Homiletics

Mark Reynolds

Think the course as the application of the knowledge for local work.

The outlines are supposed to be detailed and ready to be preached.

The work of the preacher is working.

I. The culture might be against the work ethic.

- This might invade the mind of the preacher: Preaching gives a good opportunity for laziness.

- Despite the oversight of the elders you decide how hard of a worker you are as a gospel
preacher. You determine your own work.

Holland gives 3 tasks of the preacher.

1. Do the work of the Lord.

Doctrinal soundness.

The new pluralism: no one has the right to force the beliefs but we should persuade men into the
gospel.

What you got to do as a gospel preacher:

Matt. 28:18-20: having a part in changing the eternal destiny of man.

Gal. 6:1: restore from sin a brother.

1 Thess. 5:14: be encourager of the brethren.

2 Tim. 3:16-17: preach the word.

It is easy to get discouraged by the lack of numerical growth: just to stay in a one number involves
a great amount of work. Look at the individual to whom you have impacted.

2. Work of the Lord.

2 Cor. 6:1: the privilege to be workers alongside God. There are some things that God can do only
through the agency of men: God uses us to fulfill his purposes.

There are reasons that have moved us to become gospel preachers.

Be compromised in preparing a good lesson and sermon every time that we preach and teach.
Preaching just what “we know” keeps us from growing in knowledge.

3. Work for the Lord.

Col. 3:23-24: strictly speaking the preacher does not work for the elders. They oversight the work
but the final authority is God.

This should be a serious thought.

2 Tim. 2:15: the preparation is to be before God unashamed.

Be conscious of handling right the word of the Lord.

4. Be the work man not ashamed.

The work of the preacher:

How to know if we are doing a good job?

1. the preacher is called to a vocation (Eph. 4:1): a call to fulfill some functions.

The work should be measured according to that vocation

1 Cor. 12:14-17: different functions that work together and none is less important.

The Christian call to Christian service: no more than that, but no less either.

Three suggestions to decide if we preach:

- Clear knowledge that God wants some people to preach: do I feel that responsibility?
- The testimony of reliable friends and advisers as to the mental fitness for the work.
- Feel conscious about the responsibility.

2. Some people who should not preach.

- Women

- Those unwilling to pay the price of preparation

- General and specific preparation.

- A preparation for both the learned and the unlearned: give both groups something from
the sermon.

- The education is a personal process.

- Continuous preparation.

- Wisdom: talk with older members’ form whom we can get that wisdom.

- use older preachers.

- Those unwilling to sacrifice worldly pleasures.

- Men lacking in conviction and courage.

- Men who do not guard carefully their own lives.

- Men who do not understand service: those who wait to be served.

3. Criterion of success is God’s approval

- The problem is that what pleases often displeases men.

 - This does not mean to be mean or to alienate people: unstable personality. This could
lead to the destruction of people.

- There is no need of being mean to be sound.

- You are not responsible for every wish of the congregation: please everybody.

- The difference between thinking of the sermon as pleasing the congregation and think of
the sermon as pleasing God: the latter should always be in our mind.

- Preaching is demanding physically and emotionally.

4. Goal setting.

- Sit down with the leaders: set goals for the congregation together: same expectations.

- think of appropriate sermons for the goals to reach.

- Set goals for oneself

- Set some family goals: personal time for the family.

- Spiritual goals.

- financial goals.

5. Suggestions for preachers.

- Examine your motives for preaching: why do I want to preach? Examine your preaching: *keep a
journal of sermons.

- Be authentic: do not imitate the style of others.

- Give yourself time to be acquainted with people.

- Examine the way how you use your time.

- Examine your relationships.

- Don’t think too high of yourself.

- Be patient towards older brethren.

Lord let me see the importance of my preaching and my teaching.

Help me see the power, the influence that I can have.

Help me have an unwavering faith in the Word of God and to show that faith in the way that I
preach and teach.

Help me never to cease hungering and thirsting for the Word of God.

Help me to have love for all and understand their needs and show them how you can meet those
needs.

Help me have enthusiasm for life that will show in my personality.

Help me to have a Christ like character.

Help me to know the worth of just one soul

Help me to show the savior to those to whom I preach.

Help me to be myself.

Basic qualifications of preachers

General concepts of character

- Christian character: consistent with members of the household of God.

- Under scrutiny of God.
- Preaching must be consistent with what the Bible teaches.

Specific characteristics

- Exemplary life
- Law of Spiritual success.

Mastering the main work of the preacher.

- Preaching the word: we cannot lose sight that this is the main purpose.

Work of evangelist.

- The charge of Paul to Timothy:

o A messenger of good:
o Philip the evangelist.
- False views of the evangelist:
o The preacher who has to travel: It is not determined the time in which one stays in
one location.
o One who only preaches to the lost: a preacher has to remind the congregation.
o The pastor of the church:
 Our own attitude
 The attitude of the congregation.
o A promotor for the church
o Errand boy: someone who is permanently in the community,
- Educate the congregation about the work of the preacher.
o Preach on the qualifications for elders
o Deacons
o The work of the evangelist: people need to know what our job is.

Proof of the ministry (2 Tim. 4:5).

- Ministry: service.
o All are called to be servants, but preaching is a special ministry.
- The preacher is a minister.
- The preacher is minister of the Lord.
 o Humility: it is not about us.
o Making it all about us: makes harder the work.
- We are always servants but we can’t do it all.
o Train the congregation for them to do the job.
o Take away the pastoral system of the preacher.

The challenge to meet the expectations of all.

- The misunderstanding of the work by the people.

o Do not complaint.
- Time management
- What should we preach.
o The emphasis on doctrinal soundness.

The blessings of being a local preacher.

- Local work helps our families.

- The family becomes a real part in the work of the church.
- The preacher becomes an active participant in local development.
- A preacher can help the people to set long goals.
- Can show people how to work
- Observe growth in the life of members.
- Form life long bonds of fellowship that last into eternity.
- Participate in bible school program
- Makes the preacher grow.
- Know the people in the area
- You get to preach the word.

Qualification for personal evangelism.

- Love for the people.

o You can’t fake it.
o Agape.
- Burning desire to save the souls
- Biblical knowledge.

Things to remember as you train other for PE.

- Be realistic: about 10 or 20 % of the congregation will be involved in the personal

evangelism.
- Take an active part in training.

Six reasons to be a personal worker

- Imitates the work of Jesus.

- Seek and save the lost
- Obeys the great commission
- Follows biblical examples
 - Save his own soul.
- Appreciate God’s word

Visitation

- Guidelines for visitation:

o Visit with a positive purpose that can be put in writing. A clear purpose.
o Maintain a cheerful optimistic outlook in life in general.
o Do not make prolonged visitation in most cases.
o Visit should be personal
o Consider it a pleasure and not a burden.

Time management and the work of a preacher.

I. What people expect of a preacher:

- Prepare sermons and Bible classes.

- Study apart from sermons and Bible classes.
- Pray.
- Visit people who are sick.
- Visit shut ins (nursing homes, the elderly).
- Go after erring members.
- Work on bulletins and articles.
- Make a social media recording.
- Visit with specific families.
- Exercise (?).
- Visit with the elders and deacons.
- Write personal correspondence.
- Sermon for special occasions.
- Keep in mind the visitors.
- Make phone-calls to people you couldn’t visit.
- Door knocking (personal evangelism).
- Encourage those who are hurting.
- Planning.
- Conduct Bible studies.
- Conducts man training classes.
- Teach ladies Bible class.

II. Develop methods for utilizing your time

- It might be overwhelming.
- The main job is to please God: in order to do that we ought to use our time wisely.
- We can be busy every day and do nothing.
- Making the choice between the good and the good: prioritize.
- Make the congregation understand that concern for others is not just the preacher’s job.
- Sometimes the work of the preacher is apart from the work of the Christian.
- We must not spend all the time in non-imperative work
 - Phil. 3:13-14: maintain our focus and concentration.
- Office hours:
o Not a place to be separated from the church.
o Not a place for lament or to boost my ego.
o Set up how much time you can spend outside the office: there is a need for time
away if this does not affect the work.

How can I utilize my time wisely?

- Plan a group meeting instead individual meetings.

- Train the church on what they should be doing.
- Decide what is most important.
- Help the congregation understand the work of the elders.
- Learn to say no to people sometimes.
- Set a time limit for counseling, bible studies and meetings.
- Set up a schedule: long range plans, sermon schedule for the whole year.
- Let people know the purpose of your office.

How to narrow down the most important things that I can do as a preacher?

A life plan: think of four or five key aspects of your life.

Preacher and his children

- Do not put too much pressure that they end up resenting the church.
- Let them know they are more important than the job.
o One can go to heaven without preaching, but not by being a bad husband or
parent.
o Try to keep all promises to your children.
- Do not put down the church in front of the children
o This for all Christians
o The preacher knows more negatives about the church than most members.
- Have bible studies with them.
- Engage them in the work so they can see the value of it.
- Be a good father.

Blessings of having a family

- Helps avoiding the temptations of immorality.

- Helps understanding other people’s problem

Rewards for them

- Take your family with you.

The preacher and money.

- Make a budget.
- Make an emergency fund.
 - Work to pay your debts.
- Make plans for the future.
- Plan for reality

PASTORAL COUNSELING

The difference between pastoral care and counseling:

- Pastoral care: unstructured general work with the people

- Counseling: a systematized and specialized work under pastoral care, done by designated
representatives of the church).
- Pastoral psychotherapy: more involved and requires a licensed professional.
- Pastoral care is done everywhere.
- Pastoral counseling is when an appointment is made to dive deeper into the need.
o 40 to 60 % of people will look for help in a minister.
o A dual relationship between the work of a preacher and specialized counseling.
- Pastoral care is an extensive term that includes the pastoral counseling.

Counseling

A religious attitude towards counseling:

- Infuse theology unto almost everything that we do, but in counseling you add the secular
counseling into the religious setting.
- Holistic: all the dimensions of a person: body, spirit and soul.
- We are generalists, we see all the aspects and problems of the person.
- Handbook for pastoral counselors.
o Religious cultivation of the individual
o Psychology: why people do what they do?
 The psicoanalitical reasons.
o Therapy: healing: the ultimate goal of the pastoral action.
- First priority: be a faithful Christian, Care, do not just be there.

When counseling begins?

- When the first contact is made with the person.

- Need to manage that beginning to the best of your abilities.
- Have a time limit – usually around 50 minutes to an hour.
- Sometimes there is pre-counseling.
- A Brief phone call can be helpful.
- Has to be a building of trust and relationship. Absolute confidence.

Important terms

- Diagnosis: the identification of the problem. Examination of the symptoms.

- Assessment: evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality or ability of someone or
something.
 - Note: do not give the impression that we are medical. If you think there is something
physically or mentally wrong, refer to the professional (Try to get to the root of the
problem).

Where do we begin?

- Determine what the real problem is,

- Make sure to see the big picture: one of the first questions to ask, “why did you come to
me for help?”.
- Listen, ask questions- empathetic listening.
- If after you get the big picture it is more than you can handle or someone else could help
them more than you: REFER THEM TO THE ASDEQUATE PROFESSIONAL.

Skills you need to have

- Exhibiting attending and caring behavior - frequent eye contact, hospitality good facial
expressions.
- Invite the person to talk about significant issues by reflecting responses, open ended-
questions. And brief questions comments and gestures.
- Listening carefully and observing nonverbal questions.
- Follow the person’s lead by staying with the here and now dialogue.
- Responding and clarifying by summarizing in paraphrased form, the high points that have
been communicated.
- Exploring potentially significant areas that the person has not discussed by asking focusing
questions.
- Helping the person when the problem isn’t in charge so that He or she can see strengths
and agency for the life that pretends to live.
- Confronting or challenging the person as needed.
- Invite the person to think about and take next steps based on the person’s understanding
of the future of her or his life.

Eight type of counseling responses

- Evaluate: how far are they in their healing process?

- Interpretive: do not ever ignore feelings.
- Supportive: reassure, reduce intense feelings: empathic response.
- Probing.
- Understanding: the analysis of motives underlying the visible actions
- Advising
- Clarified: make them say judgements about the world in an unequivocal way.
- Empowering: gives them a possibility of doing something on their own.

*The care receiver is the most important person, but we have to be the quarter back*

Family counseling

- Healthy families
o Communicate and listen
 o Affirm and support them one another and teach respect for others.
o Develop a sense of mutual trust.
o Have a spirit of playfulness and humor
o Exhibit a shared responsibility and teach values of right and wrong.
o Respect one another’s privacy.
o Value and practice service to others
o Foster family conversations and table time and share leisure time
o Admit and help for problems.

*Basic types of Pastoral care and counseling – Howard

Crisis counseling – H. Norman Wright

Crossing the creek – Michael Holmes

Biblical counseling.

Death and dying

- Grief is a God given emotion to help us deal with losses.

- A church will usually support someone who losses someone a loved one for two weeks
o You need to be the quarter back to make sure the person has support for two
years.
o Funerals are a great start to the grieving process.

“Life is transformed when a mission worthy of carrying out is uncovered”. – Victor Frankl.

Special problem areas

 Finding a place to save

o Foreign Mission work: it requires psychological and economical preparation.
 Learn about the culture of the people
 Do not over take or change their culture. You adapt to their culture and
not vice versa.
o Established congregations:
 Direct approach: send the resume, job application.
 Indirect approach: recommendation from someone else.
 Brings special compromise and responsibility.
 Resume:
 Make it neat and attractive.
 Create a good impression.
 The goal is to get a personal interview.
 Be careful with what you say about yourself.
 State your experience clearly and precisely.
o Questions to ask your self
 What are the opportunities for service?
 What are the problems the church faces?
 What expectations would the elders have for me?
  Where can I do the most good for the kingdom?
o In the interview
 What is the primary work of the preacher?
 How do you deal with people who resent sermons they do not agree
with?
 Long range plans for the congregation.
 The most demanding problems in the congregation.
 Outline of the expectations.
 Will you meet with me every six weeks to discuss ways to improve my
work?
 Plans for familiar financial needs.
o Questions from elders
 why do you preach?
 The position between radicalism and liberalism or other controversial
issues.
 What is the nature of your work?
 How does your family feel about your work?
 Long range plans relative to preaching?
 The responsibility of the church towards the family.

Weddings

I. Why should I do them?

1. People expects that of you.

2. It means a lot for the people getting married.
3. Gives you an opportunity to teach people: pre-marital counseling.

II. It is important to meet with the couple.

1. To make sure the marriage is scriptural.

2. To make them understand what does marriage involves.
3. To find our if they plan to use the church building.

III. Make sure that the couple talks with the elders.

1. To make sure the building is available.

2. Make sure them to know what music may be played.
3. Make sure the elders sanction the activity.

IV. The Bible talks about a lot about marriage.

1. Gen. 2:23-24: God ordained it.

2. Matt. 5:27; 31-32; Matt. 19:6: Jesus exalted it.

V. A marriage ceremony is not a worship service but we have to be consistent.

VI. Weddings do not have to be done in a church building.

VII. encourage them to faithful members of the Lord’s church.

 - That’s not the focus but it is important to emphasize.
- Make them understand your position on marriage.
- Make them know the importance of marriage.

VIII. Discourage divorce.

1. There is only one reason for divorce.

IX. The preacher is often considered a counselor (Eph. 4:22)