Customer Reviews

Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Contributors to this book argue that the preached word of God has become a diminished part of Sunday morning worship service in the United States. Pastors and their congregations want other means of worship to be more prominent. When the pastor does preach, less is spoken about what is written in the Bible, but a form of psychology and/or an alternative World view is `shared'. Seeking more bodies in the pews, God's word has been left behind.

R. Albert Mohler, one of the contributors to Feed My Sheep, agrees that Gods word cannot exist without God's people, but he completes the quote from Martin Luther "...... and conversely God's people cannot exist without God's word." Furthermore Paul argued for the word to be preached:

of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now made manifest to his saints. (Colossians 1:25-26 RSV)

It is the Pastor's job to proclaim God's word to inspire the listener to seek the will of God and to correct the hearers of God's word in any misimpression of God's written word and direct disobedience to God's word:

Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ.
(Colossians 1:28 RSV)

John Montgomery Boice tells how God chooses to bring salvation into a person's life. The proclaimed word of God should tell of man's sinful state and his ultimate destination is hell. No one can avoid his just reward unless another takes the punishment for his sin. Jesus has done this for those who accept Him as Lord and Savior. God chooses man to spread the good news. Through the Holy Spirit God works upon man's heart. Boice further argues God's word is the chief means of Spiritual growth in God's church. To bring further comprehension of God for those that are already saved.

Joel R. Beeke makes the argument for experiential preaching; {...."to explain biblical matters ought to go, how they do go, and what is the goal of the Christian life." The passion for fellowship with triune God means experiential preaching; It also addresses the believers conscience, his relationship with like believers, and those in the World:

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:3-5 AV)

A sermon should be written to teach doctrine. A better comprehension of God and His will has an effect on the listening Christian. The more correctly one understands God, the better chance one will walk closely with God. One's comprehention of God will effect how one praises God through song, prayer, scripture reading, fellowship with fellow Christians, and other means to communicate thanksgiving and reverence towards God. Experience in Christ effects how one routinely prays through the day and the setting aside time for formal prayer. How one serves inside the church and serves those outside the body of Christ. Christians should not neglect fellowship with like believers. They should always be willing and able to defend their faith.

R.C. Sproul contributes with a piece on how the preacher ought to be an educator. Preaching is not to be a diversion or entertainment. Knowledge acquired will be used in one's daily walk. The preacher is not to be bashful, but bold. Freely telling his listeners the word of God, because he has the assurance of the Holy Spirit and that he is correct understanding of the bible. Likewise the Christian is to boldly to defend his faith to the world. "Luther was convinced that preachers ought to preach the law as well as the Gospel. Unless the law is set forth clearly and unambiguously, people will never have an appreciation for it." According to Sproul preaching Law and Gospel will cause conflict, because it reveals sin. When people avoid talking about the law, the heartfelt need for the Gospel grows dim. Effective preaching does cause conflict and enlightens us to God's truth.

The subject of a sermon should ultimately be about God, truths given by God, and wisdom provided by God. The preacher is to depend on Scripture and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Those called to be pastors do have a spiritual gift to speak and the ability to reason. One called to share God's word may lean away from the Holy Spirit, but instead lean upon one's own understanding.

John Piper argues preaching is an expository exultation with the aim to glory to God through Jesus Christ. Exultation of God should be a regular part of the Christian life. God is glorified when his people are content in Him. Suffering happens to Christians. Suffering is done by design through God. When a Christian suffers it endangers the individuals contement in Jesus. Through use of several scripture references, John Piper illustrates that Christians do suffer from other men because of their faith. He also illustrates through scriptural passages that the Christian will suffer injury, pain, and illness that is common to all men. God purposes suffering in the Christian life. God wants His followers to be content in Him even when suffering. Preaching involves telling the whole truth. God's sovereignty and the accompany suffering of His followers is part of the Chistian message. Jesus taught the disciples why he must suffer, why His disciples must suffer, and that commom human suffering brings glory to God. The Paster should preach so the Christian is equiped to endure suffering. This includes the message to have joy in the Lord despite and because of one's own suffering.

The Fact that this book is excellent should be no surprise, merely take a glance at the authors. This book will probably offend pastors who are in to the modern pop pyschology, but then they probably wouldn't be reading it anyway. Granted, that was probably unfair but...
Naturally some chapters are better than others, here are a few:

"The Lasting Effect of Experimental Preaching"--the essay on spiritual formation--worth the price of the book.

"The Primacy of Preaching"--by Albert Mohler--very good, a wake up call to the church.

"Expository Preaching"--good and bad examples of expository preaching, very fun chapter.

"Preaching to Suffering People"--by John Piper. It is by Piper, enough said.

"A reminder to Shepherds"--By John Macarthur, a fitting close to a fine book.

'Preaching is important as a means of grace not merely because it is used of God to bring about conversions, but also because it is used for our sanctification, that is, our growth in holiness.' James Boice, p 43

In this volume, some of the most sound preachers of our day explain and defend why they continue to be expository and true to the biblical text, as opposed to post-modernists, textual-critics, hyper-pneumatologists, and just about every other Enlightenment deviation. It also underscores the need for sound seminary education. 'To assert that the attempt can be a successful one without study and training upon the part of the preacher, is to deal differently with the department of sacred rhetoric, from what we do with other departments of intellectual effort.' WGT Shedd, Homiletics & Pastoral Theology p 42

'It is wrong for a man to impose his system violently upon any particular text; but at the same time it is vital that his interpretation of any particular text should be checked and controlled by this system, this body of doctrine and of truth which is found in the Bible.' Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching & Preachers pp. 66-67

But Derek Thomas warns against perfectionism, 'Its (the sermon's) research has even created a Gnostic view that only the few - those endowed by a special wisdom and insight - can possibly be trusted to understand what the Bible says. The sermon fails to underline the Reformational emphasis on the perspicuity of Scripture: 'that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain a sufficient understanding of them.' A Reformed sacerdotalism has emerged, with the preacher squarely resident between the Bible and the listener.' p 83

'The systematic preaching of the Word is impossible without the systematic studying of it.'
John Stott, The Preacher's Portrait p 30

'Fragmentary preaching, however brilliant, will never do this.'
RL Dabney, Sacred Rhetoric or a Course of Lectures on Preaching p 81

The preacher, as an earthen vessel, a clay pot, must seek to bring God glory under trying and testing circumstances - whilst seeking to preserve the gospel of truth firstly and his own integrity secondly. The way we handle the text as our primary responsibility is once again brought to the fore and made to be understood as of fundamental importance in bringing glory to our triune God.

'Christian living, biblically, is always based and grounded upon obedience to the truth.' John Armstrong, p 181

Preaching is rapidly becoming a lost art. It seems that people want to be entertained and preaching the Word is seldom entertaining. But the authors of this book show the importance of solid preaching. It need not be boring and stale, but it also does not need to be a 15 minute comedy routine. Powerful book.

To be called a sheep in today's world is an insult. But if there are no sheep, what need is there for the shepherd? "Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching" is a discussion of the recent surge of individuality, to the point that many preachers no longer feel they are having any positive effect on society. Eleven pastors urge church leaders to continue to preach the word, and offer much advice in inspiring them to do so in spite of it all. "Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching" is well recommended for any preacher who needs motivating.

This is a series of articles on preaching, and I really enjoyed a few of them, while I found others a bit dry.

I thought the Expository Preaching article was good because it talked about the importance of teaching from the entire Bible and not just the comfort passages that everyone recognizes.

I also enjoyed the Preaching With Authority article because it boldly points out that God's Word hasn't changed even though our society openly accepts many things that are not based on New Testament teachings.

I thought the Preaching to Suffering People article was good a reminder that being a Christian means we will endure hardships just like everybody else, and even more so because we can be persecuted for our beliefs.

Finally, I thought A Reminder to Shepherds was an excellent point that preachers and teachers are just clay pots full of the knowledge and glory of God (see 2 Corinthians 4:5-7). The important thing to remember is the Gospel is much greater than those who deliver it.

A must read for those who have a passion and desire to preach the word from the Biblical perspective...... This book is not limited to pastors but also to anyone who desire to teach the word of God such as Small Group leaders, Sunday School teachers, etc... The Authors of this book are among my favorites: John MacArthur, Piper, Mohler, Sproul, etc.. You will enjoy it from these passionate men of God.

This is an excellent collection of essays by the greatest preachers in the Reformed tradition today. Some of the topics include The Primacy of Preaching (Mohler), The Teaching Pastor (Sproul), Evangelistic Preaching (Alexander), and The Foolishness of Preaching (Boice). John Piper's essay on Preaching to Suffering People is one of the best things he has ever written and by itself is worth the price of the book ten times over. Derek Thomas' essay on Expository Preaching is full of very good instruction. Joel Beakes' contribution on Experimental Preaching is also excellent. I highly recommend this book for pastors. If you are not a pastor, consider purchasing it for your pastor as a gift. He will be appreciative.

I bought this book for my boyfriend who is studying to become a pastor. He is really enjoying the different authors and the wisdom they share from God's word and ministry experience!

This book has 11 chapters by various authors calling us back to the prime importance of preaching.

Albert Mohler first discusses the primacy of preaching citing history and Scripture (e.g. Col 1: 25-29) to build his case. He shows us that preaching is not one of a pastor's important duties, but , in fact, it is the key one. We do live in an age where pastors are expected to do everything and some pastors prefer almost any administrative duty to the hard work of sermon preparation. Perhaps over time we become rather slick, but too superficial to do our people any good. I loved his analysis about "product envy" for preachers. Other professions can look at how many items sold or made but results in the task of preaching are not so easy to calculate. The lack of quantifiable results may derail us from expounding the Word of God which carries the help those we minister to really needs.

James Boice tackles the "foolishness of preaching". He argues that preaching is God's wise way to show that the world's wisdom is foolishness. He also speaks of how many Bible characters preached, and how preaching leads to conversions and church growth. Ultimately, this works because the Lord works through His Word.

Derek Thomas writes on "Expository Preaching." Really this is the type of preaching referred to in the whole book. Using the history of several great preachers, defining the terms of preaching carefully, he writes as an academician. His description of failed preaching types is really good.

Joel Beeke writes on experimental preaching, or getting beyond explanation to application as all good preaching should. R.C. Sproul discusses teaching in preaching. Since we live in a generation that prefers light preaching this is a challenge to help our people learn the Word of God. R.C. Sproul Jr. has a brilliant chapter on "Preaching To The Mind"'.

Sinclear Ferguson writes with good effect on "Preaching To The Heart." His chapter is practical. Don Kistler gives us "Preaching With Authority". He discusses how Jesus spoke with authority, an authority so obvious all noticed. He relates how Paul wrote about in, for example, Titus 2:15. He reminds us of what an awesome call we have in our call to preach. Eric Alexander writes on "Evangelistic Preaching". Some might find it lacking.

John Piper speaks on "Preaching To Suffering People." Perhaps this is an example of how productive a use this call to dedicated preaching can provide. John MacArthur writes the closing chapter as a plea to take the contents of this book and go and do what a shepherd should do.

The book is an encouragement. It runs against the tide of modern-day preaching and is what we need. You may have noticed that every writer tightly holds to reformed theology, and though I definitely do not, we must graciously admit that reformed writers are simply giving us the best writings on preaching today. This book is a clear example of that fact. I want to be the preacher the Lord wants me to be. Don't you?