Monthly Archives: September 2008

by Peter Mead | September 21, 2008

Technique and Skill Alone Are Not Enough

I believe in being a good steward of the privilege of preaching. It is a privilege to have opportunity to preach. And it is a privilege to do the best you can. I believe in being trained to handle the … Continue reading →

Tomorrow Will You Preach, or Just Report?

One reason that a lot of preaching in churches seems to fall short is that there is a lack of engagement with the people present. I’ve heard numerous messages that fall into the category of relatively dispassionate lecturing. The speaker … Continue reading →

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Filed under Christianity, Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail

by Peter Mead | September 19, 2008

Review: The Word Became Fresh, by Dale Ralph Davis

Subtitle: How to Preach from Old Testament Narrative Texts (2006) Davis is a respected Old Testament scholar and pastor. Puzzled by the prevalent view that the Old Testament is a “problem” (caused, he asserts, by a skeptical brand of Old … Continue reading →

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Filed under Christianity, Homiletics, Preaching, Religion, Review

Tagged as Christian Focus Publishing, Dale Ralph Davis, Mentor Books, Old Testament Narrative

by Peter Mead | September 18, 2008

No Greek or Hebrew? A Tip

A very significant proportion of preachers around the world have had no training in the original languages. After hearing yet another example in the last weeks, I’d like to give a tip regarding “this word literally means…” Generally speaking, unless … Continue reading →

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Filed under Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 8 - Message Detail

Tagged as Greek, Hebrew, literally means, Original Language

by Peter Mead | September 17, 2008

Exegesis Homiletics

I am currently preparing a course that I will be teaching at the end of October – Hermeneutics for Preaching. I came across this very important reminder in Grant Osborne’s Hermeneutical Spiral (p343): “The hermeneutical process culminates not in the … Continue reading →

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Filed under Christianity, Homiletics, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study

Tagged as Biblical interpretation, Black and Dockery, critical methods, Dockery, Exegesis, Grant Osborne, Hermeneutical Spiral, Interpreting the New Testament, Wells

by Peter Mead | September 16, 2008

Avenues of Audience Analysis

In order to preach effectively, we must be at home in the world of the Bible, and in the world of our people. We need to know them. Jay Adams, in Preaching with Purpose, suggests three principal ways to analyze … Continue reading →

Holding Back the Obvious

Sometimes a passage very obviously points beyond itself. For instance a passage with an obvious parallel to today, or a passage that points forward to Christ. Psalm 22 is a classic example of the latter, or Genesis 22. It is … Continue reading →

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Filed under Christianity, Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Religion, Stage 7 - Message Outline, Stage 8 - Message Detail

Tagged as Clowney, Genesis 22, Goldsworthy, Greidanus, Preaching Christ, Psalm 22

by Peter Mead | September 14, 2008

Non-Words

Last night I was watching the first half of the God Delusion Debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox. It is interesting on a number of levels, but I’ll just mention one. Dawkins hesitates way too often. Um, ah, uh. … Continue reading →

When In Doubt, Sound It Out

Sometimes preparation grinds to a halt. You feel like you’re drowning in a sea of paper, half-finished thoughts, words and scribbles everywhere. Even with a good system for organizing your pre-sermon study and message notes, it is still possible to … Continue reading →

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Filed under Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 6 - Message Idea, Stage 7 - Message Outline, Stage 8 - Message Detail

by Peter Mead | September 12, 2008

The Lesson of the Soils

In the synoptics’ parable of the sower, the one variable is the soil. Same sower, same seed, but different soil. The variable results therefore point to the state of the soil as a critical consideration. I don’t intend to do … Continue reading →

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Filed under Audience Analysis, Christianity, Homiletics, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, Stage 2 - Passage Study

Tagged as Karl Barth, Parable of the Sower