If There Was Only One Man Allowed to Preach Today, This Ought to Be Him

Just over a decade ago, my wife and I drove out to the little town of Haw River to visit a country church whose name we saw stamped inside a YMCA Bible.  It was quite a trip to get out there.  Our jaw dropped when we saw the tired building with its faded gray shingles.  I could not persuade my wife to turn around and take us home, so we walked in and sat down.

A barrel-chested man bellowed out the music.  He needed no microphone, so strong was his voice.  I believe people in the next county could hear Rick Surles singing.  His face turned red and dripped with sweat as he roared out the lyrics. He had a beautiful, powerful sound.  Rick's voice was full and rich, like an entire orchestra, all by itself.

Then a robed choir got up and sang a number.  We had been time-warped back to 1950.

Finally, a chubby, countrified man named Brian Biggers stood up to preach.  He wore a plaid shirt and cowboy boots.

I could see he had a way with the Queen's English.  Or rather, he had made up his own way.  He was not legalistic when it came to grammar.

No thought was complete without a folksy metaphor.  His uncultured mannerisms, his southern mispronunciations and his irreligious style meant continuous amusement for his audience.  And no one seemed to enjoy his preaching more than he did.

In his simple way, he moved the congregation from laughter to tears and back to laughter effortlessly.  Somehow, when he spoke, it truly felt as if Jesus Himself was speaking.

A few minutes into his message, it occurred to me that I needed to do whatever I could to get as many people as possible to hear this man preach. His words were alive with Christ.  There was no way to sit in that room and be unaffected.  This was what an anointing looked like.

So much of my life was changed by Brian's ministry:  I fell in love with the Word, attended and graduated from seminary, entered full-time ministry, and planted a church in Raleigh.  There is no part of my life God did use Brian to touch.

Today, that old country church has become a megachurch.  Sunday mornings, the tiny population of Haw River explodes to thousands upon thousands. 

The beloved Rick Surles past away years ago, but The Lamb's Chapel choir croons on.

And Brian Biggers is still belting out the best Bible preaching you will hear anywhere.

Click here to listen to some of Brian Biggers' recent messages.