Preaching that Connects

Transcription

1 Preaching that Connects We can push, print and preach a sermon from the Internet in the 21 st Century. There must be consecration, observation, preparation and organization. Here are some pointers on how to get started Read, Read, Read. Read the Bible, Read the Bible, Read the Bible. We should read through the bible every year. We should have a daily devotion in the word. Read the bible just because. You must have a prayer life. Your sermon preparation is not your devotion. Never preach in the flesh. Never throw something together at the last minute Know when it s not the right time to preach, and when it s time to be preached to (There s a time to minister and a time to be ministered to) You have to have the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in another hand - Karl Barth If you preach someone else s sermon, make sure you own it and preach it in your own style. Three keys to good preaching: Homiletics: the art of preaching or writing sermons. Hermeneutics: a method or principle of interpretation. Exegesis: critical explanation or interpretation of a text, esp. of scripture. Before you stand to deliver a message you must own it.

2 What does the message say to me and what does it say to my congregation. How can I preach to move people forward and move the church forward? This is called vision preaching. Study- No more Saturday Night Specials: 3 And He said to me, "ʺSon of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you."ʺ So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. (Ezekiel 3:3 (New King James Version) 6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine, which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane and old wives fables (1Timothy 4:6 (NKJ) People can tell if we haven t study. People will always pay more attention to your life than to your words. But if you are trying to live a holy life, studying His Word, prayerfully applying it to the situation of today; if you love God, His Word and people, then STAND UP, SPEAK UP. When preaching, be yourself. Know who you are, accept who you are, and be who you are. If people leave worship saying, What an amazing preacher! we have failed. Instead, we must long for them to say, What a great God - Will J. Lindsey We preach so that people can hear the voice of God, period - James MacDonald A good teacher clears the way, declares the way, and then gets out of the way. Six Questions Francis Chan asks himself before he gets up to preach. 1. Do I genuinely love these people? 2. Am I accurately presenting this passage? 3. Have I applied this lesson to my own life? 4. Will this message draw attention to me or to God?

3 5. Am I depending on the Holy Spirit s power or my own cleverness? 6. Am I worried about what people think of my message or what God thinks? A Basic A Sermon Outline: In general, every sermon, speech or presentation has these five elements: Introduction Body Illustrations Application Conclusion Why is this important? Because a good sermon is not a collection of random words, sentences and paragraphs. It has a clear structure and moves along at a healthy pace. It has a destination and a direction. Final questions: Did they meet God? Did I accomplish my one big goal? A Plan for Each Week: Every pastor has a unique voice. God has placed you in a unique setting, and while you re a part of a larger church. All pastors are not the same rest in that. Find a unique rhythm that works for you. Prepare one or two full days, pushing all of your meetings to other days. Some pastors are bi- vocational pastors, with other job responsibilities, so sermon preparation happens at home in the evening. Some pastors have large teams to handle some of the other ministerial responsibilities, while others handle a large number of administrative tasks. Everyone is different. I recently added a research team to help research stats, stories and illustrations on a topics I will be preaching on. The point is Sunday is coming, again and again and again. I preach 132 times a year. Mainly because we have three worship experiences on the weekend - You need one and half to two days to prepare a sermon.

4 You need the right space and time of day. You need to preach 30 to 35 minutes A series needs to be four to six weeks. 3 Reasons Rick Warren Preaches Series: It builds momentum It creates word- of- mouth advertising. It saves study time You need to have a creative team to help plan the services. You need to plan out six to twelve months out. Repeat a message every two years if necessary with new flavor. What the people we preach are thinking to themselves: Tell me about Jesus Have one big idea Get my attention in the first 30 seconds without being gimmicky Make me like you, trust you, and respect you so that I can'ʹt dismiss you Don'ʹt show me how smart you are, because it makes me feel dumb Be emotionally engaging and compelling Tell the truth and don'ʹt be a coward Avoid Christian jargon and explain your terms Be Genuine Will J. Lindsey Extras: My favorite study bible is the NKJ (Nelson Study Bible & NIV Life Application Study Bible) I preach from an NIV/NLT I preach from an ipad I watch great speakers. (Visit Ted Speak).

5 I walk around and use props. Banners, videos, etc. The point is to get the message across. Preach Jesus! Study the bible. study/?gclid=coah1- ebkrkcfrfp7aodoaqaya 3/ Whitesel, B., Preparing for Change Reaction, Copyright 2007 by Wesleyan Publishing House