Quotes about Church

I read the Bible, I speak through issues, I see what I think is hypocrisy in the church and things that are wrong, and I speak to these things. But I could be wrong.

I am a Catholic, not so committed to the church, but to the idea of the Virgin, the female face of God.

The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians, but a school for the education of imperfect ones.

If the Church is a living body united to the same head, governed by the same laws, and pervaded by the same Spirit, it is impossible that one part should be independent of all the rest.

I believe that the great tragedy of the church in our time has been its failure to recognize the importance of the spiritual gift of leadership. It appears to me that only a fraction of pastors worldwide are exercising the spiritual gift of leadership, organizing the church around it, and deploying church members through it. The results, in terms of church growth and worldwide spiritual impact, are staggering.

It's difficult to get the same fruit as the early Church when we value a book they didn't have more than the Holy Spirit they did have. To value the Scriptures above the Holy Spirit is idolatry. It's not "Father, Son, and Holy Bible." The Bible reveals God, but is itself not God.

We need all five of them, working together. In short, apostles govern, prophets guide, evangelists gather, pastors guard, and teachers ground.

Look forward to the day when the Church will declare, "Don't believe us unless we are doing the works that Jesus did!" I owe the world a Spirit-filled life, for I owe the world an encounter with God. Without the fullness of the Holy Spirit both in and upon me, I will not be a surrendered vessel for God to flow through.

What God has planned for the Church in this hour is greater than our ability to imagine and pray.

The antichrist spirit has a goal for the Church—embrace Jesus apart from the anointing. Without the anointing, He becomes a safe religious figure who is sure not to challenge or offend us. Paul described this deceptive possibility as "having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" (2 Tim. 3:5).

As we give ourselves to serving our city for the sake of the city—not for the sake of our ministry, our church attendance or even the church attendance across the city—we find greater open doors of influence.

When the Church discovers who she is, she no longer wants to be rescued. There's a big difference between being rescued from the big bad devil and being taken up for a wedding. And only one is acceptable for a believing believer.