Pray Earnestly For Faithful Preachers (Bucer)

Although the reformer Martin Bucer (d. 1551) wrote these words over 450 years ago, they are very applicable and pertinent today. Notice how he talks about people who constantly criticize a pastor's preaching: ...It is the Lord's will to rule among us through his appointed ministry, as we have explained in the second and third …

A Pastor’s Treatment of His Wife (Miller)

(This is a re-post from May 1, 2017) A pastor's marriage is a very important part of his life and ministry.  It should be obvious that a pastor must be an excellent Christian example of what it means for a husband to serve, cherish, nourish, and love his wife in a humble, Christ-like way.  Samuel …

The Humbling Aspect of Preaching (or: Glad I Must Fail At Last)

I'm very much enjoying this excellent book on preaching: Heralds of God by James Stewart. I'll write more about it later, but for now let me say that if you're a preacher and you haven't read it, you should get it! If you're not a preacher, this is a good one to get your pastor …

A Preacher Who Does Not Preach God’s Word (Luther)

In a Christmas Day sermon in 1521 Martin Luther preached on the advent story in Luke 2. Luther touched on many points in this sermon, including the message of the angels and the reality that Christ is the fulfillment of so many Old Testaments promises and prophecies. At one point when Luther was talking about …

From a Pastor to His New Congregation (Kuyper)

When Abraham Kuyper arrived in Amsterdam in August, 1870, he gave an inaugural sermon to the Reformed congregation that he had been called to shepherd. This sermon is called "Rooted and Grounded" and it is found in the volume On the Church by Abraham Kuyper. In this sermon Kuyper talked about how the church is …