Sam’s first time talking about the Bible in public was to his youth group about a year after giving his life to the Lord. He’s thankful it was a young audience because, as he recalls, it was a disaster. He was young with no real guidance and had no idea what he was doing. Sam gave his first real sermon while he was in college. This was a very different experience for him. He felt the weight of preaching and experienced his own transformation during his preparation. Sam had a sense of the Lord speaking through him. 

Over the years, Sam’s sermon style has evolved. He was recently preparing for a sermon text that he had preached on before. Sam pulled out a sermon from 10-12 years ago and found many truths, but felt it lacked Jesus. As a young preacher, Sam often did his best to explain the passage and transfer the data of his research to his listeners. He now has a sharper focus resulting in more exegesis on the cutting room floor. Sam wants to spend more time talking about Jesus, framed by the text of the sermon. He explains teaching is about helping someone understand the text, but preaching is what he wants the heart of his audience set upon.

Sam also hits on a number of topics in this podcast including sermons that interest non-believers, meeting in person vs online, and hand writing his notes. There is a wealth of knowledge and some real gems that should encourage any expositor. 

 Sam Allberry is a pastor, apologist and speaker. He is the author of a number of books, including Is God Anti-Gay?, Why Bother with Church?, 7 Myths about Singleness, and What God Has To Say About Our Bodies. He has written extensively for numerous organizations, including The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, and Living Out.

Additional Resources:

Website: https://samallberry.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamAllberry

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samallberry/

The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/profile/sam-allberry/

The ERLC: https://erlc.com/multi_author/sam-allberry/

Desiring God: https://www.desiringgod.org/authors/sam-allberry

Living Out: https://www.livingout.org/resources/stories/18/sam

Books: https://www.amazon.com/Sam-Allberry/e/B0034PD5BE