Nicky gumbel quotes

You can't change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.

Appreciate those who love you. Serve those who need you. Forgive those who hurt you. Thank those who help you.

I was an atheist and I came to experience a relationship with God which had a radically transforming effect on my life, on my relationships, on every aspect of my life, for the better. So, obviously I hope other people will experience that.

It doesn't really matter so much what the words are I don't think - maybe if you're a real expert in prayer you could do it through silence. But I think sometimes it helps to express it and to know you're expressing it to God. Paul talked about praying with your spirit and that's basically what it is, it's expressing what you feel deep down in a language which God gives you.

It is a great privilege to meet inspiring leaders from different parts of the church - Catholic, Baptist, Salvation Army, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Methodist, and so many more - and discover that what unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us.

There is a story behind every person, a reason why they are the way they are. Don't be quick to judge. Be kind and assume the best.

You reveal your own character most clearly when you describe someone else's.

Kindness is better and can be more powerful than force. Kind words may unlock an iron door.

The only label I would choose for myself is Christian, but if you pushed me and you say, 'What sort of Christian are you?' I'm an Anglican.

Even if you are at the peak of your career, and almost everyone is on some type of ladder to success and waiting to get to the top of their profession, but even if you get there is it enough? So think of this now rather than when you get there and not have thought about it before.

Don't let regrets about the past or worries about the future rob you of your enjoyment of the present.

We have been forgiven so much that nothing we forgive compares to the amount we have been forgiven.

Life is short. Make the most of it. Put God first. Love deeply. Forgive quickly. Laugh a lot. Find and live out your purpose.

This may sound pernickety but I wouldn't describe myself as an evangelical. These are labels, which I don't think are helpful. If I was going to use any label it would be Christian, and if you push me any further I'd say I'm an Anglican - that's the family of the Church that I belong to. There's nothing wrong with any of the other labels, but if you have any of them I want them all. If you're going to say, 'I'm Catholic, liberal, evangelical...' let's have them all.

Don't be afraid of pressure. Pressure is what transforms a lump of coal into a diamond.

One person can stop a great injustice. One person can be a voice for truth. One person’s kindness can save a life.

A lot of problems in the world would be solved if we talked to each other instead of about each other.

Difficulties come into our lives to develop us. Every storm is a school. Every trial is a teacher. Every experience is an education.

The words of the tongue should have three gatekeepers: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?

Personally I think people's labels are terribly unhelpful because they enable you to dismiss things.

Things are changed by a faith that defies obstacles and laughs at impossibilities.

I'm a Christian. I'm committed to Jesus Christ and I want people to know about Christ, because it's the most wonderful thing. People can say, 'I'll try and give up drugs,' or 'I'll try and live a better life,' but actually, if you're trapped in that lifestyle, you need, I think, some supernatural power to get you out of it. It's not easy to get out of the kind of lifestyles those people are in where all your family are criminals and all your friends are criminals - that is not an easy break to make, and it is a hard thing for a lot of these people.

Probably one of the strongest movements of the Holy Spirit is in the Roman Catholic Church, so there's not a huge theological difference between the official teaching of the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church.

Just because something isn't happening for you right now, doesn't mean it won't happen. God's timing is perfect.

We are very good judges for the mistakes of others, but very good defence lawyers for our own mistakes.

The resurrection of Jesus is rooted in history, grounded in scripture and confirmed in experience.

People may hurt you but God will heal you. People may humiliate you but God will honour you. People may judge you but God will justify you.

If God answers 'Yes', He is increasing your faith. If 'Wait', He is increasing your patience. If 'No', He has something better for you.

I was just praying quietly in tongues and I found that a really helpful way to pray. There are other times when I use the gift when I really feel I don't know what to pray or how to pray. I know what I feel but I just can't quite put it in to words, and I use that, I find it a helpful gift. I don't think you need to speak in tongues, I don't think all Christians do speak in tongues, nobody has to speak in tongues, nobody's forced to, but if somebody wants to I think it's a good gift.

If you want your dreams to come true, don't oversleep.

In your relationship with God there are also times when you want to say things and you're trying to find the words to express them. In a human relationship sometimes you struggle for words and you've got to do it, but in a relationship with God he can actually give you a language which enables you to communicate. In a relationship with God you feel things and you want to express them and you're not limited by human language. You can express what you really feel in your heart, through a language that he gives you, and that helps you to communicate with God.

The strength of your faith is not measured by the absence of doubt, but by the faithfulness of your life in the face of doubt.

I think God is back, I think there is a huge amount of spiritual interest in the country. And I think the bishops are supportive of it because they see people's lives being changed. They see the difference. I see people who've been in prison, whose lives have been messed up, who've been alcoholics, who've been drug addicts, set free and contributing to society.

Your age doesn't define your maturity; your grades don't define your ability; and what people say about you doesn't define who you are.

Just because you are struggling does NOT mean you are failing. Every great success requires some kind of struggle to get there.

I think everybody needs healing. My understanding of human beings is that we were created in the image of God but we are all fallen, and Jesus died for us so that we can be redeemed. Every Christian is in a process of healing in some way. God's original creation was good, and in some ways fallen away from that. And in every area of our life we need to be healed and restored and to become more Christ-like.

Too often we try to use God to change our circumstance, when God is trying to use our circumstance to change us.

The reason why people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go, instead of how far they have come.

The most precious gift you can give someone is the gift of your time and attention.

With our own shortcomings, we are in no position to judge anyone else. The best way to forget the faults of others is to remember our own.

When things aren't working out as you wish, be patient. Stop trying to move ahead of God. His timing is perfect. Trust Him.

I had a battle going on in my head: shall I just enjoy my life and then convert on my deathbed? But I felt I couldn't do that - it was now or never - so I took a step of faith and became a Christian.

Anyone can stay true to your face, it's the people who stay true behind your back that really count.

Life is too short to worry about stupid things. Pray. Trust God. Enjoy life. Don't let the little things get you down.

Sometimes God teaches us how to solve our problems. Sometimes God teaches us how to face our problems

A happy relationship is made up of two good forgivers.

Prayer for the city is important. For every city in the world, the city should be prayed for. Particularly for London, it is a strategic city for the UK as well as the world, therefore the future of London is significant to the UK, and also the rest of the world.

Don't undervalue yourself. God loves you. Your worth is what you are worth to God. Jesus died for you. You are of infinite value.

Success is not measured by what you do compared to what others do, it is measured by what you do with the ability God gave you.

Knowledge is like underwear. It is useful to have it, but not necessary to show it off.

Life is so short. Grudges are a waste of time. Laugh when you can, apologise when you should, and trust God with what you cannot change.

I think a lot of people do have questions about life, 'What's the purpose of my life?', 'What's the meaning of my life?', 'Why am I here?' ... It's hard to find a place where you can discuss those issues. You can't go down to the pub and say, 'What do you think the meaning of life is?' But actually, most people have those questions, somewhere in the back of their minds. And if you can find a place where you can discuss it with a group of people who, like you, are outside of the Church, and it's a non-threatening, relaxed environment, quite a lot of people want to do that.

In every generation, the world is changed by a few people, who stand for something, do not fear unpopularity and dare to make a difference.

It is only when we understand the transcendence of God that we see how amazing his immanence is, and what a huge privilege it is to be able to enjoy God's intimate friendship.

I have found on Alpha that those from an essentially enlightened background feel at home with the parts of the course which appeal to the mind, but often have difficulty in experiencing the Holy Spirit. Others coming from the New Age movement find that rational and historical explanations leave them cold, but at the weekend away they are on more familiar territory in experiencing the Holy Spirit

I think that when people experience something that seems to be supernatural, in some ways it cuts through the secular mindset.

Don't worry about your future. God knows you completely, accepts you unconditionally and loves you wholeheartedly. You can trust Him.

Let your dreams be bigger than your fears, your actions louder than your words, and your faith stronger than your feelings

I think that the gifts of the spirit are always subject to the control of the person who's exercising them. You're not forced in to doing it. Love never forces. And therefore 'the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet' is another way it is put. You don't suddenly find yourself taken over by a spirit and find yourself speaking tongues. You're in control, but it's a gift. You can stop and start as you please, but it's a way of communicating with God.

My position on the issue of homosexuality is no different from the position of the Anglican Church and all the major denominations around the world. I know that it's different from the secular culture in the western world, but it's no different from the teaching of the church globally. We're Christians basically.

Church is not an organization you join; it is a family where you belong, a home where you are loved and a hospital where you find healing.

Sometimes God calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm rage and He calms you

I think 75% of the population of Great Britain are probably still de-churched. It's the younger end, the 25%, the merging generation, who have no church background at all.

The cross is bigger than your mistakes, bigger than your regrets, bigger than the secrets you hold. The cross stands above it all.

Churches are not museums that display perfect people. They are hospitals where the wounded, hurt, injured and broken find healing.

Friendship multiplies joy and divides sorrow.

Stop looking for the perfect church. It does not exist. Even if it did exist, the moment we joined it, it would no longer be perfect!

Life is a huge privilege and opportunity. God has trusted you with gifts and abilities, which he wants you to use.

Until God opens the next door, praise Him in the hallway.

Just because you can't see the air, doesn't mean you stop breathing. And just because you can't see God, doesn't mean you stop believing

If the grass looks greener on the other side, it is probably astroturf.

Don't judge a person by their past. They don't necessarily live there anymore.

What unites the church is infinitely more important than what divides us.

I believe that sex is for marriage, and that's regardless of whether it's homosexual or hetero sexual.

If we knew what people had been through, their sorrow and suffering, we would not be so quick to judge.

Be thankful for every day. Learn from mistakes. Don't dwell on regrets. Forgive with love. Gain strength from every struggle.

Three principles of prayer: 1. Keep it honest. 2. Keep it simple. 3. Keep it up.

There are many things that were harder to discuss back in the 80's and early 90's than they are now, and this also works the opposite way for other things.

Physical heat sometimes accompanies the filling of the Spirit and people experience it in their hands or some other part of their bodies. One person described a feeling of 'glowing all over'. Another said she experienced 'liquid heat'. Still another described 'burning in my arms when I was not hot'.