A life of piety, purity
and personal devotion is indescribably important to the man of God who would preach
powerfully. Prayer is also crucial. "If you want to know how popular church
is, go on a Sunday morning; if you want to know how popular the preacher is, go
on Sunday evening; but if you want to know how popular God is, go to the prayer
meeting," (Ravenhill). No man will preach with unction without prayer and an
atmosphere of prayer which hangs in the air when a man studies and preaches.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is also essential. Dr Wayne Detzler, "This is an obvious invasion of the Holy Spirit on the preaching process." S. Briscoe said, "Unction is clearly the relationship of the preacher to the Holy Spirit. It means to have a healthy balance between doing your homework and being prepared and yet at the same time recognising that unless the fire falls from heaven, then it was all in vain. "This is a good balance to strike. We need to preach with dependence upon the power of God, and of a recognition of our own need of that power. It is possible to prepare exemplary sermons with studied correctness, and yet preach them without the fire of God being upon them. Such 'dead orthodoxy' is a profanation of true preaching. How we need to lean heavily upon, submit to, and depend upon the Spirit's ministry as we declare the wonderful Word of the Lord.
Ravenhill warns against trying to work up an atmosphere through singing, testimonies, lighting effects, etc. This can be done to the detriment of the work of God! When the Spirit comes upon a preacher and congregation, He comes as an act of sovereign bestowal on the part of our sovereign and gracious God and Father. We cannot force God to meet with us, but we can ask God to do so.
There is also the power
of the Scripture as it explodes in the lives of both minister and congregation.
Richard Baxter spoke of planting time-bombs in the hearts of his hearers that will
go off at God's appointment. Unction comes in the unique power of the Word of God.
The whole ministry must be "bathed in prayer,"(Briscoe). James Denney wrote,
"The preacher's peril is the peril of coming to men in word only, saying things
which he does not feel, and which they will not feel..." (Thes.p.48).
Criswell argues that education per se
does not enable a man to preach with power, (though it is a very good servant to
that man). The three things which he says are needed are prayer,
preparation, and the endeavour to win souls to Christ through the Gospel.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is also essential. Dr Wayne Detzler, "This is an obvious invasion of the Holy Spirit on the preaching process." S. Briscoe said, "Unction is clearly the relationship of the preacher to the Holy Spirit. It means to have a healthy balance between doing your homework and being prepared and yet at the same time recognising that unless the fire falls from heaven, then it was all in vain. "This is a good balance to strike. We need to preach with dependence upon the power of God, and of a recognition of our own need of that power. It is possible to prepare exemplary sermons with studied correctness, and yet preach them without the fire of God being upon them. Such 'dead orthodoxy' is a profanation of true preaching. How we need to lean heavily upon, submit to, and depend upon the Spirit's ministry as we declare the wonderful Word of the Lord.
Ravenhill warns against trying to work up an atmosphere through singing, testimonies, lighting effects, etc. This can be done to the detriment of the work of God! When the Spirit comes upon a preacher and congregation, He comes as an act of sovereign bestowal on the part of our sovereign and gracious God and Father. We cannot force God to meet with us, but we can ask God to do so.
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