I don’t know of a single pastor who isn’t stirred and challenged by the apostle Paul’s words to his younger apprentice Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

[4:1] I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: [2] preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. [3] For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, [4] and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. [5] As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

I’m sure everyone has their favorite parts to this passage but here are mine:

• preach the word!
• be ready in season or out of season
• endure suffering
• do the work of an evangelist
• fulfill your ministry

Each of these statements is a sober reminder of what it means to be a pastor and to fulfill our calling. Paul wrote that “the time is coming” but I believe that in many ways the time has already arrived. We now live in a post Christian culture and the majority of those who call themselves Christians spend very little time in the Word and way too much time dabbling in the world.

[tweetthis display_mode=”box”]We spend very little time in the Word and way too much time dabbling in the world. @baysidesanjose[/tweetthis]

I had the opportunity this week to attend a preaching conference at Venture Church in Los Gatos, California. The main speakers were Chip Ingram, Claude Alexander, Lance Witt, and Francis Chan. The stated purpose of the conference was to “take your preaching to the next level.” But to be honest, I found that the emphasis at the conference was focused more on the transformed heart and soul of the preacher than on the mechanics of preaching. And for that I am thankful. I left the conference encouraged, refreshed, and more committed than ever to the ministry of preaching.

With that in mind, here is a summary of what I experienced at the Preach the Word Conference:

Session 1 – The Goal of Preaching: Chip Ingram

The goal is Changed Lives – 1 Timothy 1:1-5

a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith

• Recalibrating the heart: nuclear submarines must come up to the surface every 90 days in order to calibrate the navigational systems of nuclear missiles due to the effect of magnetic fields
• Hebrews 11:6 – what does it look like to trust God in various situations?
• Sincere – tested by sunlight

Informational, Inspirational or Transformational Preaching?

Only 10% of speakers are transformational speakers.

Transformational speakers are:

• clear and biblical
• engaging emotionally and relevant
• giving clear steps of faith

Session 2 – Preaching with Power and Authority: Chip Ingram

1. We can’t be high impact communicators if we are not being TRANSFORMED

[tweetthis]Integrity in our personal life is a prerequisite to power in our preaching – Chip Ingram @baysidesanjose[/tweetthis]

Proverbs 10:9 – the man of integrity walks securely

Proverbs 25:26 – Like a muddled (trampled) spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

Personal Life = Integrity

What is polluting your life? Start with little things, be faithful in the little things.

2. We can’t be high impact communicators unless KNOWING God takes precedence over speaking for Him.

Philippians 3:10-14; John 17:3; Psalm 27:4-5

Devotional Life = Dependence/Discipline

3. We can’t be high impact communicators unless “who we ARE” is “what they GET.”

1 Corinthians 15:10 – “We all must face our deep insecurities and come to grips with who we really are, accept who we are, and minister to an environment where who we are “fits” with what God wants to do in that place through his people.”

Private/Public Life = Authenticity

4. We can’t be high impact communicators unless our preaching is focused on “the CAUSE” (moving the church to fulfill her destiny/vision) versus the event (preaching).

You preach to feed and move the church to fulfill her vision, not to please people, to be “successful church,” or be a good preacher.

Galatians 1:10, Luke 16:15, Ephesians 4:11-16

Professional Life = A Passion for God’s Agenda

[tweetthis] Grace flows toward humility and integrity @baysidesanjose[/tweetthis]

Session 3 – Preaching from a Healthy Soul: Lance Witt

The greatest gift you give those you preach to is a healthy soul

“A leader has a special responsibility to pay attention to what is happening inside of himself or herself, lest the act of leadership do more harm than good” – Parker Palmer

1. Ambition is a double-edged sword that must be restrained by humility

2. Selfish ambition can subtly seduce us

“We have an amazing ability to self-deceive. Your self-interest hides in a million clever disguises.” – Fenelon

3. Selfish ambition has some serious spiritual side effects

James 3:16 – the poison of unhealthy ambition will eventually leak out

4. Humility is the antidote for selfish ambition

The best training ground for humility is found in obscurity

“It is the displacement of self by the enthronement of God. Where God is all, self is nothing.” – Andrew Murray

Session 4 – Preparing Great Messages: Claude Alexander

Are you confident that God knows?

Are you confident that God knows you?

Are you confident that God knows who is coming to hear you?

Are you confident that God knows what God wants to say to them?

Great preaching from the Book of Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 1:1

He lived among the people – he was facing what they face

“I saw visions of God” – Preaching great sermons comes from the preacher’s having a clear and focused vision and  understanding of God 

He was by the rivers of Babylon

Great preaching entails ones constant digesting the word of God 

Eat the scroll, digest it, internalize it.

Ezekiel 3

Great preaching involves sitting wherever people sit – awareness 

Do you know your people?

Ezekiel 37

Great preaching happens when the hand of the Lord is on your life 

Can these bones live?

“Lord you know” is the reliance upon God for what happens

Prophecy to the bones – bubble up what you have eaten

Prophecy to the wind – supplication

Seek the power of the Spirit

Keys to preaching:

Read, reread and read again the text

What is the context, issue, etc?

Where’s the tension?

What surprises you?

What’s not said?

What does God say?

What does God do?

Paul Scott Wilson – Four pages of a sermon 

Day 1 – What’s the idea of the passage (issue, problem, challenge)

Day 2 – What is the problem in peoples’ lives?

Day 3 – What is God’s activity in the text?

Day 4 – What is God’s activity in people’s lives?

 

Session 6 – 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Preaching: Francis Chan

See my other post here

Session 7 – Developing a Game Plan to Preach Great Messages: Lance Witt

What key insights did I learn?

What is God saying to me about my preaching?

What is my Action Plan?