Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Preaching Questions
Here is a questions for pastors who preach. For those who don't know, I am the Connections Pastor at my church; which means I never preach from our platform. I have only spoken from it once, and that wasn't preaching a sermon. I love when I do get the chance, but that isn't what God has called me to do in this chapter of my life. Here are some questions for pastors who do preach. When you put a sermon together, what are you trying to accomplish? Are you just telling people something that is true? (If you are taking your sermons from the Bible like many pastors in the country, the sermon should be something that is true.) Do you present helpful information? While it may be true that Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim and the Rodanim were the sons of Javan, most people do not find that information relevant helpful information to their getting through life in this century. Sermons need to address subjects that will help people in their lives. Thirdly, are they engaging? A sermon can be true and present helpful information but in a manner that quite helpfully cures insomnia. If people are going to see God changing lives, they need to want to hear about God's love for them. They won't do that if they feel like church is just a place for a nice hour nap on a Sunday morning. Look over your sermons, are they True, Helpful and Engaging? If not, it might be time to go back to the drawing board.
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4 comments:
I have heard some preaching teachers (instructors in the art of preaching) say that we do a disservice to Christ and the Gospel when we preach a boring hum-drum message, of course such statements place emphasis on style which is amazingly subjective to individual likes and dislikes...
Jonathan Edwards simply read his messages with no hint of dramatic emphasis, yet people came to the Lord in droves.
I once sat in a service that after years of hearing sermons and having delivered a few of my own, I felt this is perhaps one of the worst presentations of the Gospel I have ever heard, perhaps saved only by the fact that it was amazingly short, at it's conclusion, at least one third of the congregation ran to the alter for salvation.
I have listened to messages that were basically non-Biblical and yet gleaned a nugget of truth that was life changing.
I have simply read a passage of scripture during a worship service and seen lives changed as a result.
I think more than anything a message has to be prepared from a starting point of scriptural truths that have been made REAL to the speaker. If God hasn't changed or challenged my life with the message I am speaking, if He hasn’t taught me something in it that got me excited or encouraged my life in some way, how can I expect to be able to deliver it in such a way that it challenges or encourages someone else?
Personally I believe there is power in the Word of God in and of itself, that when combined with the faith of the hearer will do more transforming work than any team of gifted preachers could do on their best days.
Most of all I feel we must leave room for the work of the Holy Spirit, trusting that as we do our part in faithfulness and obedience, He will do his part to draw and speak to those that He is desiring to reach.
Of course I’m an amateur though so take it for what it is worth.
I don't disagree with anything you said. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit is who brings people to the Lord! The point I attempted to make is that the excitement for the message that the Lord has given to the speaker needs to be conveyed in the message. God can use anyone/anything to bring someone to Him. We must do our part, not because He needs us to, but because We need to do so in obedience to Him.
I toss this out as food for thought:
**to inform is a good aim
**to convince/convict/comfort is better
**to persuade is best
and the persuading takes the cooperation the place refers to - "there is power in the Word of God in and of itself, that when combined with the faith of the hearer." Without the faith of the hearer, we get a sad commentary like "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian..."
And - I think I was in the service the place mentioned - with the worst presentation of the gospel ever - and amazing results. I, too, along with the Place and Job - "put my hand over my mouth."
Randy,
Great thoughts my friend! Always wonderful to hear your input.
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