In a recent article at Pastors.com, Brandon Cox talks about the importance of preaching with sincerity and offers several suggestions for doing so. Among his ideas:
Believe the truth. It’s my strong opinion that those who do not trust the entire Word of God as the whole, pure and perfect book that it is, should not be in a preaching ministry. Period. We may not understand it all, but we certainly can take God’s Word at face value if we’re going to claim to represent it.
Prepare Well. Preparation prevents faking it in the pulpit. One huge rule of preaching is: Don’t make up stuff! Study, prepare and work hard. Every Sunday is a test of your dedication and commitment to the Word.
Make Eye Contact. See the eyes of your people when you preach to them and you’ll see piece of their hearts, as well. Of course, preaching without notes helps this process a great deal; but even if you use notes, glance at them and then return your attention to those from whom you’ve asked attention. (Click here to continue reading.)