COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND ART OF PREACHING

Course No: 3 Module -3 Total Hours: 20

OBJECTIVE:
1. To help the students to understand the difference between preaching and teaching the
word
2. To train and equip the students in the skills of Homiletics to be effective preachers and
teachers of the word’
3. To help the learners to become good communicators of God`s word.

Outline

A. Communicating skills
1. Definition of communication: The simple definition of communication from the
dictionary is – the imparting or exchange of information by speaking, writing, or
using some other medium. For example television is an effective means of
communication.
According to Wikipedia, communication is the activity of conveying information
through the exchange of ideas, feelings, intentions, attitudes, expectations,
perceptions or commands, as by speech, gestures, writings, behavior and possibly
by other means.
Communication comes from a Latin word communicare, meaning “to share”.
2. Art of communication: Communication is the process by which people exchange
information or share ideas. There are three types of communication: speaking,
listening and non-verbal communication.
3. Need of Christian communication: there is a greater need of Christian
communication in this world. To carry out the great commission which Jesus gave to
the Church and every believer in Matt 28:19,20 is to Go and preach the gospel.
Gospel is nothing but sharing the love of God. So there is a greater need to
communicate the Love of God ( gospel) to this world ( Col 4:6).
4. Methods of communication to different groups – children, youth and adults: for an
effective communication different methods of communication should be adapted to
different audiences. Methods vary according to the level of understanding, time,
place and age. Knowing the audience before you speak with give a better result of
communication. The audiences can be divided into different groups according to
their level of understanding and age. Children – story telling and actions, youth –
verbal and non-verbal, adults- teaching and preaching.
5. Developing communication skills: Effective communication skills are fundamental to
success in many aspects of life. Communication is a two way process so improving
communication involves both how we send and receive messages.
 Learn to Listen: Listening is not the same as hearing; learn to listen not only
to the words being spoken but how they are being spoken and the non-verbal
messages sent with them.
  Empathize: Empathy is trying to see things from the point-of-view of others.
When communicating with others, try not to be judgmental or biased by
preconceived ideas or beliefs - instead view situations and responses from
the other person’s perspective.
 Encourage: Offer words and actions of encouragement, as well as praise, to
others. Make other people feel welcome, wanted, valued and appreciated in
your communications.
 Use Humor: Laughing releases endorphins that can help relieve stress and
anxiety; most people like to laugh and will feel drawn to somebody who can
make them laugh.
 Treat People Equally: Always aim to communicate on an equal basis and
avoid patronizing people. Do not talk about others behind their backs and
try not to develop favorites: by treating people as your equal and also equal
to each other you will build trust and respect.
 Attempt to Resolve Conflict: Learn to troubleshoot and resolve problems and
conflicts as they arise. Learn how to be an effective mediator and negotiator.
Use your listening skills to hear and understand both sides of any argument
 Maintain a Positive Attitude and Smile: Do your best to be friendly, upbeat
and positive with other people. Maintain a positive, cheerful attitude to life:
when things do not go to plan, stay optimistic and learn from your mistakes.
If you smile often and stay cheerful, people are more likely to respond
positively to you.

B. Preaching:

1. What is teaching and preaching?

Some people think that reaching and preaching are the same. But teaching is a process
of education in which a message is communicated to the hearers by using various
methods including preaching. In teaching, communication takes place by interaction
between the speaker and the listener. So, it is a creative learning and helps participants
to evaluate their attitudes and make appropriate changes. Effectiveness of teaching
depends on the skill, preparation and the teaching methods adapted by the teacher and
the participation of the participants. So teaching is the best method for the teacher to
interact with the participants and make the learning process easy and interesting.
What is preaching?
Preaching is the unique method of God to communicate the truth and bring the lost
humanity into the kingdom of God through His children. Probably the most famous
definition of preaching is that of Phillips Brooks, 19th century preacher and writer, who
defined “preaching is the communication of the truth by man to men.”
Preaching is also called as the delivery of the sermon. The word ‘sermon’ is derived
from the Latin word sermo and it was called as ‘homily’ until the 3 rd century.
2. The Nature of Christian preaching:
a. Biblical foundations – prophets, apostles: In the Old testament times, the prophets
brought the message from the Lord and spoke to the people directly. Prophets like
 Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Amos, Micah and other received the word from God
and communicated to the people, not as their words but the words of the Lord
saying ‘thus saith the Lord’ or ‘this is the word of the Lord’.
In New testament times, the scriptures were read and taught to those who
assembled in the synagogues for spiritual exhortation. The apostolic preaching was
vehement in the early church. Many were added the Church when they stood up and
preached and the church grew in apostolic preaching ( Acts 2:42)
b. Church fathers/theologians/pastors/evangelists – the study of the history of the
Church from early period in the first century to the present day, reveals clearly that
preaching was primary. The Lord raised preachers from time to time to bring
revival and growth in the Church. After the time of the apostles of Jesus Christ, the
Church grew very fast due to the preaching and teaching ministry of the bishops,
deacons, evangelists and teachers. Church fathers like Tertullian, who lived in the
2nd century wrote in his Apology that believers gathered ‘to read sacred writings.’
Irenaeus, wanted the preachers to expound the Scriptures without any adulteration
of the truth. Eusebius, the father of the Church history in the 4th century wrote that
there were preachers and teachers in the 1st century.
3. The forms of Christian preaching.
 Preaching in the worship- Preaching is an integral part of the divine worship
among Christians. It played a major role in the growth and strengthening of the
Church. Millions have put their trust in Christ as a result of hearing the gospel
message.
 Revival preaching – this is one of the form of Christian preaching. Right through
the church history God raised many to bring great revival among people. This
has brought great change time and again in millions of peoples lives.
 Preaching in the Homes – This is the early form of preaching started by the
apostles in the first century. They gathered at homes for prayer, fellowship,
preaching and of breaking bread. This form of preaching is still existing.
 Preaching to the children and the youth – Special emphasis has been made to
reach the children and the youth, preaching in the form of stories and action.
Different kinds of methods have been used to take the gospel to this young
minds.
 Preaching to the non- Christians – The Bible clearly teaches that preaching is the
method to proclaim the gospel ( Mark 16:15). Through preaching to the non-
Christians, hundreds of churches are being planted among unreached people
groups.
 Preaching on Special occasions – The word of God implies to every one and talks
about every occasion. Preaching has a message for everyone in every occasion,
weather it is birth or death, happy or unhappy , good or bad.
4. Types of sermons: The understanding of various types of sermons will the preacher to
select the one that will meet the needs of the hearers. Moreover in these last days, true
biblical preaching has become very rare. There are many preachers who speak
‘perverse things’, to draw away the disciples to themselves ( Acts 20:30). There are
others who preach sermons to please the hearers. This is because of the common
tendency among the people not to ‘endure sound doctrine’ but to listen to the messages
which are pleasing to their own desire ( 2 Tim 4:3).
Thus different types of sermons are now being preached in Christian circles. The
various types of sermons can be classified into the following three groups. They are
biblical sermons, thematic sermons and non-biblical sermons.
a) Biblical sermons: In biblical sermon, Bible is the basis and the truths in the Bible
are expounded to the people. Few types of biblical sermons are:-
1. Expository Sermon: The message which is delivered from a particular passage
of the Bible by interpreting the passage rightly in its biblical context is called an expository
sermon. The word exposition comes from the Latin words ex meaning ‘out’ and pono meaning
‘to place’. In expository preaching the truth of a passage is placed out or displayed for hearers to
understand the truth and put it into practice in their lives. This preaching is very effective,
because the word of God is expounded to the people and brings changes in the lives of the
hearers.
Preparation of an expository sermon: Expository sermon can be prepared from a particular book,
passage or a paragraph of the Bible depending on the needs of the people. A particular book of
the Bible can be divided into many paragraphs so that the preacher can preach many sermons of
the book.
In an expository sermon we are to unfold the meaning or make the passage clearly understood.
In comparison to the textual sermon, in the expository sermon the preacher is to form all the
subdivisions, as well as the main division, from the same unit of Scripture which he proposes to
preach from.
Examples of Expository Sermons!

The Christian’s Spiritual Warfare! (Eph. 6:10-18)

I. The Christian’s Moral, vs. 10-13
1. It should be high, vs. 10
2. It should be steadfast, vs. 11-13
II. The Christian’s Armor, vs. 14-17
1. It should be defensive in character, vs. 14-17a
2. It should be offensive in character, vs. 17b
III. The Christian’s Prayer Life, vs. 18
1. It should be persistent, vs. 18a
2. It should be intercessory, vs. 18b

Christ Apprehending Zacchaeus, Luke 19:1-10

I. The Search For Zacchaeus, vs. 1-4
II. The Befriending of Zacchaeus, vs. 5-7
III. The Salvation of Zacchaeus, vs. 8-10

Basic Principles for the Preparation of Expository Outlines!

1. Any passage under consideration should be carefully studied to understand its meaning and to
obtain the central thought of the text.
2. Significant words or phrases in the text may indicate or form the main divisions of the outline.
3. The outline should be drawn from the expository unit in a chronological way.
4. The important truths suggested by the passage may form the main divisions of the outline.
5. Two or three passages from various parts of Scripture may be put together to form the basis
of an expository outline.
6. By means of the method of multiple approach, we may treat a passage of Scripture in various
ways and thus have two or more entirely different outlines on the same portion.
7. We should, in study, note the context.
8. In study we should also note the historical background of the passage, whenever possible.
9. The details of the text should be treated properly, but not necessarily exhaustively. Don’t
spend too much time on the details.
10.The truths contained in the text must be related to the present day through application of truths
to present needs.

Series of Expository Messages!

A suggested list could include the following:
From the book of Hebrews, chapter 11
“Abel -- The Sacrifice of Faith” (Gen. 4:1-5; Heb. 11:4)
“Enoch -- The Walk of Faith” (Gen. 5:21-24; Heb . 11:5-6)
“Abraham -- The Obedience of Faith” (Gen. 12-18; Heb. 11:8-10)
“Isaac -- The Vision of Faith” (Gen. 26, 27; Heb. 11:20)
“Jacob - The Discernment of Faith” (Gen. 27-35; Heb 11:21)
“Joseph -- The Assurance of Faith” (Gen. 37-50; Heb. 11:22)

One could share a series on the Hallelujah Psalms!

Psalms 106, 11, 112, 113, 135 and especially Psalm 146-150

A series from Revelation chapters 2, 3 about the seven messages to the seven churches could
include the following:
“The Busy Church” -- 2:1-7
“The Suffering Church” -- 2:8-11
“The Compromising Church” -- 2:12-17
“The Corrupt Church” -- 2:18-29
“The Dead Church” -- 3:1-6
“The Missionary Church” -- 3:7-13
“The Indifferent, Apostate Church” -- 3:14-22

2. Topical / Thematic Sermon: This is another kind of sermon, which is common in many
churches. In this sermon the preacher selects a particular topic, collects the information on the
topic and presents biblical truths to the people in an organized way. The topics can be
doctrinal, devotional, evangelistic or biographical.
 Doctrinal sermon deals with one of the doctrines in the Bible like God, trinity, sin,
salvation, or second coming of Jesus Christ.
 Devotional sermon deals with Biblical truths like Holiness, obedience, sacrifice and
prayer.
 Evangelistic sermon deals with evangelistic messages like repentance, or salvation,
calling unbelievers to put their trust in God.
 Biographical sermon is preaching on biblical characters like Moses or Daniel and
others by studying their qualities and achievements. They are also called as character
study.

Example of a Topical Sermon

Satan’s Attack of the Family!
Aim: Recognizing some aspects of his attack! (Eph. 6:10-18)
A. His Goal is to Devour! (I Peter 5:8,9)
B. His Desire is to Sift as Wheat! (Luke 22:31,32)
C. His Method is to Build a Stronghold! (II Cor. 10:3-5)
 D. His Purpose is to Bring Total Bondage to Sin! (II Tim. 2:24-26)
Unity of Thought in a Topical Sermon
It will be observed from the example given above that the topical sermon contains one central
idea. There is but one theme, not many. In a topical sermon we must limit the entire outline to the
one idea contained in the topic and the aim of the message itself.

3. Textual sermon: A textual sermon is one in which , one or two verses of a passage are taken
from the Bible and explained to the people. Here the preacher explains the background of the
text and then expounds the meaning of the text to the people. The main theme and the outline
of the sermon are taken from the text only.
For example if you preach on the text, ‘unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God’ ( John 3:3) then your theme can be ‘the requirement to enter into the kingdom of
God’. In your sermon, you can explain what one must do to born again. Then you can explain
the pre-requisite to enter into the kingdom, which is putting the trust on the Lord.
Example of Textual Sermon Outlines!
God’s Power to the Faint! Isa. 40:28-31
I. What Our God is Like! -- 40:28
1. He is Never Discouraged!
2. He Never Faints nor is Weary!
3. He is Never Short of Wisdom!

II. What Our God Offers! -- 40:29,30

1. He Gives Power to the Faint!
2. He Increaseth our Strength!
III. What Our God Wants To DO For US! -- 40:31
1. He Gives Us Power to Rise Above the Problem! (as eagles)
2. He Enables Us to Run and Not Be Weary!
3. He Strengthens Us to Walk, and not Faint!

b) Non-Biblical Sermons: There are many preacher in these last days who do not preach the word
fo God but they preach sermons which satisfy the desires of the people. Let us look at few non-
biblical sermons, which are common today.

1. Prosperity sermon: This type of preaching is taking the word of God out of its context and
preaching prosperity to the people. Prosperity preaching is telling people that the Lord blesses
His people with all worldly blessings. They say that the Lord came to this world to heal all
the sicknesses of the people and to bless the people richly with all the physical and worldly
blessings. They do not preach that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. They do not preach
repentance. This is because the world is becoming materialistic and people do not like sound
doctrine. About these preachers Paul wrote in ( 2Tim 4:3,4). Physical healing and prosperous
living are only temporal, but spiritual living and spiritual blessing are eternal ( 2 Cor 4:18).
2. Impository sermon: Impository sermon is one in which the preacher imposes his own ideas or
the teachings of his denomination into the sermon. For example, a preacher preached on
conversion and repentance from the story of the prodigal son. He gave a very good message
on repentance, then he read Luke 15:22, and went on to say that the robe covers the body and
it stands for immersion baptism. The ring was given as a sign so all believers must speak in
tongues as the Holy Spirit. He threw away the old sandals and put on new one. So he called
the believers to leave their ‘dead churches’ and come to the spiritual church. This is a clear
example of impository sermon, because this parable of lost son was not told to teach the
doctrine of spiritual gifts or baptism.
5. Sermon Preparation and construction:
The Content:
- Exegesis ( translation, textual and literary problems) is bring out correct reproduction of though
as conceived in the mind of the original writer.
- Homiletic reflection ( interpretation) giving sense or meaning
- Systematic and theological reflection , is to analyze and separate into parts.
- Context of the sermon, never miss the context in which the passage or the verse is speaking.
Going out of context is deviating from the Bible.
- Preparation and delivery, a sermon should have a good preparation as well as good delivery, both
needs to be balanced the absence of either the one will not serve the purpose.
The Form:
- The structure, is a formal outline of the sermon which includes, Title, Text, Introduction,
transitional sentence, First main division and subdivisions, Second main division and
subdivisions, Conclusion.
- The introduction, development and conclusion, The introduction is the process by which the
preacher endeavors to prepare the minds and secure the interest of his hearers in the message he
has to proclaim. Divisions are the main sections of an orderly message or sermon. The conclusion
is the climax of the whole sermon in which the preacher’s one constant aim reaches its goal in the
form of a forceful impression. The conclusion is not a mere appendage to the body of the sermon
nor a series of platitudes unrelated to the message, but an integral part of the sermon. It is the
final portion of the sermon in which all that has been previously related is concentrated in force
or intensity to produce a vigorous impact upon the congregation.
- The use of language and illustration, An illustration has often been said to be to the sermon what
a window is to a building -- to admit light. Thus a good illustration makes a message clear. An
illustration is a means of throwing light upon a sermon by the use of an example. An illustration
may take one of several forms. It may consist of a parable, an analogy, an allegory, a story
(including an anecdote or fable) an account of a personal experience, an event in history or an
incident from biography.
- The time , place and context of preaching, effective preaching depends upon the time, place and
the context .
- The nature of the hearers, when a sermon is preached, we need to take into account to whom it is
preached. The audience may be children, youth, adults, men or women. It also depends on their
education level.
Types of Sermon Preparation:
- The written sermon, a complete sermon is written or drafted before it is preached
- The sermon notes, contains the structure of the sermon and the main points.
- The extempore sermon, does not contain any notes or prepared stuff.
The personality of the preacher.

1. He Must be Saved and Know It.

2. He Must Know that He Has Been Called of GOD to PREACH.
Spurgeon’s four ideas of a man called of God to preach:
a. He Must Have An Intense Desire For the Work.
b. He Must Have An Aptness (ability) to Teach.
c. He Must Have A Measure of Conversion work in Ministry.
d. He Must Be Acceptable to People of God.
3. He Must Have a Knowledge of the Word of God.
If the preaching is the center of our ministry, and the Word of God is at the center of our
preaching, then the study of the Word of God ought to be at the center of our lives.
4. He Must Have Convictions Based on Scripture -- feel deeply!
5. He Must Love God’s People -- for love begets love.
6. He Must Have Common Sense -- being able to first analyze a program or need and then
to make a decision.
7. He Must Have a Consistent Prayer Life.
8. He Must Be Patient.
9. He must Not Be Greedy of Filthy Lucre.
10.He Must Be a Good Spiritual Leader of His Own Home.