Preaching is an Art. Preaching is a Science. Preaching requires Study. Preaching is Speaking. Preaching is God Directed, Preaching is Holy Spirit directed. Preaching is your life. I know delivery is important, but I also believe the message is more important.
Learning the Word of God is first. You can’t preach the Word if you do not know the Word. And you can not know the Word if you do not read the Bible.
And if you don’t learn the Word from those who know the Word better than you then you will only know what you know and that is not a lot.
In my circle of preachers when I first started preaching back in the 1960’s and 70’s and even in to the 80’s preachers i.e. Fundamental Baptist, they wanted you to think they did not need study, and generally you knew they didn’t really study.
And if you did study it would be for Sunday School and certainly not for preaching. I got that a lot from preachers. Charles you are a good teacher but a poor preacher. They meant that I had a lot of teaching in my preaching. Think of that.
And if you used in your study anything other than the KJV, you were not on the right track.
Of course when I started I used my Dad, Charles Spurgeon, and Lee Robertson, and Wayne Martin, Gene Arnold style of preaching, and their notes. I certainly did not know really how to really study the Bible. Even went to Seminary, and really didn’t learn how to really study and preach the Word. Dr. Walker Moore tried to teach us how to speak, which I was the worst in the class. I did manage to finish second to Bob Smith in preaching in the preachers class in 1967. But Walker Moore didn’t like the sermon. And Bob Smith didn’t like all the time I prepared preaching when I was at FBC, he thought I should spend more time Soul Winning.
I even with to Hyles-Anderson college, to learn the Bible, really!!! I even tried to learn to preach like Jack Hyles. Oh my that was a mistake.
Then going to the All Day Ministers Seminary under Bill Gothard, which I really like. He taught the Charles Stanly method of preaching, which was good, but I couldn’t do it.
Preachers just didn’t like to give the idea that they might have to study if they really preached from the Bible. They didn’t want to teach what the Bible said. They just didn’t think they needed to preach what the Bible said in the passage of scripture they even read.
I remember preaching in the early 70’s sermons when I never read a text in the Bible. Which is what many Baptist preachers do.
I wonder if Baptist preachers read I books on preaching!!!!
I was totally shocked when I read books on preaching: For example;
- Haddon w. Robinson: The Development and Deliver of Expository Messages; Biblical Preaching.
- R. Albert Mohler Jr. He is not silent: Preaching
- Gordon D. Fee/Douglas Stuart book: How to read the Bible Book by Book
- T. David Gordon “Why Johnny Can’t Preach.”
- Mark Dever’s book: Preach: Theology Meets Practice.
- Walter C Kaiser % Moses Silva book: An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics”
- Walter Kaiser Jr. book : Toward An Exegetical Theology
- Kevin. J. Vanhooser’s “Is There A Meaning in This Text?:
- Abraham Kuruvilla books “Privilege the Text?”
- Jay Adams books on Preaching
- Steven Lawson’s lectures on Preaching.
- John MacArthur’s lectures, books, have been #1 resources since 1983.
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones outstanding book on preaching
- Steven Lawson’s lectures at the Master’s Seminary
- AND TO COUNT ALL THE PAPERS I HAVE READ.
I still do not know really how to start from the original language. I have learned that the resources are available to make it possible to learn. I have learned that there are plenty of helps that can help you learn what the text is saying.
So in this brief post, just a small view of my experience in preaching.
Rivers Of Joy Baptist Church 