Showing posts with label 2003. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2003. Show all posts

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Can't Stop Thinking BIG... Rick's Power of Exponential Thinking

Rick Warren explains "exponential thinking" like this:

"This is thinking so big that it demands that you depend on God to see it happens. It's what I call "the faith factor."


Thinking BIG is what Rick Warren does best. However, there is a problem.  The problem is, Jesus never said that you needed to have a LOT of faith to get things done?  He said, if you have the faith of a mustard seed... you could move mountains.  Jesus then went on to explain that the mustard seed was not a huge enormous thing at all.  Rick however, wants you, like himself, to be thinking BIG.... really really big, and he teaches that without big thinking, without a big church, without a big dream....and without doing his programs and reading his books and materials, listening to him teach or letting him lead your small group, you are not doing things the right, good and godly way. In fact, in contrast to his "healthy" church propaganda, you might just be one of those sickly,  "unhealthy" people or churches.
Here are some quotes from Rick about thinking BIG.

Here he talks about thinking on a "godly scale.".  (What on earth does that mean?)

“I want to challenge you to think exponentially when you consider your church and to think on a godly scale about how you and your staff could help usher revival and renewal into your community.  There are many ways God may lead you to do this and I don't want to suggest that there is one formulaic direction. See what God has to say about this--and then believe him for BIG, BIG things.” ~Rick Warren


The Need for Exponential Faith Thinking by Rick Warren,  Global christian Center 
Originally posted at pastors.com

If you are not thinking big, you are not thinking on a "godly scale."   Not thinking big.... you are not on the godly scale.

He explains what "exponential thinking" is..

"This is thinking so big that it demands that you depend on God to see it happens. It's what I call "the faith factor." You attempt to do something so big that it can't be accomplished by human effort alone. It requires a miracle. Jesus said, "According to your faith, it will be done unto you."  ~Rick Warren

Revival, Awakening, or Miracle by rRck Warren, Global Christian Center
Originally posted at pastors.com in 2003

Apparently, the book he wrote and sold, was "a miracle," one that came about because of Warren's own BIG faith. ( Never mind of course, that it really was not the gospel of Jesus.... sold to the world by it's publishers and there were marketing techniques used to get the word out that Christians and others should be listening to "Pastor Rick."    

Rick was thinking in the millions....

“There’s only one thing big enough in the entire world to solve them [the five global giants]. Only one thing. The millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of congregations that are spread out all around the world. I could take you today to a million villages that don’t have a school, don’t have a clinic, don’t have a post office, don’t have a fire department, don’t have a business, but they got a church. " ~Rick Warren

Keynote Address to the interfaith, Annual Conference of the 
Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) in September 2005.


Did you notice,,,, the ONE THING, is not JESUS CHRIST?

Rick also has his own P.E.A.C.E. plan.....which also is not about Jesus, but strategy.


“Now this is the strategy behind the P.E.A.C.E. plan. It’s a strategy to mobilize millions of small groups in millions of churches to attack the 5 global giants with a 5 point strategy.… P-E-A-C-E is the P.E.A.C.E. plan. ” ~Rick Warren
Saddleback’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, April 17th, 2005,

"This life you get 60, 80, maybe 100 years at the most. It’s very, really, quite short. On the other side of eternity you’re going to spend millions, and millions, and millions, and actually trillions, and trillions, trillions of years in eternity.
 ~Rick Warren 



And yes, all of those millions of people who have a peace plan that is of the world and not about Jesus,will have an eternity.... but without the Jesus of the Bible that "eternity" will be quite sad.  God has offered forgiveness of sin, for all who believe on Jesus... who gives a peace much different than the peace this world has to offer.... and faith in Jesus, not faith inthe words of Pastor Rick, is the only way. 

Rick is about breaking down denominational barriers.

"There have been movements that have come along that have broken the denominational barriers in Christianity, things like the conferences we do, and even stuff like Promise Keepers that kind of went up and then went down; you know, all of a sudden you’ve got a million guys on the National Mall, and they’re everything – they’re Catholic and Pentecostal and Baptist." 
~Rick Warren 


Influencing others.... 

"And so when I say I’m not a policymaker, that doesn’t mean that I’m opposed to Christians being in the public square.... I’m just saying that personally I’ve got a different agenda. My agenda is really of, in, for and through these millions and millions of churches that I now have technology to network together called the Internet, which allows me to sit in my bedroom and talk to guys in Brussels, and it allows me to influence any influencer." ~Rick Warren 

Myths of the Moern Mega-Chuirch pewforum.org, 2005

Influencing others.... for the "good"

“There is only one thing big enough to handle the world’s problems, and that is the millions and millions of churches spread out around the world...” "Well, the biggest distribution network in the world is local churches. There are millions of them, far more than all the franchises in the world. Put together, they could be a force for good.” ~Rick Warren


Rick has them all in his sight, desiring they beunder his leadership and control.

He says, "They could be a "force for good."
 ???
Does this infer that they are not?


He is thinking BIG.



Caravan (Can't Stop Thinking Big!) 
with lyrics 
(Song by Canadian band, Rush)

“Last Sunday, we took a special offering called Extend the Vision, for people to give over and above their normal offering. We decided we would not use any financial consultants, no high-powered gimmicks, no thermometer on the wall. It was just ‘Folks, you know you need to give.’ Sunday’s offering was seven million dollars in cash and fifty-three million dollars in commitments."~Rick Warren
THE CELLULAR CHURCH How Rick Warren’s Congregation Grew by M. Gladwell 9/12/2005









Friday, January 11, 2013

Laying Down the Law...

"The membership requirements at Saddleback are so 
high most American church members could not join us." 
                                                                                                                  `Rick Warren, Modern Reformation Magazine Interview, 2004


"As Christian leaders, we need to be above reproach... That’s why I established these Saddleback staff standards for maintaining moral integrity:

- Thou shalt not go to lunch alone with the opposite sex.
- Thou shalt not have the opposite sex pick you up 
                            or drive you places when it is just the two of you.
- Thou shalt not kiss any attender of the opposite sex 
                             or show affection that could be questioned.
- Thou shalt not visit the opposite sex alone at home.
- Thou shalt not counsel the opposite sex alone at the office, 
                          and thou shalt not counsel the opposite sex more than once 
                          without that person’s mate. Refer them.
- Thou shalt not discuss detailed sexual problems with the opposite sex in    
                           counseling.  Refer them.
- Thou shalt not discuss your marriage problems with an attender of the opposite             
                           sex.
- Thou shalt be careful in answering emails, instant messages, chatrooms, cards, or 
                           letters from the opposite sex.
- Thou shalt make your secretary your protective ally.
- Thou shalt pray for the integrity of other staff members." - Rick Warren

 The Saddleback Staff Standards of Moral Integrity by Rick Warren, 2003, pastors.com


Rick prefaced these commandments "standards" that he established for staff with, 
" I have told my staff that if any of them even flirt with temptation, I will come after them with a baseball bat, and I've told them to do the same with me. - Rick Warren

 The Saddleback Staff Standards of Moral Integrity by Rick Warren, 2003, pastors.com


Galatians 2:16- Galatians 3:3 KJV

" Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, 
but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, 
that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 

But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, 
we ourselves also are found sinners, 
is therefore Christ the minister of sin? 

God forbid. 
For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 

For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, 
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh 
I live by the faith of the Son of God, 
who loved me, and gave himself for me.

 I do not frustrate the grace of God:
for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, t
hat ye should not obey the truth, 
before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth,
crucified among you? 

 This only would I learn of you, 
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?




Rick Warren Poem Click Here