Tag Archives: Pastoring

Remembering That Minister Means Nothing but Servant

Posted on by under R.B. Kuiper

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.

R.B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ (Banner of Truth, 1966), 140-42.

Preacher, Are You Moved by the Sermons You Preach?

Posted on by under D. Martin Lloyd-Jones

If you yourself as a preacher cannot still be moved by a sermon which just deals with the facts and details of the death of our blessed Lord on the Cross on Calvary’s hill, if you do not feel as if you had never preached it before, and if you are not as moved by it as you have ever been, I say again that you had better examine your foundations.

D. Martin Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

HT: @theoldguys_

Forgive a Bad Sermon If…

Posted on by under D. Martin Lloyd-Jones

I can forgive a man 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 in himself, he is handling something which is very great and glorious, if he gives me some dim glimpse of the majesty and 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.

D. Martin Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

The Secret of Ministry Success

Posted on by under A. T. Robertson

The secret of success in the ministry is very simple. It is real connection with God, vital union with Christ. This is just the most difficult thing to maintain in fullness of life. The strains of life pull us away. Dust gathers about our heads and in our eyes. Clouds gather and the sun does not shine upon us. God seems to slip away from us and we are left with our weakness and the criticism of the people. It is not human weakness that is a source of strength. It is only when the power of God charges the empty vessel that it becomes a dynamo.

A. T. Robertson, The Glory of the Ministry

Preaching Worthy of the Name Starts with God

Posted on by under D. Martin Lloyd-Jones

Preaching is first of all a proclamation of the being of God . . . preaching worthy of the name starts with God and with a declaration concerning His being and power and glory. You find that everywhere in the New Testament. That was precisely what Paul did in Athens — “Him declare I unto you.” “Him”! Preaching about God, and contrasting Him with the idols, exposing the emptiness and the acuity and uselessness of idols.

D. Martin Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)