The Importance of Dependency in Preaching

Brian Brodersen believes that preaching is not an end in and of itself, rather, it is a means to the greater end of knowing, loving, worshipping and serving God. Biblical Preaching (preaching the way it is defined and modeled in the Bible) is God’s word, spoken by God’s servants, through God’s Spirit, in God’s power.

How to Assure We are Preaching in the Power of the Spirit
A disposition, a bent, a leaning. An attitude of dependence on the Holy Spirit. 
A constant awareness of our own weakness: “I was with you in weakness, in fear and in much trembling.” “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” 

Preach the Word! There will be many temptations along the way to move from preaching the Word to preaching something else: 

politics, nationalism, social justice, prosperity, personal success and happiness, and the list goes on. People will often find a biblical text from which to springboard into their pet doctrine. This is not preaching the Word and the Holy Spirit will not honor such preaching with His power. There might very well be the power of persuasion, personality, passion, articulation, perspiration etc. but it won’t be the power of the Spirit. 

The Spirit honors the preaching of the Word—taking the biblical text and bringing out its meaning for all to see, understand and apply.  

The Process of Preparing to Preach-

a. Consciousness of the supernatural element.

b. Pray for the Lord’s leading on what to preach.

c. Seek the Lord’s assistance even in the preparation of your message. 

     III.       Preaching-

Take that same dependency you’ve had through the whole process into the pulpit with you.

Remember that you are the mouthpiece of God to bring His word to His people. “If anyone speaks, let them speak as the oracle of God.” 1Pet 4:11

Be open to going off script, don’t be afraid to go to places you hadn’t prepared to go. The Spirit will often send us off on diversions but will also get us back on the main road. Be cautiously spontaneous. You’ll find over time those spontaneous diversions are more often than not prophetic words that go straight to the heart of the hearers who then receive the Word, not as a human word, but as it is in truth the Word of God that works effectively in those who believe. 

 “You can have knowledge, and you can be meticulous in your preparation; but without the unction  of the Holy Spirit you will have no power, and your preaching will not be effective.” - Martyn Lloyd-Jones 

 “The gospel’s force lies beyond the power of the preacher. Paul preaches without shame in his delivery skills because he trusts that the Spirit of God will use the Word the apostle proclaims to shatter the hardness of the human heart in ways no stage technique or philosophical construct can rival.” - Brian Chapell

For information about our upcoming training events in Indiana Califronia visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

The Expositors Collective podcast is part of the CGNMedia, Working together to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches. For more content like this, visit https://cgnmedia.org/

Join our private Facebook group to continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExpositorsCollective