You should not be the only one preaching at your church. Here are some of the drawbacks: It's bad for you. You will wear yourself out by preaching every week. It's bad for the people. If you're the only speaker your people will be robbed of hearing from multiple perspectives. It doesn't allow for contingencies. If you're the only one speaking you'll never be able to miss for vacation or being sick. And here's some of the benefits of sharing the preaching calendar: The quality of … [Read more...]
You Get What You Preach
One of my mentors once taught me "You get what you preach" and it's true. A couple years ago I taught on tithing. We saw a $19,000 a month increase after that message. Today Andrew is preaching on water baptism. Guess what people are doing after each service? Signing up to be baptized! When I teach on evangelism leading up to Easter guess what our people do? They invite their friends! I could go on but I think you get the point. You get what you preach. If I'm not seeing people … [Read more...]
The Key to Writing
The key to writing is rewriting. I usually type out the first draft of my sermon on Tuesday. After preaching the message to my staff on Thursday, I rewrite it in light of the feedback I received from my team. After reviewing it 1-2x on Saturday I rewrite again. After reviewing it Sunday morning I rewrite again. Then I break each point down into a blog post which makes me rewrite each section yet again. Why do I go through all this? Because each time I rewrite, it gets better. In Jeremiah … [Read more...]
The Preacher as Herald
In 1 Timothy 2:7 the apostle Paul writes, "...I was appointed a preacher..." That English word "preacher" literally means "herald." Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:21 that "...we preach Christ crucified..." Again, in this instance too, "we preach" literally means "we herald." So a preacher is a herald. The herald was a messenger who conveyed the words of the king. In the same way, a preacher is a messenger who conveys the words of the King ( who is Jesus). The herald doesn't make up the … [Read more...]
The Preacher as Steward
In 1 Corinthians 4:1 Paul said of himself and Apollos "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." As preachers, Paul and Apollos were stewards of God's Word. The same is true of any preacher today. In Paul's day the master would entrust the steward with the responsibility of feeding the household. The faithful steward would take food from his master's pantry and feed the household with it. In the same way, God has entrusted the preacher … [Read more...]
Becoming a Powerful Preacher
Here are some verses I have found personally challenging that inspire me to keep growing as a preacher. Scripture: Acts 9:22 says "Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful..." Question: Are my preaching skills getting sharper or duller? Scripture: One time when Paul finished preaching in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia the people begged him to come and speak to them again the following week (see Acts 13:42). Question: Are people begging to hear me speak? Scripture: Acts … [Read more...]
Make It Simple
2 Timothy 2:15 says "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." To correctly handle the word of truth literally means to "cut in a straight line." This word is used of road making. If a road maker cuts a straight road the path will be easy to follow. So Paul is saying, in essence, that we ought to teach God's Word in such a simple and straight forward manner that our sermons are as easy to … [Read more...]
Preparing a One Point Message
When preparing a one point message I use Andy Stanley's approach laid out in Communicating for a Change. Here's the five parts to cover in a one point message: The ME section. In the ME section of the message you share how you personally relate to the topic. The WE section. In the WE section of the message you share how the audience relates to the topic. In this section you want to pose a question your audience wants answered, create a tension they need resolved, or point to a mystery they … [Read more...]
Preparing an Expository Message
Here's an eight step process I created for developing and delivering an expository message: Decide. First, you prayerfully decide what passage you'll preach on. Dig. Second, you study (dig) like crazy! Discover. Third, you discover the big idea (what's this passage about in one sentence). Divide. Fourth, you divide the passage into points (when applicable). Develop. Fifth, you develop each point by explaining it, illustrating it, and then applying it. Detail. Sixth, you detail the … [Read more...]
The Sermon Run-Through
Every Thursday at 1pm I preach Sunday's sermon to my staff. When I'm done I go through each page of the message and ask for their input (i.e. What parts need more work? What parts were confusing? What parts were boring?). We call this the sermon run-through. Here are two main benefits of doing a sermon run-through. It gives you the chance to get feedback, so you know how to improve your message before Sunday. It ensures you aren't practicing on your congregants. By the time you preach the … [Read more...]