Preach to Please God: John Chrysostom on the Homiletical Task

For all my friends who will be proclaiming the Scriptures to the people of God around the world here is a quote from the great preacher John Chrysostom that I hope you can take with you to your pulpit:

Let, therefore, the man who undertakes the strain of teaching never give heed to the good opinion of the outside world, nor be dejected in soul on account of such persons; but laboring at his sermons so that he may please God, (For let this alone be his rule and determination, in discharging this best kind of workmanship, not acclamation, nor good opinions,) if, indeed, he be praised by men, let him not repudiate their applause, and when his hearers do not offer this, let him not seek it, let him not be grieved. For a sufficient consolation in his labors, and one greater than all, is when he is able to be conscious of arranging and ordering his teaching with a view to pleasing God. (On the Priesthood, or. 5.7)

It is God who you must please. You should neither seek nor reject the praise of your congregation. These will shift from one weekend to the next. What is important is that you can say, before God, you prepared your message for His glory.

2 comments

  1. Pingback: John Chrysostom on the Homiletical Task | eChurch Christian Blog

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