Preaching In The Light Of The Word

“We come to know God through His story, through His wonderful works in the history of salvation” (Sacrosanctum concilium, 35.2). Effective preachers do more than retell this story—they make informed imaginative connections that help contemporary listeners engage with these ancient texts. In Preaching the Light of the Word: Enlivening the Scriptural Imagination, scholars and experienced preachers share their wisdom on how Scripture shapes and inspires preaching." Featuring contributions from Fr. J. Michael Joncas, Rita Ferrone, Fr. Donald Senior, cp, Ann Garrido, Thomas Long, Sr. M. Catherine Hilkert, op, Fr. Jude Siciliano,op, and Michael E. Connors,csc, this imaginative collection of essays will challenge the reader to discover: How preachers are to understand revelation and the divine inspiration of the scriptural texts. Sound approaches to biblical interpretation. How to bridge the chasm of years to find meaning for today in these ancient texts. An understanding of scripturally based preaching. How the biblical text informs and inspires preaching and can lead the assembly into a deeper relationship with God.

“God has appointed preaching in worship as one great means of accomplishing his ultimate goal in the world.” —John Piper John Piper makes a compelling claim in these pages about the purpose of preaching: it is intended not merely as an explanation of the text but also as a means of awakening worship by being worship in and of itself. Christian preaching is a God-appointed miracle aiming to awaken the supernatural seeing, savoring, and showing of the glory of Christ. Distilling over forty years of experience in preaching and teaching, Piper shows preachers how and what to communicate from God’s Word, so that God’s purpose on earth will advance through Biblesaturated, Christ-exalting, God-centered preaching—in other words, expository exultation.

“We come to know God through His story, through His wonderful works in the history of salvation” (Sacrosanctum concilium, 35.2). Effective preachers do more than retell this story—they make informed imaginative connections that help contemporary listeners engage with these ancient texts. In Preaching the Light of the Word: Enlivening the Scriptural Imagination, scholars and experienced preachers share their wisdom on how Scripture shapes and inspires preaching." Featuring contributions from Fr. J. Michael Joncas, Rita Ferrone, Fr. Donald Senior, cp, Ann Garrido, Thomas Long, Sr. M. Catherine Hilkert, op, Fr. Jude Siciliano,op, and Michael E. Connors,csc, this imaginative collection of essays will challenge the reader to discover: How preachers are to understand revelation and the divine inspiration of the scriptural texts. Sound approaches to biblical interpretation. How to bridge the chasm of years to find meaning for today in these ancient texts. An understanding of scripturally based preaching. How the biblical text informs and inspires preaching and can lead the assembly into a deeper relationship with God.

Hearing your pastor preach and teach freedom every Sunday and Wednesday, watching and listening to a well-known televangelist speak about a life of victory sounds so amazing. But when you leave the temple or turn off your television, you’re left with the reality you live in. You go to church, but you are not free. Knowing that you need to tell someone what is happening to you and what you’re going through, but you are wrestling with the fear of the condemnation and shame that your own brothers and sisters in the church will unleash on you. Sounds familiar? This is the reality of so many within the body of Christ. For so long, many people, even ministers, lived in the dark while preaching the light of God. Large crowds, honorarium checks, flights to many places around the world, and even fame often accompanies those who preach the Word of God. Being a pastor does not exclude you from hiding. So many are hiding and using the pulpit as a cover to escape the shame that accompanies a sinful lifestyle. In Preacher in the Dark, Michael Quiñones lets you in on his life’s journey and struggle to be free of the darkness he lived for most of his ministerial career. Michael details the strategy of the enemy on how he keeps people in darkness. He explains familiar spirits and generational curses. He teaches how the enemy even uses food to enslave believers. In this book, you will travel through Michael’s breakthrough and see how God set him free from the lustful, adulterous lifestyle Satan prepared for him as many other men and women experience this same situation. Rather than hiding, you will discover the power of confession and the freedom it brings because God has called us to live a life in his glorious light. Today is the day that you say, “Enough!” Enough with living in the shadows. You will step out of darkness and into the light of God!

Believers know that when we die we enter heaven and will spend eternity there with God and the saints who have gone before us. But what actually happens in heaven? What are we going to be doing there? Won't it get boring at some point? According to Scripture, a large part of our experience of heaven will be a continual revealing of God's glory. Not just his glory in the moment, but during all of time. The mysteries of providence, the hidden movements of God throughout history, and the forgotten and unnoted works of even the most obscure of God's people will be unveiled so that we can see how wise, loving, gracious, and powerful our God is. And though we will experience perfection in heaven, we will never be omniscient, which means we will always be learning more about God's glory, inspiring us to return joyful praise and thanksgiving. If your vision of heaven has been limited to clouds and harps and angels, it's time to expand that view with the truth found in this biblically based look at the afterlife.

To aid in the art of preaching, professor of preaching Mervyn A. Warren has constructed this landmark book. It includes an extensive collection of Ellen G. Whites practical wisdom on how to develop and present a powerful sermon. Whether you are a lay preacher, pastor, or evangelist, you will be inspired and instructed by these timeless principles of preaching, including how to construct strong content, organization, language, and delivery.