The Faithlife Study Bible is also available in Logos Bible Software for your personal computer. Access the Faithlife Study Bible online using the web app right in your browser. Logos saves you research time, shelf space, and thousands of dollarsit even cites. Its massive libraries, smart searches, and powerful original language features give you the best Bible study experience on the planet. Logos Bible Software puts the world’s finest Bible study tools on your PC.
It’s just that they actually aren’t the most important aspect of your ministry.You know what the most important component in your ministry is? YOU are!Yes, the most important thing in your ministry is you! I’m not saying your sermons aren’t at all important. I thought I’d share with you a little bit about why I started using Logos and why I keep using it when I prepare my sermons today.Ok, ok. I’d had my 24 hours of Twitter fame.The next day, someone asked me, “So, Markus, what do you really think of Logos Bible study software?”And, so…. Where’s my phone? I’m bouta take me a picture and make it my wallpaper.”And, suddenly, everyone was liking, commenting, and retweeting! For the first time in my life, my tweet went viral!I couldn’t keep up with all the notifications on my phone! Is this how it is for those big-time influencers?! Crazy!After twenty-four hours, as you might expect, no one was talking about my tweet anymore. Logos.comI kinda love seeing front and center on the endorsements page for Logos software! Right between Piper and MacArthur! 😆 pic.twitter.com/vJ3gHPEJckNext thing I knew, Beth Moore herself had commented on the tweet, saying:“Wait wait wait wait wait.
At that time, my best resource for sermon preparation was the library at Bethel Seminary. Your exegesis is valuable, but your Spirit-led leadership is more valuable.You should be spending as little time doing sermon prep as possible.You ask, “But, Markus, are you saying I should start slacking off in my sermon prep?”What I’m saying is, we all need a tool that will help us preach better sermons with less preparation time SO THAT we can do all the other things we need to do as pastors and spiritual leaders in order to restore God’s wholeness in the world.For me, Logos has been one of the tools that has helped me do that.Logos Bible study software helps me preach better sermons with less prep time so I can be the pastor my congregation and community needs.2007 was the year I started preaching every week when I became the pastor of a Presbyterian church in San Diego. Your teaching is important, but your compassion is more important.
All I had to do was type in the passage I’d be preaching on and Logos immediately gave me everything I needed to study that passage.Let me share with you three of my favorite features.My Favorite Features in Logos Custom LayoutEarly on, I discovered that I could create a custom layout in Logos. This was way back in 2009.Once I stared using Logos, it felt like everything changed.I had a huge library of commentaries and books and other resources literally right at my fingertips. I liked what I saw and I bought the Silver level of Logos. I couldn’t say, “I’ll look it up tomorrow.”Eventually, I heard about Logos Bible study software and decided to check it out. And if I ran out of time, I was out of luck. If a question emerged that the commentaries I’d pulled didn’t answer, I’d have to go looking for other resources.
Here’s a picture:I type in the text and Logos pulls up all of the commentaries that I’ve designated as favorites for this layout. I’ll usually read the passage through in all nine translations, noting the similarities and differences, and allowing questions to emerge.I should say that before I read the text in these nine translations, I’ll usually have spent some time meditating on the passage in a lectio divina sort of way—letting my spirit soak in the scripture.After I’ve read the passage through in these nine translations and written down my observations and questions, I switch over to my second custom layout.The second custom layout I use is my Research layout.It’s an essential layout that Logos offers for study, which I’ve customized with my preferred tools. I have two custom layouts that I use.The first custom layout is my Scripture layout.In this layout, as soon as I type in the passage I’m studying, Logos opens to that passage in nine different translations.
My previous sermon on Acts 13:1-12 introduced two characters on the island of Cyprus: Sergius Paulus and Bar-Jesus. I like to use it when I’m, for instance, studying a person or a place. (Did you know Pisidian Antioch is only 200 miles from Paul’s hometown or Tarsus?)Factbook is a really cool tool. In my sermon on Acts 13:13-52, I used these maps to understand where Paul and Barnabas were traveling.
If I click on the Strong’s notation, I can get all kinds of in-depth information about zelos.Logos does almost everything for you…but not absolutely everythingI’m telling you, I love Logos. Sure enough, in Greek, the word is zelos, which can be translated as jealousy or zeal. So, I click on “jealousy” and look at the Greek at the bottom of the screen. Wright suggests that “zeal” is a better translation for the Greek.Well, some translations (e.g., the NIV and ESV) include the original languages below the English. For instance, Acts 13:45 says that the Jews were “filled with jealousy” at Paul and Barnabas.
It’s the one thing you need to your people to leave with. It is where you will land the sermon. What do they need to know?This will help you focus on the one point your sermon needs to make. They will help you know which information you’ve gleaned from Logos should be included in your sermon, and which should be left for another time. These four questions will help you get clear on exactly what your sermon needs to focus on. That’s still up to you.So, let me share one more tip that will help with the actual structuring and writing of your sermon.There are four questions you need to ask yourself every time your write a sermon (or teach a lesson or give a talk).
I even used them for this blog post!Let me add just one last thing about why I love using Logos.Using Logos has allowed me to get out of the library and into the neighborhood. Why do they need to do it? This will also help you in your conclusion.Answering these four questions were a game changer for me. There should always be something you invite your congregation to do in response to the one thing they have learned. What do they need to do? This will help you conclude your sermon. It will help you create some tension and curiosity as to how the thing they need to know will answer a question they may not even know they have.
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