Hotter and Stoughton, London, 1982

1. The preacher must live his/her message ... allow the Holy Spirit to work through him/her, and expect such preaching in the power of the Spirit to change lives.

2. What is now needed is a revival of confident, intelligent, relevant, biblical preaching, which will further ... growth and build up mature disciples of Jesus Christ.

3. The contemporary situation makes preaching more difficult; it does not make it any less necessary.

4. The contemporary loss of confidence in the gospel is the most basic of all hindrances to preaching.

5. History supplies ample evidence of the indivisible connection between Church and Word, between the state of the Christian Community, and the quality of Christian preaching.

6. Certainly too, the task of preaching today is extremely exacting, as we seek to build bridges between the Word and the world, between divine revelation and human experience, and to relate the one to the other with integrity and relevance.

7. Self-forgetfulness is an unattainable goal, except as a by-product of preoccupation with Another’s presence, and with His message, His power, and His glory.

Item 58

©2004 Ronald C. Ferris


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