Repentance is a rich biblical term that signifies an elemental transformation in someone's mind, heart, heart, and life.
David PlattThe dangerous assumption we unknowingly accept in the American dream is that our greatest asset is our own ability.
David PlattWhereas disinfecting Christians involves isolating them and teaching them to be good, discipling Christians involves propelling Christians into the world to risk their lives for the sake of others. Now the world is our focus, and we gauge success in the church not on the hundreds or thousands whom we can get into our buildings but on the hundreds or thousands who are leaving our buildings to take on the world with the disciples they are making
David PlattIt's important to realize that we adopt not because we are rescuers. No. We adopt because we are rescued.
David PlattThe boss says that games in hand are no good unless you turn them into points. What he's getting at is that games in hand aren't much good unless you turn them into points.
David PlattWe can accomplish more in one month of dependence on the Spirit than we can in 100 years of dependence on ourselves.
David PlattOur great need is to fall before an almighty Father day and night and to plead for him to show his radical power in and through us, enabling us to accomplish for his glory what we could never imagine in our own strength.
David PlattWe live in a church culture that has a dangerous tendency to disconnect the grace of God from the glory of God. Our hearts resonate with the idea of enjoying God's grace. We bask in sermons, conferences, and books that exalt a grace centering on us. And while the wonder of grace is worthy of our attention, if that grace is disconnected from its purpose, the sad result is a self-centered Christianity that bypasses the heart of God.
David PlattTherefore, when I look for a church, I look for the music that best fits me and the programs that best cater to me and my family. When I make plans for my life and career, it is about what works best for me and my family. When I consider the house I will live in, the car I will drive, the clothes I will wear, the way I will live, I will choose according to what is best for me. This is the version of Christianity that largely prevails in our culture. But it is not biblical Christianity.
David PlattIt is impossible to be a follower of Christ while denying, disregarding, discrediting, and disbelieving the words of Christ.
David PlattFor God to be holy does not just mean He is without error. It means He is without equal. May it not be said of any one of us that there is not respect for the author of the universe. He is sovereign over all nature, over all nations and over every single one of our lives.
David PlattI can almost picture the disciples faces. "No, not the drink-my-blood speech! We'll never get on the list of fastest-growing movements if you keep asking them to eat you!
David PlattI could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what was radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.
David PlattI believe that the gospel and the American Dream have fundamentally different starting points. The American Dream begins with self, exalts self, says you are inherently good and you have in you what it takes to be successful so do all you can, work with everything you have to make much of yourself. The gospel begins with God, the reality that we were created to exalt his name to the ends of the earth.
David PlattThe most glorious reason you exist is for the proclamation of the glory of God to the ends of the world. And it's more than having a nice life.
David PlattReal success is found in radical sacrifice. Ultimate satisfaction is found not in making much of ourselves but in making much of God. The purpose of our lives transcends the country and culture in which we live. Meaning is found in community, not individualism; joy is found in generosity, not materialism; and truth is found in Christ, not universalism. Ultimately, Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience, and enjoy.
David PlattI wonder sometimes, though, if we intentionally or just unknowingly mask the beauty of God in the gospel by minimizing his various attributes.
David PlattThe gospel beckons our sin-sick souls to simple trust in Christ, the only One who is truly radical enough.
David PlattThe journey begins, though, with understanding what it means to be a christian. To say you believe in Jesus apart from conversion in your life completely misses the essence of what it means to follow him. Do not be deceived.
David PlattThe gospel does not prompt you to mere reflection; the gospel requires a response. In the process of hearing Jesus, you are compelled to take an honest look at your life, your family, and your church and not just ask, 'What is he saying?' but also ask, 'What shall I do?'
David PlattSalvation has absolutely nothing to do with human merit and absolutely everything to do with divine mercy.
David PlattWe desperately need to explore how much of our understanding of the gospel is American and how much is biblical.
David PlattGod actually delights in exalting our inability. He intentionally puts his people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him.
David PlattConsider the cost when Christians ignore Jesus commands to sell their possessions and give to the poor and instead choose to spend their resources on better comforts, larger homes, nicer cars, and more stuff. Consider the cost when these Christians gather in churches and choose to spend millions of dollars on nice buildings to drive up to, cushioned chairs to sit in, and endless programs to enjoy for themselves. Consider the cost for the starving multitudes who sit outside the gate of contemporary Christian affluence.
David PlattChristianity does not start with an invitation we offer to Jesus, but with an invitation Jesus offers to us.
David PlattWhen God tells us to give extravagantly, we can trust Him to do the same in our lives. And this is really the core issue of it all. Do we trust Him? Do we trust Jesus when He tells us to give radically for the sake of the poor? Do we trust Him to provide for us when we begin using the resources He has given us to provide for others? Do we trust Him to know what is best for our lives, our families, and our financial futures?
David PlattSatan's strategies to stop the church will ultimately serve to spread the church. And Satan's strategies to inflict earthly pain in your life will ultimately serve to increase eternal glory with your God; 'Light momentary affliction.'
David PlattMaking disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching people the Word of Christ and then enabling them to do the same thing in other people’s lives—this is the plan God has for each of us to impact nations for the glory of Christ
David PlattGod's revelation is in the gospel not only reveals who He is, but it also reveals who we are.
David PlattWe are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that he evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him.
David PlattGod in His providence hasn't called us to watch history, but to shape history by praying in His Name.
David PlattIn our evil we rebel against God. We take the law of God, written in his Word and on our hearts, and we disobey it.
David PlattCaring for the poor is one natural overflow and a necessary evidence of the presence of Christ in our hearts. If there is no sign of caring for the poor in our lives, then there is reason to at least question whether Christ is in our hearts.
David PlattBelieving in the Jesus of the Bible makes life risky on a lot of levels because it is absolute surrender of every decision we make, every dollar we spend, our lives belong to another.
David Platt