“The work of God's Holy Spirit begins with bruising. In order to be saved, the fallow ground must be ploughed up; the hard heart must be broken; the rock must be split in sunder.”
C.H. Spurgeon
“Again I must say it- what a tremendous thing it is to be a Christian! Oh, how we vie with one another in seeking earthly honours; how we try to prove that we are related, however remotely, to somebody who happens to be great- we attach great importance to these things. Yet what the humblest Christian can claim is that the is a child of God, born of God, out of God, generated by God; that is the very essence of what is meant, according to the New Testament, by being a Christian.”
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions— it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:4-6
Roger Greenway
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8
"Men have a great deal of pleasure in human knowledge, in studies of natural things; but this is nothing to that joy which arises from divine light shining into the soul. This spiritual light is the dawning of the light of glory in the heart. There is nothing so powerful as this to support persons in affliction, and to give the mind peace and brightness in this stormy and dark world. This knowledge will wean from the world, and raise the inclination to heavenly things. It will turn the heart to God as the fountain of good, and to choose him for the only portion. This light, and this only, will bring the soul to a saving close with Christ. It conforms the heart to the gospel, mortifies its enmity and opposition against the scheme of salvation therein revealed: it causes the heart to embrace the joyful tidings, and entirely to adhere to, and acquiesce in the revelation of Christ as our Savior."
"The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.... You are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. " 1 Corinthians 1:18, 30
“People who have no sense of conflict at all in their lives are patently just not Christians; they are in the sleep of death spiritually. The moment men an women become alive spiritually, they are aware of these forces and powers, and at once they are aware of a conflict.” D.M. Lloyd-Jones
"The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:17,18, 22, 23
November 11, during our worship, Pastor Hisashi Tateishi, missionary to Japanese in New York, shared a simple message on the 'Ten Commandments' and the 'Cross.' He also answered many questions. More info: Setting the course
“Though the [Civil] war would not end until 1865, the tide had turned for the North, and the president could begin tending to other matters. On September 28, Sara Joseph Hate, the editor of Lady’s Book wrote the president [Lincoln] asking for an appointment. She proposed that the president set up a national celebration of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, though originating in colonial days, had been only sporadically observed in the decades since- and never at a set time. After the victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, Lincoln was convinced that there was much to be thankful for, and he agreed to her proposal. Thus the annual holiday of Thanksgiving came to be an integral part of American life.”
Joe Wheeler, The Courage and Faith of Abraham Lincoln
“We have become, as Peter puts it, ‘partakers of the divine nature’ (2 Peter); we have received the disposition of God Himself. We look at things from the Godward angle rather than from the human and carnal and sinful one…. I need emancipation; I need to be lifted to another realm; I need a force and a strength and a power that I have not got myself. That is my need, and here is the answer: I am given a faith- I am given an outlook and understanding- I am introduced to a source of power- I see something that that other person has never seen. I see beyond. I see a might and a power that is even greater than all that is opposed to me.”
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." 2 Peter 1:3,4
“Mine are Christ’s living, doing, and speaking, his suffering and dying, mine as if I had lived, done, spoken, suffered, and died as he did.”
Martin Luther
"Christ... is our life." Colossians 3:4
“I am a missionary, heart and soul. God had an only Son, and He was a missionary and a physician. A poor, poor imitation I am or wish to be. In this service I hope to live, in it I wish to die.” David Livingstone
'Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."' John 20:21
