Her Sermon Helps
"Do you think we should use the King James version when we preach? Or does it really matter if we use something like the NIV?" Find out inside...
I have referred to the power that lies in the parables. They are like dynamite that can blow up at any time. We do well to tread lightly around these powerful stories that attack our complacency. Sometimes when I say things like that, preachers chalk this up to simple hyperbole. They see the parables simply as a story that illustrates various aspects of truth, like many other stories. Find out more inside...
You know, many times we church folks act as though we have done our duty when we sit in a congregation and listen to a preacher preach or a choir sing. We may participate. We may sing heartily. We may even get a chance to preach to the people of God. But then we go home. And what happens at home? A plethora of television, sports, games, fun, and just life. And we should live our life, but has church made a difference in our lives? Does it affect our lives in any meaningful way? And more specifically, does it make a difference in how we relate to the hurting one? Read more inside...
People expect preachers to read, understand, and preach from the text of scripture. In some of our ecclesial and ethnic traditions we are expected to powerfully "tell the story" as we have heard and understood it in the text. This is a call to preach both the unfamiliar as well as the familiar stories. You know the stories that we have heard on many occasions. Find out inside...
You have been called to preach, but it seems that your opportunities to preach are slim to none. You see your other associate colleagues who have more invitations than they can even fill and yet you have only preached twice in the last year. You are beginning to wonder if the call is real. You also might be allowing envy to cause you to talk about other preachers who are getting invitations. Read more inside...
Perhaps the most effective thing a preacher can do to strengthen the connection between the congregation and the scripture is to interpret the Bible with your senses. Here you use all of your senses when you seek to understand the scripture. Yes I mean touch, sight, taste, smell, and hear. Read more inside...
Pastors often will preach to issues that are not really problems in their congregation if they don't follow some plan. For example, in some denominational traditions legalism is seen as a problem. So using a one size fits all mentality, the preacher simply assumes that her or his church has this problem and preaches against legalism. However, even in the most legalistic denominations, one can still find churches where that is not a problem. So how do you go about putting together a plan? There are basically three steps. Find them out inside...
Your sermons need to have one main point. There may be sub-points, and there may be supporting points, but there is [or should] only one main point. If your sermon has more than one major point, the people will tire of your message and not be able to remember what the sermon was about. They will subconsciously attempt to determine the main point. When they realize that your sub-points are overpowering your main point, they will either give up, or grab hold of one of your sub-points and assume that is the point of your message. So, how can you help people remember your sermon? Find out inside...
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...