2018 Preaching to the Heart


This was held on Saturday, March 24, 2018
Simulcast live from Rochester, NY

Speakers’ Lecture Outlines

Discussion Questions, to be printed and handed out to participants

Discussion Leaders’ Guidelines


Message:“Developing Future Preachers: How to Cultivate a Culture of Preaching in your Local Church.”

Speaker: David Anderson

In this session we cover the Need to Develop Future Preachers, the Command to Develop Future Preachers, the Ways to Develop Future Preachers.  The New Testament places a tremendous emphasis on teaching and the importance of preaching the Word.  We looked at 2 Timothy 2 where Paul says, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”  We challenged leaders in three ways–#1—Get Men excited About the Word…#2—Get Your Men Good Resources (books, sermons, conferences) #3—Start a Preaching Cohort.

Recommended books:

On Preaching– H.B. Charles
Between Two Worlds—John Stott (Namely his chapter on “study”)
Saving Eutychus —Gary Miller and Phil Campbell
Preaching and Preachers—D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
The Supremecy of God in Preaching—John Piper
Lectures to my Student—Charles Spurgeon
Biblical Preaching—Haddon Robinson


Message: “Preaching to Change Lives: Moving from Information to Transformation.”

In this session we covered the Need for Effective Teaching and Transformation, the Scriptural Support for Effective Teaching and Transformation and the Methods for Effective Teaching and Transformation.  What’s the point of teaching if you are not effective?  We cannot afford to be ineffective at teaching.  We must work hard at teaching and applying the Scriptures.  As Jesus says in the Great Commission, we are to “teach others to observe {obey} all that I have commanded you.”  Not just teach; but teach to observe.  We listed five methods or needs of preaching:  #1—Preaching Needs Application, #2—Preaching Needs Urgency, #3—Preaching Needs to be Christ-centered, #4—Preaching needs Clarity, #5—Preaching Needs Unction.


Speaker: Dr. Larry Dixon

Message: “Faithful Preaching and the Power of the Spirit: The Accuracy of the Sermon”

This message challenges us preachers to get it right before we give it out.  That is, we commit ourselves to a most diligent study of the biblical text, asking God the Holy Spirit to lead us and illumine our minds so we proclaim God’s truth in all its fulness.  The Upper Room Discourse (John 14-16) gives us several significant truths about the ministries of the Third Person of the Trinity, which should be appropriated by the preacher of God’s Word.  As the Father’s gift to us, this other advocate uses us to bring conviction and challenge to the people of God when we pay attention to His curriculum, which is to glorify the Son of God.  He has a proving ministry in the world — and we are privileged to be His instruments of proclaiming with appropriate dogmatism “Thus said the Lord!”

Message: “Faithful Preaching and the Power of the Spirit: The Delivery of the Sermon”

This message reminds us that we preachers can bore people, almost to death.  We can distract them from the truth of God’s Word, failing to use our faculties (voice, logic, passion) to help the listener listen.  God has deigned to use fallible human instruments to communicate His Word, instruments that can improve in their communication skills.  But the preacher must have a sense of inadequacy that humbles but does not cripple him, a passion that God Himself be heard in the message, and a commitment to excellence in his delivery of God’s truth.  May our challenges to God’s people be large and Spirit-empowered!