Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Book Notes: The Importance of the Preacher's Character

In Eifion Evans' wonderful biography, Daniel Rowland - and the Great Evangelical Awakening in Wales, Evans wrote the following regarding the character of the great, Welsh open-air preacher:

These honest statements of appreciation for Rowland reflect not only the hearers' views but also the preacher's character. Evidently Rowland was a man of great warmth and compassion, for whom personal convenience was always secondary to the spiritual welfare of others. At thirty years of age, his preaching activities away from Llangeitho involved costly and prolonged separation from is wife and young children (a son and perhaps two daughters). Yet, a large measure of self-denial on their part, together with Rowland's sensitivity to the Spirit's prompting, allowed him to be flexible and open in the face of unexpected developments. Furthermore, when thus presented with an unscheduled opportunity for preaching, a knowledge of Scripture which was kept fresh each day provided him with a relevant message. There was also a passionate concern for Christ's neglected people, and this constantly motivated his decisions. In this way he reflected a care for Christ's churches which, in spirit and intensity, if not in office, was as apostolic as Paul" (p. 167).

From this brief passage, I drew the following, albeit not exhaustive, spiritual checklist for the man of God, like Rowland, who preaches either in a pulpit or atop a box in the open-air:
  1. A man of warmth and compassion
  2. A man who is other-minded (putting the spiritual needs of others before his own conveniences)
  3. A man who is able to intensely and daily serve the Lord while keeping his own household in order
  4. A man who is flexible and able to quickly adjust to unexpected developments
  5. A superior working knowledge of Scripture
  6. A passionate concern for the welfare of the Bride of Christ
Such are but some of the character traits of one of Christ's heralds.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing your comment. Your comment is under review.

Comments that are profane and/or blasphemous in nature will not be posted. Comments including links will not be posted. Comments deemed otherwise inappropriate will not be posted.