It is sometimes a peculiar pitfall of Reformed preaching to treat it as a mechanical process through which the Spirit of God operates, rather than as a dynamic relationship of dependence upon a divine person. John Owen once remarked that if we removed the person and work of the Holy Spirit, we may as well burn our Bibles (Owen, Works, III, 192). The same holds true for preaching. Without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, our preaching becomes powerless to save or to sanctify anyone. In Preaching in the Holy Spirit, Al Martin has singled out briefly one of the most vital ingredients missing from modern preaching.
The book comprises four chapters with a short conclusion. Because Martin is concerned with the work of the Holy Spirit upon the preacher in the act of preaching, chapter 1 limits the parameters of the subject. This means that the book does not address related topics, such as the work of the Spirit in the pastor's study or upon the congregation during the preaching of the Word.
Chapter 2 sets forth why the dynamic operation of the Holy Spirit is necessary in the act of preaching, and chapter 3 makes this assertion concrete by describing what this looks like in practice. It is important to note that most of the characteristics of the Holy Spirit's work in preaching reflect the subjective experience of the preacher as much as the objective truths of Scripture. Martin is driving at two things here. First, preaching is an act of experimental piety on the part of the preacher, with dependence upon and in communion with the Spirit. Second, while the work of the Spirit is indispensable for true preaching, the Spirit is a sovereign person who acts when, where, and how he pleases. Since we cannot take his presence or work for granted, this places a premium on prayer. Chapter 4 addresses ways in which preachers can diminish the blessings of the Spirit, and Martin gives careful attention to what it means to "grieve" or to "quench" the Spirit.
The subject matter in this book is of great relevance for our time. Ministers should keep this book on their desks and consult it regularly, and church members should read it so they know how to unite with their minister in prayer for his pulpit ministry. As Martin concludes:
God has chosen preaching as His grand weapon to dismantle the kingdom of darkness and to establish the kingdom of His dear Son. But not just any kind of preaching will serve. God's grand weapon is preaching with the presence and powerful agency and operation of the Holy Spirit. He regards this sword as David did Goliath's: "There is none like that; give it to me" (1 Sam. 21:9). May God, by His grace, be pleased to make us such instruments of grace to our needy generation. (67)
