How you read the Bible will determine how you lead. I believe that Christian leaders should read the Bible (and teach all Christians to read it) with an open humble heart attuned to the Holy Spirit instead of merely reading it and preaching it with an academic analytical mind.
Homiletics relies on the mind to analyze preaching techniques and to write religious messages. It is the study of the composition and delivery of sermons. It is sometimes called the art and science of preaching.
Heartiletics relies on God the Holy Spirit to release an inner flow of words about Jesus. (Luke 12:12 and John 7:38-39) It is speaking “Spirit-taught words” (1 Corinthians 2:13) as spontaneously prompted and led by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:14) It’s not a person speaking from the mind. It’s the Holy Spirit speaking by giving a person the words to say in the moment. (Mark 13:11)
I believe that churches and pastors depend far too much on mental sermon preparation and on human knowledge. Pastors are taught in Bible school and seminary to study, read books and Bible commentaries about, and analyze their chosen Sunday topic. They are even taught follow a lectionary — a book that tells pastors what to preach on each Sunday of the year.
I had a seminary professor who was so dependent on the human mind that he taught us that pastors should spend one hour studying for every minute that they preach. That’s homiletics on steroids!
Some pastors use “short cut” homiletics. They just beg, borrow, or steal sermons from other preachers. That’s easy to do nowadays. There are many internet sites where pastors can copy, paste, and preach other preacher’s sermons. (Far too many preachers do that.)
It’s very rare to find a pastor who uses heartiletics — who prepares to preach by humbling himself, seeking Gods face, praying, and repenting. (2 Chronicles 7:14) It’s hard to find a pastor who preaches from a heart overcome by the presence of the living God instead of from an academic and analytical mind.
Few pastors are willing to stand up to preach and rely on the Holy Spirit to give them the words to say at that very moment. Jesus said Christians can: “Make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.” (Luke 21:14-15) Surely pastors can also rely on that amazing promise from Christ when they preach.
I love heartiletics. I love to hear people preach and testify spontaneously from the heart as prompted and led by the Spirit. I love to speak and preach that way. However, it does require a lot more faith than to stand in a pulpit with a fully written sermon (or detailed notes).
For ten years my wife and I planted and oversaw a church (in the Salvation Army) where heartiletics was expected and accepted. Anybody present was welcome to open their heart and speak as they were prompted by the Spirit. It was an amazing ten years of heartiletics! Every Sunday we were all in awe at how God spoke and powerfully illuminated Scripture through the simplicity, honesty, and humility of ordinary men and women. (To learn more about heartiletics google: Beyond Church Ekklesia.)
True Christianity depends on Christ’s empowerment, not on human effort. Jesus said: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Rather than trying harder Christians need to continually surrender to and rely on the presence and power of the risen Jesus. Paul asked a key question to the Christians in Galatia: “After beginning by means of the Spirit are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3)
I ask: “When you go to church do you encounter the means of the Spirit at work, or do you see the means of human effort and programming at work? An honest answer to my question reveals why there is so little life-transforming power in contemporary Christianity.
To cultivate
The Spirit’s fruit
Focus your mind
To concentrate
And meditate
On Jesus Christ
Till you learn
To gravitate
And saturate
Your heart always
With Christ’s presence.
Free Gas for Your Think Tank -- Fill Your Mind and Your Heart With Hope 
Apostle Paul said, Woe is me if I preach not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Great place to start a ministry.
I appreciate different viewpoints and loving debate in the body of Christ. I believe that all Christians are called to live and absorb the Word of God (not just preachers) and to let it burn in our hearts, not just approach it with our mind. I also believe that in the Western world the body of Christ is way out of balance. In the Christian West the emphasis is on mental study and analyses of the Bible while speaking in “Spirit-taught” words (words given by the Spirit in the moment) is extremely rare.
People say I talk about the Spirit-prompted approach a lot, but I am one of very few people I see emphasizing listening to and obeying the Spirit, while analytical Bible study is promoted by multitudes of individuals, churches, denominations, seminaries, and Bible schools. If you truly believe that we should love the Lord with all our mind and all our heart, I am sure you see the lack of emphasis on approaching the Bible to hear the Spirit speaking through it, instead of approaching it just to study and analyze it.
As far as sermon preparation goes, I believe that all Christ-followers should so read, devour, and absorb the Bible that we overflow with it and are ready to give an answer in season and out of season. I believe we should be so full of the Word that we can talk about it, teach it, and preach it in any moment without extra preparation. I also believe that the Holy Spirit can give us the words directly without needing us to strive and work and plan for what we need to say.
So many Christians and pastors believe they can’t teach or preach without specific preparation. They may have been saved and/or pastored for years yet still feel like they have to plan out and write down what they are going to say, instead of just letting it flow from their heart and from the Spirit.
Preparing a sermon with the mind requires nothing supernatural. It simply requires human effort. However, allowing the Spirit to give you the words in the moment does require the supernatural. When Spirit-prompted words flow spontaneously through someone (preacher or regular Christ-follower) it demonstrates the presence, anointing, and reality of the risen Jesus.
Yes, we need a balance of academics and Spirit-prompted inspiration in the body of Christ, but Spirit-prompted inspiration has almost been completely ignored in our time. All I am trying to do is to encourage people to push the pendulum back a bit in that direction. It would be nice if churches and seminaries would at least consider Spirit-prompted unprogrammed preaching as a legitimate option.