Saturday 28 December 2019

William Still Sermons Online...

Genesis
Leviticus
Joshua
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
Psalm (1-24)
Daniel
Isaiah
Hosea
Zechariah
Luke
John
Acts (35-Part MP3 Series)
1 Corinthians
Colossians
Hebrews

I found these links at two websites - "Feeding on Christ" and "Reformation Today".
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I found this article at The Gospel Coalition blog.

On the plane ride to the New Life Bible Conference, I began reading William Still’s The Work of the Pastor.  I’ve had the book for a few years, but had yet to pick it up.  In recent conversations with some pastor friends, I was strongly encouraged to take up and read.  And boy am I glad I did!

William Still was minister of the Gilcomstom Church of Scotland from 1945 until 1997. His ministry placed strong emphasis on Biblically based expository preaching, and over the years the Lord used this man laboring int his small field to impact the lives of many who entered the ministry and the mission field.  Still recounts his life and labor in his autobiography, Dying to Live.
I couldn’t put this short but powerful little book down.  Based on addresses that Still gave to IVCF meetings in England and Northern Ireland in 1964 and 1965, the book is plain, direct, filled with conviction, and soaked with pastoral observation and wisdom that nourishes the soul.  One of the great values of the book is Still’s ability to trace out before the reader both the blessings of a ministry of the Word and the attending problems or side effects.  So, he gives the pastor a view of both success and challenge, and he disabuses us of the unspoken assumption that “good preaching” will always meet with the approval of all Christians. The book has one main idea: Feed the sheep the Word of God.  If you need encouragement to do that, or a vision for doing that, then read this book and be challenged.
This book meets the vigorous endorsements it receives.  So, I thought I’d quote a few snippets to whet your appetite and encourage you to read this work if you haven’t.
On Feeding the Sheep
It is to feed the sheep on [biblical] truth that men are called to churches and congregations, whatever they may think they are called to do.  If you think that you are called to keep a largely worldly organisation, miscalled a church, going, with infinitesimal doses of innocuous sub-Christian drugs or stimulants, then the only help I can give you is to advise you to give up the hope of the ministry and go and be a street scavenger; a far healthier and more godly job, keeping the streets tidy, than cluttering the church with a lot of worldly claptrap in the delusion that you are doing a job for God.  The pastor is called to feed the sheep, even if the sheep do not want to be fed.  He is certainly not to become an entertainer of goats.  Let goats entertain goats, and let them do it out in goatland.  You will certainly not turn goats into sheep by pandering to their goatishness.  Do we really believe that the Word of God, by His Spirit, changes, as well as maddens men?  If we do, to be evangelists and pastors, feeders of sheep, we must be men of the Word of God.
On True Pastors
To be true pastors, your whole life must be spent knowing the truth of this Word, not only verbally, propositionally, theologically, ut religiously, that is, devotionally, morally, in worshipping Him whom it reveals, and in personal obedience to Him whose commands it contains, in all the promised grace and threat of those commands.  To be pastors you must be ‘fed men’, not only in knowledge, but in wisdom, grace, humility, courage, fear of God, and fearlessness of men.
On Courage to Preach the Word
We are not called to make a crowd of worldly folk happy–even worldly evangelistic folk happy–but so labour amongst them that, through many tribulations, discouragements and misunderstandings, we form a faithful people of God, however small a remnant of the total congregation that may be.  There will be many opposers, some very surprising ones!  I could bring ministers of various denominations to testify that although the unconverted in their congregations made their lives miserable, the most fiendish persecutions have come from evangelistic people who wanted a perpetual preaching of that part of the Gospel which they thought (often wrongly) did not touch them, and who, when the Word of God in its fullness was unleashed upon them, went virtually mad with rage.  There is nothing too vile for such people to do when their futile evangelistic round with its patronage of the unconverted has been ended, and the myth of their conceited superiority has been destroyed.  It takes a courageous man in these circumstances to preach the whole Word of God without fear or favour, whoever it hurts–himself, his loved ones, his friends, or his enemies.
Four Basics of Effective Ministry
First, the pastor must know christ, really know Him, and live his life as sifted by His all-searching holiness all the time.
Second, you must know that God has called you with a heavenly compulsion, whether you want it or not, to be an evangelist, pastor and teacher of His Word.
Third, you must find out His will for your life, and His place for you, and obey the fiery cloud, as Israel did in the wilderness, as your only safety and satisfaction, whatever your inclinations are, or what your loved ones, sweethearts, friends, or even your enemies say.
Fourth, having been called or appointed to minister to a local congregation, begin to minister the Word of God to them at once, depending for all you are worth on the Holy Spirit, and believing that this is the biggest thing you can do for them in all the world.
On Staying to Shepherd
God has caused you to become pastor to some souls here who are as valuable to Him as any in the world–your quiet persistence will be a sign that you believe God has a purpose of grace for this people, and that his purpose of grace will be promoted, not by gimmicks, or stunts, or new ideas, but by the Word of God released in preaching by prayer.
All of these quotes are from the first chapter.  My entire copy is outlined and starred and noted.  On the plane ride to Chicago–if you include the number of times I re-read passages–I think I read the book nearly two times.  Take up and read!  It’ll be good for your soul.
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Here's a link to the Gilcomston Story -  Gilcomston History
Here's a link for more recent sermons from Gilcomston - Gilcomston Church
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Changed By The Gospel: The Work of the Pastor by William Still

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