Lesson 63

OVERSEER COURSE LESSON SIXTY-THREE
LAY PREACHING
The preacher must be an Ernest bible student!
Henry Epps
founder
HARVEST LIFE
GLOBAL NETWORK
Overseer Course Lesson 63
Lesson Sixty-Three
The Lay preacher must be a Ernest bible student
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
The Lay Preacher Primarily an Earnest Bible Student
By J. R. Wood, Pastor, Upper Holloway Baptist Church, London, N.

The Difference Between Lay and Ministerial Preaching
PREACHERS of the Gospel are all governed by the same general rules; and the lay-preacher is
not exempted from rules which govern the minister in the ordinary pastorate. The question between
the two classes of workers is not one of kind but simply of degree.
Many books may be read, if time permit, but both must be students of one Book.
Preaching
Properly, preaching is the ripe fruit of the preacher's entire life,—mental, moral, spiritual. The
sermon concentrates, and expresses in definite form, what the preacher is, thinks, acquires,
experiences and enjoys. To all these,—being, thought, acquirement, experience,
The Bible
is the largest contributor. Think of what it is as a literature to the intellect; as a storehouse of ethical
precepts and examples to the conscience; and as a fund of spiritual wealth to the soul in its
revelations of God in Christ, and its promise of the Holy Ghost! If no man can live the Christian
life without the Bible, it follows, a fortiori, that no man can preach the Gospel without it. The
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preacher must devote himself to this Book of Books! Deep life, grand moments of spiritual insight,
come to the patient student of Scripture, which do not come to other men; this is so obvious, and,
in relation to preaching, so important, that more need not be said.
The Bible is with us, our Mine of Wealth, our Manual of Principles, our Text Book in the science
of life,—how are we to use it? In what spirit? On what plan?
The Spirit in Which to Study the Bible
The first question, being the more important, shall receive first attention. Nothing new can be said
in answering it; the oldest things are the truest. Study the Bible
Prayerfully.
Bring what you may to the study of God's Word, if prayer be lacking, the study is not well done;
the true focus is never found, and the Telescope of Scripture shows none of the glories of the
heavens. Halt a moment, as you pass from the last thing you did, to open the Bible, that you may
send a thought to the Living Author, where He is: "Oh, Lord, open Thou mine eyes, that I may
behold wondrous things out of Thy law."
Study the Bible
Reverently;
considered as the Book of God, and the Book of man, the true mental attitude is one of deference
and submission. We approach revelations of God, of Christ, of Redemption, and Judgment to
come, of the Blessed Spirit, and the new Creation in man and the Universe! We commune with
the deepest human experience, the sins, sorrows and mysteries of mortal life.
"Scarcely can we fix our eyes upon a single passage in this wonderful Book which has not afforded
comfort and instruction to thousands, and been met with tears of penitential sorrow or grateful joy
drawn from eyes that will weep no' more." Let us put our shoes from off our feet, and approach
the Bible with reverential awe. Untold harm has been done by forgetting this. Study the, Bible
Believingly
Like a friend, God's Word loves to be trusted. The best is found when we lean lovingly on the
bosom of Him who is the central figure of Revelation. A questioning, unbelieving spirit acts like
a frost on the fountains of living water; they harden into ice, and refuse to flow. "The natural man
receiveth not,"—even with the open Bible in his hand; "the
'THE PREACHER WHO DRAWS UPON HOLY SCRIPTURE WILL EVER BE

FRESH, INTERESTING, FORCEFUL, AND IMPRESSIVE"
spiritual, or believing man, discerneth all things." Study the Bible
In a Practical Spirit;
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with an honest intention to do the duties enjoined, that we may with equal honesty commend them
to others. Obedience is the end contemplated in the Book by its Author; and in no other way can
we sound its depths, or make ourselves masters of its wealth.
The Plan With Which to Study the Bible
As to our second question, on what plan shall the lay preacher study the Bible, the following hints
may be of service, derived as they are from long experience. If you can do so,
Read the Bible in Some Other Tongue
than your own; if Hebrew or Greek be impossible, try French or German! Novelties in words,
constructions, idioms, help not only to arrest attention, but to suggest new lights on God's truth.
The same end may in some degree be attained by using varying English versions, and paraphrases.
Read Habitually,
every day, something. A new book allures you; let it wait till the Bible has received its due. The
best new book is but a lady-in-waiting; first attention must be given to the Majesty of the realm.
The habit of Bible study suffers from many distractions; they multiply with every year of life;
resolutely we must put them aside, for it is better to be ignorant of the newest volume in any
department of modern literature than to neglect the Word of God!
In such habitual reading three things should be attempted. We ought to cover some considerable
surface of Scripture; a whole chapter at a time, or more if we can, to improve our general
acquaintance with God's Word, to get an idea of scope and connection, and to furnish arguments
and illustrations for public addresses. We must dig deep into particular texts; patiently working
beneath the surface; learning that we may be able to teach. The wealth of Scripture is not
exhausted, it is not even apprehended, by a single reading. Read, mark, learn! The clusters of
Eschol are rich; press them again and again; they always yield new wine. Excellent helps are
available, such as the "Cambridge Bible for Schools," and "Hand Books for Bible Classes,"
published by T. and T. Clark;—use them; and the Reference Bible, which, intelligently handled,
makes the Scripture largely self-interpreting. Texts for sermons will never be lacking if such "sub-
soil ploughing" be done, and matter fresh and forceful will always be at hand for the Holy Spirit's
use. Perhaps texts on which we have bestowed such pains may be marked in our Bibles for future
reference; or transferred to
A Note Book,
kept for this purpose, together with the thoughts and applications which struck the mind most at
the time of study. Both these methods of reading should be prosecuted with some regard to
Order
The consecutive reading of Scripture is itself no small part of a devout education. Our favourite
portions of the Bible are not the only portions that will do us service.
The duty on which these remarks have been offered is a primary one; it ranks before and above all
other duties. "The Word of God is living and powerful." And if as preachers we are to serve our
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generation anywhere, in conversion, edification, comfort, it must be through a devout use of the
Word of God, "which liveth and abideth for ever." The preacher who draws upon Holy Scripture
will ever be fresh, interesting, forceful, and impressive.
Ministerial Students' Sermons
It has come about that the "college supply "is not usually a very welcome figure in our pulpits.
Happily there are exceptions, but everyone knows that such is the rule.
The Typical Student-Sermon Is Too Much in the Style of an Essay
There is the "smell of the lamp" about it, and of the desk and the class-room. Our church members,
and especially the poor (and most of them are such), want not metaphysical theology in the pulpit.
They go to chapel largely from the furnace of trial, and suffering and toil, disappointment and
weariness, and want something better than fine-spun argument, logical beauty, and rhetorical
display. Think of it as we may, they go to their places of worship for the benefit of the soul rather
than for the feeding of the intellect, or the removal of metaphysical doubt. The student is too apt
to read to a congregation, made up to a considerable extent of such persons, the discourses which
he prepared for criticism before students and tutors, as though, forsooth! every congregation
consisted not of weary souls tossed with the cares and trials of six days of depressing struggle for
bread, but of so many persons trained in theological phraseology and metaphysical enigmas. This
is why it is that
The Well-Known "Student-Sermon" Is Not Liked
There is no experimental religion in the sermon, for this important feature of salvation is not in the
curriculum of study.—"The Baptist," 17th July, 1896.

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OVERSEER COURSE LESSON SIXTY-THREE

The preacher must be an Ernest bible student!

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

The Lay Preacher Primarily an Earnest Bible Student

By J. R. Wood, Pastor, Upper Holloway Baptist Church, London, N.

'THE PREACHER WHO DRAWS UPON HOLY SCRIPTURE WILL EVER BE

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