Preaching is one ministry of the Christian church... it is how the church addresses issues of all sorts... (spiritual to ethical to social to political)... Notes from Contemporary Handbook of Preaching... ABGTS Baguio Philippines 2016... A presentation submitted to Dr A. Canoy (PBTS President) for ABGTS Colloquium Class...

1. MINISTRY
PREACHING

2. PREACHING
MODEL

3. Mark 1:14 – Jesus came preaching... Jesus is the Role Model (in
style and as well as the content of our preaching)
Mark 6:12 – Jesus sent His disciples out to preach repentance
Mark 16:15 – The church received its charge to ‘preach the good
news to all creation
Preaching is, as Christ made clear, an extension of his own will and
work... Preaching is not a human intervention but a gracious creation
of God and a certain part of His revealed will for the church.
Preachers speak because God has spoken, and because God has
given us His Word.
The church preaches because it has been commanded to do so
Preaching is Commission: A Charge

4. Preaching itself is incarnational. Barth claims that the power of the
sermon does not lie in the domain of the preacher, but in the
providence of God.
The act of Preaching brings forth a combination of exposition,
testimony, exhortation, and teaching. It is simply to bear witness to the
God who speaks, the Son who saves, and the Spirit who illuminates.
Preaching does not demonstrate the power of the human instrument,
but of the biblical message of God’s words and deeds.
True preaching is not an exhibition of the brilliance or intellect of the
preacher, but an exposition of the wisdom and power of God. It is not
an act of arrogance, but of humility). Good exposition is possible only
when the preacher stands in submission to the text of the Scripture
We speak because God has spoken

5. J.I. Packer defines preaching as ‘the event of God bringing to an audience a
Bible-based, Christ-related, life-impacting message of instruction and direction
from Himself through the words of a spokesperson”.
The ground of preaching is none other than the revelation which God has
addressed to us in Scripture.
The goal of preaching is no more and no less than the faithfulness to this
calling.
The glory of preaching is that God has promised to use preachers and
preaching to accomplish His purposes and bring glory unto Himself. So
The theology of preaching is essentially doxology. Since the ultimate reason of
the sermon is to glorify God.
Preaching is not an act the church is called to defend but a ministry preachers
are called to perform. Thus whatever, the season, the imperative stands...
Preach the WORD!
Preaching is effective when it is faithful

6. Preaching in Historical Perspective
Early Christian preachers have a formidable task.
“Their sermons dealt with morality and doctrine, with politics and
pastoral care” (22). i.e. How to deal with issues of all sorts (environmental,
ethical, political, polemical, even theological, etc)Tertullian, Cyprian,
Justin Martyr, Clement of Aexandria, Origen, Jerome were among those
preacher/teachers who shaped up the church’s doctrines.(23)
Preaching was a means of dealing with controversies, addressing crises
and articulating beliefs.” (23)
Augustine: Confessions of a Preacher, (Our heart is restless until it rests
in you) & John Chrysostom: Prophet in the Pulpit he was also known as
the Golden mouthed...
The Shakers: When Women preach. “Preaching in their communities
know no boundaries of gender, social class, or education. Their voice,
though limited, must not be ignored.” (33)

7. Preaching and the Christian Year
The Christian year (Church Year /Liturgical Year) is an annual
calendar which brings to consciousness many leading aspects of the
Christian faith. CY is governed by Christology. EG: The observance of
the Sabbath was a foundation of a Jewish life.
The Year teaches those who do not know the Christian story. Each
season lifts up parts of the story: anticipation of Jesus’ coming
(Advent(, incarnation (Christmas), manifestation(Epiphany), preparation
for baptism and Jesus’ death (Lent) resurrection (Easter), life in the
Spirit (Pentecost), growth in discipleship and witness (Ordinary Time),
and return in glory (Advent).
The most important value is to help the church to sense God’s
continuous presence
The great themes of the year thus lead us to live freely and
purposefully in the present and to greet the future with openness and
trust.

8. PREACHING
& the MINISTRY

9. Preaching is front and centre for all Pastors &
Christian Workers
oThe Role of Preaching in Ministry is seen as Preachers
are called to proclaim a holistic gospel which incorporates in all
areas of ministry.
oHealthy preaching is an encourager of worship, pastoral care,
administration, education, music, missions, and church growth. It
provides an environment in the life of a faith community where all of
these ministries happen.
o The preacher’s task is to convey, with the help of the Holy Spirit, a
dynamic blend of his or her person and biblical truth in a way that will
facilitate a similar dialogue and ultimate intersection within the hearer
of the Word. (426)
oThe language of leadership is one of the greatest needs in
contemporary preaching”(455).

10. Preaching is front and centre for all Pastors &
Christian Workers
oThe author identifies five stages to help us:
i) The preparation, which there is an active dialogue of self and the
biblical text;
ii) The preaching of the sermons as best as it could be;
iii) the evaluation and critical reflections on how successful or not the
process went;
iv) A small group sharing (interaction between members of different
ages, genders, etc on how they experienced the sermons); and
v) The conclusion of how effective the job was done in designing,
delivering, and evaluating preaching which intended for good better
results. (427-8).

11. Preaching is front and centre for all Pastors &
Christian Workers
oPreaching is part of Worship
oPreaching and pastoral care are relational events; they are
inseparable functions of the Christian pastor – It is a must to start the
sermon with an affirmation.
oPreaching supports church administration; and so the ministry of the
church flows more smoothly and more effectively. James Emory White
identifies 6 components of preaching and administration:
o Mission (proclaiming why we exist);
o Vision (how the church fulfils its mission, who the church will reach, etc);
o Values (What is considered important to a community of faith);
o Strategy (The preacher’s task involves ‘why we do what we do the way we do it);
oGoals (Preaching helps defines the goals in its clear form it needs to be achieved);
o Programs (validation and motivation of the people from the message

12. Preachers must be FAT: Flexible, Active & Teachable
oIn Education ministry, Fuller writes that ‘learning the gospel not only
requires that those who preach it make it understandable and
presentable but also that they make it believable”. (467)
oAuthentic preachers are teachable
oPreaching and Church Growth – 4 P’s
oPersonalization is what and how the preacher must live
oPreparation is when a preacher lives on disciplined devotion. For “there is
no way to remain fresh in the same pulpit without personal, spiritual, and
intellectual growth by the preacher”
oPresentation is the style of preaching as “passion in the pulpit leads to
persuasion in the pew”
oProclamation is the growth through the proclamation of the “word of His
grace” that must be clear, contemporary and compelling. It must speaks to
needs and offer relevant solutions that are understandable. It must be
spoken in the language of the people.”

13. PREACHING
to the
NEEDS
of the
PEOPLE

14. Preaching to the Needs of the People
Preaching approach should address family issues at (and within) the
home… boldly proclaiming the value and significance of family (dad,
mom & children as gifts from God) deserving time and investment
Preaching emphasizing the value of “work” (to be good stewards -
use of gifts and talents), (good time management and good work ethics)
It should also speak on the ‘balanced lifestyle’ on required ‘fruitful labour
and fruitful rest’. - Col 3:23 – whatever we do we do it to glorify God!
Preaching should address social concerns (applying Christian ethics)
(But this is a call for humility and understanding that those who preach
do not have the penultimate word). (Eg: Pacquiao vs. Vice Ganda)
It should help the person see reality in a new light and the event of
preaching should lead to personal transformation.
(Should be done in all loving and winning)

15. Preaching to the Needs of the People
Preaching is for evangelism (not so much on the
concept of ‘share Christ and leave the results to God’
but persistent and persuasion should result in life transformation and
commitment to church
 “Evangelistic preaching is presenting ‘Jesus in the power of the Holy
Spirit that men may put their trust in God through HIM, accept Him as
their Savior, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of their church.”
Preaching and Conflict – we should always put issues in Eternal
Perspective, Be focused on the Will of God and not on personal desires
A preacher must be a servant of all, but obedient to one Master, Jesus
Christ.
 In dealing with human crises, Preacher must be aware of personal
crises and death in many forms and be able to deal with ‘WHY ???’
 But must be a model of openness and of integrity and be a comforter

16. Social
Concerns in
Contemporary
Preaching

17. ETHICS OF PREACHING
5 MOST COMMON WEAKNESSES
Poor Preparation and faulty exegesis
Glittering generalities
Loaded language and name calling
Emotional manipulation (Pretensions (crying or laughing)
Misinterpretation and partial truth (Not enough research
or unsure of infomations)
Preparation and Research requires
sufficient time and effort
Inspiration should be supported by
Investigation

18. Sermon preparations should be creative

Informing
Exploring
WithdrawingDiscovering
Verifying

19. “Our God-talk must
therefore begin and end
with what God has spoken
concerning Himself.”

21. I never see
my preacher’s eyes,
When he prays he
shuts them tight,
When he preaches
he closes mine
No matter how bright they
shine