Category Archives: Stage 2 – Passage Study
Biggest Big Ideas – 7. Community
Woven through the warp and woof of Scripture’s great landscape are themes so glorious and rich that we can barely put them into words. I’m trying. What are the ten big ideas of the Bible? God, creation, sin, grace, faith, … Continue reading →
Biggest Big Ideas – 6. Redemption
I’ve been blogging through ten of the biggest big ideas in the Bible. Somehow every passage seems to touch on at least a few of these. So far we’ve pondered God, creation, sin, grace and faith. Today’s idea brings so … Continue reading →
Filed under Preaching, Homiletics, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Religion, Christianity
Tagged as Religion, Theology, salvation, Evangelical, redemption story, triune god, broken relationship, Justification
15 Ways to Improve Clarity
This week I’ve been writing about the doctrine of Biblical clarity – the fact that the Bible may be understood. This is a cause for great rejoicing. Imagine for a moment that the Bible was absolutely impregnable. Anyway, one of … Continue reading →
Filed under Audience Analysis, Christianity, Delivery, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preaching, Religion, Stage 1 - Passage Selection, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 3 - Passage Purpose, Stage 4 - Passage Idea, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 6 - Message Idea, Stage 7 - Message Outline, Stage 8 - Message Detail
Clarity: More Than Thinking
Yesterday I offered three implications of the doctrine of Biblical clarity for us as preachers. Since the Bible is written by a master communicator who made sure it could be understood, therefore we need to work hard at understanding, we … Continue reading →
Filed under Specific text, Preaching, Homiletics, New Testament, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 8 - Message Detail, Preacher's Personal Life, Christianity, Audience Analysis
Tagged as Expository Preaching, Affective Theology, Spiritual Formation, Biblical Clarity, Perspecuity
Bible Clarity and Preaching Clarity
The doctrine of the clarity of Scripture does not mean that the Bible is instantly clear, or equally clear to all, or fully clear to anyone. What it does mean is that the Bible can be understood. I’ve often made … Continue reading →
Authority and Clarity
Two sibling doctrines. One gets all the attention. The other goes unmentioned. Actually, one is the darling of preachers. The other might well think we are out to get it. Authority and clarity. These two doctrines matter. Authority speaks of … Continue reading →
Don’t Burn Up Your Creativity Too Soon
Preaching is both art and science. It involves a certain amount of creative artistry. But most of us have a limited tank of energy when it comes to creative flair. Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your creative energies when you … Continue reading →
Preaching What’s There But Not
I’ve mentioned it before, as have many others, but its worth another shot – don’t rush to “find a message” in your passage, be sure to find the message of the passage. There are shortcuts that inevitably are attractive to … Continue reading →
Profound Explanation
Yesterday we pondered some aspects of profundity in preparation for preaching. Today let’s probe a little more on the issue of profundity in explaining a biblical text. Almost every preacher does some sort of explanation of a text, but what … Continue reading →
Profound Preparation
This week I’d like to ponder what it might look like to pursue a more profound preaching ministry. While most would acknowledge that preaching should neither be dense nor inaccessible, this does not mean that shallowness and dumbing down are … Continue reading →
Filed under Audience Analysis, Christianity, Homiletics, How to . . . ?, Preacher's Personal Life, Preaching, Religion, Stage 1 - Passage Selection, Stage 2 - Passage Study, Stage 3 - Passage Purpose, Stage 4 - Passage Idea, Stage 5 - Message Purpose, Stage 6 - Message Idea, Stage 7 - Message Outline, Stage 8 - Message Detail
Tagged as Evangelical, Religion, Spirituality, Theology
