Preaching and preachers

Preaching and Preachers. By Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972. 325 pages. By Javier Rodriguez
For those interested in a clear, practical guide of the highest and the greatest and the most glorious calling to which one can ever be called as D Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it, Preaching and Preachers is a must. Dr. Jones, through his lectures given in the spring of1969, teaches and imparts great wisdom not only on the elements and mechanics of preaching but also on the preparation of the person whom delivers the message; the preacher. His discussion of the content and the preparation of the sermon, the aspects of preaching, the recipients of the message and the one who preaches it more than adequately demonstrates Dr. Lloyd Jonesʼ authority on this topic.It is almost impossible after reading this book to not pay attention to the form of the sermon when Iʼm in front of a preacher. Dr. Jones has made me more conscious of the “sermon”, its preparation and its content. As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to preach the word of God, therefore the content is given. Anything that deviates from the message of the Scriptures should be taken out. Theauthor makes this very clear when he expresses, “The very essence of the position of the ambassador is that he is a man who has been sent to speak for somebody else”(61). It is not what is in our mind or what we feel we should talk but what is in the Bible, and such should be handled very carefully. The apostle Paul exhorts his son in the faith Timothy to rightly handle
the word of truth (2Timothy 2:15). The preparation of the sermon should be controlled by systematic theology, “...making sure that it fits into this whole body of Biblical doctrine which is vital and essential “(67).
There is the act of preaching sermons or “the lightning and the thunder”, as the author calls it. Here is where the preacher brings the content of the sermon to the people. A good preaching will involve thewhole body, will have a sense of authority and will be “free in the sense that it must be opened to the inspiration of the moment”(84). At the same time it reflects seriousness, zeal, warmth, urgency, persuasiveness, and the power of the Holy Spirit. During his exposition, Dr. Jones reviewed each one of those elements with excellence, letting us have just an idea of what he says is “somethingvery difficult to define.”(81). After all, he sums it up by saying that true praying means the combination of two things, light and heat, sermon plus preaching.
The preacher is the one in charge of the right blend of these two elements together. Dr. Jones explains and emphasizes that this task is not for everyone. It is only for the men who have received the gift of teaching, the pastors and theelders. This is the pattern that we can see in the New Testament (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9). The calling to be a preacher is wonderful and frightening at the same time. Dr. Jones does a great job giving discernment about whether or not someone has been called to be a preacher. He says that, “ the only man who is called to preach is the man who can not do anything else.”(105). He also adds thatpreaching is never something that a man decides to do but instead that he becomes conscious of his call. The spiritual character of the preacher, his skills
and even his personality are dealt with clarity in this book. The author explains that the preacher should be a man who is characterized by spirituality in an unusual degree. Also is a man who has arrived at the settle assured knowledge andunderstanding of the Truth, and feels that he is able to preach it to others. Furthermore, the preacher should be a godly man but also have wisdom (110). Dr. Jones boldly states, “Preachers are born, not made. This is an absolute. You will never teach a man to be a preacher if he is not already one”(119), and I whole-heartedly agree with him.
What is the role of the congregation? and Who is going...