Quotes from James MacDonald

But a Vertical Church teaches its people to judge every circumstance and opportunity in terms of its potential to reveal "the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Word-centered people who enter counseling will be more likely follow the guidance set out in Scripture. Because they know more of the depth of their sin, they are more willing to allow other church members to help them stay on that right path.

I want nothing to be off-limits to God. He can have free access to all that I am, everywhere I go, all the time.

Watch out for the people who say that all is good between them and God but have no interest in being reconciled with the people whom their sin has injured.

Grace easily turns to hyper-grace in a world that has lost its view of God's throne room and a biblical theology of sin.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee."1

Preachers who pride themselves on never giving a public invitation to be saved, never calling for a response of any kind, reveal not greater fidelity to the gospel but a lack of faith in its power.

When we fail to assist people responding to the gospel at church, we train our people to repeat that failure at home and at work.

Paternity is a long way from fatherhood.

For life change to happen, we must commit to full cooperation with God's desire to transform us.

Most counseling cases today involve good desires that have become overgrown. In these cases most relevant passages of Scripture may not be those that rebut particular manifestations of sin, but those that remind us to love God with all our hearts.

At the height of his effectiveness, John Wesley was asked the secret of his impact for Christ around the world and reportedly answered, "When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn.

Wake up, dude! It's not about who you are. It's all about who God is.

We must not think that action alone is successful Christ-following. In God's eyes, the motives behind our actions are of paramount importance. You can want a godly family or a successful career or a low handicap or a beautiful lawn, but if you want them for yourself and not the glory of God, it's a fail.

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:13–14).

One of the most frequent sins of omission is the failure to get adequate rest.

Where is the church persevering in the priority of prayer?

Proverbs 18:22 says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing.

God calls us to have strength in our character and conduct, not simply a stiff upper lip in sorrow or a stubborn persistence during hardship. Secondarily, because the word is "passive voice," we know that the strength God demands He also provides. The strength does not come from a place inside us but a source beyond ourselves, namely, the Lord.

Of course God went after Jonah, inquiring gently, "Do you do well to be angry?"10 However, insane from isolation, Jonah answers remarkably, "Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die."11 Wow!

The Scriptures were written with built-in tension between texts and its resultant theology.

The core of humanity's sin problem is not a horizontal behavior to be corrected but a Vertical relationship to be restored.

I challenge you to be finished with rationalizations and hypocrisy.

God is holy, and to see His holiness means to do it His way.