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Olin P. Moyd writes in The Sacred Art: “The power of God is not Theory. The power of God is action.” What Moyd is getting at is that when we preach about the power of God, it is important not to turn it into a theory. I remember when I was taking Calculus in college. The teacher would introduce a formula by talking about when and why you would use this particular formula. All of that was good and important, however it was still disconnected from us. The teacher would then give us a few examples. In the back of the chapter we had a number of exercises that were designed to help us understand the formula. The formula was the theory, but the exercises were the examples.
Likewise when we are preaching, we must translate the theory into practice. We must show the truth of the theory in real life. If we don’t do this, then whether the people shout or sleep, they will not be able to translate the teaching into their daily lives. The Bible, experience, and history all provide us with a large number of examples to translate the theories into practice.
Don’t forget your examples and illustrations, without them, the people may not fully understand your theory and theology.
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