Our examples of enduring hardship are often more powerful than our stories of success and triumph. Mark Dever More Quotes by Mark Dever More Quotes From Mark Dever The difference between apologetics and evangelism is that in apologetics, you are answering objections that the world raises, whereas in evangelism, you are bringing the message that Christ brought. So unbelievers tend to set the agenda in apologetics, and you set the agenda in evangelism. Mark Dever agendas differences world We should want to evangelize because of the joy that God puts in our hearts. Ultimately, that's the best reason for sharing our faith. Mark Dever want heart joy I do want to pray for the Lord to glorify himself and, yes, I also will pray for an outpouring of his Spirit, but I also will rejoice in what he is doing now, and I will try to be a faithful steward of the gospel by preaching it "in season and out of season", as Paul reminds us. So I want to be careful not to make an idol out of revival, or to rely upon it to the point where I don't plan for evangelism. Mark Dever rely-upon faithful idols We live in a time when people are increasingly skittish about evangelism - Christians and non-Christians alike. People are suspicious of evangelism, and misunderstand it, which contributes to our reluctance to share the gospel. When you add our fear of others' reactions as well as our natural laziness to the equation, it's not hard to see why we make such little progress in sharing our faith. Mark Dever progress christian people I don't mind talking about a football game - that's fine. I don't want Christians to be unnatural. But I do want to hear them talking fully, freely and naturally of the things of the Lord in their own lives too. Mark Dever christian talking football Today is what the Lord has prepared you for. Mark Dever prepared lord today Let's say you don't want to stress the urgency of the gospel. Imagine that you are a hyper-Calvinist, and you just figure that people's salvation is a matter for the sovereignty of God. Well, if that's the case, there will never be the heartfelt pleading that you would see in a Spurgeon or an Edwards, or in the Apostle Paul where he pours out his heart in Romans 9 and 10 for the Jewish people. Mark Dever stress heart people Sin claims to free but in fact it kills. Mark Dever sin claims facts It's fine to deal with people's doubts and explain why they have good reasons to believe in Christ. But until we tell them the good news of Jesus Christ, we haven't done our job. They need a saviour that God has provided them in Christ. Once they know that, we can do as much apologetics as we need to. Mark Dever jobs believe jesus Prayer is the preview of God's action. Mark Dever preview prayer action My task as a pastor is to remind people of the need for balance. If someone wants to stress personal union with Christ, I remind them of the need for knowledge as well. If they want to stress knowledge, I tell them about their need to depend on Christ. Mark Dever balance stress people Worldliness in the church is a lot more pervasive than a lack of passion for evangelism. Nevertheless, one of the results of worldliness is a waning enthusiasm for evangelism. Mark Dever passion church enthusiasm Testimonies are great things about what the Lord has done for us, but no-one will be offended when you talk about what God has done for you. You need to be specific about sin, about Christ's death on the cross, about others' need for a saviour, and about their need to repent and trust in Christ. Mark Dever sin done needs Unbelief is like gravity, it's always pulling down on the authority of Scripture. Mark Dever gravity scripture authority Suffering can serve us. Suffering tests our trust in God's promises. And we have a great interest in knowing the truth about our trust in Him. Mark Dever knowing suffering promise I'll tell you what's more important than all the commentaries in your library: prayer. Mark Dever library important prayer If you are not a member of the church you regularly attend, you may well be going to hell. Mark Dever hell church may By the grace of God I am what I am Mark Dever i-am-what-i-am grace-of-god grace A church is not a Fortune 500 company. It's not simply another nonprofit organization, nor is it a social club. In fact, a healthy church is unlike any organization that man has ever devised, because man didn't devise it. Mark Dever healthy organization men Humility is not an 'added extra,' one of the lesser Christian virtues. If you don't have humility, you may be lost. Mark Dever humility christian may
