In our observation, we have noticed many Christian leaders being passionate to emulate apostolic practices rather than be grounded in apostolic doctrine. They want to act like the Apostles, but not the teaching of the Apostles. They want to do signs and wonders like the Apostles, but not that interested in having a pure preaching of the Apostles doctrine. However we read in Acts 2:42, that the church gathered together to heed to the Apostle's doctrine. So they gathered to hear sound, doctrinally rich teaching of the Apostles. We find it ironic that many leaders who seek to bear the mantle of the Apostles today are some of the most doctrine-belittling people we have met in my life. It is our prayer that they will see how biblical doctrine is so crucial to Christianity.
In the attached sermon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones expounds Acts 2:42 and explains what true Christianity is and how sound teaching of the Word of God is crucial to the church. Later in the sermon he responds to the cry of the liberals - "Christianity is not creeds, but deeds - it is just a way of life", in a very convincing manner. Today its not just the liberals, but vast number of so-called Evangelicals say the same thing. Thus we believe this sermon is still relevant.
Apostles' Doctrine by Martin Lloyd Jones | Download
If you have never heard a single sermon of the doctor, then we think this one will be a good one to start. For those who do not know him or has forgotten him, here is a brief introduction to this man of God.
Dr.Martyn Lloyd-Jones (20 December 1899 – 1 March 1981) was a Welsh Protestant minister and preacher who was influential in the British evangelical movement in the 20th century. For almost 30 years, he was the minister of Westminster Chapel in London. Dr Lloyd-Jones' reputation as an inspired, authoritative and prophetic preacher of the Christian faith developed in his first church, Bethlehem Forward Movement Church in Aberavon, Wales, which experienced remarkable conversions. His reputation then grew steadily over 30 years of ministry in Westminster Chapel, London, England, between 1938 and 1968. For much of that time he preached to congregations averaging 1,500 on Sunday mornings and 2,000 on Sunday evenings. A man of unparalleled intellect and prodigious sermonic output, he left his mark on both sides of the Atlantic—and around the world.
In the article, Past Masters: D Martyn Lloyd Jones, David Stokes Pastor of Fair Oaks Church, Fairfax, Virginia says the following on the Doctor :
The ministry of Lloyd-Jones was primarily a preaching ministry. The pulpit was central to every aspect of the spiritual program at Westminster. This was the food for growth and foundation for success. Any pastor with a heart for biblical exposition who has come of age since the midpoint of the 20th century will inevitably find himself drawn to the pastoral works of Lloyd-Jones. In fact, the books that bear his name have not only grown out of his pulpit work; they are nearly word-for-word transpositions of his spoken sermons or studies. From his studies on the Sermon on the Mount to his work on revival, to a book on spiritual depression, to his Reflections on the Work of God’s Spirit (Joy Unspeakable), Lloyd-Jones tackled themes that resonated with the heart of his hearers. His thorough preparation, animated delivery and complete dependence on the power of God in the preaching moment bore the fruit of a ministry with a contemporary impact and lasting legacy.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones was known generally as an expositor; but a closer look reveals that, though he followed the expository tendency to preach through books of the Bible (his studies on Romans and Ephesians stand out), he was, in effect, a “textual-topical” preacher. He often used an “inverted pyramid, moving a small piece of text to what the Scripture as a whole taught on the subject and what its theological ramifications were."( Iain Murray, The First Forty Years, p. 328.) He was a man who could pray in the pulpit for 35 minutes before preaching. He shunned radio work on the BBC because he believed that the medium would not recognize and convey the “unction” that was so precious to him and vital to his ministry. Some who knew him well, and who had observed his mind at work and gifts of leadership and communication, strongly felt that—had he taken another path—he could have been Prime Minister of the nation one day. But, his thinking was certainly akin to that of another great English preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who once said, “If God calls you to preach, don’t ever stoop to be a king!”
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There is something of a timeless quality about Martyn Lloyd-Jones's preaching, which through audio recordings and books is still having a significant impact today. Praying that one of the impacts of his preaching today will be to equip pastors to see how vital doctrinal preaching is for the health of the church.
