More Than a Sermon
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How does God use preaching to shape his people? In More Than a Sermon, Douglas D. Webster writes on the purpose and practice of Christian preaching.
Reaching Hearts
The first half of the book tackles the purpose of preaching, and Webster relays that preaching is harder and easier than we imagine. He considers the spiritual, intellectual, social, ethical, and pastoral dimensions of preaching. But preaching is a good kind of hard - one where you can find your labor to not be in vain.
I was most moved to read how preaching is tethered to a lifelong commitment and partnered with life-on-life discipleship. I thought about how my own preaching has impacted my personal life and how reaching hearts with the Word of God is not restricted to the pulpit. Webster sees preaching clearly as a way of life - being utterly devoted to the primacy and sufficiency of Scripture.
Renewing Minds
The second half of book focuses on the practice of preaching. Different seasons of preaching are presented, including preaching Advent/Christmas sermons, Easter sermons, weddings, and memorials. I was most interested to read on preaching crisis sermons and preaching with social impact. While I might not be called upon to preach in these special circumstances, I can still prepare my congregation with biblical conviction.
The book concludes with seven theses on good preaching, beginning with the fact that good preaching is dependent in every way on the Bible – and ending with good preaching helps believers think for themselves so that they are no longer “conformed to this world” but “transformed by the renewal of [their] mind” (Romans 12:2). I am challenged to proclaim Christ with power, and moved to speak with practical wisdom from the Word.
I received a media copy of More Than a Sermon and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.