The times I have heard this done, the guy just rambled on for over 45 minutes and didn't really say much. He said that he just wanted to allow the Spirit to move. I find that the Spirit can move just fine in the preparation as well He can the delivery.
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How do YOU write a sermon?
- Thread starter Jkdbuck76
- Start date
Tom Bryant
Well-Known Member
tinytim said:
I have done this when the Spirit leads specifically to change. I am afraid if I did this regularly, the people would just hear a variation of the same message. They wouldn't hear the whole counsel of God.
I agree with SBCpreacher that the Holy Spirit can and does move during preparation as well as during delivery.
I feel the same way...
But it is impossible to convince him that he needs to study...
He says it is God's sermon, and he is God's mouth peice...
He says that those of us that prepare sermons ahead of time are not allowing the Holy Ghost to work.. but we are writing what we want.
He is a very young preacher.... only about 5 yrs preaching... and feels that education is bad, and sermon prep is bad....
I have tried to convince him otherwise, but this is the way his grandpa preached (he thinks) and he is going to do the same thing...
The thing is... I have about 60 of his grandpa's sermon outlines...but he refuses to listen.
But it is impossible to convince him that he needs to study...
He says it is God's sermon, and he is God's mouth peice...
He says that those of us that prepare sermons ahead of time are not allowing the Holy Ghost to work.. but we are writing what we want.
He is a very young preacher.... only about 5 yrs preaching... and feels that education is bad, and sermon prep is bad....
I have tried to convince him otherwise, but this is the way his grandpa preached (he thinks) and he is going to do the same thing...
The thing is... I have about 60 of his grandpa's sermon outlines...but he refuses to listen.
Hope of Glory
New Member
A candle in a badger, huh? I was dealing with a Chinese person (in a business dealing), and she was talking about a deity fish. It took me a minute and then I had to laugh because she was talking about an angel fish. Not as illuminating as a candle in a badger, though.
As far as not studying and not preparing, have you ever asked him exactly why he thinks the Holy Spirit can't work that way?
Also, a couple of times, I have prepared really, really long sermons. Way to long for one sermon. What I would do there is simply preach until I got to a good stopping point at about the right time. Then, when I picked up the next week, I would often have to change or add things, but it worked better than a simple outline in that case.
As far as not studying and not preparing, have you ever asked him exactly why he thinks the Holy Spirit can't work that way?
Also, a couple of times, I have prepared really, really long sermons. Way to long for one sermon. What I would do there is simply preach until I got to a good stopping point at about the right time. Then, when I picked up the next week, I would often have to change or add things, but it worked better than a simple outline in that case.
SBCPreacher said:
Exactly, I remember preaching from 1 Cor 2:1-5 and telling the congregation that when I am faithful to the proclamation of the gospel the Spirit is at work.
For example, I told them that there are Sundays that I have been off in my preaching, words not connect, spirit is low, but the lesson still bless someone. It must be the work of the Spirit.
If it were up to delivery alone, then we would have to be 100% every Lord's Day.
tinytim said:
Well, a lot of young guys get up there and think that the Spirit will take over once they get up there and start rambling. I saw a bible college student do the same. It was blatantly obvious that he didn't prepare. Just got up and did stream-of-conciousness and it was actually quite distracting....when you chase two rabbits, both get away. I think when the Bible says that the Holy Spirit will give us the words when we're being persecuted....I can't think of an instance where the Bible tells Elders or Bishops that the Spirit will speak thru you when you don't prepare.
That's about as silly as taking a Greek test having never studied once, but thinking that, somehow, during the test, the Spirit will take over your hand and pencil and ace the test.
I have a serious question, does your cousin have a learning disability or is he functionally illiterate? Something is making him NOT read and study and write.....
Hi, Tim.tinytim said:
I preach in Japanese, and can say anything I want to, though sometimes I have to look up words ahead of time or I end up sounding like, "Duh, and then I, um, found like a big round thing...." :laugh:
mnw said:
:laugh: :laugh: did I mention:laugh:
Sometimes I think the Holy Spirit gets blamed for a lot of human inadequacies.
When I first started out, I wrote my Sunday mornng sermon on Saturday, and finished my evening sermon Sunday afternnoon. I studied all week. I also always had a three or four point alliterated outline with subpoints as well. These were my pulpit notes. I also wrote sermons out in full for filing.
During the week there were funerals and weddings, I lectured three times each week, Wednesday night Bible study, and other weekly meetings, plus invites to other churches. I don't know how many hours I had in preparation of each sermon, but I only slept about 3-4 hours each night, and often worked through the night and caught a kip in the afternoon.
Some might say I preached topical sermons, but always kept my selected topics within the context of the text at hand......So, is that really topical? I never paid much mind to what format my sermons might be labelled.
Because I swallowed the Oxford dictionary, I was very careful to find the simplest words to express my thoughts in public. If a child could understand me, so could the lawyer and doctor.
The key is that we prayer beforehand about what we should preach. This, in my opinion, is when the Spirit of God leads, and not to substitute for our inadequacies in preparation. If He gives me the sermon beforehand, I shouldn't think He would change His mind whilst in the pulpit. That is my opinion on the matter and would not dictate to others. Each person is unique, and not monkeys aping others.
Cheers, and preach the Word,
Jim
When I first started out, I wrote my Sunday mornng sermon on Saturday, and finished my evening sermon Sunday afternnoon. I studied all week. I also always had a three or four point alliterated outline with subpoints as well. These were my pulpit notes. I also wrote sermons out in full for filing.
During the week there were funerals and weddings, I lectured three times each week, Wednesday night Bible study, and other weekly meetings, plus invites to other churches. I don't know how many hours I had in preparation of each sermon, but I only slept about 3-4 hours each night, and often worked through the night and caught a kip in the afternoon.
Some might say I preached topical sermons, but always kept my selected topics within the context of the text at hand......So, is that really topical? I never paid much mind to what format my sermons might be labelled.
Because I swallowed the Oxford dictionary, I was very careful to find the simplest words to express my thoughts in public. If a child could understand me, so could the lawyer and doctor.
The key is that we prayer beforehand about what we should preach. This, in my opinion, is when the Spirit of God leads, and not to substitute for our inadequacies in preparation. If He gives me the sermon beforehand, I shouldn't think He would change His mind whilst in the pulpit. That is my opinion on the matter and would not dictate to others. Each person is unique, and not monkeys aping others.
Cheers, and preach the Word,
Jim
charles_creech78
New Member
i THOUGHT GOD PREACHES THROUGH MEN GIVING THEM WHAT TO SAY AT THAT TIME.
I shall come in with a few one liners:
A prepared man is better than a prepared message.
BUT
God will not bring out what we have been too lazy to put in.
God's Word said that the Holy Spirit would bring to remembrance, not miraculously bring from no where.
Now, God can and I am sure does give words to His saints when they are under pressure and due to circumstances beyond their control they have been unable to prepare. But to deliberately not prepare I believe is shameful and sinful. It belittles the precious and privileged opportunity an individual has when he enters the pulpit.
A prepared man is better than a prepared message.
BUT
God will not bring out what we have been too lazy to put in.
God's Word said that the Holy Spirit would bring to remembrance, not miraculously bring from no where.
Now, God can and I am sure does give words to His saints when they are under pressure and due to circumstances beyond their control they have been unable to prepare. But to deliberately not prepare I believe is shameful and sinful. It belittles the precious and privileged opportunity an individual has when he enters the pulpit.
Most people use Matt 10:19 as a crutch for thinking the preacher should not prepare:
And we're not talking about preaching; we're talking about what is tantamount to court testimony of why one is a believer. It's just shoddy Biblical application to think this applies to a preacher/exegete in any way.
Now...back on topic.
The context is Jesus speaking to his disciples about when they are persecuted for being a believer before the establishment of their day. This is not the church, though some are awfully close
And we're not talking about preaching; we're talking about what is tantamount to court testimony of why one is a believer. It's just shoddy Biblical application to think this applies to a preacher/exegete in any way. Now...back on topic.
mnw said:
Paul encourage Timothy to be diligent in the Word, accurately handling it. Elsewhere he told him, "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this" (2 Tim 2:7, NIV).
"Reflect" is present imperative, "keeping reflecting, be at it" and when you do, "for" the Lord will give you insight. "For" grounds the imperative; so we can translate it: "Keep reflecting on what I am saying because the Lord through that reflecting will give you insight into all this."