A sermon from beyond the human mind

I have been experimenting with ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI, for the past few weeks. Every experience has been amazing, with the AI consistently producing high-quality output. In the past few days, I used ChatGPT to write a poem on Naga Morung and a song on Nagalim, and the results were astonishing.

ChatGPT, powered by GPT-3, is a cutting-edge technology that has everyone in the tech world talking. It is being hailed as one of the greatest technological advancements in recent years.

As I explored the capabilities of ChatGPT, I began to wonder what else this AI could do.

One day, while looking at a Bible verse of the day on my phone, John 13:34, I thought to myself, why not ask ChatGPT to prepare a sermon? So, I commanded ChatGPT to prepare a sermon based on the text John 13:34, with stories and life experiences included.

The outcome was amazing, and I knew I would not have been able to prepare a sermon of the same quality on my own.

Here’s the instruction I gave ChatGPT

Write a sermon on John 13:34. Cite stories and life experience

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34

This verse from the book of John is a call to love one another, and it is a call to be a shining example of that love to the world.

One story that comes to mind when I think about the kind of love Jesus is talking about is the story of the Good Samaritan. In this story, a man is beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite pass by and do nothing to help him, but a Samaritan, a person of a different ethnicity and religion, stops to help him. He takes care of the man’s wounds, brings him to an inn and pays for his stay.

This story illustrates the kind of love Jesus is talking about: it is a love that is not limited by who a person is or what they believe. It is a love that is given freely to anyone in need, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Another experience that comes to mind is when people come together in crisis. We often hear of people from all walks of life, from all different backgrounds and beliefs, coming together to help one another in times of disaster. We hear of communities banding together to feed and shelter the homeless, or to help the sick and the elderly, or to support the families of those who have lost loved ones. This is the love that Jesus calls us to as well.

In both these stories and life experiences we can see how love can bring people together and how it can make a real difference in the lives of others.

Let us remember the words of Jesus, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” and strive to love one another as Jesus loved us. May we be known by our love and may it be a reflection of the love of God in our lives. Amen.

Here’s the screencast video of my experiment with ChatGPT

However, the first sermon was a bit short and lacked a preacher’s touch. So, I asked ChatGPT to revise the sermon by making it longer and in the style of Pastor Rick Warren, a famous American pastor and author.

Revise this sermon in the style of Pastor Rick Warren. And make it longer

“Friends, let’s turn our attention to the book of John, chapter 13, verse 34. Jesus speaks these powerful words, ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

Now, when I hear these words of Jesus, they really hit home for me because they remind me of one of the most powerful stories in the Bible, the story of the Good Samaritan. You all know the story, a man is beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite pass by and do nothing to help him, but a Samaritan, a person of a different ethnicity and religion, stops to help him. He takes care of the man’s wounds, brings him to an inn, and pays for his stay.

This story illustrates the kind of love that Jesus is talking about in this verse. It’s a love that is not limited by who a person is or what they believe. It’s a love that is given freely to anyone in need, regardless of their background or circumstances.

You see, friends, the kind of love that Jesus calls us to is not just a feeling, it’s an action. It’s something that we do. It’s something that we live out every day in the way we treat others.

And we don’t have to look far to see examples of this kind of love in action. We see it all around us, every day. We see it in the way that people come together in crisis. We see it in the way that communities band together to feed and shelter the homeless, or to help the sick and the elderly, or to support the families of those who have lost loved ones.

But it’s not just in times of crisis that we see this love in action. We see it in the small acts of kindness that we do for one another every day. We see it in the way we hold the door open for someone or offer a helping hand. We see it in the way we offer a kind word or a listening ear.

You see, friends, the love that Jesus calls us to is a love that changes the world. It’s a love that transforms lives. And when we live out this love, when we allow it to guide our actions and our attitudes, we become a shining example to the world of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

And that’s why Jesus says in this verse, ‘By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ It’s not by the signs we display on our cars, or the fish on our lapels, or the cross around our neck. It’s by the love that we show to one another.

So, friends, let’s commit ourselves to living out this love every day. Let’s commit ourselves to being a shining example of the love of Jesus to the world. Let’s commit ourselves to being known by our love, and let that love be a reflection of the love of God in our lives. Amen.”

The revised sermon was much better than the first, as it was longer and in the style of Pastor Rick Warren. The AI-generated sermon was similar to the preaching style of Pastor Rick Warren, and I was amazed by the results. Finally, I asked ChatGPT to give the title of the sermon, and it came up with a title “The Love that Transforms: Living out John 13:34”.

My Thoughts on AI sermon

Artificial Intelligence is becoming more advanced every day. Like a child who learns through experimentation, AI has learned from various inputs. Despite not having consciousness, AI is becoming more aware of the tasks it performs. The purpose of technology is to assist humans, but over time we have become slaves to technology. When it comes to relying on technologies and AI, there are two outcomes; those who use AI to assist them will see great results, while those who solely rely on AI will see doomsday ahead. It depends on how you use the technology

In regards to the AI-generated sermon, I have mixed thoughts about its applicability, uses, and potential impact on people. AI can assist people in preparing sermons, and it can be used in podcasts or videos, like the one below which I made using the above sermon.

No doubt AI is producing good sermons, but it will never be able to replicate the emotional and personal elements that a human preacher brings. The reliance on AI to prepare sermons raises questions about the future of preaching and the role of technology in religion. Time will tell how this technology will continue to shape the way we communicate and share our beliefs.

And the final question that arises in my mind is, what if AI generates sermons that are better than those produced by human preachers, will preachers become reliant on AI to prepare their sermons? Will the congregation turn to AI for sermons? Only time will reveal the answer.