Elder David Pyles Sermon and Preaching

I listened to a sermon preached this last weekend (here) at Grace Chapel Primitive Baptist Church by Elder David Pyles on Joshua as a type of Christ, and I heartily commend this sermon to all.

I enjoyed it on many counts, as the interconnected truths of Scripture were deftly manifested by the Elder in the application of the typology of Christ and His triumphant kingdom by Joshua's leadership of Israel in the conquest of Canaan.

Pertaining to some of my recent blogs on the Sculptor's Hammer, I found the sermon quite relevant to the Faithless Generation and John 10:24-28 posts, especially as Elder Pyles rebuts the tendency of some PB ministers to apply Canaan's land only to the New Testament Church and affirms the obedience of the new generation of Israelites that enter Canaan's land as an example of Psalms 110:3.  He quotes John 10:27 also in application of the obedience of the generation that entered Canaan.

Wonderful sermon, and an intellectual treat.

Some Primitive Baptists seem to have a bizarre view of spiritual preaching.  I hear comments often to the effect of divorcing spiritual preaching with the intellect.

I have heard an older sermon by Ray Piles (and Elder Sonny Pyles has stated in his sermons) that, though the Apostle Paul had the gospel revealed to him directly by Christ, Paul's exhortation to Timothy, as a non-Apostolic minister of the gospel, was to, "Study to show thyself approved...".  A minister that is not given to study cannot be a God-called minister, therefore.

Nevertheless, an attitude exists among some PB's that true spiritual preaching is done by an ignorant minister having the Holy Spirit "funnel" the gospel through Him, as if the man plays little or no part in the message.  Often, ministers with this tendency of attitude will "chant", "sing-song", or "cry" their messages, as if the Spirit is palpably manifested in something other than truth.  Preachers today do not receive the gospel to be preached on Sunday morning like Paul received it from Christ.  The outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost gave and revealed the power of the gospel by the Spirit to the Apostles in a different manner (with the knowledge of foreign tongues, etc.) than ordinary preachers learn to preach it.  

Intellectual truth of the preached gospel is the chief evidence of the Spirit.  This is established plainly in John 4:24 by Jesus' statement that only those who worship God in Spirit and in truth are in true worship.  These do not exist separately from each other, but are mutually dependent.

The elders that rule well, and especially those that labor in the word and doctrine are counted worthy of double honor, according to 1 Timothy 5:17.  I do not find that it is unscriptural, therefore, to recognize in Elder David Pyles an Elder worthy of double honor in regard to his intellectual/spiritual grasp and command of the doctrines of the bible.

I have never personally met Elder David, though I have corresponded with him in emails.  My enthusiasm for his sermons is that I am spiritually/intellectually fed by them.  My hope and prayer is that the study habits of some of the ministers among the PB's will improve, and the superstition of "Holy Ghost conjuring" by chant, tears, or hoarse wails will be abolished.