Broken Bread, from an Evangelist's Wallet — John Shaqi
Broken Bread, from an Evangelist's WalletChampness, Thomas
Religion
Broken Bread, from an Evangelist's Wallet
Champness, Thomas
Christian life -- Methodist authors; Meditations
It is very nice to have a crowd, but then that is not the lot of us all,
and we must not keep our best sermons for large audiences. It may be
that the few are able to appreciate our best efforts. Jesus Christ said
some of His best things to individuals. John iii. 16 was not said to a
crowd, but to one. Indeed, if we were to take out of the gospels what
Jesus said to small audiences, we should rob them of their choicest
portions. So, if, when we get to the chapel we find that there are more
pews than people, let us preach to those who are there. Why grumble at
the few who have come, perhaps a long way? Let us feed these with the
choicest of the wheat. It may be an historic time for anything you know.
There may be someone there whom your sermon may lead to Jesus, and who
himself may become a preacher.
II.--Interest your Audience.
How skilfully Jesus went to work to lay hold of this giddy woman! He
spoke of what to a native of the East must have been a surprise, and a
delightful idea. He goes on to tell of being delivered from that plague
of those hot climates, thirst, and excites her wonder by speaking of a
well of water springing up in a man!
To our younger brethren, let us say that it is not easy to succeed if we
do not make what we say interesting. We do not love sensationalism, but
we do love savouryness. Let all your sermons be seasoned with salt. Not
a few of us fail because we forget to make what we say savoury. Let us
excite the imagination of those who listen to us, and then we may pour
into the attentive ear that which will be of solid benefit. How
shopkeepers strive to strike the eye of the passengers by skilfully
dressing their windows, so as to catch the attention! Shall it be said
that they take more pains to sell their goods than we do to get the
gospel into the hearts of our hearers!
III.--Make your hearers conscious of the supernatural.
"Sir," said the woman, "I perceive thou art a prophet." And this we can
all do. We can every one be on such terms with heaven as to make those
who listen to us know that we hold commerce with the skies. We may not
be eloquent or learned, but we may be prayerful and impassioned.
Preaching is unlike all other kinds of speaking. We have no business in
the pulpit except when under the direct influence of the Holy Ghost. We
knew a man who, for some years of his ministry, was dull and unpractical,
but there came upon him a baptism of power, and then we heard his
preaching described as "white heat." Why should not this be in every one
of us? It is not possible for us to be alike, nor is it desirable, but
we may all make our hearers say, "This man comes from God. His prayers
and his preaching convince us that he is owned by the God of Elijah."
IV.--Set your converts to work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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