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HOMI LET I CAL HE L P S Suggestive Bible Readings
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PREACHING “NEW THINGS” OR PREACHING OLD THINGS IN A NEW WAY Some young preachers have a horror of stating any truth that is old. They itch to preach new things. Remember the wise man said, “There is nothing new under the sun." Much of the preaching of “new things” is tickling the hearers’ ears and not persuading the hearts. For this reason some who have a superficial knowledge of salva tion and are not thorough Bible stu dents feel, after preaching once or twice on Salvation, that they must have some new theme. So they turn to current events, sociology, the lives of great men (past and present). Some have learned in their seminary course the hair-split ting views of theologians and because these are not known to many of their audience, they seem to think this Is the only soul food their flocks need. If we fed our chickens upon the advertis ing literature of the poultry firms in stead of the pure grain, we would soon have no chickens. Just so after a man has preached a few weeks on criticism (destructive or constructive) he has no congregation. Let the preacher who is always seeking to preach something new begin to make a systematic study of one Epistle or Book of the Bible, reading it and rereading it until he can see the arrangement of truth in it; then classify its truths concerning God, sin, man, the church, etc. Let him go further and analyze each verse, each phrase and each word. Let him make this a three hour study daily; It will not be six months before he has sermons in his soul just clamoring for utter ance. But he must be careful to believe all the statements of i truth revealed to him. And more important still, he
must begin to practice them in his own life lest he arrest the revelation of more truth to his soul. A sermon after all is not the arrangement of truth in a convenient, beautiful literary form; but truth uttered from one’s own heart. The truth has made the preacher what he is, and he speaks his own being, his character, his faith, his love, his cour age, out to his audience. No man is larger than the truth he has actually practiced and is living daily. He may have all the adornments of culture and education but if he have no governing principles of truth in his life, he is weak. The prophets of the Old Testa ment were men who not only knew the truth; they lived it. They spoke it without fear or favor. They died for it. If you wish to know to a certainty that you are preaching the truth test what you preach, or write, by your own attitude toward God. John 7:17 reads, "If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” R. V. A heart will-, ing to learn, willing to be, willing to do, shall know the truth. Again, test your preaching by the Bible, not by the standards of the magazines, religious papers, your church session, or the rich man in your congregation. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, there is no light in them.” Isa. 8:20. Is what you preach taught throughout the whole Bible; and not merely some isolated passage pulled out of its context? Re member the promise says, “Ye need not that any one teach you, but as His anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in Him.” I John 9'27. Here is surety of knowl-
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