A necessary reminder within this forum:The preachers who gain mighty results for God are the men who have prevailed in their pleadings with God ere venturing to plead with men. The preachers who are the mightiest in their closets with God are the mightiest in their pulpits with men.Preachers are human folks, and are exposed to and often caught by the strong driftings of human currents. Praying is spiritual work; and human nature does not like taxing, spiritual work. Human nature wants to sail to heaven under a favoring breeze, a full, smooth sea. Prayer is humbling work. It abases intellect and pride, crucifies vainglory, and signs our spiritual bankruptcy, and all these are hard for flesh and blood to bear. It is easier not to pray than to bear them. So we come to one of the crying evils of these times, maybe of all times -- little or no praying. Of these two evils, perhaps little praying is worse than no praying. Little praying is a kind of make-believe, a salvo for the conscience, a farce and a delusion.The little estimate we put on prayer is evident from the little time we give to it. The time given to prayer by the average preacher scarcely counts in the sum of the daily aggregate. Not infrequently the preacher's only praying is by his bedside in his nightdress, ready for bed and soon in it, with, perchance the addition of a few hasty snatches of prayer ere he is dressed in the morning. How feeble, vain, and little is such praying compared with the time and energy devoted to praying by holy men in and out of the Bible! How poor and mean our petty, childish praying is beside the habits of the true men of God in all ages! To men who think praying their main business and devote time to it according to this high estimate of its importance does God commit the keys of his kingdom, and by them does he work his spiritual wonders in this world. Great praying is the sign and seal of God's great leaders and the earnest of the conquering forces with which God will crown their labors.The preacher is commissioned to pray as well as to preach. His mission is incomplete if he does not do both well. The preacher may speak with all the eloquence of men and of angels; but unless he can pray with a faith which draws all heaven to his aid, his preaching will be "as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal" for permanent God-honoring, soul-saving uses.Chapter fivePower through Prayer E.M. Bounds
_________________Lars Widerberg
IN MY HEART I WAS NOT ASSASSINATING ANYONE-It was 'tongue in cheek' as it were. Besides-where do I go?? I don't know how many who read this are "paid full time ministers" and how many are "laymen". From a layman's standpoint-and maybe it is as I feared and I am the only one who experiences this-but I would like someone to tell me where I go. Where is the WORD preached without apology? Where is the church where the "paid minister" stands up on Sunday morning and says, "Thus sayeth the Lord?..."It is easy to say, "get out of there" but there is a crying need for Pastors who are Preachers. As far as I know, there is nowhere to go in this town-and it is a big town. I am pleased for you that you have such a fine place to worship. Maybe you have a 'Man of God' like the quotes just posted from E.M.Bounds. It just so happens it doesn't happen here, much. So, I just abandon the other believers? The other's I worship with because I am not 'served' on Sunday morning? It isn't that easy, sorry. :-(
Where is the WORD preached without apology? Where is the church where the "paid minister" stands up on Sunday morning and says, "Thus sayeth the Lord?..."
Thank you for your encouragment. :-D
Having experienced this famine of the word of the Lord (Amos 8:15 I believe) in part, we will pray for you. I'm believing God that the "unvarnished" Word will make a comeback in America. It will likely still be a minority of churches but brother it's making a comeback.I just pray the Lord will intensify and then satisfy this longing in your heart for more of Jesus.I also believe we need to have a heart for those who have struggled in their ministry in some form or another. May we learn to lift up one other and truly function as the body of Christ.
_________________Ed Pugh