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Expository Ministry A GUIDE TO Expository Ministry Dan Dumas, Editor GUIDE BOOK NO. oo. 3 A GUIDE TO Expository Ministry A Guide to Expository Preaching: Guide Book No. 003 Copyright © 2012 by SBTS Press. SBTS Press c/o Communications 2825 Lexington Ave. Louisville, KY 40280 A GUIDE TO SBTS Press is a division of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior Expository permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States copyright law. Printed in the United States of America. Ministry Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. Dan Dumas, Editor All rights reserved. GUIDE BOOK NO. ISBN: oo. 3 A GUIDE to EXPOSitorY MINISTRY TABLE OF CONTENTS – INTRODUCTION – 8 Expository Ministry: A Comprehensive Vision Dan Dumas – FOR THE PREACHER – – FOR THE HEARER – Ch. 1 - 14 Ch. 5 - 62 The Center of Worship: On the Edge of the Pew: Expository Preaching Expository Listening R. Albert Mohler Jr. Dan Dumas Ch. 2 - 26 Ch. 6 - 70 This is War: Did Not Our Hearts Burn?: Expository Exorcism Expository Reading Russell D. Moore Robert L. Plummer Ch. 3 - 36 Ch. 7 - 84 A Life Above Reproach: Worthy of Double Honor: Expository Living Expository Advocating Dan Dumas James M. Hamilton Jr. Ch. 4 - 46 95 In Season and Out of Season: RESOURCES Expository Readiness 97 Donald S. Whitney CONTRIButorS A GUIDE TO EXPOSITOry MINISTry introduction EXPOSITORY MINISTRY A Comprehensive Vision By Dan Dumas hen God speaks, Scriptures. If this happens at your a primary cause for the epidemic creation obeys. When church every week, then praise of biblical illiteracy in the pews. If God’s people Whe spoke the universe God. This is the kind of preaching Preachers aren’t teaching the are going to into existence, it happened (Gen God’s people have always needed Bible, and they’re not teaching 1:3-26). When he speaks into — and nothing’s changed. This is their people how to read it be presented the cold, dead hearts of sinners, the kind of preaching that Christ and study it for themselves. a new creation appears (2 Cor modeled when he explained to his Not surprisingly, people grow “mature in 5:17). When preachers exposit the disciples “the things concerning disinterested in the Bible. Word of God and announce that himself in all the Scriptures” (Lk Faithful, expository preaching Christ,” then Jesus is the Christ, the church 24:27). It is commanded in the is instead being replaced with is built. Whenever God’s Word is Great Commission, practiced whatever scratches the “itching biblical, exposi- proclaimed, something comes into in the early church, reinforced ears” of our self-centered, existence that wasn’t there before. in Paul’s Pastoral Epistles and consumerist culture. Ironically, tory preaching It only takes a casual observation demonstrated throughout church this pursuit of relevance has needs to return of the evangelical landscape to history. It’s not the job of the achieved just the opposite. People realize that much of this solid, preacher to improve upon the don’t see the immediate impact to the sacred Christ-centered, truth-driven, program God instituted in the that the Bible has on their lives gospel-proclaiming, church- first place. because preachers are too busy desk of local creating, expository preaching has Unfortunately, many churches trying to chase the bankrupt idol turned into, well, something else. aren’t getting expository that is relevance. churches. If the church is going to flourish, preaching from the pulpit. This is Why has expository preaching then something needs to change. been exchanged with this If you’re working to faithfully pragmatism? Because it’s hard exposit the Scriptures, then this The Preaching Faithful, exposi- work. It takes serious commitment book will encourage you to excel If you’re reading this book, it’s tory preaching to spend time in study week-in still more and give you some likely that you’re familiar with and week-out, praying through allies along the way. If you’re expository preaching. Maybe is being replaced the text, allowing it to marinate wondering if the Bible is what you’ve heard it before, maybe you the preacher’s own soul, spending your people really need, then hear it every week or maybe you with whatever time in the original languages, this book will call you back and do it every week at your church. trying to place himself in the first remind you that God provides all Expository preaching happens scratches the century and reading the insights his people need in his Word (2 when a preacher lays open a of men past and present with Tim 3:16). All he calls preachers biblical text so that its original “itching ears” more wisdom than him. to do is open the Bible, study it meaning is brought to bear on the If God’s people are going to be and proclaim its message. lives of contemporary listeners. of our self- presented “mature in Christ” (Col Expository preaching is a call centered, con- 1:28), then biblical, expository The Preacher to deliver from the pulpit what’s preaching needs to return to the Expository preaching, however, is already been delivered in the sumerist culture. sacred desk of local churches. about more than preaching. It’s 8 A Guide to Expository Ministry Introduction 9 about preaching and the preacher; in the study lays claim on the what resources they can take the ministry and the man. People entirety of the preacher’s life and advantage of in their personal Local churches need preaching grounded in and is to be applied relentlessly, the study. And if you’re a preacher, should brim guided by the Scriptures, and commitment to live out God’s Word you want this for your people, they need preachers grounded as the final authority rather than but you must remember that your with people in and guided by the Scriptures. our own minds. A commitment to church will never esteem God’s There’s a reason the majority of this kind of lifestyle is the recipe Word any higher than you do. equipped to use the biblical qualifications for for faithful, expository preaching leadership in the local church and faithful, expository ministry. The People their Bibles. center on character (1 Tim 3:1-13; And a funny thing happens But we’re not just equipping Titus 1:6-9). Such a noble calling when preachers start living and encouraging preachers here. left us alone in this glorious task. requires noble character. The faithfully and start preaching We’re going beyond the preaching, He has given us fellow believers, last thing the church needs is a the Bible: their people start to past the preacher to his people, the local church, pastors, the preacher who preaches against want more of it. Your church the recipients of the expositor’s canon of Scripture and the Holy adultery one day, and is found members will begin to realize ministry. That’s because the goal Spirit. Indeed, he has “granted to guilty of it the next, or a preacher that God’s Word is to be desired is never to have one guy in the us all things that pertain to life who preaches self-control, but more than gold, and is sweeter church (the preacher) who knows and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). clearly lacks it in the way he than the honeycomb (Ps 19:10). how to read his Bible and how to If you’re someone who wants to uses the Web, consumes and They start to crave the “solid use it to have an impact people’s learn how to get the most out of eats. Churchgoers know they can food” of God’s Word (Heb 5:12). lives. Local churches should brim the revelation God has provided trust the preaching in their pulpit They can’t get enough of it. They with people equipped to use their — by improving your ability to only as far as they can trust the want to hear more preaching and Bibles in their own lives and that listen to sermons, read the Bible preacher who steps into it every teaching. They want to know how of those around them. and be a more faithful church week. The fruitfulness of a man’s to get more out of the sermon. When Luther and the member — then this book is for ministry will never exceed that They become grateful for faithful Reformers advocated for the you. Expository preaching from of his life. preaching. They want to know priesthood of all believers, they an expository preacher for an God’s people need expository how to read and study the Bible were reminding Christians that expository people. preaching from godly men who for themselves. They want to know individual people are ultimately lead expository lives and do responsible for the eternal state expository ministry. If the man of their soul nobody else. So, is going to be an expositor in the The fruitfulness whether you’re in a church with pulpit, then he had better be an consistently edifying sermons or expositor in the study, in the home, of a man’s with crummy, boring preaching, in the prayer meeting, at the kids’ ministry will you are the one who will stand soccer games and all the other before God. So it’s important for places where he lives out God’s never exceed you to know how to grow in the call on his life (i.e., everywhere).
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