John R. Mott Quotes

       John R. Mott
       1865-1955
      
       John Raleigh Mott was a long-serving leader of the YMCA and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946 for his work in establishing and strengthening international Protestant Christian student organizations that worked to promote peace.
      
       During Mott's remaining two years at Cornell, as president of the Y.M.C.A. he increased the membership threefold and raised the money for a university Y.M.C.A. building. He was graduated in 1888, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and history. In September of 1888 he began a service of twenty-seven years as national secretary of the Intercollegiate Y.M.C.A. of the U.S.A. and Canada, a position requiring visits to colleges to address students concerning Christian activities.
      
       The sum of Mott's work makes an impressive record: he wrote sixteen books in his chosen field; crossed the Atlantic over one hundred times and the Pactfic fourteen times, averaging thirty-four days on the ocean per year for fifty years; delivered thousands of speeches; chaired innumerable conferences.

It is possible for the most obscure person in a church, with a heart right toward God, to exercise as much power for the evangelization of the world, as it is for those who stand in the most prominent positions.     Topics: Evangelism In all ages conformity to the world by Christians has resulted in lack of spiritual life and a consequent lack of spiritual vision and enterprise. A secularized or self-centered Church can never evangelize the world.     Topics: Evangelism The GREATEST HINDRANCES to the evangelization of the world are those within the Church.     Topics: Evangelism In order to have real prayer and action to change things, we must have conviction as to the need of prayer and action. In order to have conviction as to the need of prayer and action, we must have knowledge.     Topics: Knowledge, Prayer The history of missions is a history of prayer. Everything vital to the success of the world's evangelization hinges on prayer.     Topics: Missions, Prayer Prayer alone will overcome the gigantic difficulties which confront the workers in every field.     Topics: Missions, Prayer A necessary pre-cursor of any great spiritual awakening is a spirit of deep humiliation growing out of a consciousness of sin, and fresh revelation of the holiness and power and glory of God.     Topics: Power, Revival Prayer is the greatest force that we can wield. It is the greatest talent which God has granted us. He has given it to every Christian.     Topics: Prayer The men that will change the colleges and seminaries here represented are the men that will spend the most time alone with God... It takes time for the fires to burn. It takes time for God to draw near and for us to know that He is there. It takes time to assimilate His truth.     Topics: Prayer It is easy to magnify human personality and agencies. Prayer recognizes that God is the source of life and light and energy.     Topics: Prayer, Power Let methods be changed, therefore, if necessary, that prayer may be given its true place. Let there be days set apart for intercession; let the original purpose of the monthly concert of prayer for missions be given a larger place; let missionary prayer cycles be used by families and by individual Christians.     Topics: Prayer, Missions, Intercession The Church has not yet touched the fringe of the possibilities of intercessory prayer. Her largest victories will be witnessed when individual Christians everywhere come to recognize their priesthood unto God and day by day give themselves unto prayer.     Topics: Prayer, Intercession