21 October 2010

E. M. Bounds: True Preaching

In his wonderful book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (p. 145), Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City quotes E. M. Bounds, the Methodist from Missouri who has helped us all on the subject of prayer.

A word in season to those of us figuring out how to preach.
Among the things that hinder spiritual results, fine preaching must have place among the first. Fine preaching is that kind of preaching where the force of the preacher is expended to make the sermon great in thought, tasteful as a work of art, perfect as a scholarly production, complete in rhetorical finish, and fine in its pleasing and popular force.

In true preaching, the sermon proceeds out of the man. It is part of him, flowing out of his life.
--E. M. Bounds, Powerful and Prayerful Pulpits (Baker 1993), 55.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hm.

Doesn't say much, for Paul, then:

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

1 Cor 2:1-5 (ESV)

Martha

Dane Ortlund said...

Hi Martha. Actually, there's hardly a better passage underscoring Bounds' point!

Bless you.

Anonymous said...

Sorry! :-)

I read through too quickly. :-)

Many blessings to you, in Jesus-

Martha