Famine in the Land—Steven Lawson

If a reformation is to come to the church, it must be preceded by a reformation of the pulpit. As the pulpit goes, so goes the church.

The true idea of preaching is that a preacher should become the mouthpiece for his text, opening it up and applying it as a word from God to his hearers, talking only in order that the text itself may speak and be heard.

Preaching in Acts: Evangelism explosion was the result of their teaching, not the stated purpose of it. They gathered for edification; they scattered for evangelism.

Preaching in Acts: The primary focus of their corporate worship gatherings was for building up the believers, not for reaching seekers. When this priority becomes reversed and the church meets primarily to save the lost, the apostle’s teaching soon becomes compromised and diluted.

The contemporary church seems bent on presenting a non-offensive, felt-need message, which is a sad departure from the model presented in Acts.

Pastors who are committed to biblical exposition must have a confrontive element in their preaching if they are to emulate the prophets and the apostles. Regrettably, this kind of reproof and rebuke is often missing from present day preaching.

It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills. It is not love and it is not friendship if we fail to declare the whole counsel of God. It is better to be hated for telling truth than to be loved for telling a lie…It’s better to stand alone with the truth than to be wrong with a multitude. Adrian Rogers

At the heart of every pastor’s work is bookwork. Call it reading, meditation, reflection, cogitation, study, exegesis, or whatever you will—a large and central part of our work is to wrestle God’s meaning from a book, and then to proclaim it in the power of the Holy Spirit. If the preacher is to be powerful in the pulpit, he must first be proficient in his study. John Piper

Question to Billy Graham: If you had to live your life over again, what would you do differently? His answer: One of my great regrets is that I have not studied enough. I wish I had studied more and preached less. People have pressured me into speaking when I should have been studying and preparing.

Theological truth is useless until it is obeyed. The purpose behind all doctrine is to secure moral action. Scripture learned is useless until it is lived. AW Tozer

Too often the Bible in preaching is nothing more than a rallying point around which to base our editorials. But where did we get the audacious idea that God would bless our opinions or judgments?

Exhortation challenges people to apply the truths they have been taught. It warns people to obey in light of the blessings to come to them if they do, and the judgment if they do not. Exhortation may take the form of rebuke, warning, counsel, or comfort, but always involves a binding of the conscience. John MacArthur