Random – Page 22 – Jojo Agot

Preaching Moments

R. Kent Hughes, in his introduction to the Preaching the Word Commentary of the Bible:

There are times when I am preaching that I have especially sensed the pleasure of God. I usually become aware of it through the unnatural silence. The ever-present coughing ceases and the pews stop creaking, bringing an almost physical quiet to the sanctuary– through which my words sail like arrows. I experience a heightened eloquence, so that the cadence and volume of my voice intensify the truth I am preaching.

There is nothing quite like it– the Holy Spirit filling one’s sails, the sense of his pleasure, and the awareness that something is happening among one’s hearers. This experience is, of course, not unique, for thousands of preachers have similar experiences, even greater ones.

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Overheard on Twitter

The obvious solution is for the sheep to form committees to study what has made the wolves so angry.

—via @tonywoodlief

The Necessity of Preaching Christ

From Sidney Greidanus’ Preaching Christ from the Old Testament:

The object and content of preaching is Christ, the Word in which the Father expresses Himself and communicates His will to man. (Domenico Grasso, Roman Catholic)

Ministers are commissioned and ordained in the church precisely to preach the Word of God. They are given some fixed terms of reference– namely, the gospel of Jesus Christ– and they are committed to this sole and perennial message. (Georges Florovsky, Eastern Orthodox)

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Mutually Exclusive?

Joel Osteen: Being good to people is better than preaching a sermon. Being kind, generous, compassionate speaks much louder than any words.

— Sorry Joel but I have to disagree. Just being kind to people doesn’t give them a saving knowledge of Jesus. A Christian has to speak the word of God while NOT forgetting to be kind. The two are not mutually exclusive acts.

Faith

Faith is credence plus commitment, assurance plus allegiance, and devotion plus discipleship. Faith flows from understanding the gospel, which is the effect of learning it, which is the outcome of being taught it.

—J.I. Packer

As the Pulpit Goes

As the pulpit goes, so goes the church… No church can rise any higher than its pulpit. The spiritual life of any congregation and its growth in grace will never exceed the high-water mark set by its pulpit.