Rick Warren Closes Catalyst Day One

Rick Warren, for whom I have the utmost respect, closed day 1 of Catalyst. Quotable...

• God has not promised to bless your agenda--He invites you to join Him in His agenda.
• His agenda, in a word, is this -- "Kingdom"
• Jesus talks about the kingdom of God 157x in the New Testament.
• The kingdom of God is God's people accomplishing God's purpose.
• God's agenda is the church. It's not anything else, it's the church.
• To say, "I like Jesus, just can't stand the Church" would be like saying "Ilike you, I just don't like your wife." You'd be offended.
• If you don't love the church, you don't love God's agenda. You need to learn to love the church, even with its' warts.
• God created the entire Universe so He could establish the church. God wanted a family.
• You were created so God could love you.
• Stop trying to change culture, just create it.
• When you get to Heaven, God is going to ask you only two questions. 1) What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ. 2) What did you do with what I gave you?
• I've had my six years of Greek and Hebrew, but who cares? God continues to bless me the more simple I get.
• God doesn't give you money and fame for your own use.
• You have to figure out what God wants you to do with influence and affluence.
• The book Purpose-Driven Life brought in tons of money and attention. I had to make several decisions about what to do with the money. We made 5 decisions...
  • I'm not going to spend any of the money on myself. I still live in the same house I've been in for 14 years and drive a 7-year old truck.
  • I stopped taking a salary from the church.
  • I added up everything I'd made for 25-years and gave it back to the church.
  • I set up some charities to give money for AIDS.
  • I became a reverse tither (living on 10% and giving away 90%).
• I want to make a bumper sticker that says: "Tithe if you love Jesus. Any fool can honk."
• I had to decide what to do with this influence. I found the answer in Psalm 72. Solomon prayed to have influence "so that..." he could help all the marginalized of society.
• I learned the purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence.
• Most of the time, the church is known for what its' against and I intend to change that. I want the church to be known for what it is for.