Those who have heard me preach will know that I do not jump all over the Bible trying to make a point. Those who have heard me preach will also know that I do not use my time in the pulpit to try and solve all the world's problems or scratch everywhere the people itch. My approach to preaching is to take a single unit of biblical text and try my best to explain it clearly and thoroughly, clarifying what the proper response to the particular Scripture would be and calling for obedience. There have been times when someone has asked me, "Where do you get ideas for your sermons?" Never once in all my thirteen years of preaching have I tried to come up with an "idea" for a sermon. I just take a passage of Scripture, explain it, and apply it. Allow me to take just a moment to show you why I have taken that approach to preaching.
The first reason is the preacher's authority. The Bible is the very Word of God. It is God-breathed. It is the very thoughts, words and ideas of God communicated to man through the medium of human authors. Because it is the very Word of God Himself it carries His authority. The Bible is God speaking to man and what God says is absolutely authoritative, whether or not men accept it as such makes no difference. What all that means is if I am preaching what God has said my preaching carries with it the authority of God's Word. If my message is my own then it has no authority because I have no authority. But, if the message I speak is God's message it carries His authority. So, if I want my preaching to be with authority I must limit myself to saying what God has already said in the Bible.
The second reason is the hearer's need. What man needs and what man thinks he needs are two very different things. What man thinks he needs is a solution to all his temporary, earthly problems. What man thinks he needs is the key to health, wealth and worldly success. What man really needs is God. Why would a surgeon give a nose job to a patient with two days to live? Man is dead in trespasses and sins. Dead people don't need things they need life. Trying to solve all man's temporary earthly issues without dealing with his spiritual condition is like giving a nose job to a patient with two days to live. What man really needs is to hear what God has to say. His words are life. As a preacher that means I resist all the temptation to scratch where people itch and tell them what they most need to hear. What they most need to hear is what God has said in His Word. The Bible does have alot to say about the earthly issues we face, but the answer is always to focus on a right relationship with God and trust Him to take care of the rest.
The third reason is the sermon's objective. I do not preach to gain a following for myself. I do not preach to make a name for myself. I do not preach so that people will speak well of me. I preach that people may follow Christ. I preach that Christ may be known. I preach that His name may be great in all the earth. I preach for His glory not my own. In every sermon I preach He is to be the hero. In every sermon I preach He is to remain at the center. In every sermon I preach it is faith in Him at which I am aiming. The intent of the Bible is both to reveal and make much of Jesus Christ the Son of God and to show men the way to salvation and life in Him. Therefore, if I just stick with what the Bible says my sermons will be what they ought. I will be exalting Him, not myself.
I do not profess to be a great preacher. But I serve a great God and that demands that His Word be handled with the utmost of integrity and caution. My goal in preaching is to say what God has said: nothing more, nothing less and nothing else. Many preachers will stand and give their own thoughts and opinions, their own made up interpretations of Scripture, and attribute it all to God. Some men may think it a small thing to put words in God's mouth. I do not!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Small Does Not Equal Broken
There is an unspoken assumption I have sensed many, many times while attending a seminar or conference related to church ministry. Here it is: "Successful churches are big churches." It is always the pastors of big churches who are on the program. The ministry successes that are highlighted are those of big churches. The only small churches praised are those that have grown to become big churches. Even though the vast majority of churches all over the world are small churches, even though the small church is the very backbone of the SBC, no one is celebrating the small church.
I attended a conference recently. One of the speakers on the program was the pastor of a large church. As a group of pastors sat together at dinner one night, he asked each pastor he did not know the same questions. What is your attendance? How long have you been at your church? What was the attendance when you first went to the church? To this pastor, success was determined by numerical growth. Unfortunately, that is a common mindset in church growth circles.
Well, I want to make an announcement. When it comes to churches, bigger is not better. It's not worse, either. It's just bigger. Small churches are not inferior. Small churches are not broken. There are just as many unhealthy big churches as there are unhealthy small churches. Sure, big churches have some bells and whistles that small churches do not. But the small church is equally capable of doing the work of the church. Here's a reality check. The percentage of people who tithe is greater in the small church. The percentage of people who serve in some ministry is greater in the small church.
I thank God for big churches and the people they reach for Christ. But, half of all Christians still prefer to attend a smaller church, even though most have the option of attending a larger church. God has designed things so that 85% of the churches in the world are small churches. Could it be that God knows something the church growth gurus don't? The small church is perfectly able to carry out the work of the kingdom, and in some ways even has advantages over larger churches.
The church I pastor is a small church, and it's a great church. There are lots of people growing in the knowledge and likeness of Christ. Our church is involved in many meaningful ministries that reach outside our own church body. We are making a real effort to make a difference in our own community. Our worship is genuine and fits who we are. Our people are compassionate and will go to great lengths to meet the needs of others. We are seeing some people come to faith in Christ. And I could go on. We are doing the work of the church. We are a successful church, just not a big church.
I thank God for big churches that are healthy. I thank God for churches that are experiencing numerical growth. But we need to redefine what makes a church successful. Small does not equal broken.
I attended a conference recently. One of the speakers on the program was the pastor of a large church. As a group of pastors sat together at dinner one night, he asked each pastor he did not know the same questions. What is your attendance? How long have you been at your church? What was the attendance when you first went to the church? To this pastor, success was determined by numerical growth. Unfortunately, that is a common mindset in church growth circles.
Well, I want to make an announcement. When it comes to churches, bigger is not better. It's not worse, either. It's just bigger. Small churches are not inferior. Small churches are not broken. There are just as many unhealthy big churches as there are unhealthy small churches. Sure, big churches have some bells and whistles that small churches do not. But the small church is equally capable of doing the work of the church. Here's a reality check. The percentage of people who tithe is greater in the small church. The percentage of people who serve in some ministry is greater in the small church.
I thank God for big churches and the people they reach for Christ. But, half of all Christians still prefer to attend a smaller church, even though most have the option of attending a larger church. God has designed things so that 85% of the churches in the world are small churches. Could it be that God knows something the church growth gurus don't? The small church is perfectly able to carry out the work of the kingdom, and in some ways even has advantages over larger churches.
The church I pastor is a small church, and it's a great church. There are lots of people growing in the knowledge and likeness of Christ. Our church is involved in many meaningful ministries that reach outside our own church body. We are making a real effort to make a difference in our own community. Our worship is genuine and fits who we are. Our people are compassionate and will go to great lengths to meet the needs of others. We are seeing some people come to faith in Christ. And I could go on. We are doing the work of the church. We are a successful church, just not a big church.
I thank God for big churches that are healthy. I thank God for churches that are experiencing numerical growth. But we need to redefine what makes a church successful. Small does not equal broken.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
How Discipleship Happens
Discipleship happens in small group Bible studies, at church
functions and fellowships, around the supper table, out on the porch for
coffee, under the hood with a friend, in the restaurant after Sunday morning
church, over a friendly game of cards, at the ball field, in lots of different
places and in lots of different ways. Discipleship happens through
relationships. Discipleship happens as we intentionally connect with others and
live out our faith before them and alongside them.
Discipleship happens as we help a new believer get started
reading the Bible everyday. Discipleship happens as we use Scripture’s
teachings to help a friend get through a rough spot. Discipleship happens when
we get someone plugged into a Sunday School class where they can learn and
connect with others in our church. Discipleship happens when we talk about the
sermon with a fellow church member or friend. Discipleship happens when we pray
together, serve together, plan together, grieve together and worship together.
Are you getting the picture? Discipleship is not about a
program. It’s about “together.” Like I said, discipleship happens through
relationships. You can’t chart it on a grid or measure it with statistics. It
shows up in people who are learning and growing in the Lord. It shows up in
people who volunteer to serve. It shows up as regular attendance in an
irregular attender. Discipleship is not
about numbers. It’s about people sharing life and faith with other people.
Discipleship is not a course, something that happens in a 6-week class. It
happens over a lifetime of living our faith alongside others.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Is Application Necessary in Biblical Preaching?
As one who is throughly convinced that biblical exposition is the best method of preaching, I do not have to be convinced of the value of simply taking a text of Scripture and explaining what it says. The power in preaching is not in my words but in God's Word. But, that still leaves another issue unsettled. Is it enough to just say what God has said and sit down? Is application something we should just leave to the individual and the Holy Spirit? Or, was Haddon Robinson right when he said, "Explanation without application is abortion"?
In order to answer that question to my own satisfaction I asked myself two more questions. The first was, "What is the ultimate goal of preaching?" If simply imparting biblical truth is the ultimate goal in preaching then perhaps we need not focus so much on application. Now, imparting biblical truth is most definitely a goal in preaching, apart from biblical truth we as preachers have nothing to say. However, the question is, is that the ultimate goal in preaching. Are we teaching the Bible just so people can be biblically literate? Romans 8:29 says that the divine destiny of all believers is to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. Somehow preaching must help believers move in that direction. Conforming to the image of Christ is not just about knowing. It's about doing. James spoke of the dangers of hearing the Word but not doing the Word. I am convinced the biblical goal of preaching is changed lives to the glory of God. That requires biblical truth. But, it also requires application of biblical truth. It doesn't matter how much biblical knowledge you have, you are not glorifying God unless you live out that truth.
I also asked myself another question. "What would the examples of preachers in the Bible reveal?" Jesus preaching was theologically rich and deep, but it was also intensely practical. How about Paul? The first half of many of his letters focus on teaching doctrine and theology. This is true, but the second half of most of his letters focuses on the application of that theology. His letters are not just doctrinal. They are also very practical. The same is true of Peter and his preaching of the gospel at Pentencost. He finished his message with a call to action. "Repent and be baptized." The prophets of the Old Testament also called the people of God to action saying essentially, "In light of what God has said your are to do this." It seems pretty clear, at least to me, that the preaching of those in the Bible included both explanation of truth and application of truth.
There are those who might say, "You are not leaving room for the Holy Spirit to apply the Scripture in a person's individual life in His own way." That's ridiculous. There are certain ways we know the Scripture should be applied. Certain applications are obvious. We should point those out. That does not mean the Holy Spirit cannot speak to a person in a more specific way. If I know a text of Scripture calls for a specific action on the part of hearers, I am negligent if I fail to point that out.
People tend toward extremes. Many preachers are either deeply theological but not very practical or intensely practical but shallow theologically. My conviction is that preachers should strive to be both deeply theological and intensely practical at the same time. I want my people to know the Scripture inside and out. But, my goal is not to produce armchair theologians. My goal is to produce disciples who walk, talk and think like Jesus. Being both deeply theological and intensely practical may not be easy. But, who ever said preaching was supposed to be easy?
In order to answer that question to my own satisfaction I asked myself two more questions. The first was, "What is the ultimate goal of preaching?" If simply imparting biblical truth is the ultimate goal in preaching then perhaps we need not focus so much on application. Now, imparting biblical truth is most definitely a goal in preaching, apart from biblical truth we as preachers have nothing to say. However, the question is, is that the ultimate goal in preaching. Are we teaching the Bible just so people can be biblically literate? Romans 8:29 says that the divine destiny of all believers is to be conformed to the image of the Son of God. Somehow preaching must help believers move in that direction. Conforming to the image of Christ is not just about knowing. It's about doing. James spoke of the dangers of hearing the Word but not doing the Word. I am convinced the biblical goal of preaching is changed lives to the glory of God. That requires biblical truth. But, it also requires application of biblical truth. It doesn't matter how much biblical knowledge you have, you are not glorifying God unless you live out that truth.
I also asked myself another question. "What would the examples of preachers in the Bible reveal?" Jesus preaching was theologically rich and deep, but it was also intensely practical. How about Paul? The first half of many of his letters focus on teaching doctrine and theology. This is true, but the second half of most of his letters focuses on the application of that theology. His letters are not just doctrinal. They are also very practical. The same is true of Peter and his preaching of the gospel at Pentencost. He finished his message with a call to action. "Repent and be baptized." The prophets of the Old Testament also called the people of God to action saying essentially, "In light of what God has said your are to do this." It seems pretty clear, at least to me, that the preaching of those in the Bible included both explanation of truth and application of truth.
There are those who might say, "You are not leaving room for the Holy Spirit to apply the Scripture in a person's individual life in His own way." That's ridiculous. There are certain ways we know the Scripture should be applied. Certain applications are obvious. We should point those out. That does not mean the Holy Spirit cannot speak to a person in a more specific way. If I know a text of Scripture calls for a specific action on the part of hearers, I am negligent if I fail to point that out.
People tend toward extremes. Many preachers are either deeply theological but not very practical or intensely practical but shallow theologically. My conviction is that preachers should strive to be both deeply theological and intensely practical at the same time. I want my people to know the Scripture inside and out. But, my goal is not to produce armchair theologians. My goal is to produce disciples who walk, talk and think like Jesus. Being both deeply theological and intensely practical may not be easy. But, who ever said preaching was supposed to be easy?
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