When Martyn Lloyd-Jones was
in the pulpit, those who listened were captivated. The most enduring caption for his ministry of proclamation has been this: he was “logic on fire.” For anyone who has extensively read Lloyd-Jones, another accurate way to describe this is that
his preaching was biblical truth baptized by Holy Spirit's manifest presence.
At the age of twenty-seven, he was not only on the
threshold of forty
years of fruitful ministry, but also his first job in the pastorate. He had only preached a dozen
or so times, but the call of God was clearly on his life. The power of the Spirit, which marked his preaching, was rooted in his continual awe of the gospel and its urgent and necessary application to our daily lives. This marked the man, and, thus, it marked his preaching. To illustrate this, I quote (below) from a letter he penned to one of the leading figures responsible for hiring
him, just prior to the commencement of his ministerial
duties.
Many
thanks for all your excellent letters, particularly the one I received on
Monday morning…
I preached twice on Sunday in Welsh. My
theme was the wonder and the amazement that are inherent in the gospel message
and our tragic failure to appreciate this. If we could but see the real wonder
in the Incarnation, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, what powers we should
be! The Son of God himself dying for us -- how can we remain so silent and so
passive? Do we spend enough time in prayer and silent mediation? Are we not
concentrating too much on what we can do in public and depending too much on
our own abilities? Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) by Iain H. Murray (p. 81)
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