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A Bible Student: The Remarkable Work of G. Campbell Morgan · Traveler’s Tales

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  Imagine someone asking you to choose just one book to read
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  for the next 7 years. No commentaries,
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  no devotionals, no podcasts, just one book.
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  Most of us would think that impossible. Yet, one of the greatest
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  Bible teachers of the last century did exactly that, and the lessons
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  he learned still challenge every follower of Christ today.
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  Welcome to another edition of Traveler's Tales, brought to you by Enjoying
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  the Journey. I'm your host, Greg Dowdy. Throughout history,
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  God has often accomplished His greatest work through
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  ordinary people who made one extraordinary decision. To take
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  God and His Word seriously. G. Campbell Morgan was
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  one of those people. His influence stretched across continents
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  and generations, not because he discovered something new,
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  but because he devoted himself to the timeless truth of
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  Scripture. Born on December 9th,
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  1863, in Tetbury, England,
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  Morgan showed an unusual love for Scripture an early
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  age. At only 13 years old, he preached his
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  first sermon. That youthful beginning marked the start of a lifetime
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  devoted to proclaiming God's Word. Yet,
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  his path to usefulness was not without disappointment. At 19,
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  Morgan applied to become a Wesleyan preacher but failed
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  his trial sermon. Many would have concluded that preaching simply
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  wasn't God's call on their life. Morgan did the opposite.
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  Rather than quitting, he devoted himself even more deeply
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  to the studying of the scriptures. In fact, for 7 years,
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  he immersed himself almost exclusively in the Bible.
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  He wasn't chasing the latest opinions or theological trends.
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  He wanted to know what God himself had said. Those hidden
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  years of study became the foundation for everything
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  that followed. What an encouraging reminder for us.
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  God's greatest preparation often takes place long before the
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  opportunities come. The seasons that feel unnoticed are often the seasons
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  when he is building us for future usefulness.
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  Never confuse delay with denial.
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  If God has called you, remain faithful right where you are
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  and let him prepare you in his time. That preparation
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  in Morgan's life bore remarkable fruit.
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  D.L. Moody soon recognized Morgan's extraordinary gift for opening
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  the Scriptures and invited him to become a regular speaker
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  at the famous Northfield Bible Conference. Morgan pastored several churches
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  throughout England before accepting the pastorate of Westminster Chapel in
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  London. When he arrived, the congregation was struggling,
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  and attendance was small. But through clear,
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  faithful exposition of God's Word, the church was transformed
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  into one of the most influential ministries in England.
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  Later, Morgan spent many years traveling throughout America and
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  Canada, preaching to large crowds, seeing many trust Christ,
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  and encouraging believers to love the Bible more deeply.
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  He also pastored the Tabernacle Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia,
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  wrote more than 60 books, and produced Bible commentaries that
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  continue to help pastors and Bible students today.
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  Yet if you ask Morgan the secret of his ministry, he would
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  not have pointed to his books or his reputation. He would have pointed
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  to the Bible itself. He once said, the Church
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  of the Living God is the pillar and ground of the truth. If the church
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  is to do this work, she must know the Word of God
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  for herself. Morgan understood something our
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  generation desperately needs to recover.
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  Churches are strengthened when believers know the Scriptures for themselves.
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  Strong preaching can never replace personal Bible study.
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  Sunday messages are meant to send us back to God's Word, not substitute
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  for it. Perhaps the most remarkable illustration of Morgan's devotion
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  is found in his sermon preparation. Before consulting commentaries
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  or study helps, he would often read through the entire book
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  of the Bible he planned to preach 40 or 50 times.
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  He wanted the Bible to shape his thinking before anyone else's
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  opinion did. Whether or not the stories are true that he memorized
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  the entire Bible, there is no question that he filled his heart with its
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  truths until they shaped every part of his life.
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  What would happen if we approached Scripture that way? We may
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  never read a book of the Bible 50 times before studying it,
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  But what if we slowed down enough to read it carefully,
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  prayerfully, and repeatedly? God's Word was
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  never meant to be rushed. It is meant to renew our minds,
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  to transform our hearts, and to conform us to the image
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  of Jesus Christ. But Morgan never allowed Bible
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  knowledge to become an end in itself.
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  His study always pointed him toward the Savior and toward the souls
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  who needed Him. He asked these searching questions:
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  There is a person the world needs to see. Am I helping to show
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  him to the world? There is a famine for the word of God everywhere.
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  Am I doing anything to make it known?
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  What a challenge. We live in a world overflowing
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  with information. Every day our phones deliver headlines,
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  opinions, videos, podcasts, and endless streams
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  of content. Yet for all our knowledge,
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  many people know less of God's Word than ever before.
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  We skim everything and meditate on almost
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  nothing. But every so often, God raises up someone
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  whose life reminds us that one book, when believed,
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  studied, and obeyed, is enough to change a person,
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  and through that person, to change countless others. That was
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  the testimony of G. Campbell Morgan. His influence
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  did not begin behind a pulpit or in a crowded auditorium.
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  It began with an open Bible and a heart that was
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  willing to listen. Long before thousands
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  benefited from his preaching, he had learned to sit at the feet of
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  the greatest teacher of all. Perhaps the greatest lesson
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  Morgan leaves us is not simply to read the Bible more but to let the
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  Bible read us, to allow God's Word
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  to shape our thinking, direct our decisions,
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  strengthen our faith, and draw us closer to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  We may never preach to the crowds that Morgan did, but every believer
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  can know the same God, cherish the same Scriptures,
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  and experience the same transforming power of God's Word.
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  So today, ask yourself, if God's Word was
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  enough for G. Campbell Morgan, is it enough for me?
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  Open your Bible, read it carefully,
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  believe it completely, obey it faithfully.
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  You may never realize this side of heaven what God can do through
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  one life fully surrendered to one book.
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  Thank you for joining me for this edition of Traveler's
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  tales. If the testimony of G. Campbell Morgan has inspired you to get into the
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  Word of God, we invite you to visit our website,
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  etj.bible, where you'll discover a growing
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  library of Bible studies, podcasts, and practical
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  resources to strengthen your walk with Christ and equip you to
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  point others to Him.