[BBC List] read the first one and you will be forced to read the rest

[Mike Abendroth]

"For . . . it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe."
1 Corinthians 1:21

  _____  

William Barclay 

Any teacher ... whose teaching tends to make men think less of sin is a
menace to Christianity and to mankind. 

(The Daily Study Bible [Westminster Press], p. 207) 

Richard Baxter 

"I preached as never sure to preach again and as a dying man to dying men." 

" . . . the true pastor is armed with a special measure of life, light, and
love, that he may be a meet instrument for the regenerating of souls, who by
holy life, and light, and love, must be renewed to their Father's image.
Every thing naturally generateth its like, which hath a generative power.
And it is the love of God which the preacher is to bring all men to that
must be saved; this is his office, this is his work, and this must be his
study; he doeth little or nothing if he doeth not this." 

(What Light Must Shine in Our Works?) 

Our whole work must be carried on under a deep sense of our own
insufficiency, and of our entire dependence on Christ. We must go for light,
and life, and strength to him who sends us on the work. And when we feel our
own faith weak, and our hearts dull, and unsuitable to so great a work as we
have to do, we must have recourse to him, and say, 'Lord, wilt thou send me
with such an unbelieving heart to persuade others to believe? Must I daily
plead with sinners about everlasting life and everlasting death, and have no
more belief or feeling of these weighty things myself? O, send me not naked
and unprovided to the work; but, as thou commandest me to do it, furnish me
with a spirit suitable thereto.' Prayer must carry on our work as well as
preaching: he preacheth not heartily to his people, that prayeth not
earnestly for them. If we prevail not with God to give them faith and
repentance, we shall never prevail with them to believe and repent. When our
own hearts are so far out of order, and theirs so far out of order, if we
prevail not with God to mend and help them, we are like to make but
unsuccessful work. 

(The Reformed Pastor, (Banner of Truth, 1981; originally published 1656),
Chapter 2, Section 2, paragraph 14.) 

The ministerial work must be carried on diligently and laboriously, as being
of such unspeakable consequence to ourselves and others. We are seeking to
uphold the world, to save it from the curse of God, to perfect the creation,
to attain the ends of Christ's death, to save ourselves and others from
damnation, to overcome the devil, and demolish his kingdom, to set up the
kingdom of Christ, and to attain and help others to the kingdom of glory.
And are these works to be done with a careless mind, or a lazy hand? O see,
then, that this work be done with all your might! Study hard, for the well
is deep, and our brains are shallow. . . . But especially be laborious in
the practice and exercise of your knowledge. Let Paul's words ring
continually in your ears, 'Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me,
if I preach not the gospel! ' Ever think with yourselves what lieth upon
your hands: 'If I do not bestir myself, Satan may prevail, and the people
everlastingly perish, and their blood be required at my hand. By avoiding
labor and suffering, I shall draw on myself a thousand times more than I
avoid; whereas, by present diligence, I shall prepare for future
blessedness.' No man was ever a loser by God. 

(The Reformed Pastor, (Banner of Truth, 1981; originally published 1656),
Chapter 2, Section 2, paragraph 2.)

Advice On Reading

"Make careful choice of the books which you read: let the holy scriptures
ever have the pre-eminence, and, next to them, those solid, lively, heavenly
treatises which best expound and apply the scriptures, and next, credible
histories, especially of the Church . . . but take heed of false teachers
who would corrupt your understandings." 

1. As there is a more excellent appearance of the Spirit of God in the holy
scripture, than in any other book whatever, so it has more power and fitness
to convey the Spirit, and make us spiritual, by imprinting itself upon our
hearts. As there is more of God in it, so it will acquaint us more with God,
and bring us nearer Him, and make the reader more reverent, serious and
divine. Let scripture be first and most in your hearts and hands and other
books be used as subservient to it. The endeavours of the devil and papists
to keep it from you, doth shew that it is most necessary and desirable to
you. 

2. The writings of divines are nothing else but a preaching of the gospel to
the eye, as the voice preaches it to the ear. Vocal preaching has the
pre-eminence in moving the affections, and being diversified according to
the state of the congregation which attend it: this way the milk comes
warmest from the breast. But books have the advantage in many other
respects: you may read an able preacher when you have but a average one to
hear. Every congregation cannot hear the most judicious or powerful
preachers: but every single person may read the books of the most powerful
and judicious; preachers may be silenced or banished, when books may be at
hand: books may be kept at a smaller charge than preachers: we may choose
books which treat of that, very subject which we desire to hear of; but we
cannot choose what subject the preacher shall treat of. Books we may have at
hand every day. and hour; when we can have sermons but seldom, and at set
times. If sermons be forgotten, they are gone; but a book we may read over
and over, till we remember it: and if we forget it, may again peruse it at
our pleasure, or at our leisure. So that good books are a very great mercy
to the world: the Holy Ghost chose the way of writing, to preserve His
doctrine and laws to the 'Church, as knowing how easy and sure a way it is
of keeping it safe to all generations, in comparison of mere verbal
traditions. 

3. You have need of a judicious teacher at hand, to direct you what books to
use or to refuse: for among good books there are some very good that are
sound and lively; and some good, but mediocre, and weak and somewhat dull;
and some are very good in part, but have mixtures of error, or else of
incautious, injudicious expressions, fitter to puzzle than edify the weak. 

Baxter's Guide To The Value Of A Book 

While reading ask oneself: 

1. Could I spend this time no better?
2. Are there better books that would edify me more?
3. Are the lovers of such a book as this the greatest lovers of the Book of
God and of a holy life?
4. Does this book increase my love to the Word of God, kill my sin, and
prepare me for the life to come? 

(Banner of Truth Issue 11, June, 1958, p.1)

Lastly, take heed to yourselves, that you want not the qualifications
necessary for your work. He must not be himself a babe in knowledge, that
will teach men all the mysterious things which must be known in order to
salvation. O what qualifications are necessary for a man who hath such a
charge upon him as we have! How many difficulties in divinity to be solved!
And these, too, about the fundamental principles of religion! How many
obscure texts of Scripture to be expounded! How many duties to be performed,
wherein ourselves and others may miscarry, if in the matter, and manner, and
end, we be not well informed! How many sins to be avoided, which, without
understanding and foresight, cannot be done! What a number of sly and subtle
temptations must we open to our people.s eyes, that they may escape them!
How many weighty and yet intricate cases of conscience have we almost daily
to resolve! And can so much work, and work such as this, be done by raw,
unqualified men? 

(The Reformed Pastor, p. 68-69) 

Charles Bridges 

"Nothing will give such power to our sermons, as when they are the sermons
of many prayers. The best sermons are lost, except they be watered by
prayer. It is easy to bring to our people the product of our own study; but
the blessing belongs to the message delivered to them, as from the mouth of
God." 

The Great Head of the Church has ordained three great repositories of his
truth. In the Scriptures he has preserved it by his providence against all
hostile attacks. In the hearts of Christians he has maintained it by the
Almighty energy of his Spirit . even under every outward token of general
apostacy. And in the Christian Ministry he has deposited .the treasure in
earthen vessels. for the edification and enriching of the Church in
successive ages. [the underlining is mine to indicate the emphasis of the
author]. 

But let the remembrance of this sacred dignity give a deeper tone of
decision to our ministrations. Pastor . remarks bishop Wilson . .should act
with the dignity of a man, who acts by the authority of God. . remembering,
that while we speak to men, we speak in God.s stead. And this is the true
Scriptural standard of our work . .As we were allowed of God. . said the
great Apostle . .to be put in trust with the Gospel,. (the highest trust
that ever could be reposed in man) . even so we speak; not as pleasing men,
but God, which trieth our hearts.. Let it also connect itself with its most
responsible obligations . that we disgrace not the dignity . that we live
under the constraint . of our high calling. 

Christian Ministry, p. 4 & 6). 

Mr. Newton.s important remark may be considered as an axiom - None but He
who made the world can make a Minister of the Gospel,. He thus proceeds to
illustrate his position (for it cannot be thought to need any proof) - .If a
young man has capacity; culture and application may make him a scholar, a
philosopher, or an orator; but a true minister must have certain principles,
motives, feelings, and aims, which no industry or endeavors of men can
either acquire or communicate. They must be given from above, or they cannot
be received. 

(The Christian Ministry, Banner of Truth, page 24: where he quotes from
Newton's Works, by John Newton, vol. 5) 

.We have already seen that the weight of ministerial responsibilities
renders the work apparently more fitting to the shoulders of angels than of
men. It is therefore a matter of the deepest regret, that any should intrude
upon it, equally unqualified for its duties, and unimpressed with its
obligations. .Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.. But though many see
little necessity for preparation; here, if ever, labour, diligence,
observation and intelligence, are needful to produce a .workman that needeth
not to be ashamed. 

(The Christian Ministry, p. 31-32) 

John Bunyan 

I have . . . been often tempted to pride; . . . and though I dare not say I
have not been infected with this, yet truly the Lord, of His precious mercy,
hath so carried it towards me, that . . . I have had but small joy to give
way to such a thing; for it hath been my every day's portion to be let into
the evil of my own heart. . . . I have had also . . . some notable place or
other of the Word presented before me, which word hath contained in it some
sharp and piercing sentence concerning the perishing of the soul,
notwithstanding gifts; . . . as, for instance . . . 'Though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding
brass, and a tinkling cymbal' (1 Cor. 13.1, 2). 

A tinkling cymbal is an instrument of music, with which a skilful player can
make such melodious and heart-inflaming music, that all who hear him play
can scarcely hold from dancing; and yet behold the cymbal hath not life,
neither comes the music from it, but because of the art of him that plays
therewith; so then the instrument at last may come to naught and perish,
though, in times past, such music hath been made upon it. 

Just thus I saw it was and will be with them who have gifts, but want saving
grace, they are in the hand of Christ, as the cymbal in the hand of David;
and as David could, with the cymbal, make that mirth in the service of God,
as to elevate the hearts of the worshippers, so Christ can use these gifted
men, as with them to affect the souls of His people in His church; yet when
He hath done all, hang them by as lifeless, though sounding cymbals. 

This consideration . . . [was] a maul on the head of pride, and desire of
vain glory; what, thought I, shall I be proud because I am a sounding brass?
. . . Hath not the least creature that hath life, more of God in it than
these? . . . A little grace, a little love, a little of the true fear of
God, is better than all these gifts. . . . 

Thus, therefore, . . . though gifts in themselves [are] good to the thing
for which they are designed, to wit, the edification of others; yet empty
and without power to save the soul of him that hath them, if they be alone.
. . . This showed me, too, that gifts being alone, were dangerous . . .
because of those evils that attend them that have them, to wit, pride,
desire of vain glory, self-conceit, etc., all of which were easily blown up
at the applause and commendation of every unadvised Christian, to the
endangering of a poor creature to fall into the condemnation of the devil. 

I saw therefore that he that hath gifts had need be let into a sight of the
nature of them, to wit, that they come short of making of him to be in a
truly saved condition, lest he rest in them, and so fall short of the grace
of God. He hath also cause to walk humbly with God, and be little in his own
eyes, and to remember withal, that his gifts are not his own, but the
church's; and that by them he is made a servant to the church; and that he
must give at last an account of his stewardship unto the Lord Jesus; and to
give a good account, will be a blessed thing. 

Let all men therefore prize a little with the fear of the Lord; gifts indeed
are desirable, but yet great grace and small gifts are better than great
gifts and no grace. It doth not say, the Lord gives gifts and glory, but the
Lord gives grace and glory; and blessed is such an one to whom the Lord
gives grace, true grace, for that is a certain forerunner of glory. 

(Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, originally published in 1666; from
the section "A Brief Account of the Author's Call to the Work of the
Ministry.".) 

John Calvin 

The majesty of God is...indissolubly connected with the public preaching of
his truth . . . If his word is not allowed to have authority, it is the same
as though its despisers attempted to thrust God from heaven. 

(commenting on Jer. 5:13) 

R. L. Dabney 

"The state of the pulpit may always be taken as an index of that of the
church. Whenever the pulpit is evangelical, the piety of the people is in
some degree healthy; a perversion of the pulpit is surely followed by
spiritual apostasy in the church." 

The preacher is a herald; his work is heralding the King's message. . . .
Now the herald does not invent his message; he merely transmits and explains
it. It is not his to criticise its wisdom or fitness; this belongs to his
sovereign alone. On the one hand, . . . he is an intelligent medium of
communication with the king's enemies; he has brains as well as a tongue;
and he is expected so to deliver and explain his master's mind, that the
other party shall receive not only the mechanical sounds, but the true
meaning of the message. On the other hand, it wholly transcends his office
to presume to correct the tenour of the propositions he conveys, by either
additions or change. These are the words of God's commission to an ancient
preacher: "Arise, go unto Ninevah, that great city, and preach unto it the
preaching that I bid thee." 

The preacher's task may be correctly explained as that of (instrumentally)
forming the image of Christ upon the souls of men. The plastic substance is
the human heart. The die which is provided for the workman is the revealed
Word; and the impression to be formed is the divine image of knowledge and
true holiness. God, who made the soul, and therefore knows it, made the die.
He obviously knew best how to shape it, in order to produce the imprint he
desired. Now the workman's business is not to criticise, recarve, or erase
anything in the die which was committed to him; but simply to press it down
faithfully upon the substance to be impressed, observing the conditions of
the work assigned him in his instructions. In this view, how plain is it,
that preaching should be simply representative of Bible truths, and in Bible
proportions! The preacher's business is to take what is given him in the
Scriptures, as it is given to him, and to endeavour to imprint it on the
souls of men. All else is God's work. The die is just such, so large, so
sharp, so hard, and has just such an "image and superscription" on it, as
God would have. Thus He judged, in giving it to us. With this, "the man of
God is perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim 3:17) This
is enough for us. 

(Evangelical Eloquence: A Course of Lectures on Preaching (Banner of Truth,
1999; originally published as Sacred Rhetoric, 1870; first Banner of Truth
edition published as R.L. Dabney on Preaching in 1979), p. 36-37.) 

Mark Dever 

What about the role of the preacher of God's Word? If you are looking for a
good church, this is the most important thing to consider. I don't care how
friendly you think the church members are. I don't care how good you think
the music is. . . . The congregation's commitment to the centrality of the
Word coming from . . . the preacher, the one specially gifted by God and
called to that ministry, is the most important thing you can look for in a
church. . . . 

Preachers are not called to preach what's popular according to the polls . .
. People already know all that. What life does that bring? We're not called
to preach merely moral exhortations or history lessons or social
commentaries . . . We are called to preach the Word of God to the church of
God and to everyone in His creation. This is how God brings life. Each
person . . . is flawed and has faults and has sinned against God. And the
terrible thing about our fallen natures is that we are greedy for ways to
justify our sins against God. Every single one of us wants to know how we
can defend ourselves from God's charges. Therefore we are in desperate need
to hear God's Word brought honestly to us, so that we don't just hear what
we want to hear but rather what God has actually said. 

All of this is important . . . because God's Holy Spirit creates His people
by His Word. 

This is why Paul told Timothy to "form a committee." Right? Of course not! .
. . "Take a survey"? No! . . . "Spend yourself in visiting"? No! . . . "Read
a book"? No! Paul never told young Timothy to do any of those things. 

Paul told Timothy, straight and clear, to "Preach the Word" (2 Tim. 4:2).
This is the great imperative. This is why the apostles earlier had
determined that, even thought there were problems with the equitable
distribution of financial aid in Jerusalem, the church would just have to
find others to solve their problems, because, "We . . . will give our
attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word" (Acts 6:4). Why this
priority? Because this Word is "the word of life" (Phil. 2:16). That is the
great task of the preacher: to "hold out the word of life" to people who
need it for their souls. 

(Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Crossway, 2000), p. 38-39.) 

Richard Goswiller 

There are many today who think of the call of God as something old
fashioned; they see no need for such a thing in today's modern and
sophisticated world. But I am going to suggest and defend that the call to
pastoral ministry is by far the single most important matter to the pastor! 

Men do not choose to preach, they are called to preach!

(Pastoral Ministry Syllabus) 

Is there urgency, or personal constraint? You know that you must do this
great task. You have the feeling that you can do nothing else. Spurgeon
always told his students, If you can do anything else do it. If you can stay
out of the ministry, stay out of the ministry. I agree whole-heartedly! The
man who is really called will not be able to do anything else with his life.


(Pastoral Ministry Syllabus) 

The Glory of the Ministry 

A. Introduction 

The standard of preaching in the modern world is deplorable. There are few
great preachers. Many clergy do not seem to believe in it any more as a
powerful way in which to proclaim the gospel and change the life. This is
the age of sermonette; and sermonettes make Christianettes. Much of the
current uncertainty about the gospel and the mission of the Church must be
due to a generation of preachers which has lost confidence in the Word of
God, and no longer takes the trouble to study it in depth and to proclaim it
without fear or favour. 

Preaching is indispensable to Christianity. Without preaching a necessary
part of its authenticity has been lost. For Christianity is, in its very
essence, a religion of the Word of God . . . We must speak what He has
spoken. Hence the paramount obligation to preach.. 

(both quotes from Between Two Worlds, by John Stott. Pp. 7 & 15
respectively) 

THUS I WANT TO DEEPLY IMPRESS UPON YOUR HEART AGAIN THE PASTORAL EMPHASIS AS
I SEE IT -- PREACH THE WORD! AND THE GLORY OF THE MINISTRY IS SURELY RELATED
FIRST AND FOREMOST TO THIS SUPREME DIVINE TASK GIVEN TO US BY GOD! 

B. The ministerial succession 

I want to take you through a brief history of those who were called to the
ministry, and responded to the call in faith and obedience. For the modern
minister of the gospel stands in this incredible line of succession! 

1) From Noah (2 Peter 2:5) 

This is the first mentioned preacher of righteousness. He stood on the gap
for God, all alone, and in a difficult time! He had the very difficult task
of warning of impending judgment, but was faithful to it! 

2) From the Old Testament prophets 

And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers,
rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people
and on His dwelling place. (2 Chronicles 36:15). 

This, and other passages like it, picture God as rising up early and calling
out to His people, crying out to Israel. But He did His work through these
men that He had called to preach His word. It was a difficult task to
represent God (v. 16 in the above passage says that Israel would not listen
to them), and they usually paid the price, but they were faithful to their
high calling! 

3) From the ministry of Jesus (Mark 1:14-15; 38-39) 

Jesus came forth as the Father.s great representative. He claimed that the
anointing of the Spirit was upon Him, that He might preach the gospel to the
captives (see Luke 4:16-30). It is also important to note that the essence
of His preaching message was a call to repentance and a return to true
spiritual life and vitality! 

4) From the New Testament apostles (Acts 6:2; 2 Tim. 4:1-2) 

The New Testament apostles caught the vision, and they realized the
importance of the preaching aspect of their ministry. They seemed to sense
the urgency of the hour and they sought every opportunity to preach the word
and to minister to others. 

5) From the church fathers 

The preaching ministry of Chrysostom would be an outstanding example from
this era. His preaching ministry was characterized by systematic Bible
exposition; by being simple and straight-forward (literal exegesis); by
realistic application; and by a fearlessness in his renunciation of all
unrighteousness (he was even exiled as a result)! 

6) From the church reformers 

The reformers brought back the importance of the Bible (sola Scriptura) and
the need for sound expository and systematic Bible teaching. The writings of
these great saints reveal their enthusiasm for God and their love of
ministry to God.s people. Calvin declared in his Institutes of the Christian
Religion that the first and major work of a true church is faithful
preaching of the Word! 

7) From the Puritans and revivalists 

Note the major thrust of the ministries of the Puritans such as Richard
Baxter, Thomas Goodwin, Richard Sibbes, John Owen, Stephen Charnock, and all
the others. Their emphasis was the word of God, and the proper preaching and
teaching of that word to God.s people. They sought to excel as effective
preachers. 

In addition, note the emphasis of the revivalists of this era like Jonathan
Edwards, George Whitefield and the Wesleys. All of them emphasized the word
of God and the faithful proclamation of it! 

8) From the greats of the 19th and 20th centuries 

Note how God used faithful ministers like Charles Spurgeon, J.C. Ryle, G.
Campbell Morgan, A.W. Tozer, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Chuck Smith and many
others, These ministries are all characterized by an emphasis upon the word
of God and a return to pure and simple Bible exposition. 

C) The glorious work of the ministry 

This is the tradition that you stand in if you are faithful to your call to
ministry! These are the relatively few that have been chosen to be God.s
representatives. What a tremendous privilege! What great company we stand
in! We are specially called to be the Lord.s co-laborers in the work He
wants to accomplish in both the world and the church. We have the great
privilege of observing the glory of God as He ministers through us by His
Spirit! What a delight! And what a glorious thrill! So I exhort you to take
your calling seriously, and to never forget that it is the greatest
privilege and opportunity that can be afforded a human being! 

(Pastoral Ministry Syllabus) 

William Gouge 

The subject matter to be preached is here called "the word of God." Although
that which is spoken by ministers is only the sound of a man's voice, yet
that which true ministers of God preach in exercising their ministerial
function is the word of God. Thus it is said of the apostles, "They spoke
the word of God," Acts 4:31, and it is said of the people of Antioch, that
"almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God," Acts 13:44. 

That which ministers do or ought to preach is called the word of God in four
respects. 

1. In regard to the primary author of it, which is God. God did immediately
inspire extraordinary ministers, and thereby informed them in his will. "For
the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God
spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," 2 Peter 1:21. Therefore they
would commonly use these introductory phrases, "The word of the Lord," Hosea
1:1; "Thus says the Lord," Isa 7:7; and an apostle says, "I have received of
the Lord, that which also I delivered unto you," 1 Cor. 11:23. As for
ordinary ministers, they have God's word written and left upon record for
their use, "For all Scripture is given by inspiration of God," 2 Tim. 3:16.
They therefore that ground what they preach upon the Scripture, and deliver
nothing but what is agreeable to it, preach the word of God. 

2. In regard to the subject-matter which they preach, which is the will of
God; as the apostle exhorts, to "understand what the will of the Lord is,"
Eph. 5:17, and to "prove what is that good, that acceptable, and perfect
will of God," Rom. 12:2. 

3. In regard to the purpose of preaching, which is the glory of God, and
making known "the manifold wisdom of God," Eph. 3:10. 

4. In regard to the mighty effect and power of it, for preaching God's word
is "the power of God unto salvation, Rom. 1:16. Preaching the word of God is
"mighty through God to bring every thought to the obedience of Christ," 2
Cor. 10:4,5. For "the word of God is quick and powerful," etc., Heb. 4:12. 

So close ought ministers to hold to God's word in their preaching, that they
should not dare to swerve away from it in anything. The apostle pronounces a
curse against him, whosoever he is, that shall preach any other word, Gal.
1:8,9. 

(Preaching God's Word, Fire and Ice: Puritan and Reformed Writings) 

Michael S. Horton 

To preach the Bible as "the handbook for life," or as the answer to every
question, rather than as the revelation of Christ, is to turn the Bible into
an entirely different book. This is how the Pharisees approached Scripture,
however, as we can see clearly from the questions they asked Jesus, all of
them amounting to something akin to Trivial Pursuits: "What happens if a
person divorces and remarries?" "Why do your disciples pick grain on the
Sabbath?" "Who sinned-this man or his parents-that he was born blind?" For
the Pharisees, the Scriptures were a source of trivia for life's dilemmas.
To be sure, Scripture provides God-centered and divinely-revealed wisdom for
life, but if this were its primary objective, Christianity would be a
religion of self-improvement by following examples and exhortations, not a
religion of the Cross. This is Paul's point with the Corinthians, whose
obsession with wisdom and miracles had obscured the true wisdom and the
greatest miracle of all. And what is that? Paul replies, "He has been made
for us our righteousness, holiness and redemption" (1 Cor 1:28-31). 

(taken from his article, What Are We Looking For In The Bible?) 

John Henry Jowett 

"If we lose the sense of wonder of our commission, we shall become like
common traders in a common market, babbling about common wares." 

(The Preacher: His Life and Work (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1968), p. 21) 

R.B. Kuiper 

He who holds the ministerial office is beset by certain perils that are
properly described as peculiar for the reason that they spring from the
special dignity and the great usefulness of the office. . . . 

Many a minister . . . has forgotten that he is a man of like passions with
others and has become pretentious and pompous. . . . A man gifted with a
considerable measure of good sense once said of his two brothers, both of
whom were pastors: "One of my brothers has entered the ministry, the other
has remained a human being." . . . 

Many a minister assumes a domineering attitude and presumes to lord it over
God's heritage. . . . Often the minister regards himself as the
commander-in-chief of his church. He insists that his word be honored as
law, hardly less binding than the laws of the ancient Medes and Persians. .
. . 

Because his duties are manifold, there is great danger that the minister
will fail to put first things first; that he will "spread himself thin," . .
. that he will attempt to do so many things that he does nothing well.
Perhaps he will be an administrator rather than a teacher. The finances of
the church may interest him more than do the spiritual riches of the Word of
God. The numerical growth of the church may concern him more than does its
spiritual growth. Instead of concentrating on the central task of the
ministry, teaching the Word of God, he may make the erection of a new church
edifice his chief ambition. He may even turn into the proverbial "jack of
all trades," comprising chauffeur, messenger boy and assistant housekeeper.
Because he tries to do too much, he may accomplish next to nothing. 

How can these perils be avoided? The answer is simple. The minister must
always remember that the dignity of his office adheres not in his person but
in his office itself. He is not at all important, but his office is
extremely important. Therefore he should take his work most seriously
without taking himself seriously. He should preach the Word in season and
out of season in forgetfulness of self. He should ever have an eye single to
the glory of Christ, whom he preaches, and count himself out. It should be
his constant aim that Christ, whom he represents, may increase while he
himself decreases. Remembering that minister means nothing but servant, he
should humbly, yet passionately, serve the Lord Christ and His church. The
words of the apostle Paul should be his very own: "Whose I am and whom I
serve" (Acts 27:28). 

Such a minister is sure to enhance the glory of Christ's church. 

(The Glorious Body of Christ (Banner of Truth, 1966), p. 140-42.) 

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones 

"Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire....I say again
that a man who can speak about these things dispassionately has no right
whatsoever to be in a pulpit; and should never be allowed to enter one. What
is the chief end of preaching? I like to think it is this. It is to give men
and women a sense of God and His presence." 

"There is all the difference in the world between preaching merely from
human understanding and energy, and preaching in the conscious smile of
God..." 

"To me there is nothing more terrible for a preacher, than to be in the
pulpit alone, without the conscious smile of God." 

". . . to me the work of preaching is the highest and greatest most glorious
calling to which anyone can ever be called.' The most urgent need in the
Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and the
most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the
world also". 

(Preaching and Preachers, p. 9) 

A call generally starts in the form of a consciousness within one.s own
spirit, an awareness of a kind of pressure being brought to bear upon one.s
spirit, some disturbance in the realm of the spirit, then that your mind is
being directed to the whole question of preaching. You have not thought of
it deliberately, you have not sat down in cold blood to consider the
possibilities, and then having looked at several have decided to take this
up. It is not that. This is something that happens to you; it is God dealing
with you, and God acting upon you by His Spirit; it is something you become
aware of rather than what you do. It is thrust upon you, it is presented to
you and almost forced upon you constantly in this way. 

(Preaching and Preachers, p. 104) 

What is Preaching? Logic on fire! Eloquent reason! Are these contradictions?
Of course they are not. Reason concerning this Truth ought to be mightily
eloquent, as you see it in the case of the Apostle Paul and others. It is
theology on fire. And a theology which does not take fire, I maintain, is a
defective theology; or at least the man's understanding of it is defective.
Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire. A true
understanding and experience of the Truth must lead to this. . . . A man who
can speak about these things dispassionately has no right whatsoever to be
in a pulpit; and should never be allowed to enter one. 

What is the chief end of preaching? . . . To give men and women a sense of
God and His presence. . . . I can forgive a man for a bad sermon, I can
forgive the preacher almost anything if he gives me a sense of God, if he
gives me something for my soul, if he gives me the sense that, though he is
inadequate himself, he is handling something which is very great and very
glorious, if he gives me some dim glimpse of the majesty and the glory of
God, the love of Christ my Saviour, and the magnificence of the Gospel. If
he does that I am his debtor, and I am profoundly grateful to him. Preaching
is the most amazing, and the most thrilling activity that one can ever be
engaged in, because of all that it holds out for all of us in the present,
and because of the glorious endless possibilities in an eternal future. 

(Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan, 1971), p. 97-98. ) 

"I would say that a 'dull preacher' is a contradiction in terms; if he is
dull he is not a preacher. He may stand in a pulpit and talk, but he is
certainly not a preacher." 

"The man who is called by God is a man who realizes what he is called to do,
and he so realizes the awefulness of the task that he shrinks from it.
Nothing but this overwhelming sense of being called, and of compulsion,
should ever lead anyone to preach." 

Be natural; forget yourself; be so absorbed in what you are doing and in the
realisation of the presence of God, and in the glory and the greatness of
the Truth that you are preaching, and the occasion that brings you together,
. . . that you forget yourself completely. That is the right condition; that
is the only place of safety; that is the only way in which you can honour
God. Self is the greatest enemy of the preacher, more so than in the case of
any other man in society. And the only way to deal with self is to be so
taken up with, and so enraptured by, the glory of what you are doing, that
you forget yourself altogether. 

(Preaching and Preachers, Zondervan 1971, p. 264.) 

Always respond to every impulse to pray. The impulse to pray may come when
you are reading or when you are battling with a text. I would make an
absolute law of this - always obey such an impulse. Where does it come from?
It is the work of the Holy Spirit; it is a part of the meaning of 'Work out
your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure' (Phil 2:12-13). This often
leads to some of the most remarkable experiences in the life of the
minister. So never resist, never postpone it, never push it aside because
you are busy. Give yourself to it, yield to it; and you will find not only
that you have not been wasting time with respect to the matter with which
you are dealing but that actually it has helped you greatly in that respect.
You will experience an ease and a facility in understanding what you were
reading, in thinking, in ordering matter for a sermon, in writing, in
everything which is quite astonishing. Such a call to prayer must never be
regarded as a distraction; always respond to it immediately, and thank God
if it happens to you frequently. 

(Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan, 1972), p. 170-171; from Chapter 9, "The
Preparation of the Preacher." 

Preaching must always be theological, always based on a theological
foundation. . . . A type of preaching that is sometimes . . . regarded as
non-theological is evangelistic preaching. . . . You 'bring people to
Christ' as they put it; and then you teach them the truth. It is only
subsequently that theology comes in. 

That, to me, is quite wrong, and indeed nonsense. I would be prepared to
argue that in many ways evangelistic preaching should be more, rather than
less theological, than any other, and for this good reason. Why is it that
you call people to repent? Why do you call them to believe the gospel? You
cannot deal properly with repentance without dealing with the doctrine of
man, the doctrine of the Fall, the doctrine of sin and the wrath of God
against sin. Then when you call me to come to Christ and to give themselves
to Him, how can you do so without knowing who He is, and on what grounds you
invite them to come to Him, and so on. In other words it is all highly
theological. Evangelism which is not theological is not evangelism at all in
any true sense. It may be a calling for decisions, it may be calling on
people to come to religion, or to live a better kind of life, or the
offering of some psychological benefits; but it cannot by any definition be
regarded as Christian evangelism, because there is no true reason for what
you are doing, apart from these great theological principles. I assert
therefore that every type of preaching must be theological, including
evangelistic preaching. 

(Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan: 1971), p. 64-65. 

Stories and illustrations are only meant to illustrate truth, not to call
attention to themselves. This whole business of illustrations and
story-telling has been a particular curse during the last hundred years. I
believe it is one of the factors that accounts for the decline in preaching
because it helped to give the impression that preaching was an art, an end
in itself. There have undoubtedly been many who really prepared a sermon
simply in order to be able to use a great illustration. . . . The
illustration had become the first thing; you then find a text which is
likely to cover this. In other words the heart of the matter had become the
illustration. But that is the wrong order. The illustration is meant to
illustrate truth, not to show itself, not to call attention to itself; it is
a means of leading and helping people to see the truth that you are
enunciating and proclaiming still more clearly. The rule therefore should
always be that the truth must be pre-eminent and have great prominence, and
illustrations must be used sparsely and carefully to that end alone. Our
business is not to entertain people. . . . 

A preacher should go into the pulpit to . . . proclaim the Truth itself. . .
. Everything else is but to minister to this end. Illustrations are just
servants. . . . I am prepared to go so far as to say that if you use too
many illustrations in your sermon your preaching will be ineffective. To do
so always means loss of tension. There is the type of preacher who after
saying a few words says, 'I remember' - then out comes the story. Then after
a few more remarks again, 'I remember'. This means that the theme, the
thrust of the Truth, is constantly being interrupted; it becomes staccato,
and in the end you feel that you have been listening to a kind of
after-dinner speaker or entertainer and not to a man proclaiming a grand and
a glorious Truth. If such preachers become popular, and they frequently do,
they are popular only in a bad sense, because they are really nothing but
popular entertainers. 

(Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan: 1971), p. 232-234.) 

Some people seem to think that preaching consists of a running commentary on
a passage of Scripture. A man may take a verse or a passage, and he may give
you the meaning of the words, he may divide it and open it up; but still I
say that is not preaching.(Harry Ironside's) method was to take a paragraph
of Scripture, perhaps a whole chapter, often a whole book, and he would
analyse it for you and give you its component parts. In a technical sense
what he did was give a running commentary on a section or on a book, in the
course of which he would add illustrations here and there.His books were
very popular. They had an influence in your country (America), and in ours
(England), in the direction of making people imagine that that is preaching.
Of course, the argument was that this method is more biblical, but I think
that was a complete fallacy. 

(Knowing the Times, ibid., p. 268) 

What is a sermon? What is the difference between a sermon and a Bible
lecture or an exposition of a passage? As I see it, it is that a sermon is
always a whole, an entity, a message.A sermon is more than running comments.
It must have form, it is a complete message, and it leads to a particular
end.this is, to me, a very vital point of distinction between an exposition
of a passage and a sermon. 

(Knowing the Times, ibid., p. 269) 

Martin Luther 

This is the sum of the matter: Let everything be done so that the Word may
have free course instead of the prattling and rattling that has been the
rule up to now. We can spare everything except the Word. Again, we profit by
nothing as much as the Word.. "One thing is needful." 

(Liturgy and Hymns, p. 14.) 

Erwin W. Lutzer 

I don't see how anyone could survive in the ministry if he felt it was just
his own choice. Some ministers scarcely have two good days back to back.
They are sustained by the knowledge that God has placed them where they are.
Ministers without such a conviction often lack courage and carry their
resignation letter in their coat pocket. At the slightest hint of
difficulty, they're gone. 

(Pastor to Pastor - The Call To The Ministry, p.11) 

. . . as the old saying goes, "If God calls us to preach, let us not stoop
to become a king." 

(Pastor to Pastor - The Call To The Ministry, p.14) 

Victor Maxwell 

Once Harry Ironside was greeted by a visitor who said he had enjoyed the
service, although he did not think Ironside was a great preacher. Ironside
replied, "I know I'm not a great preacher. But what was it about my
preaching that brought you to that conclusion?" The man answered, "I
understood everything you said" This was an unwitting confession of one of
the reasons for Ironside's greatness. Jesus too, when he preached the Word,
was clear and painfully direct in his application, as we see again and again
in the Gospels. The conclusion in Capernaum was that "he taught them as one
who had authority" 

(from his sermon, When Jesus Comes) 

 

 

Thanks.

 

For the King's honor,

 

Charis,

 

Mike Abendroth

 

www.bbcchurch.org

 

Ephesians 3:21 auvtw/| h` do,xa evn th/| evkklhsi,a| 

 

2 Tim 1:2b  "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord."

 

"The duty of a theologian is, not to please the ear with empty sounds, but
to confirm the conscience by teaching things which are true, certain and
profitable."  John Calvin

 

 

 

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