You have just been asked to preach next month and you're at a loss of what to say. There are several subjects you are interested in but how do you find enough information to help flush out your ideas? If you have ever found yourself in such a position, I have good news for you. If you have local access to the Internet (most towns do) there is a wide variety of material that can greatly aid your sermon or Sabbath school class preparation-and it is all free! The Internet can provide you with a virtual electronic library of material that will make your sermon preparation easier and quicker. Here are several resource tools that can get you started.
Ellen G. White Writings: If the overwhelming amount of Ellen G. White material has ever hindered you from exploring her thoughts on certain topics you need no longer worry. It is now possible to search and examine the complete published writings of Ellen G. White via the Internet—without even having to purchase the Ellen G. White CD-ROM. In minutes, you can search for Mrs. White's thoughts on temperance, baptism, or whatever topic you are researching. All you have to do is type in the word and in minutes you can examine or download her statements. You can access these writings through the World-Wide Web or by Telnet. Via World-Wide Web contact http://www.egwestate.andrews.edu. The Telnet address is aubranch.egwestate.andrews.edu (login as "guest").
Online Bible Concordances: Looking for that certain verse but can't find it? You no longer have to read the whole Bible to find that verse. The Bible Gateway has a search program that allows you to search up to six different versions of the Bible. Simply type in the keyword and it will give you every place in the Bible where that word is found. The Bible Gateway can be found at http://www.gospelcom.net/bible.
Vine's New Testament Word Search: Vine's Expository Dictionary ofN.T. Words is another gold mine of material for free on the Internet. Have you ever found a Bible word and you wondered what it meant? Rather than going to Webster's Dictionary which gives you the modern meaning of words, Vine's gives you the biblical meaning of those words. This Bible study tool can be found at -20http://www.goshen.net/vnd/.
Nave's Topical Bible: Nave's Topical Bible, considered one of the best tools for topical Bible study, is also available on the Internet. Nave's is more than a concordance, it is an idea book that allows you to see what the Bible has to say on over 20,000 topics. Simply type in the topic you are studying (women, worship, etc...) and you will find the most significant references for each topic. This excellent resource can be found at http://www.goshen.net/ntb.
Matthew Henry Commentary: Another source of help on the Internet is Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary. This commentary set has provided sound biblical interpretation for sermons and study for over 300 years. When you can't seem to understand just what the Bible is saying, all you need to do is type in the book and chapter and you can read what Matthew Henry understood the passage to mean. Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary can be located at http://ccel.wheaton.edu/henry/mhc.html.
Sermon Stories And Illustrations: In desperate need of finding a fresh illustration or story for your sermon? Now you can access hundreds of stories, illustrations, quotations, poems and more through several sites on the Internet. The Baptist Bible Fellowship provides a combination of sermons, stories and illustrations and can be found at http://www.bbfi.org/sermons/ sermons.html. Another excellent site for illustrations and preaching tools can be located at http://www.sedona.net/~budman/illustr.htrnl.
Christian Classics: The Christian Classics Ethereal Library contains many books that can be read online or downloaded. At this site you can find the works of Augustine, John Bunyan, John Calvin, C. H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards and many more. In fact, if you are interested in church history you can find the complete 38 volumes of the Early Church Fathers. These books are available at http://ccel.wheaton.edu.
Adventist Connections: Looking for late breaking Adventist news, history, or addresses of other SDA institutions or churches on the Internet? The SDA World Church home page is found at http:// www.cuc.edu/sdaorg/gc. A list of various SDA organizations (not all are approved) and churches can be obtained from Adventist Connections at http://www.andrews.edu/inst.html.
Conclusion: These Bible study tools are only that, tools. They can not write your sermon for you, but they can make your preparation less anxiety ridden. It will take some time at first to get acquainted with these tools, but once you do you will wonder how you ever preached without them.
Carl P. Cosaert writes from Kansas City where he is pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church at Olathe.
