Starting in This Sanctuary

“Our greatest need, as the Reformers kept insisting, is the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that the living God is the Lord of history. We should ask him to push back back the forces of unbelief and thank him for what he is doing already around the world.”

Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 11

The Food Is Not Hot Because Nobody Cooked It

“Finally, it is important to remember that preaching and worship cannot be divorced. The fact that they are so often separated today accounts for the low level of much contemporary worship. All worship is an intelligent and loving response to the revelation of God. Our worship is poor because our knowledge of God is poor; our knowledge of God is poor because our preaching is poor. But when the word of God is expounded in all its fullness, and the congregation begins to glimpse the glory of the living God, they bow down in solemn awe. It is preaching that accomplishes this. That is why preaching is unique and irreplaceable.”

Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 9

The Importance of Breathing the Same Air

“God himself supplies the best visual aids. He wants the pastor to be a visual aid to the congregation (Tit. 2:7; 1 Tim. 4:12). He also wants the congregation to be a visual aid to the watching world, indeed to the whole universe (Matt. 5:16; Eph. 3:10-11). Virtual images projected on screens are no substitute for real people and loving communities” ().

John Stott, The Challenge of Preaching, p. 8