I’m about to head to Raleigh, NC for my monthly coaching meeting, and figured that I would blog real quick before I head out. We’re talking about preaching, so I thought I’d write down, in list form, what I’ve learned after preaching regularly for a year in a full church setting. Now, grant you, I’ve been teaching regularly in some capacity for over 3 years, but the “big church” setting is a different monster. Here are some things I’ve learned (take it with a grain of salt):
1. Preach Jesus
More importantly than why you preach or how you preach is who you preach. There is nothing more important than preaching about the person and work of Jesus, Sunday in and Sunday out. It doesn’t matter the text or topic…everything in Scripture, and indeed life, points to Christ. Figure the shadows out, and teach it clearly to your people. I taught Leviticus 15:20 this past Sunday. It says:
And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean.
It’s talking about menstruation, of course. What does this have to do with Jesus? The person is unclean because they rest in their own blood…not in the blood of Jesus. It gives Isaiah 64:6 more clarity. Just an example.
2. Preach With Authority
In every writing on missionality you see the descension of the “sending”: the Father sends the Son, who sends the Spirit, who then sends us as the church. The same thing goes with authority, particularly to the preacher of the Gospel. The Father gives the Son authority who gives the Spirit authority, who gives us authority. This is inherent in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. It may very well be said that the preacher who does not speak with authority may very well not be impacted by the Gospel or filled with the Spirit. Authority doesn’t mean to preach loud…but rather with a humble confidence that what you speak is definitely true.
3. Preach Passionately
The first thing you notice with anyone who is touched by Jesus in the Scriptures is that they speak with a fervency, running off into town to spread the Gospel or adamantly defending their story against all comers. The preacher of the Gospel should be no different. Passion should invade and pervade every nook and cranny of our preaching: from the words we choose to say, to how we say them, to our posture, and our gestures. Passion should seep from us into the people of God. Again, this doesn’t mean to necessarily preach loud. In fact, sometimes the most passionate way to deliver a point or fact or verse is in a hushed reverence. It does, however, to preach with appropriate affections toward the Good News of Christ; namely, that “our God reigns” (Isaiah 52:7).
4. Preach With Urgency
There are dying souls in your congregation…hopefully. They have come into your Gospel community seeking refuge from the weight of burden on their spiritual shoulders. They are looking for sustenance and rest. And you mustn’t waste one minute on trivialities. Instead, preach as if it is the only sermon they will ever hear…because it may be. Every person in your congregation is one breath away from seeing the face of Jesus. Preach like it. I read the Puritans, and testimonies about Puritan preaching, and the one thing I notice woven throughout is the gravity with which they approached the Sunday hour (or two). They realized the seriousness of what was going to happen; that a transaction between souls would be taking place. We need to dwell on this fact, and then preach from it.
Amazing preaching!…you preached Christ and his engagement in various needed areas of our lives, like the healer of our: sin, emotions, loneliness and sickness. Furthermore, you remained Trinitarian by giving a lateral image of the Holy Spirit. Keep it up bato.
Thanks man. Means a lot. I’m trying to work on it (being Trinitarian and shepherd-like in every message)
[...] Here’s the first part in this series (link). [...]