May I beg you carefully to judge every preacher, not by his elocutionary powers, not by his status in society, not by the respectability of his congregation, not by the prettiness of his church, but by this –

Does he preach the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation?

If he does, your sitting under his ministry may prove to you the means of begetting faith in you.

But if he does not, you cannot expect God’s blessing.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Charles Spurgeon had this to say as well:

An idler has no right in the pulpit. He is an instrument of Satan in damning the souls of men. The ministry demands brain labor. The preacher must throw his thought into his teaching, and read and study to keep his mind in good trim. Above all, he must put heart work into his preaching. He must feel what he preaches. It must never be with him an easy thing to deliver a sermon. He must feel as if he could preach his very life away before the sermon is done.