Quotes From Other Christians
Charles Finney:
“A vast deal of preaching in the present day, as well as in past ages, is called doctrinal, as opposed to practical preaching. The very idea of making this distinction is a device of the devil. And a more abominable device Satan himself never devised. You sometimes hear certain men talk a wonderful deal about the necessity of ‘indoctrinating the people.’ By which they mean something different from practical preaching; teaching them certain doctrines, as abstract truths, without any particular reference to practice. And I have known a minister in the midst of a revival, while surrounded with anxious sinners, leave off laboring to convert souls, for the purpose of “indoctrinating” the young converts, for fear somebody else should indoctrinate them before him. And there the revival stops!”
Charles Finney:
“How many times have you detected yourself in consulting vanity, about your dress and appearance? How many times have you thought more, and taken more pains, and than you have about preparing your mind for the worship of God? You have gone {to the house of God} caring more as to how you appeared outwardly in the sight of mortal man, than how your soul appears in the sight of the heart-searching God. You have in fact set up yourself to be worshiped by them, rather than prepared to worship God yourself. You {came} to divide the worship of God’s house, to draw off the attention of God’s people to look at your pretty appearance. It is in vain to pretend now, that you don’t care anything about having people look at you. Be honest about it. Would you take all this pains about your looks if every body was blind?”
Charles Finney:
“To preach doctrines in an abstract way, and not in reference to practice, is absurd. God always brings in doctrine to regulate practice. To bring forward doctrinal views for any other object is not only nonsense; it is wicked.”
Charles Finney:
“How often have you trifled before God, as you would not have dared to trifle in the presence of an earthly sovereign? You have either been an Atheist, and forgotten that there was a God, or have had less respect for him, and his presence, than you would have had for an earthly judge.”
Charles Finney:
“Preaching should be direct. The Gospel should be preached to men, and not about men. The minister must address his hearers. He must preach to them about themselves, and not leave the impression that he is preaching to them about others. He will never do them any good, further than he succeeds in convincing each individual that he is the person in question.”
Charles Finney:
“Understand now what lying is. Any species of designed deception. If the deception {is not a design} it is not lying. But if you design to make an impression contrary to the naked truth, you lie. . . . God calls them LIES, and charges you with LYING, and you had better charge yourself correctly. How innumerable are the falsehoods perpetrated every day in business, and in social intercourse, by words, and looks, and actions – designed to make an impression on others contrary to the truth for selfish reasons.”
Charles Finney:
“Preaching, to be understood, should be colloquial in style. A minister must preach just as he would talk, if he wishes fully to be understood. Nothing is more calculated to make a sinner feel that religion is some mysterious thing that he cannot understand than this formal, lofty style of speaking which is so generally employed in the pulpit.”
Charles Finney:
“Many preachers seem very much afraid of making the impression that they mean anybody in particular. They are preaching against certain sins – not that these have anything to do with the sinner; they would by no means speak as if they supposed any of their hearers were guilty of these abominable practices. Now this is anything but preaching the Gospel.”
Charles Finney:
“How many times have you confessed sins that you did not mean to break off, and when you had no solemn purpose not to repeat them? Yes, have confessed sins when you knew you as much expected to go and repeat them, as you expected to live.”
Elisabeth Elliot:
“If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to him and ask him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.”