Meet Martyn Link
March 4th, 2010
Martyn Link (Central, Dundee)
In a paragraph, tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Martyn Link and I live with my wife Gladys and three children, Megan (6), Aimee (4) and Alex (1) just outside Alyth in Angus. I work full time in the life science team of Scottish Enterprise in Dundee. I am a member of Central Baptist Church where we have been worshipping for 18 months following our move from Edinburgh, where we were members of Abbeyhill Baptist (5 years) and Charlotte Chapel (10 years).
How long have you been a member of SBLPA and what attracted you to join?
I was delighted to be accepted as a member of SBLPA in January 2010. I was keen to join in order to further develop my preaching gifts through having the chance to preach more regularly. I have preached on and off for 10+ years, but am praying that through the SBLPA I will be able to get the opportunity for more regular preaching.
How did you first discover your gifts in preaching?
This has been a long journey that probably started when I went to University and got very involved in open airs and pub evangelism. I found that I was very comfortable speaking about my faith and really loved sharing God’s word with my fellow students. I was asked to speak at a number of outreach events and eventually joined a preaching course at Charlotte Chapel. This involved preaching at a couple of churches around Edinburgh. One of which was Abbeyhill Baptist.
A few years later we moved to Abbeyhill and I got more opportunities to lead Sunday morning services, but it wasn’t until my Pastor left for a sabbatical and I preached four Sunday’s in a row that I really felt that this was something God was calling me to. A year later I had a very traumatic experience at work and through this experience I heard the Lord’s call to me to minister his word. It is in obedience to this call that I want to give more of my time to preaching.
What was your most memorable preaching trip?
I am tempted to say that it was the first time I preached in Abbeyhill Baptist as a visiting preacher and my family were all there and I watched my gran fall asleep next to the radiator! But seriously, I would say the most memorable were the four I preached at Abbeyhill on the Second Coming from 1 & 2 Thessalonians, there was a real sense of the presence of the Lord during a number of these messages that meant a lot to me.
In seeking to develop as a preacher – what has your favourite book been so far?
I have many favourite books that shaped me as a younger man, including Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ “Revival” and “Preaching & Preachers”. But if I had to pick three favourite books to take on a desert island I would go for “The Soul Winner” by Spurgeon, “Knowledge of the Holy” by Tozer and “No Comprimise” by Keith Green. I would also smuggle in “The God Who is There” by Schaeffer in my suitcase!
What advice would you give to another lay preacher starting out?
1. To live the message you preach not just in the days leading up to the sermon, but every day.
2. To be consumed by your text until the Holy Spirit gives you His heart for your hearers.
3. To give your hearers everything you have within you, holding nothing back.
