Discipleship Quotes

Happiness is activity of soul. ~ Aristotle.

Why do we calculate our forces, and consult with flesh and blood to our grievous wounding? Jehovah has power enough without borrowing from our puny arm. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

It is easier to lose a thousand disciples than to win over one. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

Your commitment to Jesus is a beautiful thing, but it will eventually dwindle down, unless you fully understand His commitment to you. ~ Carlos A. Rodriguez

After death something new begins, over which all powers of the world of death have no more might. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The trouble with deep belief is that it costs something And there is something inside me, some selfish beast of a subtle thing that doesn't like the truth at all because it carries responsibility, and if I actually believe these things I have to do something about them. It is so, so cumbersome to believe anything. And it isn't cool. ~ Donald Miller

Childlike surrender and trust, I believe, is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship. ~ Brennan Manning

All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. ~ Richard Rohr

The faster the motion, the less time to think. Fuselage journalism, Hugh Sidey of Time later called it. ~ David Halberstam

With a more expansive stretch, there's a better chance that I'll be around at the precise, random moment when one of my nephews drops his guard and solicits my advice about something private. Or when one of my nieces will need someone other than her parents to tell her that she's smart and beautiful. ~ Frank Bruni

As we grow into maturity in Christ our distinctiveness is accentuated, not blunted. General directions, useful as they are, don't take into account the details that face us as holiness takes root in the particular social and personal place we are planted. ~ Eugene H. Peterson

We must say yes to the gospel, and that yes is manifested in life as lived daily; or we can say no even by our inactivity. ~ Jacquelyn Grant

She had been carried away by the need to defend herself. ~ Stephen L. Carter

Shouldn't we just admit the obvious--that the New Testament call to discipleship, compassion, and giving leaves no room for the way many of us are thinking and living? Is it time to get beyond the theoretical stance of 'I'd be willing to give up anything if God asked me to,' and start actually giving up things in order to do what He's commanded us? ~ Randy Alcorn

The essence of a mature human being in religious terms is the ability to see, to be aware of others' suffering and to be touched by it. ~ Megan McKenna

Battles are won, not with weapons, but with God. They are won where the way leads to the cross. ~ Megan McKenna

It is ill to offer God one duty stained with the blood of another. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

It is a wicked sophistry to justify the worldliness of the Church by the cross of Christ. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

After the original rapture of conversion had settled in, (Bob) Dylan backed away from his obviously Christian lyrics and returned to his more metaphorical use of language. ~ Ron Jacobs

A writer at the time said, "Lincoln means to sink the man in the public officer. ~ Harold Holzer

The dues of discipleship are high indeed, and how much we can take so often determines how much we can then give. ~ Neal A. Maxwell

Father to teenage son: My relationship with you is more important than anything I've got to say to you. ~ Randy Alcorn

The main focus of this group is to help bridge the gifts and abilities of the pastor (and other staff) and laity in the church. Building the bridges that will link the faithfulness of the past with the possibilities of the future is crucial. ~ General Board Of Discipleship

True discipleship is for volunteers only. Only volunteers will trust the Guide sufficiently to follow Him in the dangerous ascent which only He can lead. ~ Neal A. Maxwell

As much as Henry Kissinger wanted to attribute historical movement to impersonal forces, he too conceded to "the difference personalities make". ~ Walter Isaacson

In healthy churches, the pastors life, not just his words, sets the tone for the church. ~ James MacDonald

A Christian atmosphere is no protection against preening egos. ~ Philip Zaleski

What God did for Jesus in standing up for Him, standing behind Him in life and in death, and in standing in communion and solidarity with Him, the Father also does for us, here and now, in our lives. ~ Megan McKenna

In the sympathy of Christ we find a sustaining power. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Sometimes the right thing to do will cost us our greatest sacrifices, but the rewards will always outweigh our losses ~ Robin M. Bertram

Romance depends upon imperfect knowledge. ~ Harold Bloom

Mohr was one of the most talented people on the staff of Time, in print as well as in person - the two are often different. ~ David Halberstam

Staffers tend to mimic their bosses, to take their key from them. ~ Chris Matthews

I have a pretty large experience of boys, and you're a bad set of fellows. Now mind! ~ Charles Dickens

He would henceforth worship and defend the very reason for Joy, the Almighty Maker of Joy. ~ Philip Zaleski

Discipleship is intentionally equipping believers with the Word of God through accountable relationships empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to replicate faithful followers of Christ. ~ Kandi Gallaty

Survivor" is not a label you choose for yourself. ~ Harry Smith

If teachers are uncomfortable at their own school, they will pass on their uncertainties or negative attitude to students. ~ Alexandra Robbins

We sucked in atheism with our canned milk. ~ Joy Davidman

It is one thing to know what is to come. It is another thing to confront it. ~ Geraldine Brooks

Today, we have many ways of defining success in life. Some define it as being a sports hero, others as being wealthy, others as being popular and well liked, and still others as being happy. How does God define success? He defines it as being spiritually mature! ~ Dr. Todd M. Fink

Since we never get everything we want or need from our families, we look for sufficiency in surrogates. ~ Richard Brookhiser

Bono has commented often that U2 did everything the wrong way around. Other bands started singing about girls and then found the issues in the cosmos and started singing about God; U2 started singing about God and eventually ended up doing a love album. ~ Steve Stockman

If virtue does not equal powers, powers will be misused. ~ John Howard Griffin

Just as at sea those who are carried away from the direction of the harbor bring themselves back on course by a clear sign, on seeing a tall beacon light or some mountain peak coming into view, so Scripture may guide those adrift on the sea of the life back into the harbor of the divine will. ~ Gregory Of Nyssa

The wings of the dove are as soft as they are swift. Gentleness is a sure result of the Sacred Dove's transforming power: hearts touched by His benign influence are meek and lowly henceforth and for ever. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The Church, like her head, has a glory, but it is concealed from carnal eyes, for the time of her breaking forth in all her splendour is not yet come. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The best measure of a spiritual life is not its ecstasies but its obedience. ~ Oswald Chambers

It is only the joy of hearing the gospel and being reminded that our sins are forgiven in Christ that will keep the demands of discipleship from becoming drudgery. It is only gratitude and love to God that comes from knowing that He no longer counts our sins against us (Romans 4:8) that provides the proper motive for responding to the claims of discipleship. ~ Jerry Bridges

We must help men and women see the epic in the ordinary details of life. ~ Matt Chandler

It is an EVIL thing to be an expert in the weaknesses of our brothers and sisters. We need to be experts in the strengths of our brothers and sisters. ~ Matt Chandler

God is the I AM that I AM not the I AM that we wish. ~ Jen Pollock Michel

By nature, we get more pleasure from God's gifts then from Himself. ~ John Piper

The church is the primary arena in which we learn that glory does not consist in what we do for God but in what God does for us. ~ Eugene H. Peterson

If you are going to walk with Jesus Christ, you are going to be opposed ... In our days, to be a true Christian is really to become a scandal. ~ George Whitefield

Laboratory research suggests that how we look and act in the virtual affect our behavior in the real. ~ Sherry Turkle

We have created a culture of leadership "development" in the Church at the expense of ignore the ministry of the Church to making disciples. ~ John Paul Warren

In the old days, it had been talent and style and brilliance and now it was more and more productivity. ~ David Halberstam

It's not easy being a missionary, even with the key to the cosmos in your hand. ~ Philip Zaleski

We can't really explain what the goal of mentoring is, until we understand what the church is for. ~ Rhys Bezzant

Discipleship is crucial to our ultimate destiny, but its cost is total commitment. ~ David Jeremiah

Nietzsche tended to equate the memorable with the painful. ~ Harold Bloom

It is the heaven-born instinct of a gracious soul to seek shelter from all ills beneath the wings of Jehovah. A hypocrite, when afflicted by God, resents the infliction, and, like a slave, would run from the Master who has scourged him ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The author, at the time a Carter speechwriter in the 1980 campaign, showed visible distress at his boss's performance and was warned by a friend in the traveling press, lest he become the story. ~ Chris Matthews

Our minds must be set always to seek the will of the Lord. Following the progressive discipline revealed through the Bible will result in a walk of obedience to God. ~ Billy Graham

When I look back upon my own religious experience," says Andrew Murray, "or round upon the Church of Christ in the world, I stand amazed at the thought of how little humility is sought after as the distinguishing feature of the discipleship of Jesus. In preaching and living, in the daily intercourse of the home and social life, in the more special fellowship with Christians, in the direction and performance of work for Christ - alas! how much proof there is that humility is not esteemed the cardinal virtue, the only root from which the graces can grow, the one indispensable condition of true fellowship with Jesus. ~ D.L. Moody

The advantage which disciplined soldiers have over undisciplined hordes follows cheaply from the confidence which each man feels in his comrades. Charles Darwin ~ Jonathan Haidt

Jesus calls us to his rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort. ~ A.W. Tozer

If your goal is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and most of your focus has been on finding the church that will best meet your needs, figuring out which translation of the Bible is the best, or reading the best books on discipleship that you can find, but your life is the same as it was before - I would argue that you aren't becoming a disciple. Nothing other than following Jesus Christ can make you his disciple. ~ Kevin Watson

The genealogy of blessing always traces back to God-ordained risk. ~ Mark Batterson

As frustrating as the battle for purity must be, I suppose it's easier if you've got company. ~ Kevin Roose

In our faith we follow in someone's steps. In our faith we leave footprints to guide others. It's the principle of discipleship ~ Max Lucado

Discipleship does not come from positions of prominence, wealth, or advanced learning. The disciples of Jesus came from all walks of life. ~ James E. Faust

Unlike mere action, prayer is not subject to immediate evaluation or verification. If we are addicted to "results" we will quickly lose interest in prayer. ~ Eugene H. Peterson

Shanahan (the head coach) doesn't allow failure to take root. ~ Stefan Fatsis

Love, its power and authority, always gets there first, comes to believe first, and always waits for the others, especially the leaders, to catch up! This is the reality of what happened among the disciples and the community of the Beloved Disciple, John, and those closest to Jesus, called His friends. They mature and develop differently from other disciples, and the community of the Church has to struggle with the fact that the last one anyone thought would be the leader was the one who betrayed Him and contributed to the dissolution of the disciples when Jesus was arrested and crucified. ~ Megan McKenna

We have to make these young people (of the Depression) feel that they are necessary. (They should be given) "certain things for which youth craves – the chance for self-sacrifice for an ideal. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I knew that (job) had to be a humbling role for my dad, but he never allowed it to become humiliating work. ~ Jeremy Camp

In every historical period, the religious groups that grow most rapidly are those that set believers at odds with the surrounding culture. ~ Nancy Pearcey

Let us live not only to serve God ourselves; let us live to help our children and their children live for God. ~ Dillon Burroughs

You should train disciples and followers to work and perform better than you did ~ Sunday Adelaja

Mine is to chew on the appropriate texts and make them delectable. ~ Gregory Of Nyssa

In the earliest days of World War II when London was undergoing the blitz but the United States had not yet been drawn into the hostilities, the US ambassador walked the streets during the hottest of the bombing and ask people at every level of British society what he could do to help. What a picture of our role as ambassadors of Christ's coming Kingdom! ~ Lynne Olson

I was determined to get them away from the idea that their education is a private experience. ~ Joan Countryman

The common soldiers did not blame him for his excessive grief. They knew him. They knew his flaws. Indeed, I think they loved him all the more because he was flawed, as they were, and did not hide his passionate, blemished nature. ~ Geraldine Brooks

A colleague like Barnabas could comfort him (Paul) in illness and keep him from overstrain when fit. ~ John Charles Pollock

To obey the commands of Scripture can finally become a delight when we see that the reasons almost always center around God's love and provision for us in Christ. ~ Matt Chandler

You cannot force people to walk with God. You cannot force them to repent. All you can do is live with integrity and invite them to do so as well. Take things a step at a time. Give them consequences when they refuse to deal with serious issues, and pray. Pray like the dickens. Pray every step of the way. ~ John Eldredge

Dost thou want another eye beside that of Him who sees every secret thing? ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Christian spirituality combines a sense of the awe and majesty of God with a sense of His intimate presence. ~ N. T. Wright

Don't make peace with the sin in your life. ~ John Piper

There is no balm in Gilead, but there is balm in God. There is no physician among the creatures, but the Creator is Jehovah-rophi. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

the heart of a prophet is not his own to bestow. ~ Geraldine Brooks

You can either be god of certain areas of your life, or let Me be God of your whole life. ~ The Skit Guys

When religion becomes so involved in a future good "over yonder" that it forgets the present evils over here it is as dry as dust religion and needs to be condemned. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

George III was incapable of passing on a sense of mission to his son might a given some purpose to the crown prince's existence ~ Henrik Bering

Worship helps people focus on God; fellowship helps them face life's problems; discipleship helps fortify their faith; ministry helps them find their talents; and evangelism helps them fulfill their mission. ~ Rick Warren

God answered prayers first by teaching the need to ask, second by using friends as holy messengers. ~ Davis Bunn

Worship may produce an outward change, but our inner condition will eventually be revealed ~ Richard J. Foster

Never was living beauty so enchanting as a dying Saviour. ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon