Printed sermons vs Preaching without notes

Top 4. Mar 30, 1999 6:34 AM

» StCatherine - The spirit

I had about 20 minutes allotted to me one time to talk about missions. This was a Wednesday night in a Baptist church about 20 years ago. And I thought I had a wonderful outline!! I started talking from my outline and kind of "zoned out" - I don't know how to describe it, but awhile later I "came to" and made a closing remark. I have no idea how long I talked or what I said.

People were in tears and coming forward to speak to the pastor and to hug me. Even men had tears rolling down their face and told me how powerful my words were. Since I didn't know what I had "said," I asked questions like "Which part did you like best?" I was hoping to find out what I had said but got answers like, "I liked it all best."

That was a very mysterious event in my life, and I have always assumed the Holy Spirit had a message for the group and I was the chosen deliverer.

I think these kinds of events are exceptional, too, and that everyone should be prepared when preaching or speaking. Preparation can include being willing to lay the notes aside for a few minutes.

-- posted by StCatherine

Top 5. Mar 30, 1999 11:14 AM

» Bill_Samuel - Sounding like Quakers!

Hey, you folks are beginning to sound like a bunch of Quakers! Traditionally, we have no sermons prepared in advance but simply wait for the spirit to work among us, speaking what it will through whom it will. The experience of speaking, or should I say being spoken through, and not knowing what words came out of one's mouth, is not uncommon among us. It is also considered improper to thank a person for the message they delivered, but rather to say, "Thee was favored today." This puts the emphasis on the message as a gift from the Holy Spirit, not the product of the deliverer's own will.

-- posted by Bill_Samuel

Top 6. Apr 1, 1999 4:51 PM

» barton - Can't the Spirit work during the week while preparing

I am all in favor of the Spirit working, but I also believe that he is working during the week I am struggling to write that sermon. I think that while I struggle to get the right word, the right phrase, the right illustration, down on paper the Spirit is sitting on my shoulder watching me type.

I would always have my sermon done my noon on Friday so I could always read it and I even went into the empty church on Sat morning and preached my srmon to the empty pews. If during that time, I found I wanted to change anything, I would.

I think if we prepare then, we have the assurance that we don't always say the same thing, or use the same illustration over and over.

Have you ever read any of Spurgeons' written sermons, they are inspired.

Tim

-- posted by barton

Top 7. Apr 13, 1999 11:44 PM

» sanjuan - Written Sermons: The issue of intimacy

About three years ago I acquired a set of Spurgeon's sermons through a Christian supply house. They are a welcome addition to other volumes in my library which feature both collections of sermons from noted preachers as well as sermons graded the best in their year or on their topic. Most of these wonderful and inspired works which reflect the workings of the Spirit in the lives of the great men and women who composed them. They are a powerful resource and well-spring of insight.

The problem goes to this: Why do we not simply read the best of past sermons instead of working to create a message which reflects the workings of the Spirit in us? If the Spirit has nothing unique to say through us, should we be speaking at all? My point is that the preacher, his or her experiences, the immediate circumstances of the congregation, and our own historical moment provide us with an opportunity for intimate access that is unique to each and every one of us. I find, for myself, that by presenting my thoughts without a script, I present myself to my hearers in a way that is reciprocated by their own presentation to me. It is as though we are conversing on quite intimate terms. Have you had this experience?

-- posted by sanjuan

Top 8. Jun 26, 1999 11:41 AM

» macmike - Homiletic Questions

Hi: To All
Add me to your bulletin mailing list. Also if you send out sermon outlines
or tapes put me on that list as well.
Also if he would answer these questions for me would help.
Also I help with a preacher training program each Summer. My part is
teaching Preparation of Expository Sermons. Do you have any ideas that might
help people in preparing these types of sermons?
What method do you follow in preparing them?

How much time does it take you?
What books would you recommend that deals with Expository Preaching?
What Commentaries do you recommend?

-- posted by macmike

Top 9. Oct 12, 1999 2:56 PM

» H2O - Noted or "ex corde" preaching?

This debate brings back memories.

The text for my seminary homiletics was entitled Preach the Gospel. One of the co-authors was one of the seminary professors; the other a parish pastor who had once served on the faculty. It was ironic that they stated at the front of the text never to even take notes into the pulpit (and, in fact, in class it was forbidden to have anything other than a Bible. A prompter was supplied with a copy of the sermon and he prompted the speaker when stuck).

Anyway, I had opportunity to watch both men preach.

One, if he didn't take a manuscript or notes into the pulpit with him, must have been rather shy or loved looking down at the pulpit, since he kept looking there. One could argue it was his Bible, but that had been closed and set aside after reading the Scripture text.

The other tended to preach for long stretches. Needless to say, he was preaching "from memory" and, when stuck, would repeat himself until he regained his train of thought.

When I went out to serve my internship, my supervising pastor told me to take my manuscript into the pulpit with me. He felt, as our host of this forum does, that if one puts forth the time and effort during the week, why rely on one's memory on Sunday?

There does, indeed, need to be a connection between pastor and congregation--eye contact, voice inflection, etc. Part of that is your own personal study of the text as you work through it and write out your sermon. Another part is knowing your people and their struggles. Try to visit them in their homes whenever possible (my pastor does that to delinquents with amazing success--he jokes that these people must not want him to come back to their homes). These two elements will go a long way to effective preaching of the Gospel.

I have also found that the longer gap of time between the writing of a sermon and its delivery, the less I remember. As an intern, the written sermon was often due a week or more before I was scheduled to preach. Afterwards, a sermon completed on Friday or Saturday is still fresh in my memory.

And now I must bid adieu--I have a sermon that needs to be finished for this coming Sunday.

-- posted by H2O

Top 10. Jul 31, 2000 6:17 AM

» hot_tube - The really important part...

I am an amateur preacher. I've never been to Bible college and I'm not 'ordained', but for what it's worth I found there's something that makes more difference than -how- you prepare for a sermon. I believe that whatever you do, whether you write it all out or whether you use a few notes, the thing that makes the most difference is how much time you spend with the Lord listening to Him speak to your spirit about what He wants to be preached, meditating His Word, and praying about the message. The Holy Spirit can work as you write if you prefer or as you speak if you prefer, as long as you allow the Holy Spirit a chance to work.
--Jason

-- posted by hot_tube

Top 11. Aug 19, 2000 11:01 AM

» Disciple01 - Do the will of God

I find the more of Gods will that I do during the week the more inspiring and insightful I am preaching to others. I ask questions like what have I done for the Lord this week and what have I learned. Pray about the needs of your congregation. What do they struggle with? Committment, divisions, unserving hearts. Then ask yourself how am I in these areas. If the leaders convictions are weak what do you expect from the people you lead? You have to keep yourself on edge for the Lord and be excited about your Christianity. Share your faith daily, Study with people to help them become Christians, Serve the poor (Shelters, street people etc.), Get involve with the people you lead, serve them be thoughtful, people are struggling with all kinds of problems in their lives. Select the few that are really faithful and get radical about your love for God and call them higher. This will spark others into following.

Matt 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.

Walk like Jesus and the spirit will put many messages on your heart. Notes are good to collect thoughts but use a outline instead of wordy notes. You should be filling excited about your message because of your personal walk with God. You have something to impart to your fellow brothers and sisters. This is the holy spirit working in your life. If you are having trouble with what to deliver maybe your walk with God is superficial. If you want to be a powerful and effective leader do the will of God and the many will follow.

1 Thes 1:6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.
7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

-- posted by Disciple01

Top 12. Jan 27, 2001 9:49 AM

» angeledei - This is a intereting topic I must say "but" did not Jesus tell u

This is a interesting topic I must say "but" did not Jesus tell us all to go preach not a sermonet but the Gospel.
Just pondering as how did Christians ever get to the point their in now is mind boggling...

-- posted by angeledei