This Sunday’s readings: John 17:20-26

Reflections

One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven men together make a football team.
~ A.W. Tozer, 1897-1963, Pastor/Author

The right manner of growth is to grow less in one’s own eyes.
~ Thomas Watson

The kingdom of self is heavily defended territory.
~ Eugene Peterson, Author/Pastor

Whatever disunites man from God, also disunites man from man.
~ Edmund Burke, 1729-1797, Statesman/Philosopher

Paul would not only be astonished by our lackadaisical attitude towards holiness, but he would be horrified that mostly we just don’t care – unity and holiness to Paul, is the greatest thing. Unity is easy if you don’t care about holiness. Holiness is easy if you don’t care about unity. … Paul was trying to hold these two things together through his ministry.
~ N.T. Wright, former bishop of Durham

A man of a right spirit is not a man of narrow and private views, but is greatly interested and concerned for the good of the community, to which he belongs, and particularly of the city or village in which he resides, and for the true welfare of the society of which he is a member.
~ Jonathan Edwards, 1703-1758, Pastor/Philosopher

You (Millennials) are the generation most afraid of real community because it inevitably limits freedom and choice. Get over your fear.
~ Tim Keller, Pastor/Author

All for one and one for all.
~ Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers

This Sunday’s readings: John 17:6-24

Reflections

True, a man will often have to wrestle with his God—but not for growth. The Christian life is a composed life. The Gospel is Peace. Yet the most anxious people in the world are Christians—Christians who misunderstand the nature of growth. Life is perpetual self-condemning because they are not growing. And the effect is the loss of tranquility to the individual.
~ Henry Drummond, 1851-1897, Scottish evangelist/Author

The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time. / But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situation where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.
~ Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

No one enjoys being cross-examined, or accused of having something wrong in their lives. But as we grow as Christians we come to the painful recognition that we have an almost unlimited capacity for self-deception. We slowly learn that we need to be stopped in our tracks by God. He uses Scripture to do this… We cannot reach our destination if we are travelling in the wrong direction.
~ Sinclair B. Ferguson, Pastor/Author

The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people.
~ A. W. Tozer, 1897-1963, Pastor/Author, Christian Missionary Alliance

And how often pursuit after spiritual growth originates in the natural self perhaps only because we cannot bear the thought of falling behind or because we seek some personal gain. Bluntly stated, the doing of good is not sin but the manner, methods, or motive in such good-doing may be surfeited with our self.
~ Watchman Nee , 1903-1972, Chinese Church leader/teacher