Jared C. Wilson’s latest book the Pastor’s Justification is filled with memorable one-liners. Here’s some of my favorite:
“Good leaders know that emphasizing what they’re for more than what they’re against is vital for fostering forward momentum”(47).
“A pastor not interested in theology is like a computer programmer not interested in technology”(55),
“Your pastor may not be as gospel-centered as you’d like, but if he is a Christian who’s been pastoring for a while, he still possesses a wisdom that will benefit you greatly” (62).
“The pastor who will calibrate himself to the reality of the kingdom of God will have the strength not to be swayed by every wind of pragmatism”(86).
“Many local churches have ceased fishing for men and instead become keepers of the fish tank” (99).
“the message of our faith is not “I am justified because I obey,” but “I obey because I am justified” (109).
“Because you are a present partaker in the glory to be revealed, a future partaker in the crown of glory, and a beneficiary of God’s total saving dominion, you are free and empowered to shepherd the flock of God among you” (114).
“The long and short of it appears to be that an entire ministerial enterprise dedicated to meeting felt needs, supplying biblical advice, and providing top-notch production values has quietly become a huge success at drawing crowds but a huge failure at what the Bible actually calls the church to do”(119).
“the seedless fruit of the seeker-driven church movement brings me back to the fundamental malfunction in its teaching paradigm: a legalistic message predicated on human wisdom”(119).
“What expository preaching aims to do is explicate what the text means, expound on how it applies to the lives of the hearers, and explain its connection to the gospel story line of the entire Bible” (125).
“The gospel of God’s glory in Christ must be central in our preaching because nothing else even comes close to filling the eternal gap (the gap in the human heart)” (125).
“Some of the most theologically robust devotees of the doctrines of grace are some of the biggest jerks you’ll ever meet” (135).
“A community whose culture is gospel-intentioned is the antidote to programmed discipleship, where “church” is not the people but a set of programs and activities, and is relegated to fitting into the sovereignty of people’s schedules” (140).
