Posts Tagged ‘Preaching’

This past week, I reflected on the first sermon I ever preached and suggested eight tips for the beginning preacher. I wish someone had given me those eight tips years ago—my beginner sermons would have gone infinitely better.

That first sermon was nearly 20 years ago. Now, I find myself at a different stage of life and ministry, with a different set of concerns and observations. Today, as a more veteran preacher, I keep these eight tips in the back of my mind. Read more

I am still trying to forget my first sermon. The venue was the Home of Grace, a halfway house for ladies suffering from abuse. On Sunday afternoons, I accompanied a friend, who usually did the preaching. On this occasion, he asked me to handle the preaching responsibilities. Read more

As an expositor, one must assess both the culture and the congregation in order to determine whether or not to engage certain concerns that arise. Clarity in this matter is essential. How does the preacher gain clarity in his assessment? Let’s consider these nine questions, which will serve as indicators for the expositor—helping him discern the extent of the concern and whether or not it should impact his upcoming sermon: Read more

In John Stott’s classic Between Two Worlds, he depicted the preacher as a man positioned between two civilizations—tasked to bridge the ancient world with the modern one, and the ancient text with modern hearers. Stott argued that the preacher is a bridge, and if he is to be effective, he must be firmly grounded on both sides of the canyon. The preacher must be a careful student of both worlds; exegeting both his text and his times. Read more

Faithful preaching has three primary ingredients. Creativity and homiletical polish are helpful, but the key ingredients of faithful preaching are preset and established by God. The three ingredients touch on who is qualified to preach, why one should preach, and what one should preach. Read more