Each Sunday we post a short classic piece from someone signally used by God down through the history of the church. Today we look to a classic sermon preached by Dwight L. Moody (1837-1889).

Qualifications for Soul Winning

by Dwight L. Moody

God had no children too weak, but a great many too strong to make use of. God stands in no need of our strength or wisdom, but of our ignorance, of our weakness; let us but give these to Him, and He can make use of us in winning souls.

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3.

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by Al Van Geersdaele   

What’s in a day?  Have you ever really thought about it?  What did we do with the time we were given by the Lord yesterday?  We all were allocated the same amount; 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, 86,400 seconds, and in that time we needed to take care of sleeping, working, eating, shopping, etc.  Oh yeah, and 150,000 people will have to take care of dying today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, well, you get the idea.  That boils down to about 104 per minute!   

What can WE do about it?  It is a shocking reality that most of those who went off into eternity yesterday went down the broad road to destruction.  We can’t stop the onward march of souls that perish, but we can do something about where they go to spend eternity when they perish.  We can follow the example of one the great evangelists in American history …   

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When I start talking about a ship called the R.M.S. Carpathia, a lot of people look at me blankly. “The Car.. what?”

Never heard of it.

On the other hand, if I say “Titanic” there is immediate recognition.  Probably the most famous, or infamous, ship in history. What if I told you that the story of the Titanic can never be fully told without talking about the Carpathia?

Come back with me to that fateful night when the Titanic, the ship that had been claimed “unsinkable”, went down in the freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean. April 14th, 1912 …

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After a lengthy break we return to Dead Guy University. Sundays I post a short classic piece from someone signally used by God down through the history of the church. Today we’ll look to Oswald J. Smith (1889-1986).  

What follows is actually an extract from a longer, quite famous sermon Smith preached called “The Madhouse of the Universe”. It is a stunning read; an evangelistic sermon on the subject of hell. The imagery is vivid and compelling. If you enjoy the following insert, you can download the entire sermon from my download page.

Who Are the Insane?

by Oswald J. Smith

Now who are the insane? That is the important question; and I want to make four suggestions, if I may, so that you can decide whether or not you are insane:

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“So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.” (John 6:19-21)

I don’t know how tired these disciples were after they had rowed a Galilean fishing boat in a storm three or four miles – but I can imagine!

Then something extraordinary happened.

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“So he (David) shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.” (Psalm 78:72)

So often this verse has been used to focus on the 2 needs of leadership … heart and hands - integrity and skill. A valid point, I’m sure.

But Psalm 78 is not about human leadership in any sense. It’s not about David. This glorious Psalm is all about God’s mighty faithfulness to rebellious Israel. It’s a reminder to every successive generation to look back and see God’s hand in history and remember HIM.

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by Pastor Aeron Morgan

Many hymns and songs of worship constantly impress us, inspiring us with their comfort and encouragement, and often presenting a timely challenge. One such hymn, for me, was written by George Matheson (1842-1906).

Matheson was a brilliant and promising young student in Scotland. The call of God was on his life and he was preparing for the preaching and teaching ministry. However, when he was just eighteen years old he lost his sight almost completely. Apparently he only saw shadows, so that such visual impairment necessitated him having to give up his research and scholarship in the field of apologetic theology.

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Each Sunday we post a short classic piece from someone signally used by God down through the history of the church. Today we look to Samuel Chadwick (1860-1932).  

The Church Without the Spirit

by Samuel Chadwick 

 The Church is the creation of the Holy Spirit. It is a community of believers who owe their religious life from first to last to the Spirit. Apart from Him there can be neither Christian nor Church. The Christian religion is not institutional but experimental. It is not an ordained class, neither is it in ordinances and sacraments. It is not a fellowship of common interest in culture, virtue, or service. Membership is by spiritual birth. The roll of membership is kept in heaven. Christ is the Door. He knows them that are His, and they know Him. The Church Roll and the Lamb’s Book of Life are not always identical. “No man can say Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit,” and confession of the lordship of Jesus Christ is the first condition of membership in His Church. The command to tarry in the city until there came enduement of power from on high proves that the one essential equipment of the Church is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Nothing else avails for the real work of the Church.

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by Pastor Bill Randles 

I very recently have been accused of thinking that babies are evil – by Jesse Morrell, an open air preacher, and Moral Government proponent. How did he possibly arrive at such a conclusion?  After all, I have 6 children and 10 grandchildren, (my secret plan for taking over the world…shhhhh!). I love babies, and celebrate the birth of every one of them as gifts of God. Where did Jesse Morrell ever get the idea that I pastor a church that thinks babies are evil?

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James, the brother of Jesus, gives us a clear little prescription for how to not only keep our heads above water when we’re going through a trial, but how to thrive and grow.  If you don’t need it this minute, file it away because you’re sure to need it soon enough.

James 1:2-8 …

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

James says we should anticipate “various trials” (v2). That tells me that I will be tested numerous times, and that the trials will come in an assortment of ways. So I need to be prepared for them in advance.  Whatever the type of trial I wake up to tomorrow morning, James gives me (and you) 3 instructions:

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