GeorgeMuller.org
  • Home
  • Unshackled!
  • E-Cards
  • Quotes
    • Quotes
    • Quotable Quotes
    • Wise Sayings of George Muller
    • Picture Quotes
  • Books
    • George Muller Paperback Books
    • Free Booklets from Chapel Library
    • PDF Books
    • E-Books
    • Book Archives
    • Answers to Prayer
    • Life of Trust
    • Narratives, Part 1
    • Narratives, Part 2
    • Narratives Part 3
    • Narratives, Part 4
    • Preaching Tours
    • Preaching Tours Devotional
    • George Muller of Bristol
    • A Venture of Faith
  • Devotional
  • Photos
  • Articles
  • Sermons
  • Presentations
    • George Muller Presentation
    • George Muller Famous Stories
    • Finding God's Will
    • My Heavenly Friend
    • How Faith Is Strengthened
    • Soul Nourishment First
    • Be Anxious for Nothing
    • E.M. Bounds on Prayer
    • Hudson Taylor
  • Audio Books & Sermons
  • George Muller Videos
  • Biography
  • Online Bible
  • What's New
  • Contact
    • About
    • Permissions
    • Donate
    • Statement of Faith
  • Blog
  • Scripture Promises
    • Scripture Reflections
    • Daily Bread - Scriptures to Meditate Upon
    • The Gift of God
    • Book of Bible Promises
    • Bible Promises
  • Scripture Videos
  • Christ-Centered Radio
  • Hymns and Spiritual Songs
  • Scripture Songs
  • Hymns and Poems
  • Links
    • Charles H. Spurgeon
    • Christ-Centered Quotes
    • ChristInOurHome.org
    • E.M. Bounds Quotes
    • Jesus Is the Way
    • Hudson Taylor Quotes
    • J.C. Ryle
    • Marvelous Grace Hymns
    • Precious Bible Promises
    • Christ Bible Church
    • Preeminence of Christ Ministrires
    • Mullers.org

Devotional

Preparation for Preaching  (1830)

11/30/2017

0 Comments

 
That which I now considered the best mode of preparation for the public ministry of the Word, from deep conviction and from the experience of God’s blessing upon it, is as follows: I ask the Lord that He would graciously be pleased to teach me on what subject I shall speak, or what portion of His Word I shall expound. Sometimes it happens that a subject, or a passage, has been in my mind; in that case I ask Him whether I should speak on it. If after prayer I feel persuaded that I should, I fix upon it, yet so that I would desire to leave myself open to the Lord to change it if He please. Frequently however, it occurs that I have no text or subject in my mind before I give myself to prayer. In this case, I wait some time for an answer, trying to listen to the voice of the Spirit to direct me. If then a passage or subject is brought to my mind, I again ask Him, and that sometimes repeatedly, whether it be His will I should speak on it. Frequently it happens that I not only have no text or subject, but also do not obtain one after once or twice or more times praying about it. What I do is to go on with my regular reading of the Scriptures, praying whilst I read, for a text. I have even had to go to the place of meeting without a text, and obtained it perhaps only a few minutes before I was going to speak; but I have never lacked the Lord’s assistance at the time of preaching, provided I had earnestly sought it in private.

Now when the text has been obtained, whether it be one or two or more verses, or a whole chapter, I ask the Lord that He would graciously be pleased to teach me by His Holy Spirit whilst meditating over it. Within the last sixty-three years I have found it the most profitable plan to meditate with my pen in my hand, writing down the outlines, as the Word is opened to me. This I do for the sake of clearness, as being a help to see how far I understand the passage. I very seldom use any other help, besides the little I understand of the original of the Scriptures and some good translations in other languages. My chief help is prayer. I have never in my life begun to study one single part of divine truth without gaining some light about it, when I have been able really to give myself to prayer and meditation over it. This I most firmly believe: that no one ought to expect to see much good resulting from his labors if he is not much given to prayer and meditation.
​
That which I have found most beneficial in the public ministry of the Word is expounding the Scriptures. This may be done in a twofold way, either by entering minutely into the bearing of every point occurring in the portion, or by giving the general outlines and thus leading the hearers to see the meaning and connection of the whole. The benefits which I have seen resulting from expounding are these:

  1. The hearers are thus, with God’s blessing, led to the Scriptures. This induces them to bring their Bibles, and I have observed that those who at first did not bring them, have afterwards been induced to do so; so that in a short time few were in the habit of coming without them. This is no small matter, for everything which in our day will lead believers to value the Scriptures is of importance.
  2. The expounding of the Scriptures is in general more beneficial to the hearers than if on a single verse, or half a verse, or two or three words of a verse, some remarks are made, so that the portion of Scripture is scarcely anything but a motto for the subject.
  3. The expounding of the Scriptures leaves to the hearers a connecting link, so that the reading over again the portion of the Word that has been expounded brings to their remembrance what has been said—and thus, with God’s blessing, leaves a more lasting impression on their minds. Expounding the Word of God brings little honor to the preacher from the unenlightened or careless hearer, but it tends much to the benefit of the hearers in general.

​Simplicity of expression, whilst the truth is set forth, is of the utmost importance. It should be the aim of the teacher so to speak that children, servants, and people who cannot read may be able to understand him, so far as the natural mind can comprehend the things of God. It should also be considered, that if the preacher strive to speak according to the rules of this world, he may please many, particularly those who have a literary taste but in the same proportion he is less likely to become an instrument in the hands of God for the conversion of sinners or for the building up of the saints. For neither eloquence nor depth of thought makes the truly great preacher, but such a life of prayer, meditation, and spirituality as may render him “a vessel…meet for the master’s use” (2 Ti 2:21) and fit to be employed both in the conversion of sinners and in the edification of the saints.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Andrew Murray
    An Hour With George Muller
    Answers To Prayer
    Anxiety
    Arthur T. Pierson
    Audio
    Audio Bible
    Audio Devotionals
    Autobiography
    A.W. Tozer
    Baptism
    Basil Miller
    Bible
    Bible Study
    Biography
    Calling
    Charles H. Spurgeon
    Charles R. Parsons
    Christ
    Communion With God
    Conditions Of Answered Prayer
    Counsel To Christians
    Courage
    Debt
    Devotional Radio
    Devotions
    Ed Reese
    Election
    Evangelism
    Faith
    Faith Ministry
    Fellowship With God
    Giving
    God's Faithfulness
    Guidance
    Heavenly Friend
    Hymn
    J. Hudson Taylor
    J.J. Ellis
    Joy
    Kneeling Christian
    Knowing Christ
    Leominster Conference
    Living By Faith
    Love Of God
    Love One Another
    Magazine
    Marriage
    Meditation
    Money
    Morning Devotions
    Muller's Conversion
    Narratives
    Orphanages
    Power Of God
    Prayer
    Preaching
    Preaching Tours
    R.A. Torrey
    Resurrection
    Rising Early
    Salvation
    Scriptural Knowledge Institution
    Second Coming
    Seek Ye First
    Sermons
    Sleep
    Stewardship
    Susannah Grace Sangar Muller
    Thanksgiving
    The Church
    Tithing
    Travel
    Treasure
    Treasures In Heaven
    Trials
    Unshackled
    Video
    Walking With God
    Will Of God
    Young Converts

    Archives

    January 2023
    August 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    June 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

"The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts."
- George Muller
  • Home
  • Unshackled!
  • E-Cards
  • Quotes
    • Quotes
    • Quotable Quotes
    • Wise Sayings of George Muller
    • Picture Quotes
  • Books
    • George Muller Paperback Books
    • Free Booklets from Chapel Library
    • PDF Books
    • E-Books
    • Book Archives
    • Answers to Prayer
    • Life of Trust
    • Narratives, Part 1
    • Narratives, Part 2
    • Narratives Part 3
    • Narratives, Part 4
    • Preaching Tours
    • Preaching Tours Devotional
    • George Muller of Bristol
    • A Venture of Faith
  • Devotional
  • Photos
  • Articles
  • Sermons
  • Presentations
    • George Muller Presentation
    • George Muller Famous Stories
    • Finding God's Will
    • My Heavenly Friend
    • How Faith Is Strengthened
    • Soul Nourishment First
    • Be Anxious for Nothing
    • E.M. Bounds on Prayer
    • Hudson Taylor
  • Audio Books & Sermons
  • George Muller Videos
  • Biography
  • Online Bible
  • What's New
  • Contact
    • About
    • Permissions
    • Donate
    • Statement of Faith
  • Blog
  • Scripture Promises
    • Scripture Reflections
    • Daily Bread - Scriptures to Meditate Upon
    • The Gift of God
    • Book of Bible Promises
    • Bible Promises
  • Scripture Videos
  • Christ-Centered Radio
  • Hymns and Spiritual Songs
  • Scripture Songs
  • Hymns and Poems
  • Links
    • Charles H. Spurgeon
    • Christ-Centered Quotes
    • ChristInOurHome.org
    • E.M. Bounds Quotes
    • Jesus Is the Way
    • Hudson Taylor Quotes
    • J.C. Ryle
    • Marvelous Grace Hymns
    • Precious Bible Promises
    • Christ Bible Church
    • Preeminence of Christ Ministrires
    • Mullers.org