Lots of preachers and speakers know what “homiletics” is all about; the art of sermon construction. But it seems few understand the subject of biblical “hermeneutics;”which is the study of the principles of biblical interpretation.

Bible interpretation has a number of distinct laws; laws of interpretation such as:

1. The law of first mention – when a word or concept is first used in scripture God indicates in the first mention of a subject the truth with which that subject stands connected in His mind. For instance the first time “house of God” is mentioned in Genesis the connection is with “... how awesome is this place!”
2. The Agreement Principle: The truthfulness and faithfulness of God become the guarantee that he will not set forth any passage in his word that contradicts any other passage. In our evangelical statements of faith we declare the Bible is inspired and infallible and without contradiction; it would be good if our preaching followed this principle too.

There has been a recent trend the last decade of new preachers not necessarily having to attend traditional bible colleges but learn on the go in the local church. This trend both excites me and concerns me. It excites me because many new preachers are finding their voices and not being dislocated from local churches. However, the trend concerns me because it seems to me that many have missed out of on learning the foundations of theology; of which hermeneutics is an important and vital subject.

There seems to be a missing step in the process for some; that missing step is subjects like hermeneutics. Without good principles for biblical interpretation there is the chance of and the likelihood of faulty interpretation and unscriptural applications. It may make for exciting communications even a humorous delivery but if we believe that the word of God changes our lives then there is a great burden upon us to accurately deliver God’s word.

2 Corinthians 4:2-3, “... we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.”

It is vital we understand the principles of interpretation to accurately “set forth the truth plainly.” Personal development is vital and to meet this need I want to suggest that those speakers who have missed the tradition of bible school to make sure they study this subject and make themselves aware of the principles of interpretation to accurately handle the word of God.

Book recommendation:

Principles of Biblical Interpretation by Louis Berkhof

I just felt God was there big time in every service. From Craig to Joel, from Jentezen to Louie. It was like powerful impact each time.

How do they do it? I mean the conference just gets better and better each year. Maybe I should say the conference continues to impact my life each year. This year was no different - only I feel like I've been even more impacted.

The main things I hear from the Lord over the week (and it has taken me a few weeks to process) is that God is calling me to some deeper prayer. I hear His quiet and gentle voice urging me to spend more time in His presence. Steve Penny's comment of just sitting in the chair each morning "waiting" on the Lord touch a very deep part of me.

As a leader of a growing church I know I need a message each week and we need to do a service (or 3) each week. But we can't just go through the motions. Each sermon and each service needs to be bathed in much prayer, every sermon to simmer in special prayer so we can communicate for a change!

So thanks to Brian and Bobbi for continuing to put this conference on each year!! 2010 sounds awesome with T D Jakes and Andy Stanley. Make sure you've booked for either Hillsong Conference Sydney or the one for Europe.

Thanks for reading. I hope this inspires others.

Tom Rawls

(Check out Andy Stanley's new book, "Communicating for a change.")

COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE - ANDY STANLEY A brilliant book about how we can preach and teach more effectively . Click here to buy from Amazon.co.uk