For fellow participants, what I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to see is for people to share quotes from what they're reading. I'd love for you to share quotes occasionally with your readers and let me know about it. If you don't have a blog, you could always leave quotes in the comments here.
Let us remember, as ministers of the Gospel, what M’Cheyne beautifully said; “Depend upon it,” said he, “it is God’s Word not man’s comment upon God’s Word, that saves souls;” and I have marked, that if ever we have a conversion at any time, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, the conversion is rather traceable to the text, or to some Scripture quoted in the sermon, than to any trite or original saying by the preacher. ~ Charles Spurgeon
If someone feels a love for God’s Word and gladly hears, speaks, thinks, teaches, and writes about Christ, you should know that this comes, not from a person’s will or reason, but from the Holy Spirit. It’s impossible for this to happen without the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, where there is hatred and contempt for the Word, we should know that the devil, the ruler of this world, blinds the hearts of the people and holds them captive so that the light of the gospel, the glory of Christ, can’t shine on them. We see this today in the masses who are not moved by the Word but despise it as if it has nothing to do with them. But those who have any kind of love and desire for the Word should gratefully acknowledge that these attitudes are poured into them by the Holy Spirit. For we are not born with these attitudes and cannot acquire them through the law. This transformation rests completely and absolutely in the hand of the Almighty. So when we eagerly listen to preaching about Jesus Christ, the Son of God—who for our sakes became a human being and subjected himself to the law to save us—then God sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts through this preaching. Therefore, it’s very useful for us to remember that we have the Holy Spirit. ~ Martin Luther, Faith Alone, October 13© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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