From the Editors

We are thrilled to present Hope & Expectation’s Annual Edition on Preaching. Our greatest desire is that preachers be encouraged through this effort in the great work they are doing for God. E. M Bounds once said, “The heart makes the preacher. Men of great hearts are great preachers… We have emphasized sermon-preparation until we have lost sight of the important thing to be prepared—the heart. A prepared heart is much better than a prepared sermon. A prepared heart will make a prepared sermon… It would not do to say that preachers study too much. Some of them do not study at all; others do not study enough. Numbers do not study the right way to show themselves workmen approved of God. But our great lack is not in head culture, but in heart culture; not lack of knowledge but lack of holiness is our sad and telling defect—not that we know too much, but that we do not meditate on God and his word and watch and fast and pray enough. The heart is the great hindrance to our preaching.”

We are thankful for the men who have written articles for this Annual Preaching Edition. We are indebted to each one of them for their unique contribution. We are thankful to our dear friend, Dr. Jay Lockhart, for allowing us to profile his work. We are forever thankful to Michael Whitworth for his work in designing the cover and putting together each issue of Hope & Expectation. We are pleased to highlight his outstanding blog in this issue.

Our prayer is that you will be blessed by reading the articles in this issue. May God continue to bless you in all you do for Him as you Preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

— The Editors