Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.
Billy SundayRead
Whenever a day comes when I can stand and preach God's Word without an agony of anxiety lest the people will not accept Christ; whenever a day comes when I can see men and women coming down the aisles without joy in my heart, I'll quit preaching.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of genuine passion and joy in preaching and sharing faith.
Billy Sunday expresses that true preaching comes from a heartfelt desire for people to accept Christ. He conveys that if he ever loses the joy and excitement in witnessing conversions and the accompanying anxiety about acceptance, he would feel it is time to stop preaching. This reflects the importance of passion and authenticity in one's purpose and work.
In practice
During a church service to inspire congregants about the importance of authentic faith.
Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.
The saloon is a liar. It promises good cheer and sends sorrow.
I don't believe there are devils enough in hell to pull a boy out of the arms of a godly mother.
The trouble with many men is that they have got just enough religion to make them miserable. If there is not joy in religion, you have got a leak in your religion.
The church is not a dormitory for sleepers, it is an institution for workers; it is not a rest camp, it is a front line trench.
The backslider likes the preaching that wouldn't hit the side of a house, while the real disciple is delighted when the truth brings him to his knees.
If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful, and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed.
I'd rather be able to pray than to be a great preacher; Jesus Christ never taught his disciples how to preach, but only how to pray.
If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer. Most of my struggles in the Christian life circle around the same two themes: why God doesn't act the way we want God to, and why I don't act the way God wants me to. Prayer is the precise point where those themes converge.
Our God listens to us. Our God is a living God. He's not a block of wood you made up that's not going to answer you. My God listens to me. He answers me.
To desire revival...and at the same time to neglect(personal) prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.
The Gospel purifies and renews, it bears fruit, wherever the community of believers hears it and receives Godβs grace in truth and charity. This is my confidence, this is my joy.
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