As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
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Pardon my saying that the condition of your body must be attended to, especially in the matter of eating, for any measure of excess may injure your digestion and make you stupid when you should be fervent. From the memoir of Duncan Matheson I cull an anecdote which is much to the point:
“We often teach our youth that the ‘outside world’ is full of reprobate, evil monsters, and that the moment you graduate from Christian school and step onto a college campus or into a workplace, you’re going to be attacked from all sides—persecuted, mocked and ostracized.” - Pursuing the Pursuer
“It’s one thing to exegete the text; it’s another thing to exegete the people. A preacher who studies the text but not his people is missing out on clearer application and more nuanced communication.” - 9 Marks
J.C. Ryle, the great Anglican preacher, continues to explain how to attain simplicity in preaching:1
And now bear in mind that my five points are these—
Illustrations are important. But, busy preachers sometimes forget to use them. I think a preacher could save himself several minutes of explanation if he can fasten upon a good illustration to drive the point home. I tried this myself a few weeks ago, and it worked very well. It took a few minutes to think of something appropriate, but that illustration was worth 10 minutes of explanation. Here, J.C. Ryle explains why illustrations are so important:1
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