Quotes from Jim Cymbala

We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).

The Creator of all things is looking throughout the whole earth for a certain kind of heart.

If Jesus himself prayed with "loud cries and tears" at times, then we can certainly feel free and unashamed to pour out our souls to God.

Reading the Bible on a regular basis involves engaging in spiritual warfare, because Satan doesn't want us to read it.

The Jewish faith in Jesus' day was dominated by rabbis—teachers of the law. Their doctrine was thorough. Jesus told them, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life" (John 5:39—40, italics added). They knew the written word of God very well, but not the living Word, even as he stood before them.

As a preacher myself, let me be blunt here. Preaching itself can easily become just a subtle form of entertainment. When I stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, he is not going to ask me if I was a clever orator. He is not going to ask me how many books I wrote. He is only going to ask whether I continued in the line of men and women, starting way back in the time of Adam's grandchildren, who led others to call upon God.

Spiritual accountability proved insufficient for Peter, because no outward teaching can compare to the inward power of the Holy Spirit.

All the human talent, cleverness, and church-growth methods in the world can never compare with the invisible but very real blessing of God.

One of the ways the Spirit glorifies Christ is to build up his body for the common good. That is how God strengthens his church. Since the church is a spiritual organism, it needs spiritual ministry to build it up. Spiritual ministry can only come by the Holy Spirit showing himself through human beings. His power flows through human vessels.

As we open up our church meetings to God's power, they will not always follow a predetermined schedule or order. Who can outline what God might have in mind?

when people know you love and care about them, you can speak difficult truth and they will receive it.

Did you bring people to where the action could be found?" God asks: "if you just entertain them or console them, tickle theirs, woe to you! At the throne of grace, I could have CHANGED THEIR LIVES! Did you dazzle them with your cleverness or did you make them hunger for ME!?" If a meeting doesn't end with people touching God - what kind of meeting is it? - Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire