Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The Fine Art of Preaching- Blackwood

"The preacher's aim should be to guide the hearer to the place where he will see a certain truth and perform a certain duty."

Preaching truth without application falls short. "Yes, I see the Bible declares that truth, now tell me what to do about it."

Preaching application without truth undermines one's authority. "I hear what you are telling me to do but why must I do so?"

Some preachers assume the Holy Spirit will automatically make application without him having to take the effort. Not so, nor is such a man a true preacher.

Some preachers assume they can simply proclaim the truths they have accumulated for themselves, oftentimes even from the Scriptures, without grounding these truths in specific texts. But a thoughtful congregation will want to hear, "Thus saith the Lord" before he commits to submit to such application.

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