- 1 Samuel 30:4 (NKJV) Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
Bill Bennett in his book, Thirty Minutes to Raise the Dead, tells of the famed Scottish preacher Robert Murray McCheyne. He records:
“A few years after the death of the famous Scottish preacher Robert Murray McCheyne, a young minister visited his church to discover the secret of the man’s amazing influence. The sexton, who had served under McCheyne, took the youthful inquirer into the vestry, and asked him to sit in the chair used by the former pastor:
“Now put your elbows on the table,” he said, “Now put your face in your hands.” The visitor obeyed. “Now let the tears flow! That was the way Mr. McCheyne used to do!”
It’s easy to brush these sorts of stories off as “nice” and then move on; but, please take a moment and examine yourself. How long has it been since you’ve cried over a lesson or sermon? More importantly, how long has it been since you wept over the souls that will be listening to you or more crucially the souls of those that will not be in attendance.
All the training, studying, and “ordaining” in the world will not substitute for a passionate burden for the lost and for those that you serve as a preacher or teacher.
Think about it: How many people have ever cried over you?
You could probably count them on one hand; maybe two. It is a rare thing indeed to have someone care enough for you that they cry about you. The same is true of the people you will be speaking to tomorrow. When you step behind your pulpit or podium and spread out your notes before you, make sure they are not only stained with the sweat that came from your diligent study, but make sure they are also stained with your prayerful tears.
That’s the secret to effective communication of the Gospel and doctrines of Jesus Christ.
The ONE THING 