PREPARING YOUR PEOPLE THIS ADVENT

Blake Coffee has a great post for pastors preparing for Advent and meaningful ministry preparing their people to meet Jesus. - STEVE

The Long Journey Preparing for Jesus

29 11 2012

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”—
“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’” Mark 1:1-3

Welcome to the Advent Season, everyone!  I am certain this season is as special at your church as it is at mine.  Now begins the challenge of leading our people’s hearts to turn toward Christ as opposed to getting so entangled with the secular culture of Christmas that they lose sight of Jesus.  I know you are thinking about that.  You are considering how you can best lead so as to help your people “prepare the way for the Lord”.  In that regard, you, my church leader friend, are John the Baptizer.  Your calling this season is to help your people prepare for Jesus.

So, as you strategize about this Advent Season in your own church, and how you will help your people prepare for Jesus, will you just consider the following:

• How will you help the single mom who is holding down three jobs and just trying to survive from one day to the next prepare her heart for Jesus?
• What is your strategy to help the child whose parent is deployed or in prison or just disappeared to prepare his/her heart for Jesus this season?
• What can you do this week to help that nursing home resident who gave your church so many good years of ministry to prepare for Jesus this season?
• What is your plan to pour into your second tier of church leaders over the next couple of weeks, so that they and their families are prepared for Jesus?
• How will your church minister to those who have lost loved ones in the past year and who now face their first Christmas season without them?
• What about the missionary family who unexpectedly found themselves back here for the Christmas season instead of out on the field with the people they have grown to love?  How will you help them prepare their hearts for Jesus?
• And lastly, while you are busy trying to be all things to all people in your congregation, what exactly are you planning for your own family this season, so that they will have hearts turned toward Jesus instead of resenting your ministry pulling you away from them?

John the Baptizer, it seems, was just a little bit crazy…a little bit different from normal folks.  And now we know why.  Helping make the way straight for Jesus in the hearts of one’s people is, well, a lot of hard work!  Shoulder to the wheel, my church leader friend…shoulder to the wheel!

© Blake Coffee

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on this website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Blake Coffee.  Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: © Blake Coffee. Website: churchwhisperer.com

FIVE THINGS PASTORS HATE TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR PREACHING

John Ortberg shares this list of five in the most recent issue of Leadership Journal:

1. “Your preaching has improved.” Sometimes when I hear this one it is strengthened by enthusiasm; your preaching has really improved. I think this comment is generally intended as a compliment, but it’s hard to say. Certainly it carries the message that your previous sermons left plenty of room for improvement.

2. “I’m so glad you said ‘X’.” But in fact you didn’t say “X”; you were trying to say the opposite of “X.” It makes you wonder what sermon they were listening to.

3. “I heard Andy Stanley/Tim Keller/Jon Piper/Rob Bell give a similar talk one time.” Only it turns out that their talk was actually much better than the one you gave, and the enthusiastic listener wants to give you a play-by-play account with commentary on why it was better.

4. “I’m just not being fed.” This is an all-purpose comment, offered more generally than in response to one particular message. But it does make me wonder, if preaching is a form of feeding, why is there no tipping afterwards?

5. “The Lord told me to tell you …” ”… that you look tired,” “… that you hurt my feelings,” “… that this church needs more messages about stewardship/missions/culture wars/the Colbert Report,” “… that you chose the wrong clothes.”

Read more here…

THE AUDACITY OF PREACHING

I am currently teaching a course called NEW TESTAMENT FOUNDATIONS as an adjunct instructor for Winebrenner Theological Seminary.  The course is provided as part what is known as the Pastoral Training Institute.  Essentially, the bulk of my students , who are currently involved in secular professions, are pursuing the goal of becoming local church pastors. 

Each time I teach this course, I begin with these words to those who would presume to be pastors and teachers, who will occupy pulpits and classrooms to connect people with the Bible and its revelatory truth for humankind.  In many ways, there is a certain audacity to preaching that must be grounded in obedient humility. These are the four things I tell them:

You are the Servant of this Book … it is God’s Holy Word

Remember what else is called the Word.  Jesus Christ.   Karl Barth called the Bible the Word of God Written to distinguish it from Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh.  With that in mind, remember ---

It is not your tool. You are its servant … This is a sacred book, to be held in highest esteem.

“Do your best to present yourself as one approved, a workman who does not need to ve ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2.15

It is truth and points men and women to the Truth—Jesus Christ-the Truth Who sets us free. (Henry Blackaby “Truth is a person.”)

Never underestimate its impact and its power.

“… so is my word that goes out of my mouth: It will not return to me empty. but will I accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:11