Matt Chandler in the UK

Today I had the awesome opportunity and privilege to hear one of my mentors, Matt Chandler, live and in the flesh at Jubilee Church in Enfield. (I've never met him but he mentors me through his preaching each week via podcast) It was great to see him and his wife together on this trip to the UK.

Here are some of the quotes (or near quotes as I remember them) that I jotted down.

• Understand that the Gospel will be the stench of death to some people so pastor don't water it down to get a bigger crowd.
• You can't go hide and seek with God he always sees you and sees the motivation of your hear.
• The mainstay of your preaching should be this is who God is.
• I've discovered most Christians don't know what to do with difficult situations because they have bought into the lie that God owes us. (For our good behaviour)
• The reality of life is that if you live long enough you are going to bleed, cry and hurt. AND God is still God IN that.
• Fight or flight? I'm a sort of in between guy I slap them and run away.
• You can say whatever you like with your mouth but what you spend your money on shows what you really believe in and put your trust.
• There is a cumulative effect to ministry which cultivates growth: -preaching, worship, values, small groups, teaching, etc. . So what are we cultivating?
• don't know how much background you have in church but with church people you say lets try something different they don't usually say ok!
• Identify what takes your affections away from God and what rekindles your affections for God and do the right things.
• Most of us are not going to have our relationship with God hindered by morally wicked things but by morally neutral things.
• Pastors, Sunday morning should never be about you and your gifts but about Jesus and what he can do.
• When the kings (Organisers) run the church you end up running to the bottom line. Prophets & priests should run the church & pursue FAITH.
• If the question is: What can we pull off? rather than "What does God want us to do?" We are trusting in ourselves rather than God.
• The man of God uses a scalpel not a club. You shepherd people by being kind not cruel.
• Don't just be a champion of a doctrine but be a champion of Jesus. One that goes after the heart and not the mind.
• Progressive sanctification is a slow dirt path not a super fast highway.
• We can have differences but once we are digging in the bible I'm OK with that.

Then we went to OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE. The second important reason to visit Enfield!

Please pray for Matt and his family as he faces a MRI on Tuesday to update on the condition of his cancer.