Pulpit Review: On Preaching

 

Begg, Alistair. Preaching for God's Glory. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010. 63 Pages. Paper. $6.99. www.crossway.org (P)   One-Year Lectionary Bible Studies. St. Louis: Concordia, 2011. PowerPoint slides on CD-Rom. $124.99.  http://www.cph.org/p-19500-one-year-lectionary-year-bible-studies-on-cd-rom.aspx (LHP)   Chapell, Bryan. Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005. 400 Pages. Cloth. $29.99. www.bakeracademic.com (P)     These three resources all address the proclamation of the world. Let's dig in.     Preaching for God's Glory is a meaningful booklet from Crossway.       Seasoned pastor Alistair Begg observes that much of what is said from today's pulpits cannot be counted as Bible-based, God-glorifying, and life-changing. Rather than preparing a steady diet of spiritual meat, pastors are mistakenly serving up a self-focused snack—ultimately leaving congregations malnourished and ill prepared to stand firm when their faith is challenged. Recognizing the need for a return to biblical preaching, Begg has written this practical book, outlining the nature of power-filled, expository preaching and demonstrating its importance in the life of the church. ALISTAIR BEGG served two churches in his native Scotland before answering the call in 1983 to become senior pastor at Parkside Church in suburban Cleveland, OH. A graduate of the London School of Theology, he has written several books and is heard daily on the national radio program Truth for Life. (Publisher's website) While in Ohio, Rev. Begg worked with Keith and Kristyn Getty before they relocated to Nashville.   Begg takes America's preachers to task.    Preach Christ instead of yourselves.    Preach law and Gospel instead of only law.    It is nice to have somebody else say such things for a change.    Pick up this book of encouragement soon.     Resources for the One-Year Lectionary are, at the same time, abundant and limited. Historic resources are out there, but may be out-of-print. This is one of the few new ones based on the Historic One-Year Lectionary for Lutheran Service Book.     One-year Lectionary Bible Studies on CD-ROM combines the popular and accessible Life by God's Word Bible studies in a PowerPoint format for pastors and other Bible study leaders using the one-year lectionary. This PowerPoint on CD-ROM provides Bible study questions and answers to the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalm, and Gospel readings for the one-year lectionary. (Publisher's website)   We are thankful to CPH for this effort to put out a resource for the LSB One-Year Lectionary.   Pricing may be steep for pastors and smaller congregations until they realize that they get to use this year after year after year...    Consider it an investment in your publishing house.  Build good-will.   Prove to Concordia Publishing House that you WILL buy One-Year stuff when they publish it.    And CPH, I think digital files ARE the way to go.    Could we have a CD-ROM of LSB One-Year Lectionary printable bulletin covers in a format like this? Could they be available two versions, black and white or color? Am I on to something?   What would one get on the PowerPoint slides for Trinity 8?   Slides with questions about the readings of the day:  Jeremiah 23:16-29, Psalm 26, Acts 20:27-28, and Matthew 7:15-23 1. How do false prophets "strengthen the hands of evildoers" (vv. 16–17)? 2. Why is God's nearness and farness a warning to all false prophets (vv. 18–24)? 3. What did the false prophets substitute for God's Word (vv. 25–29)? 4. Agree or disagree: In verses 1–8, David is boasting too muchabout his upright life. 5. When we pray as David did and ask the Lord to deliver us from our enemies because we are His servants, what should always be part of our prayers? (Note verses 3, 6, 7, 8.) 6. What is the main thing David is praying for in this psalm (vv. 9 and 10)? 7. What is the "level ground" on which David is standing? 8. Paul's sermon to the elders at Ephesus is also a warm, encouraging message to Church leaders in the New Testament. •     Verses 27–28: What vital task had the elders been called to do? •     Verses 29–35: Of what did Paul warn the Corinthians? 9. What made the Ephesians so sad? 10. When warning against false teachers, Jesus tells us to recognize them by their fruit. Yet He gives us no instructions on what kind of bad fruit to watch out for. How, then, are we to evaluate such false teachers? 11. Jesus says (v. 21) that not everyone who claims to be one of His teachers shall enter the kingdom of heaven. What would disqualify a person? Adopters of this product wouldn't have to use every slide Bible study every year. This resource may well give preachers questions to ponder (and answer) in sermons.   $100? Yes.    Worth it? Yes.     We previously reviewed the next author's book, Christ-Centered Worship, last February (http://lhpqbr.blogspot.com/2012/02/lhp-review-worshiping-christ-visible.html).   This complete guide to expository preaching teaches the basics of preparation, organization, and delivery--the trademarks of great preaching. With the help of charts and creative learning exercises, Chapell shows how expository preaching can reveal the redemptive aims of Scripture and offers a comprehensive approach to the theory and practice of preaching. He also provides help for special preaching situations. The second edition contains updates and clarifications, allowing this classic to continue to serve the needs of budding preachers. Numerous appendixes address many practical issues. Bryan Chapell (PhD, Southern Illinois University) is the president of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, a former pastor, and a widely traveled speaker. He is the author of numerous books, including the bestselling Christ-Centered Preaching and Holiness by Grace. (Publisher's website)   I wouldn't necessarily recommend this text as THE main textbook for our homiletics courses at the LCMS seminaries, but I would recommend it for consideration as a beneficial sourcebook of ideas for methods, structures, and resources for preaching Christ in expository sermons.   Readers (and seminary professors) may wish to encourage seminarians to read more of Luther's sermons. This is how he preached!     We are pleased to encourage that you purchase, read, and inwardly digest these resources for the sake of your preaching, your hearers, and Christ crucified and Risen for the forgiveness of sins.       The Rev. Paul J Cain is Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming, Headmaster of Martin Luther Grammar School, Yellowstone Circuit Visitor (LCMS Wyoming District), a member of the Board of Directors of The Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education, Wyoming District Worship Chairman, and Editor of QBR.

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