Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet,
and shew my people their transgression,
and the house of Jacob their sins.
–Isaiah 58:1 (KJV)–
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How couldst thou speak of Heaven and Hell in such a careless, sleepy manner? Dost thou believe what thou sayest? Art thou in earnest or in jest? How canst thou tell people that sin is such a thing, and that so much misery is upon them and before them, and be no more affected with it? Shouldst thou not weep over such a people, and should not thy tears interrupt thy words? Shouldst thou not cry aloud, and shew them their transgressions, and entreat and beseech them as for life and death?
–Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor, pp. 238-239–
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Dr. John R. Rice, Why Preach Against Sin? (Sword of the Lord, 1985).
—. We Can Have Revival Now, ch. 9: “God’s Way to Mass Revival.” In another city known to me, good pastors got together to have a “revival campaign.” But so there would be no hard preaching against sin, no issue raised about movies, dances, lodges and other worldliness, they asked a good pastor to lead in the “revival campaign.” He preached good sermons. But he did not take the time for preparation of Christians, preaching against sin, getting them to pray and win souls, as Moody and Torrey and Billy Sunday and other blessed evangelists have always done. He simply preached sermons to the unsaved, good, sound sermons on the blood of Christ. But not many unsaved attended the services, there was a notable lack of real conviction, and pastors were disappointed because there was no genuine revival. There are a lot of good preachers, sound preachers, devoted preachers who are not evangelists. They are not called to be evangelists, not anointed to be evangelists.
Leonard Ravenhill, Be Ye Angry And Sin Not (Last Days Ministries, 1982).
—. Why Revival Tarries (Bethany House, 1959).
—. Revival Praying (Bethany House, 1962), ch. 14: “Be Ye Angry.”
David Wilkerson, Hey, Preach…You’re Comin’ Through! (Revell, 1968).
—. Set the Trumpet to Thy Mouth (World Challenge, 1985).
—. “What Happens to the Church When Preachers No Longer Preach Against Sin?”
Paul Washer, The Gospel’s Power… (RHB, 2012), ch. 15: “Righteous Indignation.”
WesleyGospel, “Dumb Dogs That Cannot BARK!!” (PROOF TEXTS FOR PREACHERS.)
