Intro to PursueGOD Preaching
PursueGOD sermons equip regular people to preach life-changing sermons - whether you’ve gone to seminary or not.
Talking Points:
- PG sermons are designed to give you a simple skeleton for your sermon. The preacher’s job is to prayerfully put “flesh” on it.
- PG sermons are designed to empower conversations. Real transformation happens in the shepherding context (families, small groups, and one-on-one mentoring relationships), not in the preaching context. Ephesians 4:11-12, Matthew 9:35-37
- Ultimately, PG sermons are designed to help people pursue God – and this means getting more people to go “full circle”. Matthew 28:19-20
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Discussion:
- What’s the best sermon you’ve ever heard? What made it so good?
- Read Ephesians 4:11-12. According to this passage, what’s the pastor’s job? How does this help define the point of a sermon?
- Review Peter’s first sermon from Acts 2. How how did his sermon help people go “full circle”?
- Check out the sermon series at preachr.org. Which of these series would you be most interested in preaching, and why?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
What Qualifies You to Preach?
You don’t have to go to seminary to qualify to teach. But preaching is a high calling, so you should ask a few basic questions before you fill the pulpit.
Talking Points:
- Are you connected to Jesus? Preaching in the early church was a function of spending time with Jesus, not of seminary training. Acts 4:13
- Are you honoring God in everyday life? Preachers are qualified by solid character and sound doctrine. Titus 1:5-9
- Do you care about people? Godly preachers are not motivated by ego or financial gain, but rather by a desire to help people pursue God. 1 Timothy 6:3-4
- Are you personally making disciples? You can’t lead someone to a place you’ve never been. Matthew 28:19-20
- Do you have a teaching gift? 1 Corinthians 12:29-30
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Describe your prayer life. How often do you read and study the Bible?
- Are you honoring God in everyday life? Explain.
- Give a practical example of how you care about people.
- Are you personally making disciples? What are their names, and how are you doing it?
- Do you believe you have a teaching gift? How can you know?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
How to Preach a PursueGOD Sermon
PursueGOD sermons equip regular people to preach life-changing sermons - whether you’ve gone to seminary or not. Here’s how to do it.
Talking Points:
- Start with the skeleton and prayerfully put “flesh” on it. Use scripture, exposition, and personal stories.
- Prep with the “3 C’s” in mind. Be clear. Be concise. Be compelling. Great preaching engages everyone – seekers as well as believers, young and old, male and female.
- Always bring it back to Jesus. Our goal in teaching is to help people understand and live out a biblical worldview. All of our preaching is centered on the person and work of Jesus. Luke 24:27
- Empower conversations. We build resources for every Sermonlink sermon with one distinctive in mind: to equip the preacher to support the discipleship infrastructure of the church. If conversations aren’t happening after the sermon, we’ve missed the point. Ephesians 4:11-12
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What is the goal of modern-day preaching in most churches? What is the goal according to Ephesians 4:12?
- How does your church view the preaching ministry? What’s the point?
- What does it mean to “preach conversationally”? How does it minimize the distance between pulpit and pew?
- How do you think your church would respond to preaching a PG sermon as outlined in this topic?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
- How to Preach with Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
- How to Preach a PursueGOD Sermon
- What Qualifies You to Preach?
- Intro to PursueGOD Preaching
- How to Preach without Notes
- Are Prosperity Gospel Preachers False Teachers?
- Pros and Cons of Video Preaching
- Think about Preaching Like Mentoring
- Preaching with the Power of the Holy Spirit
- 2 Ways to Bring Clarity to Your Preaching
