What makes some preaching gripping - unforgettable even? What can we learn from the best preachers? How can we appreciate great preaching, often at the click of a mouse, without devaluing the role of the local church minister? 'Without creating a guru mentality, I focus on one positive aspect from each preacher and offer hints on how other preachers might emulate them.' says author Simon Vibert. He also looks at the Bible's own take on good preaching, and focuses on the exemplary models of Jesus and Paul. This is not a how-to manual, nor a biblical theology of preaching, nor even a critique of the subjects. Rather, it is a focus on modern-day practitioners, from whom all preachers can form a composite picture of excellence, and from whom all preachers would do well to learn.

Simon Vibert

Excellence in Preaching

Preface

Introduction: Preaching the Bible way

The priorities of preaching

Daily bread and sumptuous feasts

1. Jesus Christ, the preacher: Setting the supreme standard

The Sermon on the Mount

Lessons for preachers today

2. Tim Keller: Be aware of cultural and philosophical challenges to the gospel

Who is Tim Keller?

What makes Tim Keller a good communicator?

Lessons for preachers

3. John Piper: Inspire a passion for the glory of God

Who is John Piper?

What makes John Piper a good communicator?

4. Vaughan Roberts: Let the Bible speak with simplicity and freshness

Who is Vaughan Roberts?

What makes Vaughan Roberts a good communicator?

Application

5. Simon Ponsonby: Be a Word-and-Spirit preacher

Who is Simon Ponsonby?

What makes Simon Ponsonby a good communicator?

6. J.John: Use humour and story to connect and engage, and dismantle barriers

Who is J.John?

What makes J.John a good communicator?

7. David Cook: Create interest; apply well

Who is David Cook?

What makes David Cook a good communicator?

8. John Ortberg: Preach with spiritual formation in mind

Who is John Ortberg?

What makes John Ortberg a good preacher?

Sermon one: Preaching the resurrection

Sermon two: Preaching redemption

Conclusion

How does John Ortberg think 'spiritual formation' happens?

9. Nicky Gumbel: Make much of Jesus Christ

Who is Nicky Gumbel?

What makes Nicky Gumbel a good communicator?

10. Rico Tice: Preach with urgency and evangelistic zeal

Who is Rico Tice?

What makes Rico Tice a good communicator?

11. Alistair Begg: Persuade people by passionate argument from the Bible

Who is Alistair Begg?

What makes Alistair Begg a good communicator?

12. Mark Driscoll: Teach with directness, challenge and relevance

Who is Mark Driscoll?

What makes Mark Driscoll a good communicator?

13. Mark Dever: Expose all of God’s Word to all of God’s people

Who is Mark Dever?

What makes Mark Dever a good communicator?

Conclusion: Preaching that changes lives

A composite picture of a good preacher

Wherein lies the power of good preaching?

The preacher, the Word and the Spirit

To sum up

Appendix: The survey and online resources

Methodology

Notes

13. Mark Dever: Expose all of God's Word to all of God's people

What do good preachers do well? Simon Vibert has studied today's leading preachers to discover the dynamics of effective preaching. Each chapter profiles a contemporary preacher and lifts out practical principles from the likes of Tim Keller, John Piper and Nicky Gumbel. Learn from the best. And become the best preacher that you can be.

Preaching is a dangerously high calling in which mere mortals dare to speak on behalf of God. All too often, well-intentioned preachers preach poorly. But what do good preachers do well? And what can we learn from them?Simon Vibert has studied the work of today's leading preachers with an eye for discerning the dynamics of effective preaching. Each chapter profiles a contemporary preacher and lifts out practical principles for sermons that are biblical, motivational and transformational. World-renowned preachers like Tim Keller, John Piper and Nicky Gumbel display excellence in preaching bybeing aware of cultural and philosophical challenges to the gospelinspiring a passion for the glory of God letting the Bible speak with simplicity and freshnessteaching with directness, challenge and relevanceexposing all of God's Word to all of God's peopleand much moreLearn from the best. And become the best preacher that you can be.

"Simon Vibert offers a fresh and very helpful resource for preachers. He takes twelve effective modern preachers and analyzes their strengths in order to improve standards in our churches. Highly recommended."--Michael Green, Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics

"Many things will help raise the standard of preaching around the world, but one of the most significant - and underrated - is the need for good models. Simon Vibert provides compelling examples of what constitutes good preaching, not that we emulate superstars, but that we learn from the dynamic interplay of the Word, the Spirit, the congregation and the rich variety of human personality. This is an illuminating read for preachers and listeners alike, and I warmly commend it." - Jonathan Lamb, Director, Langham Preaching, Langham Partnership International; Chair, Keswick Convention  
   
 "Simon Vibert offers a fresh and very helpful resource for preachers. He takes twelve effective modern-day preachers and analyses their strengths, in order to improve the standards in our churches. Highly recommended." - Revd Dr Michael Green, Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics  
   
 "An inspiring, accessible and engaging book for preachers, at whatever stage in their preaching ministry ... The examples of good preachers, in all their diversity, challenge us to review how we preach. We are encouraged not to try to be like clones, but instead develop our own style of good preaching. A must-read for anyone who takes preaching seriously." - Revd Clare Hendry, Minister for Pastoral Care, St James Church, Muswell Hill, London, and formerly on the staff at Oak Hill Theological College

\["For Church leaders and preachers","Simon Vibert explores the aspects of exposition that we can all learn from ","A reliable mentor on the art and skill of sermons "\]

The Good Book Stall

Any preacher, young or old, experienced or new, wanting to increase their skill in the art of preaching will be helped by Simon Vibert’s book. It examines twelve preachers, whom he regards as ‘experts’ (all men, and almost exclusively from the Western hemisphere) He doesn’t suggest copying them, but just learning from their excellence. There is variety among them as regards such things as technique, humour and illustrations. They are certainly not all ‘showy’, but they do satisfy Vibert’s ‘priorities’ for preaching, which are that it should be ‘pervasively biblical, both Christ- and gospel-centred and urgent and applied’.   
The book’s opening chapter concentrates on Jesus Christ the preacher, the supreme standard, and the devices he used in the Sermon on the Mount. Thereafter, each chapter focuses on one of Simon Vibert’s selected contemporary preachers and on one particular sermon he has preached (Simon appears to take these off the internet, rather than having been in the congregation himself). Three or four ‘Lessons for preachers’ are spelt out at the end of each chapter. In the closing chapter Simon concludes that the power of preaching is found in the ‘intermarriage between Word, Spirit and the godly preacher’. He finally paints ‘a composite picture of a good preacher’, which comprises ‘twelve things good preachers do well’. He never denigrates the thousands of us who preach week by week without ever becoming superstars, but this book will be a valuable resource ‘for those who seek to prepare and deliver biblical, applicable and illustrated contemporary sermons.’

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