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Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church QUOTES

Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church QUOTES

1 " Our ferocious commitment to our children's safety and success, along with our genuine love, drives us to endure the often unhappy experience of disciplining our children. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

2 " Because children already have a realization of their weakness, is this not the best opportunity to apply the gospel to their hearts? "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

3 " Sin is a fundamental failure to rejoice in what we should rejoice in. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

4 " Choosing one thing over another doesn't necessarily mean we love the thing we choose. If given the choice to eat spinach or broccoli, you may choose broccoli. It may only mean you don't want to eat spinach. Heaven is not for people who just want to skip Hell. Heaven is reserved for those who love Jesus, who have been rescued by Him and who long to praise Him. If someone doesn't have much use for praising Him now, it's foolish to think they're ready for Heaven. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

5 " Longing for something fresh, for something no one else has said often leads to bad exegesis. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

6 " Worship gatherings are not always spectacular, but they are always supernatural. And if a church looks for or works for the spectacular, she may miss the supernatural. If a person enters a gathering to be wowed with something impressive, with a style that fits him just right, with an order of service and song selection designed just the right way, that person may miss the supernatural presence of God. Worship is supernatural whenever people come hungry to respond, react, and receive from God for who He is and what He has done. A church worshipping as a Creature of the Word doesn't show up to perform or be entertained; she comes desperate and needy, thirsty for grace, receiving from the Lord and the body of Christ, and then gratefully receiving what she needs as she offers her praise-the only proper response to the God who saves us. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

7 " To obey the commands of Scripture can finally become a delight when we see that the reasons almost always center around God's love and provision for us in Christ. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

8 " Private worship excites us for public worship. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

9 " Worship shadows eternity and provides supernatural encouragement. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

10 " The pastor owns the opportunity to issue of the flock that it is OK not to be OK. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

11 " Moses challenged parents both to teach the faith diligently and to maximize normal encounters or ongoing discussion. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

12 " Jesus is the culmination of the greatness and the goodness of God. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

13 " The church is a whore, but she is still my mother. Augustine "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

14 " The Word, the Gospel, creates not just people individually but A people collectively "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

15 " We must help men and women see the epic in the ordinary details of life. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

16 " Your approval before God is woven into the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, not what other men and women think about you. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

17 " God ultimately raises up leaders for one primary reason: His glory. He shows His power in our weakness. He demonstrates His wisdom in our folly. We are all like a turtle on a fence post. If you walk by a fence post and see a turtle on top of it, then you know someone came by and put it there. In the same way, God gives leadership according to His good pleasure. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

18 " As you consider selecting songs for your worship services, consider them in light of the truth of the gospel. Imagine the songs as teachers--because they are! If your people could understand your doctrine only through the music you sing, what would they know about God and His pursuit of us? If your people could understand your church's beliefs only through the music, what would they know? "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

19 " Truly, God's plan of redemption is about more than me and you and our neighbor down the street. It's about men and women from every tribe, tongue, and nation on earth becoming a part of His covenant community. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church

20 " God has made provision for our sin in Christ. So when we struggle to believe and obey, we should run to Him, not from Him--the opposite of our pattern, in contradiction to our feelings? Why? Because He already knows! See the gospel just keeps changing everything. The cross should continually testify to us that God fully knew we would need to be justified. Therefore, unconfessed sin is actually the foolish decision to run away from our healing and growth rather than toward it. We hang on to things we believe will satisfy us, thinking we need those more than what God offers to provide. But how can we rejoice in and worship the majesty of a loving and forgiving God if in practice we don't believe He loves and forgives, if in practice we don't believe the gospel? How can our churches rejoice and worship corporately when our collective energy is expended carrying around the saddle of unconfessed sin and shame? When people walk in honesty about their fears, shortcomings, and needs--not in thoughtless disobedience but in grace-based freedom and forgiveness--they reveal a deep understanding of the gospel. To confess our sins to one another is to violently pursue our own joy and the glory of God...and to exponentially increase our rejoicing and worship, both individually and corporately. "

― Matt Chandler , Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church