Westminster Assembly

Westminster Assembly

Acts 6:4

"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word."

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1 Timothy 4:6-16

" If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." 1 Tim 4:6-16 (KJV)

"The Art of Preaching" By J.C. Philpot

Sunday, June 12, 2011
We are overrun with a shallow, superficial ministry,  which is destitute of all life, savor, and power. A dry,  dead-letter scheme of doctrine, as mathematically 
correct as the squares of a chess-board, prevails, where what is called "truth" is preached. And to move Bible texts on the squares as pawns, is called  "the art of preaching".
How simple is truth!  Man's misery--God's mercy.

The aboundings of sin--the super-aboundings of grace.

 The depths of the fall--the heights of the recovery.

The old man--the new man.

The diseases of the soul--the balm of a Savior's blood.

These lessons learned are in the furnace of inward
experience. How different from . . .
  the monkish austerity of the Ritualist,
  the lip service of the Pharisee, and
  the dry Calvinistic formulary!

What a dreadful lack is there of true preaching now!
I look round and see so few men qualified to feed the
church of God. We are overrun with parsons, but, oh
dear! what are they? I cannot but attribute much
of the low state of the churches to the ministers!

Ezekiel 34 is a true picture of the false shepherds.


Being a Calvinist myself I would never abhor Calvinistic preaching, only the lack of zeal that often times accompanies it.  Though zeal without knowledge is a dangerous thing, so is truth without fire!  A preacher should refuse to deliver anything other than the truth of God's Word but also should deliver this message in a manner that portrays the importance and urgency of the message.  Anything less is a mere lecture.  May God raise up preachers who posses knowledge of His truth and with hearts that burn with urgency!


Be Holy!
Shane C. Montgomery
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