The Equipping Ministry, Student Workbook, SW15

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T H E E Q U I P P I N G M I N I S T R Y

supply and gifting. He alone can convict the audience of the truth and confirm the spoken word with signs and wonders of its veracity. When the Holy Spirit is allowed to work, he converts and incorporates the new believer into the body of Christ. Three essential steps are involved in preaching effective sermons: establishing contact with the mind and world of the audience, delivering the content of the Word of God with clarity and boldness, and making specific and dynamic connection with the audience on the meaning of the preached Word to their spiritual condition and lives. In the first step we establish contact with our hearers as we spotlight issues, concerns, ideas, or experiences that resonate in the lives of the audience, which can also be used as a springboard into our preaching content. In the second phase, we communicate the content of Scripture, painting a picture through our words to focus on the person of Christ and his Kingdom. The Church calendar or liturgical year , along with the resources, texts, and tools associated with it can provide our audiences with a continuous retelling of the Story of God in the life and work of Jesus. The final step in effective biblical preaching involves making connections with the truth, coming to feel and understand their spiritual condition before God, and response so as to be transformed by the truth in a way appropriate to their life situation and place. If you are interested in pursuing some of the ideas of The Ministry of Proclamation: Kerygma , you might want to give these books a try: Allen, Ronald J. Preaching the Topical Sermon . Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992. Buechner, Frederick. Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale . New York: Harper & Row, 1977. Fisher, Wallace E. Who Dares to Preach? The Challenge of Biblical Preaching . Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1979. Gonzalez, Justo L. and Catherine G. Gonzalez. Liberation Preaching: The Pulpit and the Oppressed . Abingdon Preacher’s Library. Nashville: Abingdon, 1980. Koller, Charles W. Expository Preaching Without Notes plus Sermons Preached Without Notes . Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1962. Craddock, Fred B. As One Without Authority . Nashville: Abingdon, 1971.

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Resources and Bibliographies