Meaning moves. Wisdom walks. And precision propels.

Which is why I love definitions. Sometimes you stumble across the definition of a particular term or action that opens the mind to an oh so powerful nuance. I’ve seen this happen in my own ministry when it comes to hearing a pithily packed definition of preaching.

3 LEGS OF UNDERSTANDING

Here are three definitions of preaching that have most shaped my practice:

• “To know truth as it should be known, to love it as it should be loved, and then to proclaim it in the right spirit, and in its proper proportions.” – Charles Spurgeon, An All Round Ministry, p. 8.
•  An expositional sermon is a sermon in which “the point of the passage is the point of the sermon, applied to the life of the congregation.” – Mark Dever, quoted in Leeman, Reverberation, 114.
• “Expositional preaching is empowered preaching that rightly submits the shape and emphasis of the sermon to the shape and emphasis of the biblical text.” – David Helm, Expositional Preaching, 13.

I wonder how these might impact your preaching and sermon preparation. Meditate on them, squeeze out any nuance, and let them compel you to a faithful handling of God’s word.