Her Sermon Helps
I was talking to a lay-member the other day who was very excited about a sermon he had heard. The member gave me all four of the points of the sermon and was excited about applying the sermon to his daily life. Interestingly enough, he searched on the internet to try to find this sermon and other sermons by the same preacher. So What did the preacher do? Find out more inside...
You want to preach a sermon with limited reliance on notes. If you need notes, however, you must keep them somewhere. Where do you keep them? In this article we will discuss four of these places. Read more inside...
In this article we will give four foci of an affective sermon appeal. Preachers should give attention to each of these groups if the call to action is going to be effective. Great preaching calls people to do something, the appeal is when you make the call to follow where the sermon leads them. Read more side...
A while back, Peter Mead at the Biblical Preaching blog did a series on preaching that he called "finishing weak." That was a good idea that I wanted to "riff" on. A lot of his ways of "finishing weak" could be reduced down to a few thoughts. These are two ways you should not end your sermon. Find out what they are inside...
Over the years, some people have said that I spend too much time talking about and thinking about style. These individuals say that what is important is not the "style" but the "content." They argue that one of the greatest problems with most preaching [especiallay African American] is spending too much time worrying about the style. Find out more inside...
Someone asked me, "How can I find the perfect sermon illustration?" To answer this question, I would first say that all of the resources you need for a perfect sermon illustration are around you. First, never forget the Bible as a primary resource for narratives and stories to illustrate your points. Read more inside...
Understanding Scripture is an exciting and crucial way to mature as a Christian, grow in discernment (being able to more readily spot aberrant theology), and equip oneself with the Word for witnessing. We all know we need to read God's Word to be fed spiritually, but have you ever given thought to how you can read it to best glean the intended meaning from the text? Theologians call this science of biblical interpretation "hermeneutics".
A narrative text is that passage of Scripture that conveys a story line. It's necessary that we are clear and persuade to our audience to understand that the stories of the Bible are not Disney fantacies or fairy tales, but the are real accounts of historical events that are applicable as examples towards spiritual development. With that said, as a preacher is it essential to retell the story in such a mannner that it is believable, comes alive, and demonstrates relevance. Wayne McDill, writer of 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching states that it is not a violation of the sacredness of Scripture to retell its stories imaginativesly. However, he says, it may be a violation of biblical intent to tell them in such a way thtat nobody can believe them. Read more inside...
It is so important that we as ministers of the gospel have a thorough understanding of Jesus and the atoning work He has done on behalf of the world. Therefore, for convenience, we will create bulleted points to help you as we journey to learn more about our Savior, His name, life and work. Please know that none of the information these articles presented in this series are intended to be exhaustive. We are providing a very general framework for your ease of use and learning. So, let's get started! Click the link for Part II: The Office of Christ.
In this exciting series, we will help you prepare to effectively preach Jesus by reviewing some of His names, His life, history and various other aspects of who He is. It is so important that we as ministers of the gospel have a thorough understanding of Jesus and the atoning work He has done on behalf of the world. Therefore, for convenience, we will create bulleted points to help you as we journey to learn more about our Savior, His name, life and work. Read more inside...