In This Book
Art & Craft of Biblical Preaching
A Comprehensive Resource for Today’s Communicators
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The High Call of Preaching
- 1 Core Convictions of Biblical Preaching
- 2 A Definition of Biblical Preaching
- 3 A Weekly Dose of Compressed Dignity
- 4 Overfed, Underchallenged
- 5 Theology of Powerful Preaching
- 6 Preaching That Raises Our Sights
- 7 Leading and Feeding: How Preaching and Leadership Intersect
- 8 John 3:16 in the Key of C
- 9 Spiritual Formation through Preaching
- 10 Preaching Life into the Church
- 11 My Theory of Homiletics
- 12 Staying on the Line
- 13 History of Preaching
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The Spiritual Life of a Preacher
- 14 A Cup Running Over
- 15 The Patented Preacher
- 16 I Prayed for My Preaching
- 17 How Does Unction Function?
- 18 Squeaky Clean
- 19 Required Reading
- 20 Rightly Dividing the Preaching Load
- 21 Preaching Through Personal Pain
- 22 A Prophet among You
- 23 Burning Clean Fuel
- 24 Backdraft Preaching
- 25 Why I Pace Before I Preach
- 26 Preaching to Convulse the Demons
- 27 Holy Expectation
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Considering Hearers
- 28 Preaching to Everyone in Particular
- 29 The Power of Simplicity
- 30 View from the Pew
- 31 Preaching to Ordinary People
- 32 Why Serious Preachers Use Humor
- 33 Connect Hearers through Dialogue
- 34 Self-Disclosure That Glorifies Christ
- 35 How to Be Heard
- 36 Opening the Closed American Mind
- 37 Turning an Audience into the Church
- 38 Preaching to Change the Heart
- 39 Preaching Truth, Justice, and the American Way
- 40 Preaching Morality in an Amoral Age
- 41 The Intentional Bridge Builder
- 42 Connecting with Postmoderns
- 43 Preaching Amid Pluralism
- 44 Connecting with Non-Christians
- 45 How to Translate Male Sermons to Women
- 46 He Said, She Heard
- 47 Connecting with Men
- 48 Creating a Singles-Friendly Sermon
- 49 Preaching to Preschoolers
- 50 Hispanic American Preaching
- 51 African American Preaching
- 52 Asian American Preaching
- 53 Work Wins?
- 54 One Sermon, Two Messages
- 55 The Playful Preacher
- 56 What Authority Do We Have Anymore?
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Interpretation and Application
- 57 Why the Sermon?
- 58 Getting the Gold from the Text
- 59 Faithful First
- 60 God’s Letter of Intent
- 61 Five Bird-dogging Questions for Biblical Exposition
- 62 The Rules of the Game
- 63 Why All the Best Preachers Are–What a Concept!–Theological
- 64 Letting the Listeners Make the Discoveries
- 65 Conviction and Compassion
- 66 The Inadequacy of “Yes” Theology
- 67 What Great Coaches and Preachers Know
- 68 Preaching That Opens Ears and Hearts
- 69 Fundamentals of Genre
- 70 From B.C. to 11 a.m.
- 71 The Big Idea of Narrative Preaching
- 72 Apply Within
- 73 Application Without Moralism
- 74 Blending Bible Content and Life Application
- 75 Showing Promise
- 76 Helping Hearers Practice What We Preach
- 77 The Heresy of Application
- 78 Preaching for True Holiness
- 79 Less Joe, More Jesus
- 80 Preaching That Promotes Self-Centeredness
- 81 The Danger of Practical Preaching
- 82 Grace: A license to Wander?
- 83 The Rich Sound of Grace and Holiness
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Structure
- 84 Set Free from the Cookie Cutter
- 85 Say and Do
- 86 Connecting Biblical Content with Contemporary Audiences
- 87 Clearly
- 88 Skills of Oral Clarity
- 89 Questions That Put Muscle on Bones
- 90 Better Big Ideas
- 91 The Power of Sequence
- 92 Outlines That Work for You, Not against You
- 93 The Tension Between Clarity and Suspense
- 94 Lifeblood of Preaching
- 95 Alliteration Downfalls
- 96 Modulating Tension
- 97 The Purpose-Driven Title
- 98 Why Should I Listen to You?
- 99 Satisfying Conclusions
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Style
- 100 Determining Your Strengths and Weaknesses
- 101 Interesting Preaching
- 102 Crafting an Experience
- 103 Seven Habits of Highly Effective Preachers
- 104 The Sermon’s Mood
- 105 Teaching the Whole Bible
- 106 Dramatic Expository Preaching
- 107 Verse-by-Verse Sermons That Really Preach
- 108 What Makes Textual Preaching Unique?
- 109 Can Topical Preaching Be Expository?
- 110 Topical Preaching Can Be Truly Biblical
- 111 Topical Preaching on Bible Characters
- 112 Topical Preaching on Contemporary Issues
- 113 Topical Preaching on Theological Themes
- 114 Making the Most of Biblical Paradoxes
- 115 Getting the Most from the Sermon Series
- 116 The Next Big Thing
- 117 The Compelling Series
- 118 First Person Narrative Sermons
- 119 Biblical Preaching Is about Life Change, Not Sermon Style
- 120 Seven Timeless Principles for Reaching Lost People
- 121 Evangelistic Preaching in the Local Church
- 122 Felt-Needs Preaching
- 123 How to Preach Boldly in a “Whatever” Culture
- 124 Preaching with a Leader’s Heart
- 125 Critique of the New Homiletic
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Preparation
- 142 Why I Pat the Bible on My Nightstand
- 143 Busting Out of Sermon Block
- 144 Centered
- 145 A Long, Rich Conversation with God
- 146 A Mysterious Impulse to Pray
- 147 Preparing the Messenger
- 148 The Hard Work of Illumination
- 149 Heart-to-Heart Preaching
- 150 Imagination: The Preacher’s Neglected Ally
- 151 Preaching That Magnifies God
- 152 When Is a Sermon Good Enough?
- 153 How to Build a First-Rate Library
- 154 What Makes a Sermon Deep?
- 155 Before You Preach
- 156 Inspiration Points
- 157 Simplify
- 158 Using Someone Else’s Sermon
- 159 Planning for a Richer, Deeper Sermon Series
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Delivery
- 160 The Source of Passion
- 161 Place of Pathos in Preaching
- 162 Preaching with Intensity
- 163 No Notes, Lots of Notes, Brief Notes
- 164 In the Eye of the Hearer
- 165 No Voice, No Preach
- 166 Eliminating My Um, Um, Annoying Pulpit Mannerisms
- 167 Reading Scripture in Public
- 168 The Importance of Being Urgent
- 169 The Day I Lost My Nerve
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Special Topics
- 170 When You Don’t Look Forward to Special Days
- 171 Preaching the Terrors
- 172 Preparing People to Suffer
- 173 Preaching Hell in a Tolerant Age
- 174 Speaking into Crisis
- 175 When the News Intrudes
- 176 Redemptive Sermons for Weddings and Funerals
- 177 The Landmark Sermon
- 178 You Had to Bring It Up
- 179 Preaching on Contemporary Issues
- 180 Preaching Sex with Compassion and Conviction
- 181 The Ever-More-Difficult Marriage Sermon
- 182 When the Sermon Goes to Work
- 183 Bridging the Marketplace Gap
- 184 Sermons on Giving That People Actually Like!
Preaching has a long tradition of one-way communication. You may want to consider experimenting, though, with another alternative well suited to our culture: dialogue. Here are several reasons to consider using two-way communication with your congregation:
Biblical preachers used dialogue.
When Jesus taught, he rarely depended on monologue. The New Testament records that he asked 153 questions. " Whose likeness is on this coin " (Matthew 22:20; Mark 12:16; Luke 20:24)? " Which one was this man's neighbor " (Luke 10:36)? Jesus, the Master Teacher, engaged in dialogue.
Paul also used dialogue.
In Acts, Luke uses the term dialegomai at least ten times to characterize Paul's communication. The term means " to discuss, to reason, to argue. " Paul " reasoned with them from the Scriptures " (Acts 17:2). " He reasoned in the synagogue as well as the marketplace day by day " (Acts 17:17). He " argued persuasively about the kingdom " (Acts 19:8). Apparently Paul felt it was wise for a herald to engage in dialogue.
Some entire books of the Bible are structured by dialogue.
Malachi used rhetorical questions, a cousin of two-way communication, to great effect.
We have differing fields of experience.
Listeners hear the preacher's words through their own " grid. " For communication to occur, senders and receivers must dance an intricate mental dance to construct meaning.
Max Warren calls this dance " quadruple-think. " He says, " Quadruple-thinking is thinking out what I have to say, then thinking out how the other man will understand what I say, and then rethinking what I have to say, so that, when I say it, he will think what I am thinking. " Dialogue is indispensable to communicators committed to quadruple-think.
We live in a democratic and pluralistic society.
Americans value free expression and believe all men are created equal. Every person has a right to hold and express his or her opinion. In this culture, preachers will want to avoid giving the impression of lording it over their listeners.
Many Ways to Dialogue
There are various ways to introduce more two-way communication into your sermon. Each preaching situation has its own rules. Preachers who want to try something new need to be brave souls, but maybe one or two of these suggestions will work in your church.
Question and answeraudience to preacher
Speakers often use this method following a message, but we can also allow people to ask questions within a sermon. You may want to use wording like this to prompt feedback: " Have I made that clear? " or " Can I clarify anything? " This puts the responsibility for clarity on the preacher so listeners don't feel stupid for asking.
Question and answerpreacher to audience
We can ask the congregation either closed or open questions. For example, to focus the audience's attention the preacher could ask a closed question: " What is the Great Commission? " Open questions are even more potent, as when Jesus asked, " Who do men say that I am " (Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:27)? To teach like Jesus, we might ask a series of questions: " What are people most afraid of? What are you most afraid of? What place does prayer have in your struggle against fear? "
Rhetorical questions
These are simple to use and can be as effective as " real " dialogue. They engage the audience in mental dialogue with the preacher.
Interviews
Before, after, or even in the middle of a message, why not bring forward a person with firsthand experience in the subject of the message to reinforce the point? Either the audience or the preacher could question the person.
Testimony
Listeners participate vicariously in the ideas and emotions of personal stories. Try following your sermon with a story from someone who has " been there, done that. " Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church, uses testimony every week to increase the impact of his messages.
Role play and drama
This method also creates identification. As a twist on the typical use of drama, I wove a sequence of scenes into a sermon called " A Day in the Life of a Christian. " This sermon was designed to show seekers what it was like to be a Christian. The sermon began with a normal introduction but then introduced an actress called Jill Christian. I asked if the audience could accompany her through her day, and as she encountered various trials and triumphs, we dialogued, or I commented directly to the audience on what had just occurred.
Dialogue-based sermon structure
The outline of a sermon can take the shape of questions and answers. Anticipating listeners' questions as you teach on baptism, you might use this outline:
- What does baptism mean?
- Who should be baptized?
- What does baptism do?
- How should baptism be done?
Presermon feedforward
Dallas Seminary preaching professor Keith Willhite urges, " Stop preaching in the dark! Gaining feedback isn't enough. " Try to gather people's ideas and experiences before you preach and use them in sermon preparation.
Postsermon feedback
Feedback can show preachers where further teaching is needed. (Warning: you have to be humble to listen to most people's comments. Or it will make you humble!)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, " It is characteristic of the preacher that he simultaneously questions and proclaims. He must ask along with the congregation, and form a 'Socratic community'otherwise he could not give any reply. But he can reply and he must, because he knows God's answer in Christ. "
I think you will find that encouraging more two-way communication in your preaching will invigorate you, your church community, and your sermons.
