Power of the Pulpit - Spring - IV - Chapter 7 (The living teacher)

Required reading
The Power of the Pulpit by Gardiner Spring (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 7 (The living teacher).

My summary
Today Spring talks about the importance of God's truth being communicated by a living teacher.  He asserts: 'It would seem, that in the judgment of Infinite Wisdom, truth must be spoken and well spoken in order to have its proper effect.'

Spring then gives examples of the powerful effect of the spoken word from both the Old and New Testaments.

Then Spring provides some advantages of speaking truth over reading truth.  Speaking truth
(i) reaches the greatest numbers in the shortest time;
(ii) is more apt to be understood by the mass of mankind;
(iii) is the most economical arrangement;
(iv) is more impressive and affecting.

What grabbed me
A great chapter.

As much as I love to read, I have to admit that all men do not share the same passion: 'The Gospel is a message to the race ; to millions it would be a dead letter, if it were not a preached Gospel. Constituted as men are, more minds are reached from the pulpit than in any other way. Men would not read it, if it were simply a printed Gospel, because it treats of subjects in which they feel little concern, and to which they are naturally hostile ; and because the mass of men have not time for profitable reading. They will read a newspaper, because it tells them what they wish to know ; but they will not read a religious discourse. But they will hear it ; and they do hear a multitude of such discourses, which, if carried to their doors, and laid upon their tables, they would never read. Hundreds, and sometimes thousands, are virtually reading the same book, when thus listening to the instructions of a single living preacher. It is not often that so many persons read so good a book as they thus hear read, or spoken from the pulpit. Nor is it often that the same amount of instruction is comunicated to them all in any other way ; and never within the same compass of time, and with the same intellectual effort on the part of the instructed.'

Many who will never pick up a book, will happily listen to someone preach.  And the minister must be aware of this fact.

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 8 (The divine authority of the Christian ministry).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.