Quote

Most people are glad for somebody else to share their own story of how they have found spiritual help. The problems start when you begin to universalize your story - when your narrative becomes authoritative and begins affecting their lives as well.

Mark Dever

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Mark Dever
Age: 64
Born: 1960
Born: August 28
Erudite
Missionary
Pastor
Preacher
Theologian
Writer
the United States of America
Problem
Story
Begins
Wells
Help
Glad
Well
Spiritual
Begin
People
Lives
Problems
Helping
Becomes
Found
Somebody
Authoritative
Else
Share
Affecting
Stories
Start
Narrative

More quotes by Mark Dever

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For a Christian, our fears about the future are rooted in those places where our will differs from God's will.
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We can't know at any given time how God will bless our faithful witness. So the apparent numerical growth of the church is never a good guide to how faithful we have been in evangelism.
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I think it's unhelpful to suggest that the task of evangelism is essentially the responsibility of ministers.
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The more you come to know the Bible - both in reading it extensively and also meditating on it deeply - the more integrated your understanding of all of life will be. And this means that there will be fewer steps between what you are doing at work and sharing your faith in Christ.
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Every believer should evangelize. I know some Christians think that evangelism is only for people with special gifts for it, but I don't believe the New Testament teaches that. While Paul does say that some believers have the call to be evangelists, all of us have the responsibility of evangelism.
Mark Dever
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Our examples of enduring hardship are often more powerful than our stories of success and triumph.
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Correct division should be preferred over corrupt unity.
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Membership is the church's corporate endorsement of a person's salvation.
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There are opportunities around. It takes time and motivation to take them.
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If you need wisdom and guidance, then pray to the Lord to guide you.
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Christians are defined not by our heritage, but by our mission not by our blood, but by His.
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A gospel that in no way offends the sinner has not been understood.
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Sometimes we have to wait a long time to see conversions.
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Testimonies are great things about what the Lord has done for us, but no-one will be offended when you talk about what God has done for you. You need to be specific about sin, about Christ's death on the cross, about others' need for a saviour, and about their need to repent and trust in Christ.
Mark Dever
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If you are not offending people, then you are not an evangelist.
Mark Dever
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We mustn't be content to just sit around pointing out the errors in others we actually need to be sharing the gospel and praying for people to be converted.
Mark Dever
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Evangelism is not simply looking at someone and saying, Look, you have to become a Christian. Instead, an evangelist tells us the truth about who God is, and explains where we stand as a result of that. People can ignore us - indeed, they have every legal right to do so.
Mark Dever
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Sin claims to free but in fact it kills.
Mark Dever
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According to the New Testament, the church is primarily a body of people who profess and give evidence that they have been saved by God's grace alone, for His glory alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Mark Dever
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If joy or urgency are missing from our presentation of the gospel, then our testimony to Christ will be missing that sort of fullness that we find in the New Testament.
Mark Dever