It was the famed preacher of Westminster Chapel, London, Martyn Lloyd-Jones-arguably the foremost expositor of the twentieth century-who said in his work Preaching and Preachers: "The preacher's first, and the most important task is to prepare himself, not his sermon." In other
Read MoreThere are two extremes preachers fall into when it comes to introductions, illustrations, and conclusions. Some preachers build the sermon using the homiletical elements, neglecting the priority of the text. They take off strong. They get to a cruising altitude and pilot the sermon without running
Read MoreI received my first copy of D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Preaching and Preachers as a gift from a family in my home church as I was just beginning my studies in seminary. My copy was from the 14th printing of the first edition. I had been introduced to Lloyd-Jones before, as a teenager, through
Read MoreDavid Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was undoubtedly one of the best and most powerful preachers of the twentieth century. Despite a busy ministry with numerous responsibilities, for decades he consistently preached well, and often-virtually every Sunday morning and evening
Read MoreIt would be impossible to overstate the importance of exegesis to expository preaching. Before there can be any effective exposition, there must first be effective exposition. If there is no exegesis, there is no exposition. What a firm foundation is to a large building, exegesis is to
Read MoreThe unity Christ prayed for is not an outward, organizational unity, but the inward, spiritual unity based on believers' life in Christ. Because of their union with Jesus Christ, all believers are one with each other as well. How does that spiritual unity manifest itself in practice? In the name of
Read MoreMost readers of these pages will be familiar not only with the name but also with the ministry of John Calvin. But "the Calvin we tend to forget"? What new revelations about the Genevan Reformer are we about to discover? Many of us handle his commentaries on an almost weekly
Read MoreMartin Luther was a man who stood for the truth. It is one thing to believe the truth, but it is something else to stand for it, especially at the threat of your own life. In the face of mounting difficulties and growing dangers, this German reformer held tenaciously to what came to be
Read MoreCharles Haddon Spurgeon, the renowned Prince of Preachers in nineteenth century London, understood more than most his constant need for spiritual power as he stepped into the pulpit. This Victorian Baptist was fully convinced that apart from the empowering of the Holy Spirit, his
Read More