The Top 5 Preachers of all Time

The Top 5 Preachers Of All Time

     History is full of preachers. Some were good while others were not so good. Preachers have proclaimed the word of God for hundreds of years and have been instrumental in the lives of millions. The preached word of God has converted the lost, awakened nations, urged change, called people back to God, and many other things used by God for his glory and his people's good.

     There have been hundreds of preachers. Men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Bunyan, Thomas Brooks, John Owen, Richard Sibbes, Thomas Watson, Charles Spurgeon, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, James Montgomery Boice, and so many like them have proclaimed the gospel and heralded the glorious God of the Bible. Your favorite preacher did not make my list. But, that is okay, I do not think that you will disagree with my 5.

5. The Bible

“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'In you shall all the nations be blessed.'” (Gal. 3:8)

     How many of you have ever thought that every time you open your Bible, God is preaching to you through his word? Probably not many. But that is exactly what is happening. The word of God preaches the gospel to us!

4. Creation

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Ps. 19:1)

     Not only does the Bible preach, but God's creation does as well. Creation proclaims and declares the glory of God. It reveals to man that there is a God and that he is amazing! So, not only every time you open your Bible is God preaching to you, but every time you open your eyes or look outside, creation is preaching a message to you.

3. The Holy Spirit

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me... When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (Jn. 15:26, 16:13)

     The Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ and speaks and declares. The Spirit preaches to believers testifying about Christ and his work.

2. Jesus

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'” (Mk. 1:14-15)

     Jesus was a preacher. And he was a great preacher. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it. Many of his sermons are recorded for us in the Bible. They are full of doctrine and application. But, notice one thing, Jesus preached the gospel. Actually, Jesus preached himself.

1. The Father

“Moses said, 'Please show me your glory.' And he said, 'I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The Lord.''” (Ex. 33:18-19)

     The Father even preaches. He proclaimed his name to Moses and us!

     There are the 5 greatest preachers of all time. They have many things in common but I will mention only a few. All these preachers focus on God and Christ. That is the message. They also are centered on the word of God. This is very telling to us. Preachers, do you preach God and Christ from the word of God? Christian, do you sit under and desire preaching that is centered around God and Christ and comes directly from the Bible? Beware of substitutes. Beware of not preaching the whole counsel of God. If this type of preaching was good enough for God's word, creation, the Spirit, Christ, and the Father, then it ought to be good enough for us.