Response to CM151 This course was really exhaustive and it feels like there is not one aspect Chapell didn’t address in this course! Though there are so much areas I could give a response to I think there are some areas I especially will remember. First of all, there is power in God’s word. God’s power is not in the preacher himself, but in the word of God. This was a very good introduction to the whole course, but I think this is a very good start not only for this course, but for all preachers. I find it such a relief to know that it’s not about me in the end, but about God’s word. I have both read and been taught the scripture references he mentioned, but this time they spoke in a different way. God’s word performs his purposes (Isa 55:10-11) and the effectiveness of God’s word is not bound by men (Phil 1.15-19). Those two Bible passages combined with Augustine’s quote: “When the Bible speaks, God speaks.”, really struck me. Of course this doesn’t promote a sloppy life-style or sinful behavior, that is something we should leave behind, but it puts all emphasize on God speaking through His word. This gives me rest. Next time I preach I know that it’s not about me and never has been about me. I’m simply here to deliver God’s word. As Chapell said: “If we will say what the Bible says, God is yet working that very power that brought creation into being. That very power by which God continues to control creation and convict hearts is in our mouths when we say what the Word says. When the Bible speaks, God speaks. As we are true to it, God will perform His purposes. This is where the true power of preaching resides.” The next thing I will remember from this course is the importance of moving from the explanation part into the illustration and application part. Too often have I been guilty of treating the explanation part as the most important part. I don’t want to think about how many sermons I have preached which would classify, in Chapell’s words, as “pre-sermons”. I have given much information about the biblical text, but again and again failed to illustrate it and make applications from it. It has been mere lectures on facts, not real sermons. Therefore it was a good thing for me to hear so much about both illustrations and applications. To begin with, people nowadays are very much focused on stories. Our culture today enjoy stories, both visual (movies and TV-shows) and spoken (audio-books and podcasts). If we as preachers today would learn how to deliver good sermon illustrations I think we could capture the attention of this generation. To be able to take biblical truth and flesh it out in a good illustrations will speak to people’s hearts in a profound way. To be honest I think I remember more sermon illustrations I’ve heard over the years, than explanations. Chapell’s guidelines on what we shouldn’t do with our illustrations are all good and I think the hardest one of them is to not let the illustration be used to clarify your explanation. The illustration is used to motivate, not primarily to clarify. To see the illustration as a short story and not an allusion was also a good point. When we give the people a good illustration, we’re also giving them a good story. It provides a way to experience emotionally what we’re trying to communicate with our explanation. Most of all it provides a visual picture of the truth we’re communicating. The last thing I want to respond to is Chapell’s thoughts on the application. How often I miss this part. I could so much identify with his words about the seminary student. “If all of the weight of our study has been upon explanation, then our tendency is to look at the sermon as being about three-quarters explanation. Maybe we’ll defer to maybe one quarter illustration, then maybe give a sentence at the end on application: “Go thou and do likewise.” My applications have been just 1-2 sentences long and I now realize how strange that must be for people who are listening. Mt job as a preacher is not to provide only biblical facts, but also to show how to embody those truths in real life. If I can see biblical facts and instantly see the connection to real life, then I have that gift but most people don’t. From now on I will therefore spend much more time and preparation on delivering good applications from the biblical truths! Kind regards / Henrik