In this post I want to share a tip that will help you create a more powerful salvation invitation. Not too long ago I learned the concept of the preacher as witness. Here's the basic idea: A preacher is like a witness in a courtroom. And the audience is like the jury in that they will be weighing Christ’s paradigm for living vs culture’s paradigm for living. And at the end of the sermon they will make a decision for or against Christ's way. That being the case - during our weekly sermon run … [Read more...]
Dig a Hole Throw a Rope
I'm a part of a coaching network with Church of the Highlands (visit www.growleader.com for info). The other day my coach was teaching me something so helpful I had to pass it along here. It's a preaching tip. Jonathan (my coach) taught me how Chris Hodges (lead pastor of Church of the Highlands) instructs the students at their Bible College to "Dig a hole. Then throw a rope to help them out." I loved this concept and used it this past Sunday. I'm sure I could've done better but four people … [Read more...]
12 Questions for Sermon Run Through
In a previous post I talked about the benefits of a sermon run through (to read that post click here). In this post I want to share with you the twelve questions I ask my staff after sharing my message with them on Thursday (the Thursday before I preach the message). Tell me what you liked about the message? What resonated with you the most? Why should people care about this topic? "Thanks God it's over!" or "Wow, is it over already?" If it was long, where can I cut? Are there pictures with … [Read more...]
The Preacher as Witness
In Acts 1:8 Jesus said “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” From this verse we learn that one of the roles of the preacher is to witness for Jesus (this isn't limited to preachers, but includes preachers). In this post we'll explore what it means to be Christ's witness in preaching. Whereas as the preacher as steward is a domestic illustration, and whereas the … [Read more...]
The Preacher as Witness
In Acts 1:8 Jesus said “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” From this verse we learn that one of the roles of the preacher is to witness for Jesus (this isn't limited to preachers, but includes preachers). In this post we'll explore what it means to be Christ's witness in preaching. Whereas as the preacher as steward is a domestic illustration, and whereas the … [Read more...]
How Google Can Help You Preach
When preparing for an upcoming sermon (or sermon series) I tap into the power of Google. For example, this past Sunday I preached a sermon called The Secrets of Attraction (in a series we're doing on the book of Song of Solomon). By creating a news alert for "attraction" Google was emailing me articles on that subject for weeks leading up to last Sunday. One of the articles gave me some great intro material to work with. Referencing the article I said "Here's the world's wisdom on what you ought … [Read more...]