Mike McKinley

“The cross of Christ makes demands of us. It will not allow us to love the world and love Christ. It will not permit half-hearted devotion. If Christ is to live in you, sin and selfishness must be put to death.”

“But we're not only like Pilate in being cowardly leaders. We can also be like him by being cowards when it comes to suffering for Christ. That's another way of describing Pilate's sin. He approves of Jesus, he marvels at Him, he proclaims His innocence, but he's not willing to suffer for Him any way. When Jesus becomes too inconvenient, Pilate is out.”

“When church leaders make decisions driven by fear of man, the true church disappears. The truth is frequently unpopular, and standing up for God's word and against sin will sometimes make people angry. We need church leaders who aren't directed by popularity polls, but whose decision-making is dominated by what is right.”

“The question isn't whether we're guilty; it's how we deal with that guilt. Do we seek to shift it; seek to work it off; carry it till it crushes us; or give it to Jesus, let Him deal with it, and know the burden lifting wonder of a clean slate?”