Archive for July, 2011

John Stott – some memories

John Stott taught me my first Greek phrase, “ouk engkakoumen” (“we do not lose heart” 2 Cor 4.1). He repeated it a number of times during Bible Studies at a CMS Summer School I attended when I was a teenager. It gave me an incentive to learn more of the Greek alphabet than I had already learnt in maths, so I could read the words myself.

However the great impact of the Bible studies was the clarity of the exposition. It was orderly, and it drew out what was in the text. Indeed it gently teased apart the text so that we could see the beauty and meaning of what was there. His teaching stirred me along to want to understand – and teach it – in that kind of way as well.

The expositions also “landed” as he would say in his later book on preaching. You heard how the text might apply to the present. You were helped to practise, not just admire.

John Stott laid a foundation for biblical exposition that has had a great impact in the ministries of later preachers. He has helped many not to lose heart.

29/07/2011 at 12:25 2 comments