Ben sits down with his longtime friend and fellow RTS alum, Rev. Ryan Biese, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.

The two discuss the difference between preaching and lecturing, the place of Christ in every sermon, and how to structure a week around two full sermons. Ryan offers a candid look into his preparation process, including why he writes 4,000-word “outlines,” how application often lands in the final hours, and the surprising insights that come during prayer—or in the shower.

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In this roundtable-style episode, Ben is joined by friends Job Dalomba and Stephen Spinnenweber to discuss two weighty themes from Pastoral Theology by Thomas Murphy: Preaching as the Minister’s Chief Calling, and Christ as the Sum and Substance of All Preaching.

“The minister ought, by all means, to cultivate a very high appreciation of the importance of preaching, and to concentrate on it all his energies. The hour in the pulpit he should look upon as the harvest hour of the week. Everything else in the life, studies, and other duties of his office should be made to centre upon this his most momentous work.” -Thomas Murphy

“If we do not preach [Christ and His great salvation], our ministry is nothing. It is without authority, without spirit, without power, without an adequate object, and will be without any substantial results for good.” -Thomas Murphy

"Don't you know, young man, that from every town and from every village and from every little hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London? And so from every text in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ. And, my dear brother, your business is when you get to a text, to say, 'Now, what is the road to Christ?' And then preach a sermon running along the road to the great metropolis, Christ. I have never yet found a text that had not a road to Christ in it; and if ever I do find one that has not, I will make one. I will go over a hedge and ditch but I will get at my Master, for the sermon cannot do any good unless there be a flavor of Christ in it." -Charles Spurgeon

“Christ, and him crucified, was the one theme for the preaching of which the ministry was appointed. There is no other conceivable object which was worthy of the establishment and perpetuation of such a sacred office. And it is with us either the preaching of Christ or nothing. We have no title to our ministry excepting what is involved in this.” -Thomas Murphy

(Quotations taken from 2025 Log College Press edition of Pastoral Theology pages 161-166, 179-187)

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Matt Adams joins Ben to explore the significance of preaching, focusing on Matt's personal journey from a Pentecostal background to becoming a Presbyterian minister.

They discuss the philosophy of preaching, emphasizing the importance of explaining and applying biblical texts in a Christ-centered manner. Matt shares his sermon preparation process, detailing how he maps out sermon series and the mechanics of writing and delivering sermons, highlighting the need for personal engagement with the text.

Adams even shares a story from his exciting Pentecostal upbringing.

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