Tag Archives: Preaching

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)

Only Fire Kindles Fire

Posted on by under Phillips Brooks

Nothing but fire kindles fire. To know in one’s whole nature what it is to live by Christ; to be His, not our own; to be so occupied with gratitude for what He did for us and for what He continually is to us that His will and His glory shall be the sole desires of our life . . . that is the first necessity of the preacher.

Phillips Brooks, Lectures on Preaching, originally published in 1877. Republished in 1989 by Kregel under the title The Joy of Preaching. As cited in “The Priority of Prayer in Preaching” by James Rosscup, The Masters Seminary Journal, Spring 1991.