Homiletics | What is it? Why should I care? | AIMUK&I | Malcolm Cox

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Homiletics
You might well ask, “What on earth is homiletics, and why does it matter?” Homiletics comes from a Greek word meaning to converse, or talk with someone. In the Christian context, it refers to preparing and presenting God’s Word to other people. “Ah, you mean sermons.” Well, it includes sermons, but much more. Whenever we talk about the Scriptures with fellow humans we are being homiletical. All of us do this in different ways, including welcoming people to a church service, sharing thoughts about the Lord's supper, preaching a sermon or teaching a lesson, doing a family devotional, teaching the children in children's ministry, doing a class for the youth ministry, and so on.

Knowing how to prepare well and how to present well are vital to healthy growth.

Paul tells Timothy to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

He knows Timothy will not be perfect, but he urges him to do his best to handle God’s word accurately. We will never avoid all errors, but we can grow in teaching more accurately.

As an illustration, let me share an experience with you. I turned up at a church service (not Watford). One of the members shared some thoughts before we took communion. He was sincere, not an experienced speaker, standing in the gap because others were away and English was not his first language. I greatly appreciate his heart. However, the passage he chose had nothing to do with the Lord's supper, the crucifixion, or forgiveness. He didn't mention the cross or what Jesus did for us until the very end — bolting on his point about communion to a Scripture that clearly meant a lot to him but had nothing to do with the Lord’s Supper. He needed homiletical training.

What about the significance of presentation?

Here is my favourite example of healthy presentation,
“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” Acts 14:1

Paul and Barnabas not only spoke the truth, but did so effectively. We need to be accurate — that's the preparation stage — but we also want to be effective. Have you heard lessons which contain truth but did not hit home? I've taught quite a few of those, let alone heard them. It's disappointing when that happens. Disappointing to us as speakers, our hearers, and ultimately to the Holy Spirit. God’s truth can indeed have an impact even when it is contained within an ineffective presentation. But why should we make God’s work harder than it has to be?!
Studying homiletics makes all the difference to accurate and effective teaching.

With all that in mind, I invite you to join me at the next AIM module on Saturday, the 16th of September. You can participate in person here in our building or online via Zoom. The day will run from 10 am to 3 pm.
We are offering this module at half price, £77. People have asked why we charge, given that this is a church event. However, AIM is not paid for by any church, it is self-funding. There are costs involved, and we need to cover those. However, no one must stay away based on the fees. We will always find a way for everyone who wants to attend to be able to do so. Therefore, if financing is a problem, please do not hesitate to speak to me, and I'm sure we can figure something out.

The link you need is: www.aimukandireland.com

More information here:    • Homiletics | Information for AIM UK & Irel...  

The schedule for the day looks like this:
10:00-10:15 Explanation of connection of homiletics with New Testament and Old Testament interpretation
10:15-10:55 Biblical Sermon Analysis and the Bullet, followed by an interactive discussion from 10:55-11:15
11:25-12:05 The Method, Pt. 1 (Text—Context—Content—Application…)
12:05-12:30 Interactive: Passages for lessons
12:30 LUNCH BREAK
1:15-1:45 The Method, Pt. 2
1:45-2:45 Interactive—break into 2s or 3s, work on more test passages, then share for critique
2:45-2:55 Last things

Further topics will be covered in subsequent videos, including:
1. The Imperative of Preaching & Teaching
2. Three Levels of the Ministry of the Word
3. The Mandate for Preaching4. How I Learned to Teach & Preach5. The Proclamation of the Gospel
6. Applying the Message
7. Keeping Lessons Interesting

God bless, Malcolm