Sermon Quotes: "A Real Mess to a Revived Mission"

Having failed to overcome the church by either persecution or corruption, [Satan] now tried distraction. If he could preoccupy the apostles with social administration, which though essential was not their calling, they would neglect their God-given responsibilities to pray and to preach, and so leave the church without any defense against false doctrine. John Stott

In this context, to be filled with the spirit means that their lives are directed by God’s Spirit so that they are spiritually sensitive, able to make good judgments, a sign of spiritual maturity. Darrell Boch

But of course! The word cannot spread when the ministry of the word is neglected. Conversely, when pastors devote themselves to the word, it spreads. John Stott

In order to be effective in the job to which they had been called, they had to devote themselves to prayer and to the preaching of the Word of God. The same applies in the church today. Every year, seventeen thousand ministers in America leave the ministry. A primary reason is that ministers in the modern church are not encouraged, equipped, enabled, or allowed to devote themselves to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. Today a minister is expected to be the CEO of a corporation. He is expected to do the administration and the work of development; he is expected to be an expert in counseling and pastoral care. As a result, we have raised up generations of pastors who are jacks of all trades and masters of none, and one of the reasons why they do not open the Word of God for the congregation on Sunday morning is that they do not know how. They have spent their time learning everything else but the texts of Scripture. RC Sproul

Our prayers reveal our true theology. Graham Cole 


There is no glamour in such work, just service, but that is how the church is supposed to operate. I thank God daily for the deacons of our church who are willing to give of themselves freely to these servant tasks and ministries of mercy that become increasingly more pressing in our midst. That is what makes it possible for me to study the Word of God and preach it, which is what God’s people most need. R.C. Sproul