Poster | Thread | PaulWest Member
Joined: 2006/6/28 Posts: 3405 Dallas, Texas
| Ignorant preachers | | Hey guys, I stumbled upon this today, while looking for images of John and Charles Wesley. It shows you just what kind of men the Wesley brothers were, and how an early Methodist meeting might have went:
"The early Methodist meetings were often led by lay preachers with very limited education. On one occasion, such a preacher took as his text Luke 19:21, "Lord, I feared thee, because thou art an austere man." Not knowing the word "austere," he thought that the text spoke of "an oyster man." He spoke about the work of those who retrieve oysters from the sea-bed. The diver plunges down from the surface, cut off from his natural environment, into bone-chilling water. He gropes in the dark, cutting his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. Now he has the oyster, and kicks back up to the surface, up to the warmth and light and air, clutching in his torn and bleeding hands the object of his search. So Christ descended from the glory of heaven into the squalor of earth, into sinful human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back up with Him to the glory of heaven, His torn and bleeding hands a sign of the value He has placed on the object of His quest. Twelve men were converted that evening. Afterwards, someone complained to Wesley about the inappropriateness of allowing preachers who were too ignorant to know the meaning of the texts they were preaching on. Wesley, simply said, "Never mind, the Lord got a dozen oysters tonight."
Praise God! This is good stuff. No knowledge of Greek, no theological cemetery training; just a simple, innocent, baby-trusting heart for God. Twelve souls saved from hell. I love it. I love it.
Brother Paul
_________________ Paul Frederick West
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| 2006/8/12 17:20 | Profile |
| Re: Ignorant preachers | | The best preacher stories that I have read seem to almost always be about the early methodist preachers!
God does not look for wise, educated men. But for willing, eager men.
Ac 4:13 - "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."
Today we have many learned and educated men, that have not been with Jesus!
The only requirement for a preacher, is that he is called and sent by the God he walks with. Not that he be trained and educated and sent by his denomination or trained and educated and sent by his specific organization. But that he is called and taught and sent by God.
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| 2006/8/12 17:27 | | ChrisJD Member
Joined: 2006/2/11 Posts: 2895 Philadelphia PA
| Re: Ignorant preachers | | "Never mind, the Lord got a dozen oysters tonight."
Ha! Very good. :-D _________________ Christopher Joel Dandrow
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| 2006/8/12 17:33 | Profile | JoeA Member
Joined: 2004/11/29 Posts: 364 Decatur, Illinois
| Re: Ignorant preachers | | That is awesome.
[i]"And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."[/i] 1 Corinthians 2:1, 2
_________________ Joe Auvil
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| 2006/8/12 17:35 | Profile | Mattie Member
Joined: 2004/7/23 Posts: 210
| Re: | | Amen Lazarus! How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be SENT? Jesus said as the Father has sent Me so I send you. |
| 2006/8/12 18:34 | Profile | PaulWest Member
Joined: 2006/6/28 Posts: 3405 Dallas, Texas
| Re: | | Yes, the only true ordaining authority to preach the cross is the One who shed His blood on it. The only hands that can empower one for ministry are the ones with the bloody nail prints.
If a preacher has this, he needs nothing else. If he doesn't have this, then all his Greek semantics and certificates of ordination are utterly futile and his preaching destroys rather than gives life.
Bro. Paul _________________ Paul Frederick West
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| 2006/8/12 19:04 | Profile | crsschk Member
Joined: 2003/6/11 Posts: 9192 Santa Clara, CA
| Re: Ignorant preachers | | Could have titled this "[i]The Pearl of Great Price[/i]", but I am glad you choose what you did!
What an incredible find Paul! That is a blessed ignorance ... Wonderful! _________________ Mike Balog
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| 2006/8/12 19:43 | Profile |
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