When Dying Men Preach

Today, I came across an interview- recorded some years back- with Dr John RW Stott. It merits a look see.

Found it at Between Two Worlds by way of link from Pure Church. I especially note two excerpts.

1 - The priority of preaching the Scriptures.

When asked, “What legacy would you like to leave with the leaders, with whom you have been involved?” Dr. Stott replied,

“ I would urge upon them the priority of preaching. It is the Word of God which matures the people of God. As Jesus said, quoting Deuteronomy, human beings do not live by bread alone, but by every word which comes from the mouth of God. Moreover, what is true of individuals is equally true of churches. Churches live, grow, and flourish by the Word of God; they languish and perish without it. Of course the Word of God can reach people both in private Bible study (if they are literate and have a Bible) and in Bible study groups. But the major way in which the Word of God comes to the people of God worldwide is through preaching. I am an unrepentant believer in the power of the pulpit. I long to see a recovery of faithful biblical preaching from the pulpits of the world; the result would be a dramatic growth in mature discipleship.”

2 - The radical call flowing from the cross of Christ beyond the Atonement.

Again, Dr. Stott says,

“I have been concerned to write a book which is not just about the Atonement but about all aspects of the death of Christ as unfolded in the New Testament. For instance, Christ calls us to take up our cross and follow him. ‘When Christ calls a man,’ wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, ‘he bids him come and die.’ We are always in danger of trivializing the meaning of conversion as if it involved only the adoption of a veneer of piety in an otherwise secular life. Then scratch the surface and there is the same old pagan underneath. But no, conversion is much more radical than this."

The article originally appeared in the Summer 2001 issue of the C. S. Lewis Institute Report. You will find it here. And the original post at Between Two Worlds can be seen here.

Grace and Peace,

-T