--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sadly, there are some fine Christian…" description: "\"Sadly, there are some fine Christian people who believe that the only way to advance the gospel is to pray for revival and nothing else. You don't know..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mark-dever-3175_believe_sadly-there-are-some-fine-christian-peop_1553851.png" --- # Sadly, there are some fine Christian people who believe… ![“Sadly, there are some fine Christian people who believe that the only way to advance the gospel is to pray for revival and nothing else. You don't know if they have any non-Christian friends or if they have ever shared the gospel with anybody in the last 30 years. It's depressing going to prayer…” quote by Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mark-dever-3175_believe_sadly-there-are-some-fine-christian-peop_1553851.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mark-dever-3175_believe_sadly-there-are-some-fine-christian-peop_1553851.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/mark-dever-3175_believe_sadly-there-are-some-fine-christian-peop_1553851.png) > “Sadly, there are some fine Christian people who believe that the only way to advance the gospel is to pray for revival and nothing else. You don't know if they have any non-Christian friends or if they have ever shared the gospel with anybody in the last 30 years. It's depressing going to prayer meetings like that. I don't want to pray like that.” [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote criticizes a narrow focus on prayer for revival without active evangelism, suggesting it can lead to stagnation and disappointment. **In simple terms:** Praying alone without sharing faith is ineffective. Key Takeaway Combine prayer with intentional outreach. Themes faith evangelism prayer community disappointment Mood reflective critical concerned Type advisory observational When to use this quote - church gatherings - personal evangelism - faith discussions - mission trips - online outreach Key Concepts Christian practice mission strategy social engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can believers balance prayer and outreach? - What barriers prevent active evangelism? A Different Perspective Practical action is needed to complement spiritual petitions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christian Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-friend/) [Christian friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-friends/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [Gospel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gospel/) [Meetings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meetings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Prayer meeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer-meeting/) [Praying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praying/) [Revival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revival/) ## Related quotes > [Pride causes us to care more about what our non-Christian friends think of us than what God will do to them in their sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/pride-causes-us-to-care-more-about-what-our-non-christian-friends/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [You can't live the Christian life without a band of Christian friends, without a family of believers in which you find a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/you-can-t-live-the-christian-life-without-a-band-of-christian-friends/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Jeremiah thought that underneath that fidgeting, restless man was someone he could look up to. He had seen his friend go through many transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-marie-leach/jeremiah-thought-that-underneath-that-fidgeting-restless-man-was/) Jeanne Marie Leach > [“But for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/but-for-a-christian-there-are-strictly-speaking-no-chances-a-secret/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Palestinian believers have a unique experience with US foreign policy and our close ties with Israel. This alliance has many layers, but given the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-mcbain/palestinian-believers-have-a-unique-experience-with-us-foreign-policy/) [Ed McBain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-mcbain/) > [At college, I became friends with this girl who was a 'cool Christian.' They did street dance, then they prayed. It became my whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-coel/at-college-i-became-friends-with-this-girl-who-was-a-cool-christian/) [Michaela Coel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-coel/) > [“But in Friendship, being free of all that, we think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years' difference in the dates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/but-in-friendship-being-free-of-all-that-we-think-we-have-chosen-our/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Is any pleasure on Earth as great as a circle of Christian friends?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/is-any-pleasure-on-earth-as-great-as-a-circle-of-christian-friends/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“The church of Jesus Christ is therefore like the ocean. It is enormous and diverse. Like the ocean there are warm and clear spots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-j-keller/the-church-of-jesus-christ-is-therefore-like-the-ocean-it-is-enormous/) [Timothy J. Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-j-keller/) > [“Nor is it the spirit of those Christians - alas, they are many - whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer-2/nor-is-it-the-spirit-of-those-christians-alas-they-are-many-whose/) [J.I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer-2/) > [If you dont have appropriate boundaries, youll compromise your faith. I struggled spiritually for a while and I didnt have many Christian friends. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/if-you-dont-have-appropriate-boundaries-youll-compromise-your-faith-i/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [That's not really important what religion people are attached to, because by the same argument I have a lot of Christian friends and Moslem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/that-s-not-really-important-what-religion-people-are-attached-to/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [“In friendship...we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/in-friendship-we-think-we-have-chosen-our-peers-in-reality-a-few/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Thankfully, God brought wise Christian friends alongside to help me discover life-transforming precepts in his Word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-eareckson-tada/thankfully-god-brought-wise-christian-friends-alongside-to-help-me/) [Joni Eareckson Tada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-eareckson-tada/) > [Christ, who said to the disciples, 'You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,' can truly say to every group of Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/christ-who-said-to-the-disciples-you-have-not-chosen-me-but-i-have/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## More by Mark Dever > [“not the writings that come from prophets inspired by the one true God revealed in Jesus Christ, then why do we find those passages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/not-the-writings-that-come-from-prophets-inspired-by-the-one-true-god/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I think it's unhelpful to suggest that the task of evangelism is essentially the responsibility of ministers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-think-it-s-unhelpful-to-suggest-that-the-task-of-evangelism-is/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Prayer is the preview of God's action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/prayer-is-the-preview-of-god-s-action/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I assume that normally the Lord will be bringing people to himself through the instrumentality of the preached word. However, we have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-assume-that-normally-the-lord-will-be-bringing-people-to-himself/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [“The motive for discipling others begins in the love of God and nothing less. He has loved us in Christ, and so we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/the-motive-for-discipling-others-begins-in-the-love-of-god-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [If joy or urgency are missing from our presentation of the gospel, then our testimony to Christ will be missing that sort of fullness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/if-joy-or-urgency-are-missing-from-our-presentation-of-the-gospel/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [“Yet the Bible teaches that the local church is the natural environment for discipling. In fact, it teaches that the local church is itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/yet-the-bible-teaches-that-the-local-church-is-the-natural/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Sin claims to free but in fact it kills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/sin-claims-to-free-but-in-fact-it-kills/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Some believers are faithful in the way that they live, but at the end of the day, they will not share the gospel with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/some-believers-are-faithful-in-the-way-that-they-live-but-at-the-end/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [We do not fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not subsequently converted; we fail only if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/we-do-not-fail-in-our-evangelism-if-we-faithfully-tell-the-gospel-to/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Once we see more of our need and understand more of what Christ has done for us, he will become more precious to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/once-we-see-more-of-our-need-and-understand-more-of-what-christ-has/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Unfortunately, many of our churches calibrate their life to these nominal Christians. The predictable result is that you get fake, hypocritical churches that confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/unfortunately-many-of-our-churches-calibrate-their-life-to-these/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) [Explore all 137 Mark Dever quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sadly, there are some fine Christian people who believe that the only way to advance the gospel is to pray for revival and nothing else. You don't know if they have any non-Christian friends or if they have ever shared the gospel with anybody in the last 30 years. It's depressing going to prayer meetings like that. 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