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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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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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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Each Sunday we post a short classic piece from someone signally used by God down through the history of the church. Today it’s a challenging call to soulwinning by William Booth (1829-1912), Founder of the Salvation Army. 

Who Cares?

By William Booth 

On one of my recent journeys, as I gazed from the coach window, I was led into a train of thought concerning the condition of the multitudes around me. They were living carelessly in the most open and shameless rebellion against God, without a thought for their eternal welfare. As I looked out of the window, I seemed to see them all… millions of people all around me given up to their drink and their pleasure, their dancing and their music, their business and their anxieties, their politics and their troubles. Ignorant– willfully ignorant in many cases– and in other instances knowing all about the truth and not caring at all. But all of them, the whole mass of them, sweeping on and up in their blasphemies and devilries to the Throne of God. While my mind was thus engaged, I had a vision. 

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Today I’m introducing the first edition of something that I plan to make a regular feature. Each Sunday I’ll post a short classic piece from someone signally used by God down through the history of the church.  There are some good men around today (I mentioned a few recently), but our heritage is so rich, we are fools to neglect the great body of truth left us by Christians of previous eras. 

I have been so blessed over the years by the writings of Reformers and Puritans, Revivalists and Missionaries.  I’ll just share some gleanings each week - read carefully and I can promise you’ll be enriched.

Today we start with John Newton …

READING THE BIBLE

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”  Jeremiah 15:16

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