In reading the article on “The Top 25 Most Influential Preachers” on Christianity Today’s website (HT: Shepherd’s Fellowship Blog), I discovered this lecture by the late great Dr. W.A. Criswell titled “The Effect of 40 Years of Expository Preaching“. This address was given at an annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society which met in Dallas, TX several years ago.

Shortly after being called as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, TX, Dr. Criswell informed his congregation that he would preach through the entire Bible from Genesis through Revelation. Many predicted that it would be the demise of the church, but after 17 years the task was complete and the church had grown from 1,800 to 7,000 members! When people discussed when they joined FBC, Dallas, they didn’t cite a date but the book of the Bible in which Dr. Criswell was preaching when they joined.

In this lecture Dr. Criswell gives three effects of expository preaching: 1. The Effect on the Preacher; 2. The Effect on the Congregation; and, 3. The Effect on God. You can listen online or download the MP3 of this lecture for free by clicking here.