How to preach a GOOD sermon: (completely based on my opinion only)

1. Get a Bible.
2. Open it and read it.
3. Take a passage of scripture (hopefully through the leading of the Holy Spirit) and work through it. Go verse by verse. Don’t just take one verse out of context. Actually take then entire passage and teach from it.
4. Exegete!!!! Dive into that passage. Look at the Greek or Hebrew meaning behind some of the key words. If you don’t read Greek or Hebrew, that’s okay. Find a word study or check out a commentary on that particular book of the Bible. Use the sources provided by the great Biblical scholars/researchers that came before us!
5. Bring your Bible to the place where you are preaching…and…*gasp* actually OPEN it and READ FROM IT! I know…this is hard for some of you to grasp. But if you are preaching on the word of God, it requires actually using the word of God and not just spouting out verses you know from heart. Even though, it is very good to know lots of verses from heart. However, you still need a Bible if you are preaching the Word to a group of people.

I realize not everyone is meant to be a preacher of the word. It’s not everyone’s spiritual gift and/or calling to preach. Some folks are just called to be inspirational speakers. But there’s a difference between a public speaker and a preacher. For those who are called to deliver and teach the precious word of God to the world, I believe you should do it well. And you should do it properly.

All of this stems from a service I attended at a local church yesterday. I believe that the particular pastor has an earnest and sincere heart from God. And he seemed to know a lot about scripture because he was able to recall many different verses from memory. However, he never once preached on a specific verse and didn’t even have a Bible with him.

To give him the benefit of the doubt, I went home and scanned through several of his sermons posted on his church’s Web site. I came across one particular part of a sermon where he even said he didn’t bring his Bible with him and he didn’t have the specific verse he was trying to remember written down. Hmmm…problem? I think so.

Preaching the word is a very important and very big deal. If not done properly, the message of God can be misinterpreted and skewed. And that just created division and confusion among God’s people. When preaching the word, it is very important to actually USE the word, or at least in my opinion…

I realize that not everyone will agree with me. And that’s fine. But you know what. I have the same degree as many pastors out there. I’ve taken preaching and have been taught the correct way to write and deliver a sermon, and I have sat under incredibly well executed Biblical teaching. I’m not claiming to be an expert, by any means. I myself do not feel called to “preach the word,” but I can offer an informed opinion on the subject. Or at least I feel like I can….

As I stated earlier, this post is based purely on the opinion of one individual. It in no way reflects the spiritual relationship or passion of the individual I heard yesterday. Like I said, I believe he truly has a passion and heart for the Lord, and is trying to honor the call on his life. However, my post comes with a surge of emotion and disappointment after hearing someone who I feel is gifted and equipped not do what God has called him to do. God expects better. I want to be better. We should all strive to do better. For His glory and His alone.

_____________________________________

Is that too mean???? I’m sorry if it is. I don’t like to be mean…