the preach

A friend of mine approaches every text, study or topic with the question, “so what?” (The obvious intention being that whatever you’re teaching must make a difference in people’s lives)

We’re good at this when it comes to the application of a text (well, sometimes we are) but everyone who’s ever preached a sermon inevitably wonders, “I wonder what that will do? I wonder if it will matter? I wonder if it will help shape how people think or live or act?”

I’ve had conversations with people about things I know we’ve taught on the in past year. They seem clueless when I remind them. I try not to shake them in frustration.

Though we have to remember that transformed lives/living/action comes only through the work of God’s Spirit, maybe we can do a little more in helping them engage with what is taught. Maybe we can even be so uncool as give them some “next steps”.

I’ve avoided the next step end to a sermon in the past because of four main reasons:

• I don’t want to presume how the Spirit will apply the teaching to someone’s life.
• I find next step thinking a little boxy at times.
• I want my sermon to be so inspiring, and ground breaking-ly brilliant that people will rush out the doors and change the world before they entertain going to White Spot for lunch.
• I don’t think next step stuff is cool.

I’ve begun to realize however, that almost all those reasons (save the first) are immature and unimaginative. They’re also full of pride. The sermon’s primary role is to point people to Jesus, and encourage them to surrender to his love and grace with everything they have. Whatever we have to do to accomplish that, we must.

There might be times where we can craft a sermon to continue to achieve it’s primary objective. It’s not about behavior modification; it’s about putting wheels on it.

 Here’s a few ways our team has been toying with this:

• A discussion guide. Abbreviate your sermon (1-2 pages) and provide follow up questions surrounding the material. We’ve found great success with small groups utilizing this each week in adopting the teaching, furthering it’s application, and really getting into it. It’s not about making people re-live the sermon; it’s about taking the next step in adopting the teaching and applying it. We put them on our website, and people print it off, or open it on smartphones. Yes, it takes more work from you.

• Podcast. Get the teaching out there. I’ve heard stats that say 60% of your church isn’t there on a Sunday. In this day and age there’s no reason they have to miss the teaching. This isn’t really a next step, but it’s necessary today. Don’t know how? Ask us or someone else.

• Encourage people to “talk about it when they are getting up, when they are lying down…teach it to their children…write it on their doorways”.  Sound familiar? Simply remind them (lots) to talk about what they’ve heard over lunch, or share with someone what has hit them about the teaching. Remind them that it’s ok to engage. They don’t have to just sit there and nod.

• Ask leading questions. Ending a sermon with a question mark is okay sometimes. A full stop or exclamation mark means it over. You can literally put questions on the screen, or just ask them outright.

• Use social media to post articles/resources/videos relating to the teaching either before or after it. Something like, “If you’re interested in last week’s teaching, take a look at this amazing video which really hits the nail on the head!”  or something…

• Plan initiatives around the sermon or series that help people practice what’s been preached.  If you’re doing a series on prayer, maybe do some prayer together? Just a stab in the dark.

• Teach a man to fish, don’t just give a man a fish (ie.. provide resources). We’re giving people fish every week, but we can do more quite simply. List books, articles, etc in discussion notes, or make them available on a website.

• Tell people where you’re headed. Before you get to the end of sermon or series, tell them where you’re going next. This allows people to read up, muse, and prepare for what you’ll be teaching next. Right now we’re on the edge of a five-week series on the Lord’s Prayer. We’ve been talking/posting/writing about it for weeks.

Those are pretty simple. Anyone else got some brilliant ideas? Share away!

If you claim to never have come across something in the Bible that makes you say, “Huh?” then you’re a big fat liar.

Everyone has. The challenge for us is that we’re called to teach the depth and breadth of Scripture, ready in season and out of season. So what do we do when we don’t understand something in the text we’re teaching?

Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones was one of the most influential and prolific preachers of the twentieth century. He preached week in and week out at the Westminster Chapel in London. Not only a tireless preacher, he dedicated himself to helping others grow in the craft. The description of “pro” fits Lloyd-Jones perfectly.

According to R. T. Kendall (one of Llyod-Jones’ students, and pulpit-heir at Westminster) his predecessor put off a series on Romans for years because he was, “waiting to understand Romans 6”.

Kendall himself whist in prayer once felt the Spirit nudge him to preach a series on Jesus’ parables. His first thought was, “Oh no, I don’t think I understand the parables.” (The Parables of Jesus, Kendall)

Before we share a couple of tips, be encouraged. You’re not alone. Someone once said that the most comforting words in human language are, “me too”.

Some simple ideas/reminders whilst taking on challenging texts.

• Ask the Spirit to teach you. Our first response to the “huh” moment shouldn’t be to jump up and grab a commentary, or onto a computer to Google away…but a prayer: “Holy Spirit, teach me in this moment, and help me to understand. Open eyes so I can truly see, and my ears so I can truly understand.”

• Ask questions. Write in your Bible, or somewhere else, all the questions you have of the passage. Understanding starts with the humility and admittance that we understand very little.

• Ask scary questions. If Jesus, or Moses, or Paul, or someone isn’t making you question what you believe on a scary level on a regular bases then you’re not reading your Bible right. By asking the scary questions like, “Why does Jesus intentionally tell stories that will exlude people from the knowledge of the Kingdom?” we may start finding the answers our people are desperate for. (*BTW I’m wrestling with the parables question right now…email me your thoughts)

• Wait a while. You may want to preach this passage tomorrow (hopefully you don’t have to) but it might take time to marinade. Don’t be afraid to take the Lloyd-Jones approach and “postpone” teaching what you’ve not personally benefitted from.

• Ask around. Sometimes before I turn to books I turn to friends. I call or sit with a trusted peer or mentor and ask them what they think or what they know. Build relationships around Scripture before turning to rulebooks. No one said you have to glean all your wisdom from books.

• Get on with it. Sometimes we have to wait a while, and sometimes we don’t. Kendall claims he took a different approach than Lloyd-Jones when feeling the call preach on the parables. He felt he’d never fully understand all of them, so he might as well start the journey. In a wonderful twist of fait his study and preparation led him out of many “huh?” moments and into plenty “ah-hah!” moments. It wasn’t until he committed to the journey that the puzzle pieces began to fall into place.

• Work hard. Do everything you can to understand what you’re about to share with God’s people. They deserve it. Read more, pray more, think more, talk to yourself in the shower or in the car more. Wrestle it and grow strong.

What do you do when confronted with a text that stumps you?

A fantastic sermon (to pastors) from Tim Keller on how to preach the OT in light of the salvation meta-narrative.

Getting Out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBP5OyzqYGM

Working through an entire New Testament book of the Bible together with a group is one of my favorite pastoral endeavors each year. Sometimes it’s a semester long study of Colossians in a small group, other times it’s an extended preaching journey through 1 John.

I love getting deep into a book together, allowing the text to guide and shape the community through the leading of the Holy Spirit. We always end up places we didn’t expect.

I learned how to preach under great professors, pastors and peers. If there’s one bit of indispensible wisdom I’ve gleaned, it’s this:

 Ask great questions.

Ask great questions of the text, yourself, and the community your leading. From those questions derive implications that will transform people’s view, and practice of Jesus following.

A few questions I’ve found helpful when studying New Testament books in particular:

• What is the author’s focus for the letter through this passage and how is it connected to the broader themes of the book?

• Has this theme or teaching already been explored as we’ve moved through the book? How can we take it deeper look at it from another angle?

• Did the author hear this from Jesus first? Where? How did Jesus teach it? Are there stories connected from the Gospels?
• How is this passage connected to the salvation narrative of the Bible?

• Does the author explore this idea in any of his other writings?

• Can we find other Biblical texts in agreement with the author? How do they coincide? Does another author explain it better, or look at it from another angle?

• How was the author trying to edify the first listeners? How should his words edify us now (our community, our town, our country, our time, this week, this year, in light of this event, etc)?

• Does this passage hold any “Christian cliché”, or well-known, but little understood ideas that we can unpack and understand better?

• What does this passage say about the author and how he leads those he’s writing to?

• What does this book / passage say about the author’s experience of Jesus personally?

• What does this passage say about the listeners? How are they living and how did they need correction, love, help?

• Are the first recipient’s problems like or unlike our problems?

• What is the main thrust of this passage and what are the supporting implications? (*I can’t stress the importance of this question enough. The major thrust of a passage may be the Gospel and message of Jesus, which the non-Christian or new Christian in our gatherings needs to hear. The supporting implications may hold much for those who’ve been following Jesus for a while. By asking this question we’re able to teach with precision to many different kinds of people).

• Learn to ask “So what?” of a passage.

• What background might help illuminate this passage? What “present ground” or “future ground” is this passage applicable to? What does it say to our situations now?

• Last but not least: What does this passage speak to me? How does it encourage, inspire, convict me? Out of this question God will birth passion, conviction and inspiration for the teaching.

I like to be prepared before a road trip. The preparations are under way long before I set off, but on the big day I still like to make sure my directions are correct, my car is in working order, and I have everything I need for the journey.

In giving a sermon we’re going somewhere, with a group of people, for a reason. We’re assuming you’re well prepared (whatever that means for you) long before you’re just about to share…but here are 5 practices for the 5 minutes just before you preach.

Check Practical Provisions

Bible bookmarked, iPad unlocked, memorized Scripture at the front of your mind. We shouldn’t be scrambling to find Habakkuk in front of a group of people we’re supposed to be leading. Make sure your notes are in order, your mic is ready, and your visuals are organized. There’s nothing wrong or vain about it, so don’t be ashamed to care about what you do. Do you think your surgeon vain for scrubbing up, and readying her team and tools before she cuts you open?

Focus on the People

If you can, look around you, or perhaps briefly visit the back of the room to look over those you’re about to share with. Again, the assumption would be that you’ve been considering your audience for some time, but taking a moment to remember who you’re sharing with will help focus you for the task ahead. It will remind you to be soft, bold, energetic, whatever…it will remind you to be what you need to be for this moment. It’s also a great chance to pray over them one last time.

Embrace Your Provision

Preach in the fullness of God, not out of your lack. If there’s music before, sing. If there’s prayer, get right into it. Whatever act of worship that precedes the sermon, enter it. If we’re too busy worrying about how our sermon will go to allow ourselves to be ministered to by the Spirit, we’re negating Jesus’ command not to worry. “Don’t worry” he says, “worrying betrays the fact you forgotten who’s in control and who provides for you” (paraphrase of Matthew 6: 34ff). Also, Jesus is worthy of every moment of your life, and all of your attention and praise. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Smile at Someone you Love

We’re made of flesh and blood, and the physical presence of a loved one can make a world of difference. Squeeze your spouse’s hand, fist-bump a buddy, just find some final human connection to remind yourself you’re not alone in this. You may need a moment to focus, but don’t needlessly isolate yourself. Preaching is a communal exertion; enjoy it with someone.

Acknowledge Unseen Provision

I read that Charles Spurgeon, walking up the steps to his pulpit, used to utter to himself “I believe in the Holy Spirit”, a reminder that it wasn’t all about or all on him. God’s Spirit will do what God’s Spirit will do. A last minute reminder to ourselves that this moment matters, and God is in it, will calm and centre us. Do what you must to give the moment to God.

*BONUS: Check your fly.

What do you do right before you give a sermon?