I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have quite a few jobs in my relatively young life. The experiences are truly life-shaping. However, there really is nothing like pastoral ministry. One aspect of its uniqueness is the amount of talk from within the camp of what we as pastors are to be doing. This is interesting because the job description is pretty simple: lead, feed, and protect the sheep. Pastors are to give themselves to the word and to prayer.
This is simple. This is hard.
Therefore, as a pastor, I really appreciate when quality books come my way and add to the discussion of the subject of preaching. They are oftentimes my favorite books to read. In particular, I love reading of how other preachers do what they do. I love reading how they expound the priority and practice of preaching. It is refreshing and instructive.
I have been both refreshed and instructed by Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching. The book has contributions from Mohler, Sproul, Piper, and MacArthur (among others). As you might expect, it is a very helpful reminder and instruction into the priority of preaching.
Here is the Publisher’s Description:
In Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching, an outstanding team of pastors and scholars says to the modern church: “Turn back!” Preaching is not just one of many acceptable methodologies that the church may employ as the cultural landscape changes. Rather, the preaching of God’s Word is the biblically mandated method by which unbelievers are to be converted and churches built up in the faith.
This book reveals the biblical basis for preaching, sketches the way it ought to be practiced, and shows the many practical benefits that flow from strong pulpits. Here is encouragement for preachers and wise counsel for those who desire to sit under the ministry of the Word of God preached.
Here are the chapters (I highlighted my favorites)
THE PRIMACY OF PREACHING P. Albert Mohler Jr
THE FOOLISHNESS OF PREACHING James Montgomery Boice
EXPOSITORY PREACHING Derek W. H. Thomas
EXPERIENTIAL PREACHING Joel R. Beeke
THE TEACHING PREACHER R. C. Sproul
PREACHING TO THE MIND P. C. Sproul Jr
PREACHING TO THE HEART Sinclair Ferguson
PREACHING WITH AUTHORITY Don Kistler
EVANGELISTIC PREACHING Eric J. Alexander
PREACHING TO SUFFERING PEOPLE John Piper
A REMINDER TO SHEPHERDS John MacArthur
The challenge with any complilation book project is the lack of a unified voice and style. Here we have a united passion for biblical preaching. This covers for a lot. It is a very helpful and encouraging book for preachers. It is also a good book to give a pastor who might be wrestling with the way he has done things and where he needs to go. This type of restlessness often times leads to biblical preaching.
I echo Philip Ryken’s words in his endorsement:
“There has never been a greater need for good preaching, and this book will help. In it some of the best preachers I know share their passion for preaching biblical, practical, expositional sermons that inform the mind and touch the heart. Feed My Sheep will be a tremendous help to anyone learning to preach and will provide real refreshment for anyone in the gospel ministry.” - Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College
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