What we do in public determines our reputation; what we do in private determines our character.
Max AndersGod chose Israel not because they were superior but because of what He could do through them for others.
Max AndersGod warned Israel, "And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it" (Ex. 20:25). To pollute something is to make it ordinary. God insists that any approach crafted by human ingenuity will produce a worship system just like all the pagan systems in the world. In other words, it will be common or profane - just like everyone else's paganism.
Max AndersChristians must allow no unclean thing to interfere with a harmonious relationship with Christ.
Max AndersGiving to God should come from the firstfruits of a person's labor rather than from what is left after the bills are paid.
Max AndersGod expects believers to improve their attitude in giving as well as their giving itself.
Max AndersCompassion is easily forsaken in the midst of prosperity, even when this prosperity is God given.
Max AndersGod is concerned that Christians live consistent with their profession even in the seemingly small and insignificant areas of life.
Max AndersCommon sense religion emphasizes the human contributions that are supposed to move the deity. Valid worship always begins with recognition of what God has already done.
Max AndersAttachments to older forms of worship may be comfortable, but they may contain elements of falsehood that make them unacceptable to God.
Max AndersGod wanted Israel, as He wants Christians, to learn to utterly abhor and detest anything that had the potential of coming between them and their God. The believer's enemies are typically internal rather than external, and they pose a powerful threat to spiritual health and progress.
Max AndersIn any spiritual undertaking, God's first order of business is to see to the spiritual health of His people.
Max AndersFear of the right type can be beneficial to the people of God (see Prov. 1:7), but the fear of man's hostile intentions seldom fits that category.
Max AndersFalse teaching - anything that would weaken the believer's ties to his Lord - must be confronted wherever it appears, even if that confrontation requires painful correction.
Max AndersWhile catastrophes do enter the lives of godly people, they attach themselves far more to people who reject Him.
Max AndersGod is not naïve in the giving of His laws; He anticipates our disobedience even as He commands our obedience.
Max AndersGod is enough like us to understand our problems and enough above us to be able to solve them.
Max AndersSince all wealth ultimately comes from God, His people ought to acknowledge His primacy by offering Him the best of their wealth, time, and abilities.
Max AndersGod's Word calls His people to adore Him exclusively and completely and to love people as themselves.
Max AndersBelievers should be more concerned for God's opinion of them than for what human opponents might do to their bodies.
Max AndersConversion is essential, but it is a beginning, not an end. The believer in Jesus Christ is not simply rescued from the penalty of his sin; he is redeemed to love God and his neighbor so that others might come to know him.
Max AndersWhen believers neglect the revealed Word of God, they are likely to turn to silly and unprofitable methods of insight.
Max AndersA healthy relationship with God is built on the internal changes He brings about through Christ.
Max AndersIf Israel is to please the Lord fully, they will live lives that are as distinctive among the nations as their Lord is different from pagan deities.
Max AndersThe believer who feels the agony caused by rebellion will grow to become the best intercessor.
Max AndersAll believers can increase their commitment to God by reflecting on His faithfulness and by considering the forms such commitment should assume in their experience.
Max AndersGod is glorified when His people find satisfaction in Him and in His provisions for them.
Max AndersHearing alone is less effective in learning God's truth than hearing combined with reading.
Max AndersBelievers are inclined to attribute their spiritual successes to their godliness when it would be more accurate to connect them with God's faithfulness.
Max AndersWorship is accomplished with the life as well as with the words and attitudes of people. Changed and transformed lives testify to the character and supernatural power of the God of heaven. Closeness to Him produces changes in character and holiness.
Max AndersRejoicing is the essence of genuine worship. A sad face (apart from remorse for sin or regret concerning the pain of others) is an affront to a gracious and generous God.
Max Anders