On Preaching

I hope this entry will be helpful for all especially the beginners (like me) in terms of preaching God’s truth in a much more formal setting, say in church (rather than in home fellowship)

Following paraghraphs were taken from “Preparing to Preach” by Wayne Jackson

God's Words is The Truth

Thorough preparation in preaching involves several crucial elements:

Research (a gathering of the appropriate data);

Meditation (carefully considering the needs of one’s self to the lessons, and then to his audience);

Organization (arrangement into a logically developed, intelligently argued format); and,

Presentation (a delivery that neither distracts from the basic message nor unduly attracts attention to himself).

It is not uncommon to hear an after-sermon quip to this effect: “He was great! But I can’t remember a thing he said—except for that hilarious joke.”

There is so much of the Bible to learn that the preacher can study all of his life and never master it. But blessed indeed is the man of God from whom people want to learn—because he genuinely is a prepared “man of the Book.”

A century ago there was a complimentary saying concerning well-studied preachers: “His sermons smell of kerosene,” which signified that he had spent long nights by the light of the coal oil lamp in preparation. If one may be excused for a certain level of crudeness, it might be said of some sermons today: they just “smell.”

Other useful link: How to Preach with Authority and Sensitivity by Kenton C. Anderson, from which I learn about the following:

“The preacher’s job is to help the listener take hold of the message offered.
There are two primary approaches a preacher could choose. The first is by means of explanation, and the second is by means of experience“.

As we prepare a sermon, the four moves above can be uncovered by asking four questions:

Move 1: What’s the Story? (Experience of the Text)
Even in the Book of Romans, there is always a story. There really were Romans. They lived in Rome. They had lives much like the lives of people today. For example, when I preached from Romans 8:18-25 (Read this sermon at preaching.org/groaning.htm), I noticed the text set up the present “groaning” of the people with the “glory” that would one day be revealed in them. I found it helpful, then, to help my listeners identify with the Roman Christians, who were groaning just like we groan over many of the same things. Identifying the story of the original audience can help the listener see the humanity in the text, creating an experiential encounter with the message that will not easily be shaken off.

This is God's Light

Move 2: What’s the Point? (Explanation of the Text)
The Bible offers truth that can be examined, detailed, ordered, and for the most part, understood. The preacher need not shy away from offering points, well explained and carefully put. This was a key component of my Romans 8 sermon. The problem I had, however, was that the passage was almost too rich. There were many aspects that could have been developed for the profit of the listeners. I decided to focus on the big idea, “We won’t groan forever. ” Focusing my explanation around this simple idea allowed me to help the people understand that pain and suffering is temporary and of little consequence when weighed against the glory that God has made available to us in Christ.

Move 3: What’s the Problem? (Explanation of Today)
The problem with biblical propositions is they are not always easily accepted. The Bible is profoundly countercultural. If a preacher offers biblical truth with integrity, there will be inherent conflict in the engagement with contemporary listener presuppositions. Acknowledging the problem from the perspective of the hearer will be important if we care about listener comprehension and assent. In my Romans sermon, I was able to focus on the innate aversion humans have to suffering. Deferred gratification is not a value today’s listeners hold dear. Acknowledging that reality and struggling with it in the sermon helped my listeners see the credibility of the message and deepened their receptivity to the truth of the text.

Move 4: What’s the Difference? (Experience of Today)
Of course, head knowledge without heart response is hardly worth the effort. Every text intends a response from the listener as they grow in obedience to the God who created them.

In my sermon from Romans 8, my challenge was simple. I was counseling patience. I was concerned to help the listener hold on, despite the discouragement that inevitably comes. My goal, then, was less to educate at this point as it was to inspire. I was looking to instill a measure of hope and confidence in God’s promise. This hope would play itself out in specific responses to the challenges of the listener’s daily life.

These four questions will help us organize our notes into a form that can integrate the concern for text and today, explanation and experience. They can help the preacher speak to a variety of cognitive styles. They can help the preacher help the people hear from God.

And here is just the additional tips How to Preach a Lousy Sermon by Rev. Ken Collins, just follow the link

God bless you all my friends, let’s God light shines upon and through us!

Quotes “Being True to Yourselves”

Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.–Hardy D. Jackson

Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.–Pope John XXIII

Flowers do not force their way with great strife. Flowers open to perfection slowly in the sun…. Don’t be in a hurry about spiritual matters. Go step by step, and be very sure.–White Eagle

The greatest thing is, at any moment, to be willing to give up who we are in order to become all that we can be.–Max De Pree

How do the geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons? How do we, humans, know when it is time to move on? As with the migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice within, if only we would listen to it, that tells us so certainly when to go forth into the unknown.–Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

I do not want to die…until I have faithfully made the most of my talent and cultivated the seed that was placed in me until the last small twig has grown.–Kathe Kollwitz

I was once afraid of people saying, “Who does she think she is?” Now I have the courage to stand and say, “This is who I am.”–Oprah Winfrey

It takes years to build up trust, but only seconds to destroy it.
You can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes.
After that you’d better know something.
Don’t compare yourself to the best others can do,
But to the best you can do.
It’s not what happens to people that’s important.
It’s what they do about it.
Always leave loved ones with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.
You control your attitude or it controls you.
It isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
Your background and circumstances may have influenced who you are,
But you are responsible for who you become.
Even if you do the right thing for the wrong reason,
It’s still the wrong thing to do.–Anonymous

Never follow somebody else’s path; it doesn’t work the same way twice for anyone…the path follows you and rolls up behind you as you walk, forcing the next person to find their own way.–J. Michael Straczynski

No star is ever lost we once have seen,
We always may be what we might have been.–Adelaide A. Proctor

We are all born originals–why is it so many of us die copies?–Edward Young

You really have to look inside yourself and find your own inner strength, and say, “I’m proud of what I am and who I am, and I’m just going to be myself.”–Mariah Carey

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.–Carl Jung