Monthly Archives: November 2008

by | November 20, 2008

Learning About Introductions From Evangelists

Last night I had the pleasure of sharing a session with a great group of God’s servants who work among the military in this country.  In conversation afterward I was again struck by how important our introductions are when preaching. … Continue reading →

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by | November 19, 2008

Preaching Sermons on Sermons

I don’t mean preaching your sermon based on another contemporary preacher’s sermon.  I mean preaching a sermon based on a Scriptural sermon.  There’s lots of them.  It can be fascinating to wrestle with a sermon in its context since you … Continue reading →

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by | November 18, 2008

Presumed Knowledge

There is an epidemic of biblical illiteracy.  This is not only true in the streets of our towns, but often in the pews of our churches.  It is easy for preachers to presume too much knowledge in our listeners.  We … Continue reading →

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by | November 17, 2008

Do We Preach a Distant God?

Yesterday I made a passing reference to the fact that our God is not the deity of the deists.  That is to say that He didn’t wind things up and then sit back disinterested with His arms folded.  Before we … Continue reading →

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by | November 16, 2008

How Will You Touch the Heart?

We have probably all heard people attempting to distinguish preaching from teaching, or even preaching from lecturing.  Typically there is some reference to preaching being more impassioned, touching the emotions, etc.  To be fair to the teaching and lecturing professions, … Continue reading →

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by | November 15, 2008

Apologetics for Homiletics – Part 4

This week I’ve been considering the importance of homiletics training.  My focus has not been on expository preaching versus other approaches to preaching.  It has been on training, instruction and sermon preparation methodology, as opposed to no training, instruction and … Continue reading →

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by | November 14, 2008

Apologetics for Homiletics – Part 3 continued

So does homiletical methodology impose a strait jacket on the preacher?  Yesterday we noted that methodology recognizes the progression from text to sermon, it does not rigidly enforce it.  Description of logical order, as opposed to prescription of illogical order.  … Continue reading →

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by | November 13, 2008

Apologetics for Homiletics – Part 3

So the critical matter of the role of the Spirit raised issues concerning evaluation of past “fruit,” and more importantly, the dynamic tension between good stewardship and self-reliance.  Now another objection: Doesn’t homiletics create a methodological strait jacket? People with … Continue reading →

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by | November 12, 2008

Apologetics for Homiletics – Part 2 continued

Does homiletics quench the Spirit? Yesterday I sounded a warning note concerning “false positive” feedback.  We’ve got to be careful not to assume the Spirit is at work in great ways merely because our listeners are excessively polite to us … Continue reading →

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by | November 11, 2008

Apologetics for Homiletics – Part 2

The whole issue of whether homiletics training and methodology might quench or restrict the Spirit in some way is a critical issue.  Today and tomorrow we will scratch the surface of this issue, then another issue after that. Doesn’t homiletics … Continue reading →

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