A Tribute To Evangelical Teachers Part One

David Martin Lloyd Jones

David Martian Lloyd-Jones was born in Cardiff and raised in on December 20th 1899 and died on March 01 1981. In 1927 married Bethan Phillips they had two children, Elizabeth and Ann. Before he called into ministry, he was a medical doctor by trade. Slowly he saw the important the atoning work of Christ, and felt God calling into ministry to equips the saints. He was known as a preacher who expounded on the scriptures verse by verse, and his sermons would often be around fifty minutes to an hour in length. For example in Roman he preached, 336 messages, and Ephesians 232 sermons. He spends four messages on verse one on Romans He became as known as teaching evangelist.

Although the first church he preached did not embraced his teaching, and some left, however, some of them slowly began to see the benefits of the gospel, and new members join the flock. The message that he brought them simple gospel, along with the power of the Holy Spirit converted them changed their lives.

All of his messages center around the atoning work of Jesus Christ. According to Martin Lloyd Jones, he was not interested in talking politics or the latest philosophy or latest news from the pulpit. He felt he was a wasting his time and the congregations time. His only concern was to expound the Scriptures, and declaring the atoning work of the Jesus Christ. In which Christ was willingly sacrificed Himself, and took humankind sin, and Jesus the sinless one took humankind place. For example would a medical doctor withheld from their patients a treatment to their illness. To him, It would be very cruel to withhold from the masses the atoning work of Christ. As scripture declares,“ The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.” There were no dramatic appeals, just a young man with the clear message of God’s justice and his love, which brought one hard case after another to repentance and conversion change lives .

Even through he was not theologically trained, however, he was deeply influence by the Puritans, such as William Tyndale, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, and George Whitfield.

While he was Calvinist at heart, nonetheless, he willing work beside the Arminian that preached the same gospel such men like Dr. G. Campbell Morgan. Many of Westminster old-guard did not care much for the young Calvinist who had shared the pulpit with the Dr. Morgan. In one of sermons Dr Jones spoke about the sovereignty of God. Where he believed some were elected while others were by pass. While his colleague Dr.Morgan felt God look down the corridor of time, and saw some would choice Him will others would reject Him; hence, the know-how to freely choose God. Both of them declared and believed in Jesus Christ atoning work, and preached it from the pulpit. They both believe that this was the only way you will enter heaven gates and they willing to work together. Despite the fact both were passionate on their views one was a strong Calvinist while the other was equally strong Arminian. Remember Christ was our substitute not Calvin or Arminian.

He frown upon the social gospel, and the liberal Churches that expounded it. In his mind any person who withheld the gospel they were the deserter of the true gospel, and he believes the true church must separate from them, and has nothing to do with them. While others felt you should work behind the scene, and preached the gospel, and work together despite different the approached.

He was criticized by the leading Anglican evangelical John Stott, publicly rebuked him for taking a separated stand. Although John Stott greatly admired Lloyd-Jones’s work and would often quote him in Stott’s own books. This open clash between the two elder statesmen of British evangelicalism was widely reported in the Christian press and caused considerable controversy. In my mind is necessary evil where a temporary separation for the sake of the gospel, where the endless denigrating on a fellow believer is on call for, and the gospel suffers. Remember these words from Jesus, “ if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town.” Martin Luther King Jr. wrote these words good people,” The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Likely these men who were intellectual giants and scholarly heavyweight of the faith these men were passionate in declaring the truth gospel like Barnabas, and Paul were they agreed to disagreed. Yet, they stood on their principles. These men are with the Lord today because of their faith in Jesus Christ and properly chucking over this incident wondering what fuss was about. In my mind, I read books and heard tapes from these men. They clearly presented the gospel intelligibly and accurately.

Prior to Dr. Jones death he felt his work here on earth was done, and it time to depart into glorious heaven for he fought the good fight, keep the faith, and finished his course God laid for Him. Now was waiting a crown of righteousness, which, for trusting, and believing in Jesus Christ work on the cross.

Martin Lloyd Jones Quotes

“Can many evangelistic methods that were introduced some forty or fifty years ago really is justified out of the Word of God? As I read of the work of the great evangelists in the Bible I find they were not first and foremost concerned about results; they were concerned about proclaiming the word of truth. They left the increases unto Him. They were concerned above all else that the people should be brought face to face with the truth itself. Peter Nivio Zarlenga wrote these words, “The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune.”

“Love is not just a sentiment. Love is a great controlling passion and it always expresses itself in terms of obedience.”

“There is something essentially wrong with a man who calls himself a Christian and who can listen to a truly evangelistic sermon without coming under conviction again, without feeling something of his own unworthiness, and rejoicing when he hears the Gospel remedy being presented.”

“Avoid cleverness and smartness. The people will detect this, and they will get the impression that you are more interested in yourself and your cleverness than in the truth of God and their souls.”

“It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end. So that when you and I come to lie upon our death beds, the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us in the beginning. Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the Grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace wondrous grace. By the grace of God I am what I am. Yet not I, but the Grace of God which was with me.”

“The gospel is open to all; the most respectable sinner has no more claim on it than the worst.”

“ You are either a Christian or you are not a Christian; you cannot be partly a Christian. You are either “dead” or “alive”; you are either “born” or “not born”.