Preaching WITH the Congregation not AT it
Evans Crawford writes: “There is a spiritual shift in the preacher’s soul so that the preacher does not preach at or to, but with the congregation.”
Preaching
Getting Heard the Importance of Indirection
I was listening to a preacher this weekend preaching a sermon that began to sound like this:
The Bible Character is no good. The Bible Character did wrong. Let me tell you how bad this Bible Character was.
Then the preacher began to rail into the congregation.
Some of you are just like that Bible Character. You are mean like that character. You don’t have compassion. You don’t have the Love of God. You are just as bad and you better straighten up.
Then the preacher gave the appeal.
If anyone wishes to come to Jesus please come down.
Getting Heard the Importance of Indirection Read MorePrayer and the Pulpit
Sometimes you will find a preacher who studies impeccably, the preacher brings together sermons that make the people shout and holla. The preacher gets invitations to preach in many locales, but there is no lasting change among the hearers. They come, shout at the entertaining presentation and leave. There can be many reasons for such an outcome. However, one of the primary ones is a lack of prayer.
Where Does Your Wisdom Come From?
Prayer and the Pulpit Read More
Creating Consumerist-Oriented Christians
It has been about seven years since I took the course “Theology and Preaching in Worship” from Vanderbilt Divinity School under Dr. L. Susan Bond, but I will ever be thankful to her for her prodding of the students to have a sound theological rationale for all that we do. It was in that class that I was introduced to the marvelous works of the Lutheran theologian Marva Dawn.
Creating Consumerist-Oriented Christians Read MoreThe Connection of Style to Substance
James Harris, in Preaching Liberation, writes:
I am suggesting that style and substance are partners in preaching liberation. The way the sermon is preached–the style of delivery, the involvement of body and mind, the engagement of the audience, the rhythmic crescendos and decrescendos of the voice punctuated by staccato cadences and words uttered in musical style–all this is, to a degree, as important as the substance of what is being said.
Preparation or Inspiration?
Dr. Gardner Taylor, in How Shall They Preach wrote:
Most of us discover that sermons are born of a mysterious romance between preparation and inspiration. Dr. Paul Scherer used to say that inspiration is 10 percent genius and 90 percent firm application of the seat of the pants to the chair.
The Kingdom is not Good News for Everyone
James Harris, in Preaching Liberation writes:
The Kingdom is not Good News for Everyone Read MoreJesus didn’t come after John Inquiring about a consensus of beliefs or taking an opinion poll in order to tell folk what they wanted to hear or reinforce what they had already heard. No! Jesus didn’t come “shucking and jiving,” not even praying and singing…He came with a message–a message from God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Is Your Sermon a Balm or Band-Aid?
Salve is applied to a wound. It covers the wound like a band aid, but it does much more. Certainly it is important to cover the wound. It is important to block things from getting into the wound. Yes that is important, but a healing balm doesn’t just stop there.
Balm Goes Into the Wound
A healing balm actually goes into the wound. It attempts healing not from the safety of an outsider looking in, but from within the wound. Balm seeps into the wound and attempts healing there.
Is Your Sermon a Balm or Band-Aid? Read MoreDon’t Just Preach to Yourself
Preachers must know themselves, if they are going to be effective preachers of the Gospel. Why is this? The reason is that many preachers can fall into the trap of preaching only to themselves rather than preaching to the people.
Don’t Just Preach to Yourself Read MoreThe Necessity of Getting With the People in the Sermon
The preachers who preach truly great messages often come into the lives of the people. Listen to the preachers who really touch their congregations. Listen to the illustrations used. They are illustrations from regular life. They are illustrations that we all can understand.
The Necessity of Getting With the People in the Sermon Read More
Preaching Matters
Charles E. Booth wrote: “Therefore, the serious revivalist should always seek to preach as as if life or death hangs in the balance.” He was writing specifically about the revivalist, but it can actually refer to any preacher’s sermon.
Audio 29 – The Easy Sermon Resolution
The easy sermon resolution. Do your sermons take seriously the reality of pain?
Audio 29 – The Easy Sermon Resolution Read MorePathetic or Transformative Relevance
James Forbes, in his very helpful work The Holy Spirit and Preaching writes: “Preaching under the anointing of the Spirit deeply touches the hearer, evoking either acceptance or rejection of the gospel.”