THE GREATEST PREACHERS

Apparently, some time ago, one of the world’s most respected theological publishers, Banner of Truth Trust, announced a list of the world’s greatest preachers of all time. These were the preachers whose preaching shaped their world, and ours, for generations to come. Not surprisingly, Jesus of Nazareth topped the list. (I’m rather pleased to inform you that F.W. Boreham was among the top 20 on that list.) It does cause one to ask though, What constitutes a preacher as ‘great’? As a preacher, I’d also be interested to know how one becomes a ‘great’ preacher.  

The point is, Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.
Romans 10:17 THE MESSAGE

WHAT MAKES GREAT PREACHERS GREAT PREACHERS

History is peppered with many great preachers. Men such as Ambrose (340 – 397) was an Italian preacher whose preaching changed the world. His preaching led Augustine (354 – 430) to Christ who went on to become one of the greatest preachers of his day. John Wycliffe (1330 – 1384) was an English preacher who shook the world. Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) was a German preacher whose preaching changed the Europe. Count Nicolaus Ludwig Von Zinzendorf’s (1700 – 1760) preaching changed the destiny of at least three continents. John Wesley (1703 – 1791) was an English preacher whose preaching is credited as saving England from the destruction that tore France apart. Billy Graham (1918 – 2018) preached to more people than any other preacher and witnessed more people coming to Christ than any other preacher. Each of these great preachers exhibited 5 essential qualities:

1. Great preachers are attractive – they attract people to listen to them.
2. Great preachers are easy to listen to – they are simple, eloquent and hold people’s attention.
3. Great preachers have something important to say – they need people to listen.
4. Great preachers move people to action – they create a movement for change.
5. Great preachers speak from their compassionate hearts as well as their sharpened minds – they will often memorise facts, Scriptures, and poetry to reinforce their message. 

for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; 
¶ as even some of your own poets have said, 
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
Paul of Tarsus, Acts 17:28

WHAT THE GREATEST PREACHERS ALSO DO

Determining who should be considered among the greatest preachers is generally based on the level and scope of their influence and effectiveness. This is why the Apostle Paul is rightly considered to be the most influential preacher of all time (after Christ of course). His preaching clearly impressed people. The people of Lystra (Acts 14:12), for example, thought he was the god Hermes since he was such a good speaker. Was it his training that made him a great preacher? Was it his level of practice? Was it his dedication? Was it his great learning? There is something often overlooked about each of the truly great preachers that made them great, especially the Apostle Paul, : they prayed – but not how you might think. 

The universal trait of every great preacher is that they were unusually intense pray-ers. You would be forgiven for thinking that great preachers often prayed to be a great preacher. But the evidence suggests that this was never their prayer focus. Using Paul as our model, we can see from his epistles just how this great preacher prayed. Reading his epistles, one thing becomes very clear about how Paul saw the connection between prayer and preaching: he saw them as a partnership, a dual partnership. This dual partnership was firstly between prayer and preaching, and secondly, his support community and him. Note these two Scriptural examples.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—
Colossians 4:3

¶ Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you,
Second Thessalonians 3:1

LOOKING FOR PRAYERFUL PARTNERS

If you have ever heard a great preacher, you can be certain that there is a team of people praying constantly for them and the effectiveness of their message. When the Apostle Paul sought prayer from those he turned to, he didn’t seek it so much for himself, rather, he sought it for its effectiveness of the preached Word when it was preached to those without Christ (note the two examples above). Down through the ages whenever God raised up a preacher, He also raised up their support team who would pray for the effectiveness of their preaching. Perhaps the most recent and clearest example of this would be the one they called,The Prince of Preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He became a preacher at the age of 16. By the age of 19 he was pastoring a small Baptist church near the Thames in London. His friends and family back home in the countryside where he came from were praying constantly for the young preacher with the strange country twang to ears of Londoners. By the time he was 26, his church had grown far bigger than their building could hold. A public building was leased while the church constructed its new facilities in Elephant and Castle (inner London). Over 30,000 people gathered in that building to hear the young preacher and thousands of them made a commitment to Christ over the coming years. When Spurgeon opened ‘Metropolitan Tabernacle’, it could hold 6,000 people and they could hold up to five services a Sunday to fit the crowds in. This tabernacle was built with a furnace room downstairs and whenever Spurgeon preached there was always hundreds of people down there praying for the effectiveness of his message! 

Today, I’m praying that God will raise up both great preachers and great pray-ers. In next week’s post, I’ll discuss how these great preachers prayed for those who responded to their preaching. For now, I pray that God may stir you to be either one who preaches or one who prays for those who preach and what is preached to bear fruit for Christ. Let’s pray.  

Your Pastor,

Andrew Corbett

LET US BE REMINDED

LET US BE REMINDED

“Do this in remembrance of me.”
Luke 22:19b
At our end of year staff luncheon, Donna Hill asked each of us what ‘super hero power’ we would like to have if we could?  Men nearly always reply, “Fly”, while women usually give a variety of far more practical answers. Upon reflection, I considered whether I should have answered differently (I didn’t answer “to be able fly unaided”, as most men would).
Considering my various weaknesses, I now think that I would reply, “A super memory!” I think we would all benefit from having better memories. In the TV series, “Suits”, Mike Ross is a young man with the gift of a photographic memory. Despite not having a law degree, he passes the Bar to become a lawyer because his photographic memory allows him to speed read all of the legal text books required for a law degree and of course his ability to recall what he has just read comes in handy as well. While there may be some people who possess this kind of talent in real life, it is not true for most of us. Which is why being reminded is built into how God commands us to worship. 

 ¶ Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
Second Timothy 2:8

WORSHIP INVOLVES REMEMBERING

Paul, writing to the Ephesians, via Timothy, tells them: (i) Remember Jesus Christ; (ii) Remember that He rose from the dead; (iii) Remember He is the fulfilment of all that was promised to the Jews in the Old Testament; (iv) Remember what you have already heard preached to you. Remembering is most difficult when it is done in isolation from others. I did two years of Bible Greek. It involved sitting 10 exams which in turn resulted in having to translate into English some randomly selected parts of the New Testament and explain the technical backgrounds to several randomly selected Greek words within that passage. I did this study by distance learning as a solo student. The course instructor strongly recommended that no student attempt to study Biblical Greek this way because it is so difficult to do so without the benefit of other students also learning the material with you. Having done (and passed) this course of study, I have to agree with my old instructor. Remembering is best done with others. 

As you read through the Old Testament, note how often God calls His people to remember together. He decreed seven feasts for them keep each year as a community reminder (Lev. 23). He imbedded into the Ten Commandments a command that specifically begins with the word, “Remember” (Exo. 20:8). They were to wear certain things on their clothing designed to help them to continually be reminded about God’s commandments (Num. 15:39). They were to remember what God had done for them and continually remind their children (Deut. 5:15).

Worship begins by remembering. Worship is informed by being reminded. This is the pastor’s main responsibility in preaching, to remind. It is also why it is imperative that we gather together (at least) each Sunday as God has ordained  (1Cor. 16:2; Heb. 10:25) to remind and be reminded – because we each forget the truth so quickly. C.S. Lewis described the Enemy’s strategy against the believer to be focussed on isolation. In his book, Screwtape Letters, an experienced demon tells a inexperienced demon that they way to keep people from their Enemy (God) could be achieved by isolation. If you can, the older Demon says, keep your target from reading the Enemy’s book (the Bible) and evening talking to Him (prayer), but above all, keep them from the gathering and fellowship of those who belong to the Enemy! Get them distracted! Have them lessen their priority to always gather with the Enemy’s people. Offer them sport, entertainment, sleep – do whatever it takes to keep the subject away from the Enemy’s people (the church). In the Screwtape Letters, the younger demon fails and Hell loses yet another soul to torment for eternity – because the sweetness and attraction of the worshipping church community prevails.  

¶ All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
Psalm 22:27

While the Psalmist looked forward to all the world remembering who God is and what He has done, I think we should begin with his second part of Psalm 22:27 (a slightly more modest ambition) and look forward to those we regularly interact with – our family, our neighbours, our friends, our work colleagues – each remembering the LORD and coming together into His house and worshipping Him. And since the author of Psalm 22 has so accurately and precisely seen the first part of this Messianic Psalm fulfilled, I think he probably has a good chance of seeing his second part fulfilled as well – especially if we remember to each gather together this Sunday to worship the Lord as he prophesied. Let’s remember that God wants to see the Tamar Valley turn to Him!

Your pastor,

Andrew.

The Uncomfortable Christ

Jesus is still the most attractive man who has ever walked our planet. He is still, by a long way, the most Googled person on the internet. More books have been written about Him than any other person, and those who have followed Him, including the Apostle Paul, Augustine, and Martin Luther, have only achieved universal and time-less fame ranking books about them in the top most read biographies, because they followed Him and ended up bearing His resemblance.

¶ Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
John 21:25

In His days on earth, He was the object of fascination by ordinary folk, military commanders, religious leaders, and royalty. Thousands of people flocked to hear Him. Women and children longed to be with Him and were usually granted unusual access to Him. Despite Him being on the gravest mission of all time, He took time to play with children and publicly sit with women.

¶ Then children were brought to Him that He might lay His hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 19:13-14

But Jesus also had some people who didn't like Him! Mostly, these were people who were threatened by them because He condemned their abuse of others. 

¶ Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
John 11:45-50

 At one stage, Jesus declared these religious hypocrites to be "whitewashed walls" (broken down walls rendered over to hide their true condition). 

¶ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
Matthew 23:27

Little wonder these people didn't like Jesus! He exposed them and called them to repent. Ultimately, these people whom Jesus condemned would conspire to have Him executed. Despite knowing this (Mark 8:31), Jesus continued fearlessly to declare the truth. Perhaps this is one of the most admirable traits about Christ: He feared no-one. Of those who were closest to Him, His disciples, He continually shocked them with how high His standards were. 

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48

We read in the Gospels that Jesus was just like a caring doctor who had the best interests of his patients at heart. Rather than telling them what they wanted to hear, He always told them what they needed to hear, when they could hear it. The same is true today. As you come closer to Christ, the more uncomfortable you will feel. As a patient comes into the surgeon's rooms to be told their test results, there is great apprehension. The surgeon could lie to them because he fears that they would be distressed by the truth of their actual condition. But a caring surgeon who wants to see his patient healed will always tell his patient the truth. Being confronted by the truth is often uncomfortable. Christ uses His Word, His servants, and even His world to minister His truth to us - and it can be quite uncomfortable to be confronted with our true condition. Those who claim that Jesus never confronts and challenges those He loves to repent and forsake sin are promoting nonsense and a false Jesus. Those who have come to know Jesus and accepted His correction have found that they are beneficiaries. And to their delight, each one has found that Christ not only beckons us to come, He gives us the power to do so.  

for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13

Pastor Andrew.

A New Ministry

WHY I RESIGNED

A few years ago I resigned. That is, I resigned from my pursuit of majoring on being a great preacher. I think my motives were noble in this pursuit. After all, the Scriptures declare that preaching is the means of grace for people to come to salvation. It was reasonable then for any pastor to see the pulpit as their main responsibility.  But as I studied the life and ministry of Dr. F.W. Boreham I increasingly grew more in love with the pastorate than the pulpit. I stopped preparing sermons to preach and began to prepare sermons to pastor. Instead of the pulpit being my platform, it has become my tool for pastoring people. Sure, preaching can move and stir people. But unless it  leads people into worship of God it is failing both people and our Lord. That’s why the best preaching is really worship-leading!

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.
John 4:23

THE GOSPEL AND WORSHIP

Some people see the Gospel as simply the message of God’s grace in forgiving us of our sins and securing our eternal redemption. In that view, the Gospel can be reduced to four spiritual laws based on just four verses of Scripture from Romans. You might already know that the term “gospel” comes from the Greek word ‘evangel’ (euangelion) which means good news.

¶ Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
Romans 16:25

Considering that God has given us more than just four verses of Scripture, the good news of the Gospel may not just be limited to four verses of Scripture or even just about God’s grace in saving us from our sins.This is why you will have heard me say that the Gospel begins at Genesis 1:1 and ends at Revelation 22:21. In this view, every verse of Scripture can be thought of as being like a pixel in a grand picture. What is this grand picture? It is the most magnificent picture of the most magnificently beautiful God. It is this picture of God which is the good news, the Gospel. This is why John Piper says, “God is the Gospel!” 

Salvation isn’t just about being forgiven of our sins. It’s about coming back into fellowship with God which begins with our sins being graciously forgiven by the Father because of what Jesus has done. It begins with this, but it doesn’t end with this. For the Gospel to run its course in the life of the redeemed there must be a transformation of who they are into the image of Christ.

For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:29

This transformation into the image of Christ happens as we respond to the summons of the Gospel to surrender more of our lives asour worship to God. Of course, since Christ and the Father are in perfect union and share infinitely vulnerable love for each other, our transformation into the image of the Father’s Son involves us being drawn closer to God the Father as well. The process of coming closer to the Father and being transformed into the image of His Son is called sanctification. Our sanctification in this life can be seen by how much of our lives are offered to God in worship. Thus, something quite mystical happens to us when we worship – and especially when we worship in our local church – which often God ordains to involve humility on our part which invokes the rich blessing of God’s grace on us.

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
James 4:6

And the most profoundly mystical thing that happens to a worshiper is an increasing revelation of God’s beauty. Little wonder then, that the great worshiper, John Francis Wade, wrote the song, “O come let us adore Him!” (which we mistakenly relegate to the Festive Season!). For adoration is the most natural response to being in God’s presence and beholding Him.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Second Corinthians 3:18

The more we behold Christ in worship the more we willingly surrender to God and the greater the revelation we receive of the Father’s impeccability and beauty. The Father then becomes even more attractive to us and  the more we are attracted to Him, the more we want to surrender to Him in adoring worship. 

and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,
Hebrews 12:28b

This is why our worship is most beautifully expressed in singing and music together because it involves our hearts, our presence, and our attention. It most naturally leads to us worshiping God with our lives. This transforming worship is most evident by how we treat others, particularly those who know us best. They, of all people, have a window into the genuineness of the revelation of God we claim to have. Thus, the one who claims to be a worshiper of God yet displays little transformation into the image of Christ because they are continually angry, critical, offended, offending, or complaining, is displaying that they have not surrendered to the Beautiful One at all. Yet when those we love get up close to us and look through the window of our soul and they see a kind-hearted, forgiving, gracious, patient, generous soul, it is obvious to them that our worship of the Father has caused us to surrender in love to Him.

¶ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Romans 12:1

PREACHING AS WORSHIP LEADING

But how does preaching lead people to worship? The fact that we now even ask this question reveals just how far from the Biblical concept of preaching we have moved. Sound preaching not only unpacks the Scriptures. Sound preaching not only explains Christian doctrine. Sound preaching brings people to a clearer picture of God and summons people to worship Him! This is why every preacher should be a worship leader because they are leading people to worship the Magnificent One. This begins at salvation, continues through sanctification, and is completed in our glorification as we are united with the Father in Christ by the Holy Spirit for eternity. Since Christ calls pastors to shepherd people, that is lead people to a closer walk with Christ, the pulpit becomes the pastors most valued tool for achieving this. That’s why I resigned from simply preaching, and have focussed more of my energies on pastoring through preaching with the aim of bringing people into richer worship of our Heavenly Father. Thus, when I am preaching, I am now worship leading. Please join me in worshiping our Saviour. I’ll tell you why, this Sunday.

Pastor Andrew.