A pastor friend of mine, arranged for me to receive an email the other day, from a company that offered to send me one free sermon, each month;
(In hopes that I would pay for more.)
I immediately marked it as SPAM, and deleted it.
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Later, as I was working on my Wednesday night's lesson, out of Proverbs;
About our need for the Lord's fellowship;
I realized, the way that I look at sermons and lessons.
I see each one of them, as a message from the LORD.
There is no way that I could(in good conscience), rework someone else’s sermon, and preach it to God’s people.
But then I asked myself....does this really make a difference “to God’s people”?
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Well, as I was typing this question, the Lord gave me the answer.
YES.
Because God is the only one, that knows what the people in my Church need to hear;
Therefore, three or four times a week, I work to set my own ideas of what my people need aside, and listen for what the LORD would have me to preach or teach to them.
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This is why a pastor, “needs” to truly have a close walk with the LORD!
I worked with a fellow who, though an atheist, put himself through graduate school writing sermons for preachers in Philadelphia. As I remember he wrote for preachers from several denominations, including Baptist.
Never heard of that.
I have heard of research assistants who contribute significant items such as illustrative material, etc. I have never heard of a reputable preacher using someone to ghost write their sermons in entirety.
When the Roman Catholic Church switched to the English Mass, the people in the Catholic Church in next town were demanding sermons, rather than just the Bishop's homily. For five months, I wrote sermons for the Catholic priest of that church.
There is a time when even an unbeliever gave out the valid word of the Lord. You don't believe me? Try reading the Bible!
I personally do not feel comfortable reading others people words - especially when people think they are from my personal study and prayer.
That being said I have heard historical sermons given as such that were just as powerful as personal ones.
I do read sermons from other ministers often, both because I need to be preached to as well and to hear what another minister has to say about a certain passage of scripture.
Whatever a preacher does, I feel he must be honest with the congregation.
If he uses another minister's sermon then he must say up front that he does.
Just my opinion.
In MT. 23;10, Jesus tells us that we have one teacher and that is Christ. So I encourage people to no only read the bible, but live on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Otherwise, if they don't know the bible thoroughly, they couldn't spot a false teacher from a true one if he stood right in front of them.