Critic or Disciple?

I’ve heard that preachers are sometimes the harshest critics of other preachers. It doesn’t have to be that way.

A pastor once preached with John Stott in the audience. After the sermon, he approached Stott and asked him for feedback on the sermon.

Stott demurred. If the preacher had asked him to evaluate before he preached, Stott explained, he would have. But Stott hadn’t listened to evaluate. He had listened as a disciple, not a critic.

That’s the attitude I want to cultivate when I hear others preach. I want to hunger and thirst for the gospel. There’s a time to evaluate, and there’s a time to grow and receive grace.