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Quotes (660)

Gary Gilley Too many Christians, just like their unsaved counterparts, are impressed by appearances rather than structure; are seeking thrills and excitement rather than substance; are more apt to respond to emotional manipulation than a rational discourse. How does a church compete in this rather crowded marketplace? If entertainment has become the standard way of life (as some are suggesting) then how can the churches vie unless they become a bastion of entertainment? But if it gives way to this powerful temptation has not the church been transformed into something other than the church?

– Garry Gilley

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The idolatry of celebrity worship: Giving to man what rightly belongs to God.

Paul Proctor has written a much needed piece on the idolatry of celebrity worship, something that has taken our culture by storm. Here’s a quote from the article:

Under their exploited influence, our envy and infatuation often bypasses logic, reason and sound judgment, persuading us to listen and follow their lead even though they don’t know us and we don’t know them beyond the manufactured and well-guarded image we see and hear in the media.

This is the mysterious power of celebrity – a seductive and intoxicating force that too many covet and too few fear – a form of inebriation and delusion, and at times, insanity that incites brazen and bizarre behavior from those who fawn at the feet of fame, making them say and do things they would not otherwise.

The next time you happen to be anywhere near a celebrity, don’t watch them – watch the people around them and you’ll better understand what I’m talking about. Hopefully, what you see and hear will be offensive enough to keep you from being brought under the celebrity’s spell.

Proctor also addresses this same phenomenon within the church as he cites one pastor’s starry-eyed infatuation with the universalist Billy Graham. To read Proctor’s entire article, click here.



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Quotes (659)

A W Pink

Within fifty years of the death of the last of the apostles, so far as we can now learn, the Gospel of God’s grace almost ceased to be preached. Instead of evangelizing, the preachers of the second and third centuries gave themselves to philosophizing. Metaphysics took the place of the simplicity of the Gospel. Then, in the fourth century, God mercifully raised up a man, Augustine, who faithfully and fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel. So mightily did God empower both his voice and pen that more than half of Christendom was shaken by him. Through his instrumentality came a Heaven-sent revival. His influence for good staved off the great Romish heresy for another century. Had the churches heeded his teaching, popery would never have been born. But they turned back to vain philosophy and science, falsely so-called. Then came the Dark Ages, when for centuries the Gospel ceased to be generally preached. Here and there feeble voices were raised, but most of them were soon silenced by the Italian priests. It was not until the fifteenth century that the great Reformation came. God raised up Martin Luther, who taught in no uncertain terms that sinners are justified by faith and not by works.

– A.W. Pink

1886 – 1952

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The Two Trees

(From: Discernment Research Group at Herescope)
Meditation that is not founded upon the Word of God, like a labyrinth, is a maze that ultimately ends up in futility, going nowhere but endless spirals.

Those who have practiced Eastern-style meditation, with its emptying of the mind and/or visualization (imagery), often do so because they desire to acquire peace, or because they are hurting and desire their inner psycho-spiritual needs to be met. Yet they will eventually find that their needs are not met, and they are more empty than ever. Further, this type of meditation opens one’s mind to occult spirituality – even if it is done under the aura of being “Christian.”

Read the rest of the article here.

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Quotes (656)

Error is like leaven of which we read, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Truth mixed with error is equivalent to all error, except that it is more innocent looking and, therefore, more dangerous. God hates such a mixture! Any error, or any truth-and-error mixture, calls for definite exposure and repudiation. To condone such is to be unfaithful to God and His Word and treacherous to imperiled souls for whom Christ died.

– Harry Ironside

1876 – 1951

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10 questions for Voddie Baucham.

The following Q & A with Voddie Baucham is from Unashamed Workman.


1. Where do you place the importance of preaching in the grand scheme of church life?

I believe preaching is central to the grand scheme of church life (see Acts 2:42ff). Preaching/teaching sets the tone and the parameters for all other functions of the church. Our understanding of fellowship, evangelism, discipline, worship, etc., all arise out of our understanding of God’s word. Without sound preaching and teaching, all else will falter. Hence, preaching is of seminal importance in the grand scheme of church life.

2. In a paragraph, how did you discover your gifts in preaching?

As a young college student, I went on a preaching mission with several teammates of mine. I was a relatively new believer and had no experience sharing God’s word. Two of my mentors guided me through the week and helped me discover my gifts in preaching for the first time. I felt as though something in me was awakened for the first time. I’ve been preaching ever since.

3. How long (on average) does it take you to prepare a sermon?

When we start a series (preaching through a book or section), it can 15-20 hours or more. However, once we are in the midst of the text much of the background work builds upon previous studies and cuts the time dramatically. Nevertheless, crafting the message, adding illustrative material and mining the text for that last nuance, is a process that never really ends until the preaching moment. That’s the only time I can truly say I am finished preparing the sermon.

4. Is it important to you that a sermon contain one major theme or idea? If so, how do you crystallise it?

Absolutely! I am always looking for the central theme in a passage. There may be more than one, but I have come to realize that I am most effective when I limit myself to the main idea. I find that idea by analyzing the paragraph, then the broader context of the section, then the book as a whole, then its place in the broader revelation. Then I go through the process in reverse back down to the passage in question.

5. What is the most important aspect of a preacher’s style and what should he avoid?

The most important aspect of a preacher’s style is authenticity. When I started preaching, I thought my ‘style’ had to fit a certain category. As a result I mimicked some of my favorite preachers. I was constantly reinventing myself. Ultimately, I had to find my own ‘style’ and stick with it. That meant there was one less thing I had to manufacture. I had to realize that God gave me a unique personality and he intended to use it in unique ways. God gave us four gospels written by four unique men, from four different perspectives. I had to remind myself that it is as much of a travesty for me to try to be Tony Evans as it would have been for John to try to be Matthew.

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PuritansA Christian, if he has not a care, may be proud of his very humility. It is hard starving this sin, because it can live on almost nothing. . . .  Be much in meditation on death and judgment. A serious and frequent meditation on death will be a means to kill pride. Ask yourself: “What is man, but a little living lump of clay? And what is his life, but “a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away?”

– Richard Mayo

1631 – 1695

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voddie-baucham I believe one of the greatest crutches in the church is the nursery. Parents who have neglected to train their children have very little encouragement to do so when there is a place to hide them. The father who should be up in arms by the time he gets home from church because of the embarrassment to which his child subjected him ends up going home with a clear conscience while the nursery worker takes a handful of aspirin.

– Voddie Baucham

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Quotes (652)

Now I should like to know whether your soul, tired of it’s own righteousness, is learning to be revived by and to trust in the righteousness of Christ.  For in our age the temptation to presumption besets many, especially those who try with all their might to be just and good without knowing the righteousness of God which is most bountifully and freely given us in Christ. They try to do good of themselves in order that they might stand before God clothed in their own virtues and merits.  But this is impossible…Therefore, my dear brother, learn Christ and Him crucified. Learn to pray to him and, despairing of yourself, say, “Thou, Lord Jesus, art my righteousness, but I am thy sin.  Thou hast taken upon thyself what is mine and hast given to me what is thine.  Thou have taken upon thyself what thou wast not and hast given to me what I was not.” … For why was it necessary for him to die if we can obtain a good conscience by our own works and afflictions?  Accordingly you will find peace only in him and only when you despair of yourself and your own works.  Besides, you will learn from him that just as he has recieved you, so he has made your sins his own and made his righteouness yours.

– Martin Luther (From a letter to George Spenlein)
1483 – 1546

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Quotes (651)

Catholics are totally dependent upon priests for their salvation. It is the priest who is said to cause regeneration and justification in baptism (CCC 1992, 1213); absolve mortal sins in the confessional; dispense the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist; impart the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation; and offer the sacrifice of the Mass for souls suffering in purgatory. It is no wonder why Catholics trust their religion and their priests as mediators to usher them into Heaven.

– Mike Gendron

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Interview with Paul Washer on the background of his “Shocking Sermon.”

For those familiar with Paul Washer’s “Shocking Sermon” (featured on DefCon here), you will want to check out the following eleven-minute interview piece in which Paul Washer explains the circumstances preceding his delivery of that sermon to 5,000 youth.

You can watch the interview below, or download the audio by right-clicking here.

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Quotes (650)

Richard Baxter said, “Don’t pretend to love your people if you favor their sins.” Any pastor who says, “We don’t deal with sin here” doesn’t love his people, and it’s questionable whether he loves his God. Anybody who loves God loves what God loves, and what God loves is holiness and God loves His people to be holy, and if you’re indifferent toward their sins, then you don’t love people. If you say . . . as you hear preachers say, “God loves you, God loves you, God loves you,” then you have to immediately say, “And if you don’t turn to receive His Son you’re going to Hell.” If you love God and you love people you say that. And if in the church you say, “God loves you, God loves you so much that He gave His Son,” you’re going to have to also say, “God loves you so much that He wants you to stop that sin, He wants you to abandon that sin or you’re going to be put out of His Church. He’s a man who expresses the true and the pure, not some mushy sentimentalism.

– John MacArthur

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What would your church do with $130,000,000.00?

Apparently First Baptist Dallas has chosen to spend that amount of money on a church building. Of course, had this news come out sooner I would have certainly included it in my post How To Know If Your Church Isn’t Spending Enough On Missions.

Here’s a quote from The Church Report article on this $130 million dollar church project:

DALLAS,TX– The congregation of First Baptist Church Dallas today overwhelmingly affirmed recommended plans to proceed with a $130 million capital campaign to build an expansive new 1.5 million square foot, state-of-the-art campus, making it the largest church building program in modern history, according to church fundraising experts.


The CrossTalk Blog quotes house-church pastor, Ken Eastburn who hits the proverbial nail on the head:

“If the church is to be God’s plan for the world, the vessel by which the Good News of his redemption spreads, we are going to need to learn how to reach out to culture without becoming it. Expensive buildings don’t scream ‘we have been redeemed,’ they scream, ‘we are just like you.’ And that certainly isn’t the message that Jesus was nailed to a cross for.”

Pastor Ken Eastburn also lists on his blog some of the amenities that this new church building is expecting to have:

  • 1.5 million square feet
  • LEED certified (its green and energy efficient)
  • Glass structure
  • Stone water tower topped with a luminescent cross
  • Common area for downtown residents and guests
  • 3,000 seat worship center (on the second story)
  • 7 high-definition screens
  • Choir and Orchestra pit
  • Senior adult education center (under the sanctuary)
  • 300-space underground parking garage
  • 6-story education building for children/youth ministries
  • 2 side-by-side gymnasiums
  • Children’s play areas
  • Outdoor concert space
  • Adjacent parking garage with 500-plus parking spaces

After pondering yet another example of the staggering excess of American Christianity, this story would not be complete without directing your attention to the short video on this previous DefCon post (a video that I have not been able to bring myself to watching twice). It serves to do the above story justice by way of a necessary comparison and a much needed, sobering, priority-correcting, reality check.


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Quotes (649)

Stephen Charnock To imagine, therefore, so small a thing as a bee, a fly, a grain of corn, or an atom of dust, can be made out of nothing, would stupefy any creature who considered it. But how much more is it to behold the heavens, with all the troops of stars; the earth, with all its embroidery; and the sea with all her inhabitants of fish; and man, the noblest creature of all, and all to have risen out of the womb of mere emptiness.

– Stephen Charnock

1628 – 1680

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Not content with lowering the educational bar, one public school was selling grades.

Yet one more reason to support your local home school: a public school in North Carolina was actually selling grades. It reminds me of the Roman Catholic organization who sells indulgences; but I digress.

Here’s a quote from the news article:

“To my mind, it’s the integrity of the educational enterprise that’s at stake here,” said Daniel Wueste, director of the Rutland Institute for Ethics.

I’m sorry to report, Daniel, but you’re a little late. The integrity of government education was lost a long time ago.

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Quotes (648)

J. D. WatsonRoman Catholicism is the most evil perversion of Christianity Satan could devise. It is pagan, wicked, and deceptive. It is a works-oriented system that perverts the works of Christ in many blasphemous ways (the papacy being one) and was the reason the Protestant Reformation was necessary. How sad it is that many “evangelicals” today are trying to undo it.

– J.D. Watson