Today’s guest post comes to us from Will Graham for Evangelical Focus.com.

John Bunyan’s (1628-88) classic ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ is perhaps the best-known book of the Puritan era. Although millions of believers are familiar with the valiant exploits of Christian on his onward march to the Celestial City, few know much about the wonderful man of God behind the book.

Quite surprisingly, Bunyan was not primarily a writer. He was first and foremost a Christian and a passionate preacher of the Gospel. Although he was only able to preach five years in Bedford, England before his long imprisonment, Bunyan gives us enough material in a mere seventeen pages to know if one has truly been called of God to preach or not.

We will sum up Bunyan’s insights in the following fifteen points:

1. The Church Recognizes the Gift
When God calls a man to preach, the calling will be evident to others in the holy assembly.

2. He Believed and Understood the Word
Before Bunyan took up preaching he was fully convinced of the content of his preaching, namely, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not start preaching the Word before his conversion as some have been prone to do in seeing the ministry as a mere professional career.

3. Bunyan Could Speak in Public
Not only was Bunyan a believer in the Word of God, but the Lord had also given him the gift of being able to communicate what was in his heart to others. Some of the most able saints at his church observed how God had given Bunyan “utterance”.

Click here to read the full article and Bunyan’s remaining 12 insights.

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Nelson

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About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.