There is a difference between preaching from the Bible and preaching that allows the Bible to drive the substance, structure, and spirit of the sermon. A text-driven sermon allows the structure of the text to become buoyant, to come to the surface so that the sermon can be built around that structure. In this way the word of God (the meaning of the text) is presented in a way that is influenced by the voice of God (the genre of the text). In Recapturing the Voice of God, veteran preacher Steven W. Smith teaches how to preach genre-sensitive, text-driven sermons—to allow the structure of the text to be the structure of the sermon. To do so, one must understand the genre of the literature in which God has chosen to reveal Himself. After a brief defense of genre-sensitive preaching, Smith categorizes Scripture genres according to their structure: story, poem, or letter. From these macro-level genres, each individual genre is explored for its unique features (law, prophecy, epistles, etc.). Smith then offers practical help in structuring a text-driven sermon and includes sample sermons as illustrations.

Preaching for the Rest of Us serves as a starter's guide to text-driven preaching. Driven by the conviction that pastors hold the weighty and honorable responsibility of explaining Scripture to their congregations, Gallaty and Smith present a clear step-by-step process for re-presenting Scripture in compelling text-driven sermons. This unique type of preaching is the interpretation and communication of a text of Scripture driven by the substance, structure, and spirit of the text. It's not the presentation of a sermon, but the re-presentation of a text of a Scripture. For those who don’t feel trained for text-driven preaching, whose preaching template is tired and predictable, or need a preaching restart, Preaching for the Rest of Us provides a compelling reason and method for preaching texts of Scripture.

Biblical exegesis doesn’t stop with the words alone. Faithful preachers exegete the emotion of the text as well. It’s easy to let our own personalities dictate the emotional dimension of our sermons, but the best preachers mirror the Bible’s emotive intent in their sermons. In Passion in the Pulpit, Jerry Vines and Adam Dooley will teach you how to exegete not just the verbal content of Scripture, but its emotional appeal as well. They show you the role the Bible’s emotional intent should play in each stage of sermon prep, and: Offer exegetical steps to discern the biblical pathos Teach you how to avoid manipulation while making your sermons emotional Help you determine the appropriate limitations of emotional appeal Give you verbal, vocal, and visual techniques to help convey the biblical emotional intent in your sermons When we elevate the Bible’s emotional intent above our own, we preach truth rather than personality.

An essential guide in the art and instruction of issuing Christ's invitation to the lost. Historic denominations are dying. Church memberships and baptisms plummet with every passing year. Pastors and church leaders are concerned about their churches plateauing. Why? One of the major reasons is because congregations aren't being publicly called to faith in Christ. A growing number of evangelical pastors have opted for non-confrontational approaches to calling people to faith in Jesus. Some seminaries have removed evangelism classes from their curriculum and pastors aren't being taught how to give an effective, God honoring public invitation, void of manipulation. Authors O.S. Hawkins and Matt Queen are asking church leaders to reconsider and rediscover the effectiveness of asking people to publicly decide to follow Christ. O.S. Hawkins is a respected pastor who has led thousands to faith in Christ in both church and public settings. Matt Queen is a trusted and gifted professor of evangelism who has consulted multitudes of pastors in personal and congregational evangelism. Together, they wrote The Gospel Invitation to assist others in successfully issuing a public appeal to receive Christ. The Gospel Invitation covers: A brief history of public gospel invitations The biblical justification for gospel invitations Practical and proven instructions for incorporating invitations into sermons Best practices The Gospel Invitation will equip pastors, seminary students, and anyone who evangelizes with the confidence to share the gospel and help more people come to Christ.

Susan Shumsky spent 20 years living and studying with a world-famous Maharishi, only to find that going through someone else to get to God wasn't the answer. Finally, she discovered the direct link to God within. In How to Hear the Voice of God, she shares the techniques that will enable you to do likewise. So why do we need to hear God? Many people panic when confronted with difficult choices in life, and choose unwisely. But making wise decisions with confidence is vital to one's happiness, health, and survival. Having an inner counselor on whom you can rely can bring you peace. In this world of confusion, you can choose the right path by listening to that still, small voice. Through this inspiring book, you will learn: How to meditate and directly experience the divine presence. How to get clear, precise messages and answers to practical questions from the voice of God within. How to release blockages that prevent you from hearing the divine voice. How to distinguish between the true divine voice and other inner voices. How to put your life back on track and in order. The book helps readers open to the inner voice through a powerful, field-proven guided meditation that tens of thousands have used to successfully develop their intuition in a practical way. With How to Hear the Voice of God, you can open the pipeline to Spirit and begin the flow of love, healing, wisdom, and in spiration from the being within.

Recognizing "a playful spirit" as part of our human makeup, Conrad Hyers shows how laughter and humor are integral to our serious study of the Bible. He opens the joy of understanding the Bible in its fullness. With the darker realities of the Bible -- sin, suffering, and death -- there coexists a lighter side -- laughter, humor, and playfulness. Competent biblical study requires both perspectives. This highly readable, preachable, and teachable work gives ministers, students, lay readers a valuable tool for recovering the spirit and offers a chance to share in the celebration of life and the divine comedy of faith, hope, and love.

This Book Describes The Social Organisation And Cultural Processes Of Buddhist And Muslim House Holds In Two Villages Of The Nubra Valley In Ladakh.

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In contemporary Western society the church has been pushed to the margins, leading experts to describe the current era as a time ‘after Christendom’. Many traditional churches and congregations are struggling, a condition worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic regulations. As the practice of churchgoing wanes, the performance of the sacrament is called into question. How can we bring the traditional, communal experience of sacrament into the modern world? In Sacraments after Christendom, Andrew Francis and Janet Sutton tackle this question head-on, exploring and discussing the enactment of the sacrament in the context of church decline and an increasingly isolated world. In doing so, they deconstruct traditional perceptions and broaden our understanding of ritual and community in order to rediscover the truth of the sacrament.