Part of preaching never changes. Preachers must speak and teach the word of God! We must walk in the Spirit and hear from God and the message we receive must speak to our heart before we can speak the message to others.
On the other hand, technology has presented the preacher with some wonderful advancements and tools that aid in the work of preaching. Here are some of the top advancements in my lifetime that have made a huge difference for me personally.
1. The PC! (I am old) During my first few years of preaching, I took pen in hand and wrote sermon manuscripts or notes on typing paper! Eventually I was able to afford an electric typewriter with a white out tape built in! I thought it could never get better. Then the personal computer came along. I started typing sermons on computer in 1987 on a Tandy HX – a green monochrome monster that used a word processing program called Varsity ScriptsIt! I started out saving them on 5 ¼” disks – but quickly upgraded to 3 ½” disks. In a fairly short time – as the boom in development of the PC continued, I upgraded and upgraded – to this day!
2. Biblical Software! Years ago I began using a Bible Software called PC Study Bible! I still use it! As a matter of fact, I have used it for so long, I just can’t quit using it now. I have too much money in add-ons etc. tied up in it! When studying a passage, the language helps and background information that can be accessed quickly are tremendously helpful. As time has gone on, I am using it a bit less because many of the same things are readily available on the Internet.
3. The Internet! Going further with the previous point, the internet provides an incredible classroom on any topic a preacher might ever address. “Google it” is a common term! Works for me too! I enjoy being able to access information on geography, often with video through YouTube. One can listen to great theologians teach on a variety of topics.
Beyond these types of resources is the ability to instantly communicate with people around the world and in the local church through email, text, social media etc..
4. The “E-Book!” My choice has primarily been Amazon’s Kindle Books. I read these books on my Ipad and my Kindle reader! (and my computer from time to time). Some people like the feel of a book, and I understand that. But people who say that you can’t find anything in an ebook or have good notes just haven’t taken the time to explore it more carefully. I can highlight, make notes, and bookmark to my heart’s content – and with a click – bring them all up to view. My shelves were full at home and the church – and even after giving away many books, I still have a bunch of them. So, a few years ago, I started buying Kindle books. Now I have amassed a couple of hundred books that take up no more room on the shelf than the width of my Ipad. I can read them anywhere. I can take them anywhere. When I go to a conference and look at all the books, I will get on the Amazon site and download a sample of each book in which I am interested. If they are good through the sample (usually most of the first chapter) I will buy them. They are available in less than a minute. I save the time spent going to a bookstore or having books shipped. My greatest joy has been that many of the Christian classics are free or are .99 cents. I love to read – and the e-book is a great help to me! I read more than ever today!
I could probably think of more – but these stand out in my experience. One word of caution. The same tools that aid in sermon preparation can also easily become a substitute for preparation. Message preparation has to be a spiritual exercise more than a technical one. And one can over prepare – or at least “over share” and miss the main idea of the scripture.
Now I am wondering what the next major advancement in technology will be! I’m sure there will be more!
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