Archive for the ‘Expository Preaching’ Category

Many …many! new students attended this basic expository teaching class with Pastor Steve Kreloff, from Lakeside Community Chapel in Clearwater FL! The attendance actually surprised us since we had one of the biggest classes ever! Many scholarships were also given to the students, thanks to our friends and supporters!

The class centered on the basic fundamentals for studying the Bible, including the general principles of hermeneutics.

Two special sessions were also organized for the women. The lessons, centered on biblical womanhood and raising children, were taught by Michele Kreloff,  Pastor Steve’s wife. Michele has a women’s teaching ministry at Lakeside Community Chapel called Insight for Women.

The week was a true blessing. Thank you for your prayers. The material presented was a definite challenge for the students. It involved a compendium of principles along with practice for the study of God’s Word particularly for the preacher of God’s Word. The ultimate goal was to instill in the students a precise methodology and theology in approaching God’s Word and teaching it. Clearly time will be required to implement all acquired during the week. By God’s grace, however, the Italian Church is one step further on the road to accurately communicating the Word of God.

What is the meaning of Biblical Exegesis? How is exegesis different from hermeneutics? What is the difference between the bird’s-eye view and the worms-eye view? Why is literal interpretation the best way to approach the study of the biblical text? What does authorial intent mean? How do you analyze a passage historically and grammatically? What dangers are involved in doing a word study?

These are just some of the questions and challenges that students at the Italian Theological Academy will wrestle with throughout the week of July 19^th to the 23^rd. Once again our stated goal at ITA is to assist the Italian Evangelical church in pursuing biblical truth through the arduous work of interpretation, communication (preaching), and the application of God’s truth. We covet your prayers as we strive to train the Lord’s church in Italy.

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

preach the word! 2 Tim 4:1-2

The Apostle Paul’s solemn charge to Timothy becomes our charge at ITA beginning the 31^st of May through the 4^th of June. Once again Expository Preaching will be the theme. Throughout this intense time of study ITA students will focus on the various biblical genres present in the scripture. The ultimate goal will be to preach the word more effectively and accurately and bless God’s church in Italy. Please pray for and with us as we make it our ambition to please the Lord in this noble endeavor.

February 8-12-2010

What is Expository Preaching?  Why is it so important? In essence expositional preaching is based upon three fundamentals… what are they? From 1 Timothy 4:13 we learn that expositional preaching is based upon reading the text… explaining the text… and applying the text… What type of life and character should the man of God have in order to preach the word? How does the man of God prepare an expository sermon? How does the man of God preach an expository sermon.  Last but not least… how does the man of God help the church appreciate the value of an expositional message?

These are simply some of the “fundamentals” of expository preaching that students at the Italian Theological Academy will embrace and wrestle with throughout the second week of February 2010. It will be an intensive week of training, an expositional “boot-camp” under the teaching and shepherding of seasoned Pastor-Teacher Steven A. Kreloff.  Please join us through prayer as a new and exciting academic year kicks off at ITA.    

How do you find the point of a passage? How do you determine the biblical author’s intent in the writing of a book of the Bible? How do you discover the theme of a passage and understand how the author is building an argument to unfold that particular theme? And if you do uncover the point of the passage, the authorial intent, theme and subsequent argumentation, … how do you preach it all???

The above is an example of some of the fundamental issues in expositional preaching that the Italian Theological Academy’s students in the expository preaching program “wrestled with” in their attempt to further progress their studies, during the second week of November ‘09 at the ITA.

This second week in the expository preaching program at the ITA consisted in learning the principles of Bibliology and Hermeneutics. Theory was followed by vital practice in the classroom as students did detailed exegesis of particular biblical passages like 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 regarding the excellence of love above all the gifts God has given to His Church. Exegesis and homiletics were also combined in a rich study of the Biblical book of 3 John.

The class was taught by seasoned pastor and seminary professor Jerry Wragg, from Jupiter, Florida. Those present, men involved in pastoral ministry from churches throughout five regions in Italy, would all conclude that this was indeed another profound step forward for the local church and the preaching of the Word of God in Italy.

The Bibliology & Hermeneutics class will start November 9 to 13. This is the second class in the first year of the expository preaching program. The professor will be Jerry Wragg, from Grace Immanuel Bible Church, Jupiter FL.

From the eleven students that have attended the first class, only seven will be able to participate this time.  Pray for the remaining four students, as they will not be there due to illnesses.  In particular, pray for one who is waiting for a liver transplant.

Follow the class progress on Facebook!