The gospel of Christ gives me boldness as a preacher. Because I believe the gospel I preach to be the very truth of God, and because I believe I am commissioned to preach it with Divine authority, I am not fearful or hesitant to declare it to all men. But there are some things which I greatly fear. Here are some dangers of which I am constantly aware, dangers which every gospel preacher must guard against.
1. I fear PREACHING FOR SUCCESS, rather than preaching for
the glory of God.
2. I fear every thought of SELF-CONFIDENCE and
SELF-SUFFICIENCY in preaching.
3. I fear THE NEGLECT OF MY OWN SOUL, while I am
ministering to the souls of others.
4. I
fear a mere INTELLECTUAL FAMILIARITY WITH THE GOSPEL, without experiencing the
gospel in my own heart.
5. I fear SPEAKING EITHER MORE OR LESS THAN WHAT GOD HAS
REVEALED.
6. I fear preaching A LIFELESS FORM OF DOCTRINE, rather
than proclaiming the living Word of the living Lord.
7. I fear falling into the habit of PREACHING ABOUT THE GOSPEL,
rather than directly preaching the gospel.