I've been giving this matter a fair bit of thought of late and here is my basic proposal:The Spirit's empowering presence enables preachers to proclaim the Lord Jesus with boldness, liberty and life-transforming effectiveness. His presence makes preaching an event where the God of the gospel is encountered in all the fullness of his grace and power.
"I am certain, as I have said several times before, that nothing but a return to this power of the Spirit on our preaching is going to avail us anything. This makes true preaching, and it is the greatest need of all today - never more so." (D.M. Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, Hodder and Stoughton, 1985, p. 325). I for one long to know more of what it means to preach with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven.
1 comment:
Amen to everything you say on this, Guy. I love the Holy Spirit emphasis in Lloyd-Jones' approach to preaching. The notion of transaction and encounter is absent from so much of what passes as preaching today.
I could align myself totally with your working definition.
God bless,
Andrew
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