“…and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;” (Titus 1:3 (ESV)
The following article is an excerpt from the Master’s Seminary Blog, June 23, 2020. It is entitled Ten Essentials of Preaching.
1. Preaching must be Biblically-Centered and Biblically-Grounded.
2. Preaching must be God-Exalting.
3. Preaching must be Christ-ward.
4. Preaching must be Doctrinally and Theologically Accurate.
5. Preaching must be dependent, both before and after the Preaching Event.
6. Preaching must be Well-Prepared.
7. Preaching must be Authoritative.
8. Preaching must demand something.
9. Preaching must be both articulate and imaginative.
10. Preaching must be Passionate and Engaging.
Solid preaching is not monotone or monochromatic. It goes beyond reading the Bible out loud, and it goes beyond reading dryly from a manuscript.
This requires changing vocal patterns (tone of voice, volume, and pace, etc.), making eye contact, and using one’s body (facial expressions, hand gestures, maneuvering around the pulpit) as a means of communication—just as the preacher would in interactions in daily life.
Further, to be passionate in preaching requires a man to believe in what he is preaching. As D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it in his landmark lectures titled Preaching and Preachers, the preacher is not serving merely as an advocate, but as a witness! He is not merely reciting facts about God and His Word. Rather, he is testifying to the power of the great God revealed in the Word. Lloyd-Jones would say elsewhere in his Preaching and Preachers lectures that preaching is “theology on fire” — a useful phrase and image that speaks to the passion which must undergird and flow out of any sound preaching. Solid preaching is both passionate and engaging.
A Weighty Task.
The task of preaching is no small matter. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, preaching requires great commitment, precision, and care. Pray for those men in your life (including, if applicable, yourself) who have been entrusted with this weightiest of tasks, that they would always treat Scripture as “what it really is, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13), and that in preaching the truths of the Bible, they would “make it clear in the way [we] ought to speak” (Col. 4:4).
Take time today to pray for your pastor and other ministers who preach the Word of God. Pray they never compromise from God’s command to “Preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:1-7).
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 