Soul winner by C.H. Spurgeon (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example)
The soul winner should:
(i) not be ignoramus;
(ii) have sincerity;
(iii) have earnestness;
(iv) have love to his hearers;
(v) not be selfish;
(vi) have holiness of character;
(vii) have a seriousness of manner;
(viii) have a great deal of tenderness.
As usual, one of Spurgeon's fine illustrations grabbed me. He gave a good example of the importance of earnestness in preaching: 'The simplest truth was so driven home by the intensity of the utterance and emotion of the man from whom it came that it told with surprising effect. If any gentleman here would present me with a cannon-ball, say one weighing fifty or a hundred pounds, and let me roll it across the room; and another would entrust me with a rifle-ball, and a rifle out of which I could fire it, I know which would be the more effective of the two. Let no man despise the little bullet, for very often that is the one that kills the sin, and kills the sinner, too. So, brethren, it is not the bigness of the words you utter; it is the force with which you deliver them that decides what is to come of the utterance. I have heard of a ship that was fired at by the cannon in a fort, but no impression was made upon it until the general in command gave the order for the balls to be made red-hot, and then the vessel was sent to the bottom of the sea in three minutes. That is what you must do with your sermons, make them red-hot; never mind if men do say you are too enthusiastic, or even too fanatical, give them red-hot shot, there is nothing else half as good for the purpose you have in view. We do not go out snow-balling on Sundays, we go fire-balling; we ought to hurl grenades into the enemy's ranks.'
Heed Spurgeon's advice - don't go snow-balling on Sunday, go fire-balling!
Next week's reading
Now it's your turn
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