To be spiritually dead is to be diabolically alive
R. C. SproulRead
The complaint that church is boring is never made by people in awe.
Interpretation
People who are truly in awe of something do not find it boring, suggesting that boredom comes from a lack of engagement or appreciation.
This quote by R. C. Sproul highlights the idea that those who are captivated and inspired by the experience of worship or spiritual reflection do not view it as dull or uninteresting. The sentiment suggests that true engagement and a sense of wonder can elevate ordinary experiences, transforming them into profound moments, while a lack of appreciation can lead to feelings of boredom.
In practice
During a sermon, the pastor could use this quote to emphasize the need for deeper engagement with faith.
To be spiritually dead is to be diabolically alive
Iβve often wondered where Jesus would apply His hastily made whip if He were to visit our culture. My guess is that it would not be money-changing tables in the temple that would feel His wrath, but the display racks in Christian bookstores.
The real crisis of worship today is not that the preaching is paltry or that it's too drafty in church. It is that people have no sense of the presence of God, and if they have no sense of His presence, how can they be moved to express the deepest feelings of their souls to honor, revere, worship, and glorify God?
We talk about predestination because the Bible talks about predestination. If we desire to build our theology on the Bible, we run head on into this concept. We soon discover that John Calvin did not invent it.
Without God man has no reference point to define himself.
I do not want to drive across a bridge designed by an engineer who believed the numbers in structural stress models are relative truths.
Capitalism itself is not to be condemned. And surely it is not vicious of its very nature, but it has been vitiated.
It is not our sexual preferences, the color of our skin, the language we speak, nor the religion we practice that creates friction, hatred and wars amongst in society. It is our words and the words of our leaders that can create that disparity.
As we get older, we tend to grow quite fond of the planets of belief we have constructed for ourselves. We build elaborate defense mechanisms to ward off attacks from competing ideas or new data. The system makes us comfortable but resistant to change, no matter how much change might be called for.
Those that think that wealth is the proper thing for them cannot give up their revenues; those that seek distinction cannot give up the thought of fame; those that cleave to power cannot give the handle of it to others. While they hold their grasp of those things, they are afraid of losing them. When they let them go, they are grieved and they will not look at a single example, from which they might perceive the folly of their restless pursuits - such men are under the doom of heaven.
I was promised on a time - to have reason for my rhyme; From that time unto this season, I received nor rhyme nor reason.
In the middle of the night, things well up from the past that are not always cause for rejoicing--the unsolved, the painful encounters, the mistakes, the reasons for shame or woe. But all, good or bad, give me food for thought, food to grow on.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.