Daily sermon prep

Preaching I think one of the reasons a preacher might be forced to spend long hours in preperation to preach is their lack of a daily devotional time. I know that in most daily devotional times we don't memorize a lot of scripture. However, if you go over the same trails in the word enough times you become familiar with them. Devotions I think that almost any devotional can lead to a sermon. The problem is that when people are spending a lot of time writing sermons they mix their own devotional times with their sermon preparation and then before long their is no devotional. The question has been posed how do you know when what you are getting out of the word is for you and when it is for sharing with others. Sermons Well, it depends on the question asked I supose. I think if it is good sound Biblical teaching then it is for all of us. If you are a pastor then when you pastor the people God has given you to pastor then you should be drawing out of the sum total of the knowledge and wisdom that God has given you. Knowledge and Wisdom What's the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Well, knowledge is what you know and wisdom is sort of how you use what you know. That's a good enough understanding to realize that when you study the word for knowledge or you get only knowledge out of a session it's like charging the battery. Then when you need to preach the battery is charged and the draw is hopefully not more than the battery. This is why the battery must be constantly charged. So that the charge will be there. Its part our task to be ready to preach in season and out of season. Preparing It's also commanded not to worry too much about what we will say when we are called to answer before our persecutors. Basically, you shouldn't have to prepare an answer for them. Still, it pays to prepare for your next sermon. I guess what I'm saying is that you are always preparing for you next sermon and isn't it true that your life itself should be semron of a sort? I think so and accordingly I think that spending time in the word every day simply studying and "becoming an expert" is absolutely necessary. There was a time when I didn't feel that way. I learned better. Be in the word so often that when you think to speak, the first thing that comes to mind to answer with is, yep you guessed it, Biblical. Thinking like God This writing, the Bible reveals much about the way that God thinks and we should train ourselves to match that course to the best of our ability and with His help get the job done. Don't spend so much time studying that you can't do the work, but study so that when you do the work you do it out of the abundance of the Biblical wisdom you have gained by being in His word.

Breaking mirrors, Swinging bats, and Spilling syrup

Preaching with Object lessons: So, I like to preach and teach the word of God using whatever object lessons I can dream up.. I like to get people up out of their seats to participate when possible and I know I have a few members who really like it to. I don't think there are any who don't like it. If you are one and you don't like it-There's really no need to burst my bubble... Caged enemy object lesson Bondage and Bars Anyway, this last Sunday one of the sermon points was "The same cage the enemy is trying to trap us with-he is trapped with...And we can use the bars against him. We got five or six people up to represent the bars of the cage and the enemy was inside the cage while the subject (Anna was representing all of us) was outside the cage. I gave the enemy (payed by Kary) the key which represented the keys to the kingdom (the treasure if you will.) As much as Anna wanted the keys she could not get close to the cage because I had given the bars permission to grab her and pull her into the cage. Even when Kary dangled the keys outside Anna could not get close enough to get them without being snatched up by the bars. Then, I took the keys and gave them to Sherri who was still seated by Anna. I told Anna that she could go for the keys and she went and got them easily. From her position inside the bars Kary could do nothing to stop Anna and the bars could not reach Anna. Anna had the keys and I then asked, "So who's in the cage now?" Object lessons and reality That's the way it is. The enemy-let's call him Satan is trapped inside the cage and wants to convince us that he has something we want. He doesn't. Bondage If we get close we just might get snatched up like he did. I talked about how some of the bars are laziness, appearances, pride, self-loathing, settling for less, and anger toward others. I say, not me. How about you? Chosen Last week, I started with a whole mirror tile that said invited on the back and I pointed out that evangelism is about getting people to understand that they are invited. When I flipped the mirror over, I asked can you seee yourself as invited. Can you see yourself here... Being prepared for your object lessons... Then, I had prescored the mirror and I turned and snapped it on the edge of the pulpit down to roughly two-thirds its prevous size. I am not superstitious. Anyway, I explained that some people reject the invitation. Thus the group was smaller. Still others, I snapped the mirror down one more size, are rejected by God because they "say yes" but do not live by what they "say." The remaining group is what the Bible calls "Chosen." I then quickly swapped out the remaining mirror piece with a piece that I had prepared in advance with the word chosen written across in red permanent marker. Then I asked, Can you see yourself here. I went on a few moments talking about what it means to be chosen of God and what that should look like in our lives. Teh Problems with Object lessons This hasn't always gone so well. Once, I attached fishing string to the ceiling tiles which was suposed to break when I pulled on it and when I pulled it resisted breaking. It took me several pulls. Just recently I used little squares of material and placed them in the back of the chairs before service. When the time came I asked people to "throw in the towel" as an indicator of surrender to God's course for their life. The problem was, the material edges were shedding and we are still finding little bits of material all over the church-little gold strings from the freyed edges. I shrug. The answer from God Once a long time ago when I was a youth director at ETBC, I got a game out of a book. The game was a relay where teens would carry bowls on the bare feet by stepping in a light layer of syrup in the bowls. They would walk, run, stumble there way to the other line where they would procede to clean their feet while the next person took the bowls on their feet. Right before the game I was looking for bowls and I got the bright idea to use stainless steel mixing bowls so that they would be easier to clean after. However, Syrup does not stick to stainless steel very well and the resulting catastrophe spread syrup all over the carpet in small droplets and I do mean all over. I got down on my knees and scrubbed every last spot with a wet rag. I did this without help primarily because I felt stupid. I decide to pray while I was down there and you know what God said back to me during my prayer time scrubbing syrup out of the carpet. He said, "It needed to be done." No, not the syrup, not the scrubbing, but the ministry. I may be a screw up sometimes, but the reality is that a chosen person's screw up is better than a rejecting person's excellence. Once, when I used a bat and large paper banners to represent breaking free from sin. I swung the bat just one time while I let others do it all but that once. Meanwhile someone was holding each side of the paper banner and the bat was supposed to demolish the banner which had the name of something that has the tendancy to lead people into bondage. It worked every time except, except for the one time I swung. I hit one of the guys holding the banner in the knee with the bat. The paper tore but the swing was off course and I clocked him in the knee. Well, he's still in the church today and he can almost walk normal now. No, actually it wasn't near that bad, but I'll bet it hurt and everyone saw it. I will not quit Here's my commitment to everyone who cares. I will keep screwing up for God as long as He wants me to. I will try anything and everything that is not sin to get the gospel out and to make it clear and understandable. So, watch your knees, I'm bringing the gospel. Is that Maple Syrup I smell? Psator Daniel Stevenson Newheightsfellowshipchurch.org New Heights Church, Church Planting,and Life Station afamilyofgod@bex.net