Human_Experience_Template

HOMI 500 Human Experience Template Text: Philippians 1:12-18 Elise Lewis ● Make sure sermon ideas are clear and well worded. ● Think beyond church-world to real-world experience. ● Remember the nature of human nature. ● Allow your own humanity to come through. ● Address assumptions, symptoms and consequences. ● Express compassion and understanding for hearers. The human element is the human condition that corresponds to the truths that are presented in your text. The factors of human experience may be described plainly in the text or only implied. 1. Identify the factors of human experience mentioned directly in the text as they pertained to the original textual setting. Envy, rivalry, selfish gain in preaching 2. Identify the human issues suggested in the text by implication as the writer addresses problems of his day. Lack of confidence in God Paul is in prison, perhaps having been beaten, maybe hungry, tired, lacking basic needs for survival 3. Summarize the concepts from your text that will become the main ideas of the sermon. God reveals himself in and through the actions and words of believers. God uses believers (the church) to further others in the faith. God uses the testimonies of believers to embolden others to tell who God is. God will use any circumstance be used for his glory if we let him. 4. Use the following categories to begin describing the likely experience of the person who needs to hear the message of the text as a remedy for his needs: (1) His symptoms of the trouble he is experiencing: Hurt, anger, frustration, sadness, hopelessness, depression (2) His underlying assumptions about the issue: That if his circumstances would go away, everything would be better (3) Some consequences in his experience: circumstances do not go away and he continues to let bitterness and sadness take root, maybe blaming God instead of seeing how God is the answer to his situation (4) How a person feels who is suffering at this point: Hopeful to be able to find joy in situations, or discouraged maybe that God does not promise to take away our suffering on this earth 5. Write a profile of the person needing your message in vivid, concrete terms as you sympathetically identify with his suffering and interest him in the good news you have for him. This person is experiencing high degrees of suffering in their personal lives. This is a person who has recently received a diagnosis for what seems incurable, who recently lost a loved one, who lost a job, who is walking in loneliness and depression and hopelessness as a result of their circumstances. As I present this message to this person, I would care for this persons heart in the approach and delivery of the good news, being sure not to take away from the fact that we are humans with needs, emotions, and our hearts are 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching / Wayne McDill / 2006 / B&H Used by Permission The purpose of this exercise is to develop skill at tracing theological concepts in the text to corresponding points of contact in human experience.