Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching

by Don Kistler

Publisher:

Reformation Trust

, 2008

Overview

The apostle Paul declared that “what we preach” was “folly” in the eyes of many in his time (1 Cor. 1:21). Such is always the world’s response to the gospel. But in our day, it seems that the method behind Paul’s message—preaching—is itself an object of ridicule, even within the evangelical church. In an age of short attention spans and entertainment “consumers,” many churches are yielding to pressure to set aside preaching in their worship services in favor of more “relevant” methodologies.

In Feed My Sheep, an outstanding team of pastors and scholars say 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.

With the Logos edition, Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching is fully integrated with the other resources in your digital library, including Bibles, maps, dictionaries, and numerous other Bible study tools. All Scripture references are linked directly to the text of your favorite Bible translation, making your Bible study and teaching preparations more effective and rewarding. You can also explore Scripture on a deeper level with powerful search features, Passage Guides, and all the other interactive features in your Logos library. That makes this important book more useful than ever before for pastors, teachers, Bible study leaders, and anyone else desiring to get deeper into the truth of God’s Word.

Key Features

• Foreword by J. Ligon Duncan III
• Preface to the second edition
• Discussion on the topic of preaching

Contents

Top Highlights

“Indeed, I will go so far as to assert that if you are at peace with the world, you have abdicated your calling. You have become a court preacher to some earthly power, no matter how innocuous it may appear. To put it straight: you have been bought! If there is no controversy in your ministry, there is probably very little content to your preaching. The content of the Word of God is not only alive and active, it is sharper than any two-edged sword, and that means it does some surgery. Cutting leads to bleeding, and by God’s grace healing then comes, but there is always controversy.” (Pages 6–7)

“But rarely do you hear a church described, first and foremost, by the character, power, and content of its preaching. This is because few preachers today are true servants of the Word.” (Page 4)

“Third, not only must we who preach believe the Bible, we must obey the Bible.” (Page 29)

“The preacher is called to be a servant of the Word” (Page 1)

“2. Pursue godliness in dependence on the Holy Spirit.” (Page 64)

Product Details

• Title: Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching
• Authors: Eric J. Alexander, Joel R. Beeke, James Montgomery Boice, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Don Kistler, John MacArthur, R. Albert Mohler Jr., John Piper, R. C. Sproul, R. C. Sproul Jr., and Derek W. H. Thomas
• Editor: Eric J. Alexander
• Publisher: Reformation Trust
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 156

About Don Kistler

Eric J. Alexander is the former senior pastor of St. George’s-Tron parish church in Glasgow, Scotland. He is the author of What Is Biblical Preaching? in the Basics of the Reformed Faith series from P&R.

Joel R. Beeke is the president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, and a pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has written or edited 50 books, and contributed hundreds of articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals and encyclopedias. His PhD is in Reformation and Post-Reformation theology from Westminster Theological Seminary. He is frequently called upon to lecture at seminaries and to speak at Reformed conferences around the world. He and his wife, Mary, have been blessed with three children: Calvin, Esther, and Lydia.

James Montgomery Boice (1938-2000) was the pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, the teacher on “The Bible Study Hour” radio program and chairman of the board of City Center Academy. He held a BD from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Theology from the University of Basel in Switzerland. In addition to authoring numerous journal articles, he was a consulting editor for the Expositor’s Bible Commentary. His books and commentaries include Foundations of God’s City and the five-volume work The Gospel of John.

Sinclair B. Ferguson is a professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. Previously he was the minister of St George’s Tron Church in Glasgow, Scotland. He is a prolific author and well-known conference speaker.

Don Kistler is the author of the books A Spectacle Unto God: The Life and Death of Christopher Love and Why Read the Puritans Today?, and is the editor of all the Soli Deo Gloria Puritan reprints. He was a contributing author for Justification by Faith ALONE!, Trust and Obey: Obedience and the Christian, Onward, Christian Soldiers: Protestants Affirm the Church, and Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching. He has edited over 150 books.

John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, as well as author, conference speaker, president of The Master’s College and featured teacher with Grace to You, an international radio broadcast. His more than six dozen books have sold millions of copies worldwide and include more than two dozen volumes of The MacArthur New Testament Commentary series.

R. Albert Mohler Jr. is the ninth president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary—the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world. He also serves as a professor of Christian theology at Southern Seminary and editor-in-chief of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, as well as on the boards of several organizations including Focus on the Family and The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Dr. Mohler has been quoted in the nation’s leading newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. He has also appeared on such national news programs as CNN’s Larry King Live, NBC’s Today Show, and Dateline NBC.

John Piper, pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 1980, is a widely respected theologian and bestselling author. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Piper attended Wheaton College where he majored in literature and minored in philosophy. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he studied under Dr. Daniel Fuller. Piper received his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Munich and taught biblical studies for six years at Bethel College.

R. C. Sproul is the founder and president of Ligonier Ministries and president of Ligonier Academy. He also serves as the senior pastor of Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Fla., and he has written more than 70 books including Defending Your Faith, The Truth of the Cross, Truths We Confess, and commentaries on Romans and John in the Saint Andrew’s Expositional Commentary series.

R. C. Sproul Jr. is a teaching fellow at Ligonier Ministries and professor and lecturer at Ligonier Academy in both the Bible college and DMin programs. He is also the founder of Highlands Ministries and author of Believing God: 12 Biblical Promises Christians Struggle to Accept.