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At length from the depth of the crowd, like a groan from a troubled heart, came the cry, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37). God had fulfilled His promise to His prophet of old, "I will be with thy mouth" (Ex. 4:12). . . . Never before had 3000 men listened to an unwelcome message of a preacher, an unskilled man in public address, no orator, with no training except his time with Jesus, and hardly has such an audience since. But this one gift, the tongue of fire, brought conviction and conversion to 3000 eternity-bound men.

Now Friends, did any church ever have any more institutions, any more learned men, any more polished speakers, than the Church of England had in the year that John Wesley was born? And was there ever a church more cold, more powerless, more spiritually dead, more helpless to stem the flood tide of immorality and spiritual darkness in the land? Just think about it. There never was a church more at the top of the realm intellectually for her age, more polished. She had more polished infidels in her pulpits than almost any church in any age. She was entirely powerless to meet the situation.

Then came George Whitefield. Think of the work he did, and yet his sermons, some say, were without one trace of logic, philosophy, or any thing we call systematic theology.

On the other hand, there was John Wesley - calm, clear, logical, theological, but without great oratorical powers. He was just the opposite of Whitefield. Yet both these men, with their tongue of fire, seemed equally able to do the work of God on earth. God uses men with different capabilities. Far be it form me to lay down any rules by which one must preach, organize his work, or arrange his sermonic material; or to say what gifts he must have or what style he may use. It would be folly to do so.

The apostle Paul said: "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. . . . For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:5,6). It is a great text.

Our sufficiency is not in ourselves but in the gracious influence of the Spirit of Christ. We are living epistles, known and read of all men (2 Cor. 3:2).

Nothing less than the quick and powerful Spirit of God working in the hearts of His messengers to give the knowledge of the glory of God can gain the victory. And when we are right with God and Christ dwells within, sinners will get a clear impression of what it means to become a Christian. They will feel the nearness of Christ and His willingness to give them a present salvation. . . .

As long as Christ is the minister in the sanctuary above, He is also the minister of His church on earth. He speaks through His chosen preachers. He says, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (matt. 28:20).

What do I say? How will my words affect the people? Have I preached a godless discourse like Cain's offering, lacking a Savior? Do I preach in an indifferent manner? Is there some coarseness or levity that breaks the influence and power of my message -- or rather, of God's message through me?

No preaching of dry theory will move souls. You must preach living truth, and you must preach it as though you believed it. You must believe it. We must never stop striving for greater light and power. A true minister must toil on, pray on, hope on, amid discouragement and darkness, determined to gain a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures and to come behind in no gift. When things are going hard, young men, remember, "Toil on, pray on, hope on." you will have tests and trials, my young friends. You will have to know that God has called you, or you will never endure the hammer blows of adversity that are certain to come to you.

Horace Greeley, the noted editor, once received a letter from a woman saying that her church was in a distressing financial state. The members had tried every device they could think of -- fairs, strawberry festival, oyster suppers, donkey parties, turkey banquets, Japanese weddings, poverty sociables, mock marriages, grab bags, box sociables, and necktie sociable. Would Mr. Greeley be so kind as to suggest some new device that would keep the struggling church from disbanding? He replied, "Why not try religion?"

And that's what some preachers ought to do. They ought to try religion for a change. They ought to try preaching the Scripture, the full gospel of the glorious God and our Savior Jesus Christ. . . . There is some poplar preaching today that is Scriptureless.

The biblical preacher will possess an advantage that anyone can comprehend. First, he can speak with authority because he knows, as he speaks, that he is delivering a message from God. Second, he knows that he is right, and can be bold as a lion. Third, he cannot mislead sinners, for he tells them just what the Master has said. Fourth, he builds up Christians who enjoy his ministry, and they become an intelligent, robust people who will not listen to the voice of false teachers, though they charm ever so cleverly.

The fifth reason that the Bible preacher has the advantage is that he is free from the worry that almost invariably attends preaching fine sermons, because he has faithfully and prayerfully spoken what God has told him to say and leaves the results with God. Sixth, if his hearers do not like his teachings, he can inform them quietly that their controversy is not with him, but with the Lord. And friends, listen, he will make a better appearance at the judgment seat of Christ than those who were sent as ambassadors of the Lord, but failed to obey their instructions.