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Our Scripture verse on preaching is James 3:1 which reads: "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." Our quote on preaching today is from Martin Luther. He said, "To preach Christ is to feed the soul, to justify it, to set it free, and to save it, if it believes the preaching." Our first topic is titled "The Call to the Ministry, Part 6" from "Lectures to My Students" by Charles H. Spurgeon. He writes: I have heard of a gentleman who had a most intense desire to preach, and pressed his suit upon his minister, until after a multitude of rebuffs he obtained leave to preach a trial sermon. That opportunity was the end of his importunity, for upon announcing his text he found himself bereft of every idea but one, which he delivered feelingly, and then descended the rostrum. "My brethren," said he, "if any of you think it an easy thing to preach, I advise you to come up here and have all the conceit taken out of you." The trial of your powers will go far to reveal to you your deficiency, if you have not the needed ability. I know of nothing better. We must give ourselves a fair trial in this matter, or we cannot assuredly know whether God has called us or not; and during the probation we must often ask ourselves whether, upon the whole, we can hope to edify others with such discourses. Our second topic is titled "The Qualifications of the Preacher, Part 19" from "The Preacher and his Preaching" by Alfred P. Gibbs. This section is titled: HE MUST BE FIT FOR THE WORK (PART 4) This gift may be lost through neglect. Paul exhorted Timothy, “Neglect not the gift that is within thee.” He wrote concerning another, “Say unto Archippus: Take heed unto the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it” [or fill it full]. It is sadly possible for a Christian, through neglect, not to fulfill the ministry which the Lord has given to him. May the Lord deliver us from an unfulfilled ministry! It is not without significance that the napkin, in which the unfaithful servant wrapped the pound and the talent, was his sweat cloth, which the servants of that time used to tie around their waists so as to be handy as occasion demanded. Our third topic is titled "Tools of the Trade, Part 3" from "Biblical Preaching" by Haddon W. Robinson. He writes: --- Thought Units Often we will work our way chapter by chapter, verse by verse, through different books of the Bible. In making our calendar, therefore, we will read through the books several times and then divide them into portions that we will expound in particular sermons. In doing this we should select the passages based on the natural literary divisions of the material. We will not count out ten or twelve verses to a sermon as though each verse could be handled as a separate thought. Instead, we will search for the biblical writer’s ideas. For example, in the New Testament letters the texts will usually be selected by paragraph divisions, because paragraphs delineate the building blocks of thought. As expositors we will usually choose one or more of these paragraphs to expound, depending on how they relate to one another and thus to one of the author’s major ideas.