Denis Lane, Preach the Word, 설교자가 어떤 사람인가가 그 메시지를 결정한다

Denis Lane, Preach the Word, Durham, England: Evangelical Press, 1976, 1986 

1. Revelation and the Word of God

John 1:18 puts things very clearly: ‘No one has ever seen God,’ so no human description of him can be relied upon. ‘But God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.’ (12)

Yet we are not left entirely without help Far from it! Before he left this world Jesus himself promised ‘another Counsellor to be with you for ever – the Spirit of truth’ (John 14:16, 17). (13)

2. The preacher and his message

Despite our failings, God still chooses to bring truth to men through other men. Philp Brooks, in his famous Lectures on Preaching, describes preaching as ‘truth mediated through personality’. ‘God,’ says Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:20, is ‘making his appeal through us’ in our position as ambassadors for Christ. Effective preaching depends on much more than good speaking, careful construction of the message and knowledge of methods. What we are determines the kind of message our hearers receive. Our personality and personal relationship with God are vital parts of our preaching. (15)

Responsibility to make the message a part of himself: As a preacher he (Ezekiel) was to receive it into his own heart, to hear it with his own ears and to make it thoroughly a part of himself before he went to speak to other people. (19)

An expositor’s role: The expositor should be able to take the Word of God and to open men’s eyes to the application of that Word to everyday life. (27)

5. The preparation – basic outlines

How to develop the main points of your message: 1. Ask yourself whether you need to emphasize all these truths to achieve your aim. 2. Write down your thoughts in line with you aim. For many people, writing stimulates thinking. 3. Build up to a climax that emphasizes your aim and then be prepared for a quick end. 4. Decide how much or how little time you can give to each part and keep to that. 5. Rely upon the Holy Spirit during delivery. 6. Arrange the order of presentation of your points for maximum impact. 7. Use parallel scriptures carefully.