Steven Lawson begins his excellent book with a dire diagnosis of modern, evangelical Christianity. His diagnosis is that in spite of all the impressive numbers, political clout, and booming press and music industries within evangelicalism, there is a spiritual famine in the land. The cause of the famine? “A dearth of biblical preaching has left the evangelical movement weak, starving for spiritual truth, and susceptible to the ravages of the enemy” (John MacArthur in the Forward, p.11). Lawson laments that many preachers use the Bible “like the singing of the national anthem before a ball game--something merely heard at the beginning, but never referenced again, a necessary preliminary that becomes an awkward intrusion into the real event” (82).

The majority of the book is an appeal for what Lawson believes to be the only effectual solution: “A return to preaching--true preaching, biblical preaching, expository preaching--is the greatest need in this critical hour. If a reformation is to come to the church, it must be preceded by a reformation of the pulpit. As the pulpit goes, so goes the church” (17).
This is truly “a passionate call for expository preaching.” The book is divided into four addresses: The PRIORITY of biblical preaching; the POWER of biblical preaching; the PATTERN of biblical preaching; and the PASSION of biblical preaching. Of special benefit is the fact that the addresses are themselves expository in nature (though thematically arranged and presented). He deals consecutively with Acts 2:42-47 (priority of preaching); Jonah 3:1-10 (power of preaching); Ezra 7:10 along with Nehemiah 8:1-8 (pattern of preaching); and 1 Timothy 4:13-16 (passion of preaching). Each text is developed contextually and applied to the modern preacher.

One of the emphases I particularly appreciated was the place that the reading of Scripture is to have in preaching (see pp. 94-95, 112-13). “The preacher, as the worship leader, should follow Paul’s instruction to read the Scriptures publicly, and not allow other activities to crowd it out” (113). He demonstrates that the practice of the public reading of Scripture is seen throughout the pages of the Bible.

If, as a pastor, you are seeking to be “fired up” about the study and preaching of God’s Word, this book will not be disappointing. It is permeated with a high view of Scripture and will bolster your faith in the God-ordained means of preaching: “One God-called man armed with one God-sent message, committed to one God-prescribed method--preaching--is always sufficient for any situation” (62). ( )

"The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and most urgent need in the Church, it is the greatest need of the world also." So said Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the famous expositor of Westminster Chapel. And so begins this book, a passionate call for a fresh generation of preachers from Steve Lawson, who is himself a gifted expositor of the Word.

With the conviction that a preacher is meant to become a mouthpiece for the text of Scripture, this book wonderfully models expository preaching, even as it teaches it. Chapter One, "Feast or Famine? The Priority of Biblical Preaching," is an exposition of Acts 2:42-47, which unfolds the primacy, pattern, purity, passion, and potency of the apostolic teaching in the early church. Chapter Two, "The Need of the Hour: The Power of Biblical Preaching," expounds Jonah 3. It is a rousing study of "of one man (Jonah), equipped with one message (God's), committed to one method (preaching), who effected great spiritual change" (p. 58). The author examines the call to preach, along with the character and consequences of true preaching, highlighting its courageous, compelling, confrontational, and compassionate dimensions, as seen in the life of Jonah.

Chapter Three, "Bring the Book! The Pattern of Biblical Preaching," is a study based on Ezra 7:1-10 and Nehemiah 8:1-18. This chapter unfolds the preacher's preparation of the word in study, his personalization of the word in obedience, and his proclamation of the word in preaching. Finally, in Chapter Four, "No Higher Calling: The Passion of Biblical Preaching," an exposition of 1 Timothy 4:13-16 is given. This chapter includes a brief look at Calvin and his "Reformation of Exposition" (p. 110-112), in the course of Lawson's unfolding of the pursuit, pattern, perseverance, pains, and preoccupation of biblical preaching.

The author's contagious love for the Word, extensive study of preaching itself (dozens of excellent quotations on preaching are sprinkled throughout the book), and obvious zest for homiletics and the artistry of preaching make this an exciting and encouraging book for preachers which will serve to stoke the fire in many a discouraged preacher's heart. I greatly enjoyed it and recommend it to other pastors and preachers. ( )

In general, I enjoyed this book. It was a refreshing call to biblical, expository preaching, a good reminder to those of us in ministry.

The book is divided into four parts, and each part is an exposition of a passage of Scripture. Here is where the difficulties come in. For someone who was urging careful exegesis and accurate proclamation, the author's own exegesis was sometimes (but not always) quite shallow.

The prime example of this is seen in the second part, where his text is Jonah 3:1-10. I found it amazing that Lawson would hold Jonah up as the kind of preacher we should aspire to be. The message of Jonah is how God works through human weakness, not an example for expositors.

After I got past the second chapter, however, I was rewarded by some good insights. All in all, I recommend this book as a good read. Just don't imitate Jonah.

For another good review of this book, click here.

www.comingstobrazil.com

Lawson's treatment of expository preaching is uninspiring. Throughout the book he seems to confuse the terms "expository preaching" and "biblical preaching" as if only the former is biblical. His use of the story of Jonah to support expository preaching is itself poor exposition, for a more careful reading of the last chapter of Jonah reveals that Jonah was by no means a model preacher. Lawson's criticism of "shallow storytelling" that passes for preaching leaves one wondering what the author would have said about Christ's parables. ( )

From Daniel Christensen