Refreshing Your Preaching – Cory Collins
Fresh preaching begins with a refreshed preacher – refreshed by
the presence of God, the Spirit of God, and the Word of God.
Come clean with the Lord. Confess your own sin, weakness,
staleness, and anything else that may have come between you and Him. Ask Him to
refresh you before you seek to refresh your preaching and its effectiveness
with others.
Song – “Create in Me a Clean Heart.”
Ps 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in
the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I
shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy
and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from
my sins And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your
presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of
Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Now see the result – 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your
ways, And sinners will be converted to You.
Remember how Jesus called His disciples away privately, so that
they could be refreshed.
Mk 6:30 The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they
reported to Him all that they had done and taught. 31 And He said to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were
many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) 32 They
went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.
You cannot give anyone anything more than – or different from –
what you first are and what you first have. So first refresh your faith, hope,
and love by being with Christ. Fresh preaching comes from a fresh preacher.
Remember how Jesus Himself often found refreshment by being with
the Father. Mk 1:35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got
up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
Think of your original desire and decision to preach the Word of
God. Refresh your preaching as you would refresh your marriage. Remember what
you found attractive and appealing. Recall why you began preaching initially.
Renew your vows. Revive your honeymoon. Identify the things that have made it
stale and have threatened its vitality. Address and eliminate those things.
Let us preach as if Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning, and
is coming back tomorrow! Come see, go tell – Matt 28
Let us preach as if we just discovered and bought the treasure
hidden in the field! Matt 13:4
Let us preach as if we just found something most precious that
was lost! In Jesus’ teaching, when the sheep, coin, and son were found, in each
case there was an announcement to others, then a celebration to follow. Luke 15
Let us preach as if we just emerged from a dark, dingy, pit into
a world of light! 1 Pet 2:9
Let us preach as if the world is starving, and we have the
bread!2 Ki 7:8 When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they
entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and
clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and
carried from there also, and went and hid them. 9 Then they said to one
another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are
keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us.
Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
Let us preach as if we hold in our hands the most powerful,
life-changing, death-defying instrument in the universe – the Word of God!
Proclaim God’s Word expectantly and let it flow through you and work! Heb 4:12
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,
and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and
marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And
there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare
to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (to whom we will give account).
Let us preach as if the world is on fire, and we are called to
the rescue!
Let us preach as if we are on fire, and the world is watching us
burn!
Let us preach as if we have been commanded not to preach! As if
we cannot help it! Acts 4:20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have
seen and heard.” 1 Co 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast
of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.
Now let’s talk about some practical ideas for refreshing your
preaching.
Feed your spirit on the Word – soak it in as a sponge – perhaps
read from an additional translation. My mentor said, “You have to put more in
your reservoir than you draw from it, lest you run dry.”
Preach what excites you, what grows out of your own study and
prayer.
Preach what you need to hear.
Preach what you certainly know and truly believe. Do not preach
your doubts or cause others unnecessary issues with their faith.
Preach what you will enjoy preparing to preach. Maybe a brief
series on archaeology, called “Eureka!” Or on angels, or Islam, or “Questions
Jesus Asked.” My current series – “Keys to the Kingdom – the Sermon on the
Mount.” I have identified 15 qualities that Jesus described. I am starting with
an introduction, then attitude, influence, self-control (anger and lust), and
faithfulness (marriage and truthfulness).
Outline Scripture. Divide it into thought units. One of my
mentors kept a Bible and a notepad beside his bed. He would not go to sleep
without outlining a passage or chapter each night.
Study inductively. (Let me know if you want more specifics on
this.)
Keep taking courses – in person, online, by correspondence –
that refresh you.
Think homiletically. Use the “seed card” idea. Observe, as Jesus
did (birds, sheep, grass, fish).
Vary your preaching. A preaching friend includes each month one
sermon to inform, one to inspire, one to convict, and one to convert.
Collect illustrations, quotations, facts, stats, and stories –
meat on the bones.
Do your own work. Read and listen widely, but borrow sparingly.
Do not take shortcuts, and do not cheat yourself and the church re:
preparation.
Do what fits you and what you do best. Be confident. Be
yourself. Improve yourself, and be the best “you” that you can be.
Yet stretch yourself. Fewer or no notes. PowerPoint or not.
Visual aids.
Speak to new groups. Expand your range. Accept every invitation
you can. Imagine and create wider exposure. I’ll prepare a 15-lesson series and
anticipate presenting it at Yellowstone Bible Camp in Montana, where I go as a
week-long adult teacher from time to time.
Connect with your listeners – in homes, in small groups, on social
media. Listen to them before they listen to you. Know their needs,
circumstances, challenges, hopes, dreams, etc.
Identify your eager, expressive, attentive listeners. Establish
eye contact and rapport with them as you preach. Get their feedback.
Associate with people who refresh you. Do not feel guilt for
spending more time with them; you need them! Paul noted that Philemon was a
“refresher” of the saints, and Paul requested that refreshment. Phm 1:7 For I
have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the
saints have been refreshed through you, brother. Phm 1:20 Yes, brother, let me
benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.
Ask for ideas, questions, and concerns – regular Bible Question
Night.
Form a think tank, including various generations and life
circumstances.
Ask your own questions and collect responses for special
occasions like Mother’s Day and other lessons as well. I preached two series from
1 Cor. I called 1 Cor 1-8, “Because You Belong to Christ …” and asked people to
complete that sentence. Then I called 1 Cor 9-16, “Because You Belong to Each
Other …” and asked people to complete that sentence as well. I incorporated
some of their responses in the various messages that followed.
Ask your listeners, “What do you think are the marks of fresh
preaching?”
Ask other preachers, “How do you keep your preaching fresh?”
Preach energetically and enthusiastically.
Note current events – sports, politics, economy, scandals. There
is now a movie in the works on Samson. His mother will be played by Lindsay
Wagner, the “Bionic Woman.” I’ll use that in a new parenting class that I am
preparing. “There are no bionic parents!” “How would you like to have Samson as
your son?”
Create a blog. Write your sermons so they can be posted. I will
turn this presentation into a blog post. I will also share it with our monthly
preachers’ group.
Video your sermons. Link to them via your blog posts.
See and share the lighter side of life – add some humor. One
source is Readers Digest.
Add some human interest elements – stories, children in the
church.
Provide application – from the “why” to the “what” to the “so
what.”
Plan ahead – a series, which gets you thinking of fresh ideas in
advance.
Keep a spreadsheet log – to avoid repeating yourself and force
freshness.
Recycle, refresh, and re-energize Scriptures you have used
before. Here are couple of ideas for doing that.
Create a new title. For example, when you are preaching Luke
5:1-11, a standard title might be, “The Miraculous Catch of Fish,” or, “Jesus
Calls the Disciples.” Instead you could choose a fresh title, like “Let’s
Launch out into the Deep!” or, “What’s Your Net … Worth?” A fresh title may
help you approach a familiar text in a fresh way.
Create a new outline. For example, when you are preaching Luke
7:36-50, which I often title, “A Savior Who Touches Sinners,” you could outline
it as …
An Unlikely Invitation – 7:36
An Unwelcome Guest – 7:37a
An Unusual Outpouring – 7:37b-38
An Unfair Assumption – 7:39
An Unequal Comparison – 7:40-46
An Undeniable Connection – 7:47
An Unimaginable Relief – 7:48-50
Preach from a Bible book you have not used in the last year or more.
I discovered awhile back, after reviewing my spreadsheet log, that I had not
preached from Lamentations in quite some
time.
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