Author: Administrador

Buddy and Clancy love their Turkey Tenders. The packet of those Turkey Tenders explains why that might be: “Turkey Tenders are made from 100 percent turkey breast fillets—the best part of the turkey.” I should explain that Buddy and Clancy are two of my favorite grand dogs. They live with our son, Gary, and his … Continue reading “Preacher to Preacher: Turkey Tenders and Preaching”

In a recent article for ChurchLeaders.com, Tony Morgan says we may be hurting our effectiveness by jumping from one message to the next without focusing more attention on the critical items. He writes: “As churches (and teachers), our intuition tells us we need new content in order to keep people engaged and help them take … Continue reading “Too Many Messages?”

In the second edition of his classic text Christ-Centered Preaching (Baker), Bryan Chapell observes, “The goal of a preacher’s exegesis is to be able to state (usually in the main points and subpoints) the universal truths established by a text for the congregation. The accompanying explanation supports these points of truth principle and is furthered by … Continue reading “Purpose of Sermonic Explanation Is Clarification of Truth”

This is a chapter-by-chapter review of Rob Bell’s most recent book, Love Wins. I write as a professor, as a pastor and as a parent. Thus, it is my desire to be objective, edifying and to write the truth in love. Preface: Millions of UsBell correctly identifies love as one of God’s main attributes, “Jesus’ … Continue reading “A Review of Rob Bell’s ‘Love Wins’”

In a recent article for SermonCentral.com, John Piper writes: “What tone should you aim at in preaching? My answer is: Pursue the tone of the text. Let it be informed, not muted, by the tonal balance of Jesus and the apostles and by the gospel of grace.” Piper then lists 10 explanatory notes; here are … Continue reading “Follow the Tone of the Text”

In the new book Engaging Exposition (B&H Academic), Danny Akin talks about sermon application that is rooted in the biblical text. He says: “First, text-driven application is grounded in biblical truth gained through historical, grammatical, literary and theological analyses of the biblical text. Application necessarily flows from our exegesis and exposition. The order is not optional. … Continue reading “Text-Driven Application”

In the book Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship (P&R Publishing), Mark Dever writes, “Expositional preaching is all about giving God’s people God’s Word. It is preaching in which the point of the biblical passage is the point of the preacher’s message. This is what it means to preach expositionally — to expose … Continue reading “Can Evangelistic Preaching Be Expository?”

Participating in a forum in the Summer 1999 edition of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, Timothy George cites the value of church history in preaching and worship: “Doctrinal preaching has both a propositional and incarnational dimension. It is the truth of God’s Word distilled and applied to fallen and redeemed human beings, but it … Continue reading “What Does Church History Have to Do with Preaching?”

As something of a new pastor, I've found my transition into vocational ministry punctuated by a series of memorable first-time experiences. Some were trivial, such as the first time I rearranged my books to conform to a classification system. Some were much more important such as the first time I officiated at a wedding. Some … Continue reading “The Risks and Rewards of Mentioning Those Parts of the Old Testament”

Can we rely on the authority of God’s Word in preaching even if the listener does not accept that authority? In a recent article for Preaching Today, James MacDonald says, “God’s Word is supernatural. We make a big mistake if we think God’s Word can’t have authority until the hearer accepts its authority. When the … Continue reading “Authority of the Word”