'Repent!'"
"A true shepherd leads the
way. He does not merely point the way."
"Your doctrine can be as
straight as a gun barrel—and just as empty!"
"John the Baptist never
performed any miracles. Yet, he was greater than any of the Old
Testament prophets."
"I doubt that more than two
percent of professing Christians in the United States are truly born again."
"Our God is a consuming
fire. He consumes pride, lust, materialism, and other sin."
"There are only two kinds of
persons: those dead in sin and those dead to sin."
[Concerning the darkness that has
enveloped most of Christendom:]
"When you're sitting in a
dark room, you can either sit and curse the darkness—or you can
light a candle."
"Children can tell you what
Channel 7 says, but not what Matthew 7 says."
"Some women will spend
thirty minutes to an hour preparing for church externally (putting on
special clothes and makeup, etc.). What would happen if we all spent
the same amount of time preparing internally for church—with
prayer and meditation?"
"Maturity comes from
obedience, not necessarily from age."
"What good does it do to
speak in tongues on Sunday if you have been using your tongue during
the week to curse and gossip?"
"The only time you can
really say that 'Christ is all I need,' is when Christ is all you have."
"The Bible is either
absolute, or it's obsolete."
"Why do we expect to be
better treated in this world than Jesus was?"
"Today's church wants to be
raptured from responsibility."
"Testimonies are wonderful.
But, so often our lives don't fit our testimonies."
[Concerning one of the new
"movements" in the church that was causing a stir among
Christians:] "There's also a stir when the circus comes to town."
"My main ambition in life is
to be on the Devil's most wanted list."
"You can't develop character
by reading books. You develop it from conflict."
"When there's something in
the Bible that churches don't like, they call it 'legalism.'"
"We can't serve God by proxy."
"We must do what we can do
for God, before He will give us the power to do what we can't do."
"There's a difference
between changing your opinion, and changing your lifestyle."
"Our seminaries today are
turning out dead men."
"How can you pull down
strongholds of Satan if you don't even have the strength to turn off
your TV?"
"Everyone recognizes that
Stephen was Spirit-filled when he was performing wonders. Yet, he was
just as Spirit-filled when he was being stoned to death."
"If a Christian is not
having tribulation in the world, there's something wrong!"
[Concerning the fixation that
today's church has with numbers, with growth at any price:] "The
church has paid a terrible price for statistics!"
"Any method of evangelism
will work—if God is in it."
"Church unity comes from
corporate humility."
"You can have all of your
doctrines right—yet still not have the presence of God."
"Many pastors criticize me
for taking the Gospel so seriously. But do they really think that on
Judgment Day, Christ will chastise me, saying, 'Leonard, you took Me
too seriously'?"
"If Jesus had preached the
same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified."
"You can know a lot about
the atonement, and yet receive no benefit from it."
"If the whole church goes
off into deception, that will in no way excuse us for not following Christ."
"The true man of God is
heartsick, grieved at the worldliness of the Church...grieved at the
toleration of sin in the Church, grieved at the prayerlessness in the
Church. He is disturbed that the corporate prayer of the Church no
longer pulls down the strongholds of the devil. A man may study
because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But
he prays because his soul is hungry for God. We live in a generation
that has never known revival God's way. True revival changes the
moral climate of an area or a nation. Without exception, all true
revivals of the past began after years of agonizing, hell-robbing,
earth-shaking, heaven-sent intercession. The secret to true revival
in our own day is still the same. But where, oh, where, are the
intercessors?" - Leonard Ravenhill
RAVENHILL's MOST POWERFUL
BOOK - "Why Revival Tarries".
~SOURCE - http://www.scrollpublishing.com/store/Ravenhill.html
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More GREAT QUOTES
"For I am verily persuaded
the generality of preachers talk of an unknown and unfelt Christ; and
the reason why congregations have been so dead is, because they have
had dead men preaching to them." --Gilbert Tennent.
"Go for souls, and go for
the worst!" --William Booth
"The noise was like the roar
of Niagara. The vast sea of human beings seemed to be agitated as if
by a storm. I counted seven ministers, all preaching at one time,
some on stumps, others in wagons and one standing on a tree which
had, in falling, lodged against another. ...I stepped up on a log
where I could have a better view of the surging sea of humanity. The
scene that then presented itself to my mind was indescribable. At one
time I saw at least five hundred swept down in a moment as if a
battery of a thousand guns had been opened upon them, and then
immediately followed shrieks and shouts that rent the very
heavens." -- James Finley, later a Methodist Circuit Rider /
Cane Ridge Revival.
"The bars were not the only
places to be emptied. Dance halls, theaters, and football matches all
saw a dramatic decline in attendance. The courts and jails were
deserted and the police found themselves without any work to do. The
story is told of policemen who closed their station and formed a
choir to sing at the Revival meetings. Long-standing debts were
repaid, church and family feuds were healed and a new unity of
purpose was felt across denominational divides." -- The Welsh
Revival of 1904.
"I have known people who
prayed till they were soaked in sweat on a cold winter's day. I have
known people who have prayed for hours until they were totally
drained of strength because of the agony of their souls. I have
worked with a man of this calibre." -- Charles Finney
"I value all things only by
the price they shall gain in eternity." -- John Wesley
"Wherever riches have
increased, the essence of religion has decreased in the same
proportion...as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and love of
the world in all its branches." -- John Wesley
"When I have money, I get
rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart." -- John Wesley
"If Christians were not such
cowards, and absolutely disobedient to this plain command of God
('Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon
him'), one thing would certainly come of it -- either they would be
murdered in the streets as martyrs, because men could not bear the
intolerable presence of truth, or they would be speedily converted to
God." -- Charles Finney.
"God will do nothing except
in answer to prayer." - John Wesley
"Bear up the hands that hang
down, by faith and prayer, support the tottering knees. Have you any
days of fasting and prayer? Storm the Throne of Grace and persevere
therein, and mercy will come down." - John Wesley
"The prayers and
supplications that Christ offered up were, joined with strong cries
and tears, herein setting us example not only to pray, but to be
fervent and importune in prayer. How many dry prayers, how few wet
ones, do we offer up to God!" - Matthew Henry
"You must go forward on your
knees." - Hudson Taylor
"Groanings which cannot be
uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused." - Charles Spurgeon
"We are too busy to pray,
and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of
activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few
conversions; much machinery but few results." - R.A.
Torrey
"You must pray with all your
might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing
about in church or chapel with eyes wide open while someone else says
them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with
God...This kind of prayer, be sure, the devil and the world and your
own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on
this flame." - William Booth
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