“Memoria“!

Previously, I highlighted an outstanding presentation by Matt Chandler on Roman history, as it intersects the book of Colossians.  Take some mental time and effort to create your own understanding and version of the various details and information will serve a preacher well.  To be able to just review, in a truncated or full form, the history of Rome during the writing of the Epistles will prove to be repeatedly and homiletically worthwhile and beneficial!

Likewise, an understanding of other historical eras, events, or personalities will continually prove to be advantageous to anyone who preaches and teaches the Bible over decades!  Getting this material under your belt, being able to clearly verbalize it in a way that is yours and in a way that reflects that you know what you are talking about is “cost-effective.”

Some of a preacher’s mental time and effort ought to be taken up with a “memorization” of such biblical-historical matters as . . . .

• The days and events of Creation
• The timeline of the Noahic Flood
• Abraham, and his line through Genesis
• The kingdom united under three kings — Saul, David, and Solomon
• How the kingdom divided and the tribes which composed the Southern Kingdom
• The kingdoms which occupied Israel and/or Judah — Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome – and their historical dates
• The Expanse and dates of the Roman Empire (500 B.C. to 500 A.D.)
• The origin of “money” or coinage
• etc.

 

As I was listening to D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaching from the book of Acts, I was again reminded of the importance of being able to speak freely and easily about Bible personalities.  Click on this link* and see if you also find this historical discussion about Felix & Druscilla interesting, insightful and expositorily profitable.

 

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*D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones — Righteousness, Temperance, and Judgement Part 1 – at the 2: 29-minute mark of the original full message.