Personally I enjoy listening to John Piper for his depth and intensity, to Wayne Grudem for his insightful and very systematic approach and I've been listening to and got to read some of Jonathan Edwards - he appears to have been very annointed without coming across as an intellectual though I'm sure he was...
So you want to know who is my favorite preacher? Mind if I share a word of caution here?
I used to have favorite preachers: I placed them on a pedestal and what he said was very authoritative. But, God intervened because I had placed undue confidence in him. This preacher occupied in my mind a place reserved only for God. I repented and have since then accepted the fact that there is no perfect preacher in the sense that he deserves so much TRUST. This then frees me to challenge him if I believe it needs to be done! and they all need this from their 'followers'.
Hope I did not discourage you because there are faithful men/preachers out there. Thank God for them and pray for them that they would remain faithful; just do not put undue confidence in them. Listen to what he says and then compare it with the Word. The Bereans were called noble because they did this. Today you are called much less flattering names if you do so, but that is to be expected.
God bless you..
ginnyrose
its true that we should never place any man on a pedestal, or think of them infallable.
but to answer the question as to my favorite preacher, that is too hard to answer, because I have favorite preachers for different reasons, some because of there exegisis skills, others for how they make me ponder my relationship with God, but to narrow it down in no particular order..
Ravenhill, and Son David.
Tozer,
Reidhead,
Paul Washer,
Keith Daniel,
Carter Conlon,
Ravi Zacherias.
John Wesley.
These are some of my favorites, not a complete list, but probably some of my most favorite ones.
Ravi Zacherias
Hate to pop your bubble... but this man is a compromiser. He refused to pray in the name of Jesus at the National Day of Prayer event. He has also spoken inside the LDS Temple in Salt Lake City during an event which was aimed at brining Mormons and Christians together in fellowship.
I really hate to bring that up, but I do so as a warning... not a criticism. This has all been discussed here before on many different threads.
Krispy
I frequently listen to John Piper and Paul Washer, both for expositional content and their good examples in modest, fervent ministry. I used to listen to a lot more preachers, but lately I mostly read books. If I listen to sermons by someone besides my pastor, it's these two 90% of the time.
Art Katz
Zac Poonen
T Austin Sparks
A W Tozer
oh! i edit this in, recently i have been very blessed and challenged by Dean Taylor, there is a man we all should listen more to
Leonard Ravenhill!
Listening to him helped me alot when i came to Christ. Great man of God, fearless and bold.
Paris Riedhead is also an amazing preacher but i dont know about him too much just read ten shekels and a shirt and it forever impacted me
[b]Present:
Paul West
Josh Parsley
Mike Balog
Greg Gordon
Eli Brayley
Jesse Morrell
Jeffrey Olver
Kerrigan Skelly
Evan Schiable
Miles Lewis
[b]Past:
A.W. Tozer
Watchman Nee
Jeremiah Burroughs
Oh I could go on forever there! :-)
Why do we have to look back anyway, we have plenty of great preachers in our day? :-( :-D
Jesus first, and then Paul the Apostle.
Blessings Greg
B.H. Clendenen, David Wilkinson, Carter Conlon.
Robert Weaver.
I follow Preachers only as they follow Christ.
God Bless all,
Nellie
John MacArthur
Paul Washer
Byron Yawn
Charles Spurgeon
Paris Reidhead
Some of the preachers who have edified and enriched my relationship with God and knowledge of Him...
Keith Daniel
Gerhard DuToit
Bill McCleod
Leonard Ravenhill
Paul Washer
Voddie Baucham
Alistair Begg
Gareth Evans
Ralph Sutera
Lou Sutera
Otto Koning
Denny Kenaston
Bill Gothard
Don Courville
and the list could go on...
I am always amazed That the Lord would ever give a mere mortal the revelation he gave to Paul the Apostle. He was taught in the secret chambers of eternity Himself, and that to lay a foundation for the very essence of the Church Eternal herself.
How could it be? Colossians and Ephesians.....on and on. And his obsession with mercy, in light of his own sinfulness and depravity. He was given suffering as bread, so that he would not trust in himself, but God alone.
I know that this is not fair, in light of the question, but here is a MAN given grace to form the written Word of God and display it without a semblance of self promotion or pride. I'm impressed.
As far as others, T. Austin Sparks has fed me more than any other. A. W. Tozer, Whitefield, Bunyan, Nee, and let me not forget Oswald Chambers; who loved his cross. Under that tier, I have been drawn to the devotional brothers, who accented death and resurrection in the believers life, corresponding with a life of worship. People who direct me to the truth that it much more important to God in what I become, rather than how I act or what I do.
These men are not primarily theologians. The error of this thinking [theologian's] is that knowledge is reality, and they insinuate that what you believe in your mind affects your position with God; but in reality it is your DEEDS and your FRUIT that follow after you, not your doctrinal stance or mindset.
Pulpit ministries, alone, seem to support a CLERGY/Laity mindset, and in my mind beget division and pride. [ Though some holy men have Pulpit ministries..]
Meetings are not the Church, and Pulpit preachers alone , without a basic understanding of ministry to the LEAST, do not impress me. I am drawn to brothers that know the fellowship of His sufferings, and can sense their love in their writings. I also see, that without sound DOCTRINE, the Church will Perish, no matter how spiritual you may think you have become.
I am now in a season of reading my Bible almost exclusively.
Those are the ones who have inspired me the most it's not necessarily the preaching but the effect they have had on my life.
Reidhead, Ravenhill, and Washer have been used of God in my life. I recall when I was an engineer listening to Ten Shekels and a shirt and being broken in a way I had never been broke. Then later listening to 'Modern American Christianity' by Washer, the Lord started a process which eventually lead me out of a lucrative Engineering career into full time youth ministry. Then Ravenhill... was so random and fierce, and just wonderfully used of God.
However I can certainly relate to one of the first posts on this thread. There is a tendancy to elevate preachers above what they preach, and there is a temptation to desire to preach like so and so preaches, or have the power that so and so has, and when we do this we border on idolatry.
Hi KrispyKrittr
I don't believer Ravi Zacharias is a compromiser. That is a pretty serious allegation to make about him just because he took up the offer to preach the gospel of Jesus at the LDS. Many a great men of God have been accused of 'compromise' by people who don't know enough about the context.
In that case D.L. Moody, Ray Comfort and David Wilkerson would all be compromisers too for they too have spoken in some places which we may chose not to preach in.
Ravi Zacharias is a servant of the Most High God. He has been given a voice to speak to Kings and because of this, many accusations will come against him.
In Christ our beautiful Saviour
*Charles Stanley
intouch.org
*Adrian Rogers
lwf.org
*Leonard Ravenhill
*Zac Poonen
*John Piper
*A.W. Tozer
*Mark Driscoll
Almost on my list of preachers to recommend: "Paul Washer". I see that many people on this thread endorse Paul Washer. I dont know how many sermons Ive heard by him; and Yes - he always sounds angry... There is nothing wrong with his teaching; on the contrary everything he says is relevant for the body of Christ; but still - there is something about tone of his voice I just cant cope with (sorry).
Sincerely Magnus
I don't believer Ravi Zacharias is a compromiser
Do you even understand the thrust of the event in which he agreed to preach at the LDS temple in Salt Lake? Apparently you dont.
I would recommend you read the following link before you go about accusing me of rash judgementalism. Ravi's visit to the Salt Lake LDS temple can hardly be compared to Moody's visit:
http://www.christianresearchservice.com/RaviZacharias5.htm
And how do you explain his refusal to pray in the name of Jesus Christ at the National Day of Prayer event?
I also recommend this link concerning this controversy:
http://crossroad.to/articles2/08/ravi-zacharias-allen.htm
He IS a compromiser. I dont care what it is, who it's for or what it's about... I will never bend to political correctness. They can throw my butt in jail for all I care... I will never deny the name of Jesus Christ, and I will pray in public in front of everyone in the name of Jesus Christ. And I expect nothing less from our so-called leaders.
I dont care who it might offend. You know what offends me?? Offended people.
Be careful who you defend lest you be embarrassed.
And by the way... I'm not saying he is apostate or has left the faith. I dont think that at all. I just think he is spineless. He's soft.
Krispy
Paul Davidson
Dr. Spencer
Chuck Swindol
AW Tozer
David Wilkerson
Mine are Leonard Ravenhill,
Paul Washer, John Macarthur, and Sinclair Ferguson
ravenhill all the way ^__^
Alister begg ?(spel)?
Ravee Zacharious
K.P. Yohannan
It would be very difficult to pick a favorite, but the Lord has used Watchman Nee the most to help me in my walk with the Lord along with many others:
T. Austin Sparks
A. W. Tozer
David Wilkerson
Stephen Kaung
DeVern Fromke
Lance Lambert
Ed Miller
Leonard Ravenhill
Steve Hill
Michael Brown
Andrew Murray
Derek Prince
Kenneth Hagin
Hobart Freeman
Wade Taylor
George Warnock
Allistair Begg,Paul Washer,John Piper,John MacArthur,Jeff Noblitt,these men (that I have heard)preach the word as God reveals it to me.I enjoy listening to any preacher who does not compromise the word of God.
WOW! That is quite a variety.
Hey, I don't know if I have a favorite but you should hear my wife Preach to me, she is good and probably at the top of my list, can wives be preachers to husbands? :-P
Most definitely, Keith Daniel.
The first time I listened to one of his sermons, I was shocked and broken. I had never heard anyone speak the way he does. He was gentle, humble yet forceful and full of love. You could hear the love in his voice. It was as though love was dripping from his lips as he talked.
God has certainly used this man to quicken my spirit and I will forever be grateful for his humble obedience to God to spread his word.
Jesus
Paul
John the Baptist
Jonah
Enoch
John
Isaiah
Jeremia
.
.
.
.
.
.
Art Katz
Zac Poonen
David Wilkerson
A.W. Tozer
Keith Daniel
Paul Washer
Len Ravenhill
Rolfe Barnard
John Piper
Stephen Kaung
K.P.Johannal
Carter Conlon
D.L. Moody
Chuck Smith
And anyone who displays a broken heart, fire of the Spirit and holy anger and righteous indignation.
Narrowpath
A few stand outs -
Art Katz
Keith Daniel
Paris Reidhead
AW Tozer
Norman Grubb
Dan Stone
Brian Coatney
Jim Fowler
Maj Ian Thomas
Alan Redpath
David Pawson
E James Wilder
Silas Issa
James Jacob Prasch
Mark Driscol
Leonard Ravenhill
James Edwin Orr
Josef Tson
...
There are so, so many more, but these are the ones who have had the greatest impact on me, holding to a well rounded theology, that goes beyond specialising in niche areas, and avoids making theological assumptions when reading Scripture. That's my standard.
**Edit** - Oh... and how could I possibly forget Paul Washer :-)
A few of my favorite are:
Charles Spurgeon
George Whitefield
A.W. Tozer
Jonathan Edwards
I see it is permissible to list those from the past and the present. I have a very long list, so I will trim it to the best.
Jesus is my favorite preacher from the past. No man, not even an apostle, has come close to his simplicity, his genuine love, his depth of insight. I like to listen to and read his sermons over and over.
As for my other favorites, they have all been repeated many times by others earlier in this thread, so just consolidate the other lists. Nearly all of those men have contributed significantly to my relationship with God.
Roniya wrote:Don Courville
This guy is good. I am surprised he is so far down on your list!
That would be J. C. RYLE; an Anglican bishop
whose plain and direct gospel conviction has
really changed my heart and life !!
sojourner7 wrote:
That would be J. C. RYLE; an Anglican bishop
whose plain and direct gospel conviction has
really changed my heart and life !!
:-) Mine too.
Barring the new testament writers and personalities, among the ones that really affected my thoughts and my walk, the name of Tozer will come easy to my recall.
A great theological prowess to win debates I have not learned from this man, but a contrition of the heart, a revival in spirit, a sustaining hope and confidence in God, a glimpse of God's glory, peace in my soul, and sweet communion in prayers and meditations.
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