For those who attend Church, how does your Pastor go about his sermon?

[j_seph]

Our Pastor will come in, usually sit on the front pew during singing. He may disappear at times cause he is somewhere praying. He will get up to pulpit, read the scripture shown to him by God then he may preach 30 minutes on it, has been over an hour. Nothing wrote down and most of the time he is all over the place not standing behind the pulpit.

I love the verses Luke12:11-12
11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

 

[Israel]

Every moment is presented to us with a need in it. It is first, and always primarily our own. How much we try to (or may) seek to dispense with need in ways we have known! But we are called by faith, and in faith, to walk into a land we will be shown.
I am convinced this is always something a man will know he cannot "get good at", newness is our portion, adventures our privileged gift.

May the Lord show us grace and more grace that we always leave room...for grace.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

My pastor prays and studies ahead of time and prepares a message. He will have a few typed out notes, bullet points if you will, so that he hits the points he wishes to make. I think this would show up in the Bible under the 'study to show yourself approved' version of preaching. However, I have seen him on several occasions ditch the entire prepared topic, and go preach something he felt like God was leading him to preach at that time.

I don't have any issue with either way, except if someone falls into the rut of preaching what they prepared because this is what I prepared, regardless.

 

[gordon 2]

Our Pastor will come in, usually sit on the front pew during singing. He may disappear at times cause he is somewhere praying. He will get up to pulpit, read the scripture shown to him by God then he may preach 30 minutes on it, has been over an hour. Nothing wrote down and most of the time he is all over the place not standing behind the pulpit.

I love the verses Luke12:11-12
11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

Do not these quotes apply to Christians trialed ( accused, or witnessing) into non-Christian venues, that" the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say"... It implies that before non-Christians, Christians should rely on the Holy Spirit. However within the body or the Church where all rely on the Holy Spirit-- I think Paul, for example, identified issues to be address from simple assessment of Church or individual issues and then addressed them from his lot and authority as an apostle. When I read his letters they seem edited to me or carefully worded with definite purpose. Yet because of Paul's life in Christ, and within the Church, Paul claims his words ( councils) and his personal examples are as good as God's claims and words.

 

[Israel]

Meat in due season is always overseen by the author and finisher of our faith.
Matters of preparation, forethought, and discipline are never outside His purview.
He knows.

Mercy is a terribly dangerous thing to handle. Of all I have ever encountered nothing has done a terrible work like mercy.

Whether this sounds grandiose or not, I can say with some confidence without sensing the censure of the Spirit: NOTHING I have ever encountered has not been made subject, or been seemingly made able to be made subject to submission to my reason...except mercy.

I must also hasten to add...NOTHING has shown a consciousness interminably at work, inexorably at work, irrefutably at work in total consistency as mercy has, and does. The terrible relentlessness of it in its piercing is made to me inescapable.

This "thing" of all necessity to me has burned me to myself beyond all recognition of myself so that I am misshapen in my own sight. As fire beyond all fire known is seen to shrivel, melt, reduce all objects consigned to it until all prior form is manifest as the manifest illusion of their own sustainable integrity, even so has mercy done.

Continuity of identity beyond self can be stated...but remains inexplicable. One man said it this way:

I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth within me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me.

He "got caught" by mercy. How, at times, it may have appeared trick to him I can only wonder. This sustaining thing, this all sustaining "thing"...sustains apparent enemy and friend. No, more than this, it sustains what even thinks of itself as friend of God, doing "god's work" till it is met on the road to Damascus.

Mercy allowed, allows for the very deepest of all "wrongness" so that a man's (delusional) ability to fix himself (and anything or anyone else) is irreparably shattered. And fix himself here equally applies to both repair and identity of position.

Such a man found himself in constant correction, unyielding correction, determined correction. Mostly, we celebrate this man as one brought to his senses. Sobered...up. A man...sat down...for an intervention.

Of course he is not alone.

He was made to know, he never was. Alone.

“Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.” So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as He had commanded. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.”

And



When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars,and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me...."


"...Nevertheless, I have reserved seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”



And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white. Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus.

They appeared in glory and spoke about His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.


Did brother Paul wonder "why Moses and Elijah?" What could they speak of to Jesus in regards to His departure?

I am convinced the man who wrote this:

And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience, as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life...

got schooled...by mercy.


"knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men"

 

[Israel]

The very "thing" (One) that tells a man "of wrongness" no less carries a promise.

"But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned. I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you..."

 

[M80]

As a pastor I love it when the Lord gives me a thought a few days before preaching where I can study alone and the Lord starts revealing the message to me. I do write main points down cause when I preach I want to edify and not just chase a bunch of rabbits. Jesus told Peter to feed his sheep. All I want to be is a vessel the Lord can use to help his bride. Im nothing but the Lord is everything. I have went to the church with no message at all and the Lord is always faithful to give me scripture before I preach without any notes. I have went with a message and notes and the Lord change the message before I get up to preach.

 

[SemperFiDawg]

The Lord has always given me the words. Just not on my timeline. I got a call to preach at a local church I had never been to. All week I prayed for God to give me a message. Come Sunday morning still no message. Driving that 6 miles to the church were the longest miles of my life. It’s safe to say I have never had a panic attack, but was on the verge of one. Honestly driving the car into the ditch was sounding like a reasonable choice. Not kidding. I got there and walked in, was introduced, and they played the first hymn. That’s when he gave me the message. I got up and preached it. After church I have never had so many members come up and tell me it was exactly what they needed to hear. They were having some internal issues I knew nothing about, but the sermon addressed them precisely.
God knew. But boy was I a nervous wreck until God spoke to me during that hymn. It was “ I surrender all.”

 

[j_seph]

The Lord has always given me the words. Just not on my timeline. I got a call to preach at a local church I had never been to. All week I prayed for God to give me a message. Come Sunday morning still no message. Driving that 6 miles to the church were the longest miles of my life. It’s safe to say I have never had a panic attack, but was on the verge of one. Honestly driving the car into the ditch was sounding like a reasonable choice. Not kidding. I got there and walked in, was introduced, and they played the first hymn. That’s when he gave me the message. I got up and preached it. After church I have never had so many members come up and tell me it was exactly what they needed to hear. They were having some internal issues I knew nothing about, but the sermon addressed them precisely.
God knew. But boy was I a nervous wreck until God spoke to me during that hymn. It was “ I surrender all.”

A saying I have heard before Faith will not lead you where Grace can't keep you

 

[Brother David]

Remember fellow Christian , Pastors only work 3 days a week 25 minutes at the time and if we go over time some will object . If we preach to short some will feel shorted .

 

[Artfuldodger]

Do not these quotes apply to Christians trialed ( accused, or witnessing) into non-Christian venues, that" the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say"... It implies that before non-Christians, Christians should rely on the Holy Spirit. However within the body or the Church where all rely on the Holy Spirit-- I think Paul, for example, identified issues to be address from simple assessment of Church or individual issues and then addressed them from his lot and authority as an apostle. When I read his letters they seem edited to me or carefully worded with definite purpose. Yet because of Paul's life in Christ, and within the Church, Paul claims his words ( councils) and his personal examples are as good as God's claims and words.

I would agree the verses in the OP are about as you say. Paul sometimes said things that appear to be his on words perhaps inspired by the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus, Paul had the soul of a man.

Concerning sermons I wouldn't care if the preacher prepared or didn't. Either way he would still be lead by the Spirit. We are all lead in different manners.

 

[Dialer]

Our Pastor, Pastor Greg, is our age (50 something) and preaches 2 sermons on Sunday, in front of a congregation of 2-300 per sermon. He uses no notes, sometimes uses props, and always uses everyday situations for comedy that we can relate to, to get his message across. He’s AWESOME! (Crossroads Church, Douglasville Georgia.

 

[RegularJoe]

Word by word 'exegesis' style.

 

[NCHillbilly]

I have never been to a church were the pastor had notes or anything written down. They preached from "whatever the spirit told them to."