SO BIBLICAL THAT IT'S UNBIBLICAL

I came across this post from Thinking Christian via Greg West's excellent apologetics blog called The Poached Egg. (Both blogs are on the blogroll for this blog).  I would be interested in your feedback.


Justin Buzzard tells this story:

About ten years ago I heard Ben Patterson, campus pastor of Westmont College, say something that I will never forget. Ben told the story of a retired pastor who began noticing that his former congregation was sliding away from orthodoxy. The pastor saw this as his fault, noting the one thing he thought he did most poorly as a pastor. The pastor stated, in two sentences, his great failure as a pastor:

I always told people what to believe. My great mistake is that I never told my people what NOT to believe.

It’s possible to be so “biblical” that we’re unbiblical.

I’m referring to pastors, churches, and individual Christians who say, “we’re sticking to the Bible, and we don’t ever need to study anything but the Bible.” The great men and women of the Bible didn’t say that. They didn’t just preach in support of God’s truth. They knew the lies that were current in their cultures, they named those lies—with very contemporary examples—and they exposed what was false about them. When Isaiah ripped apart idol worship so sarcastically in Isaiah 44:9-20, he knew what he was talking about. So those who only study the Bible are failing to follow its example!

We don’t need only to learn God’s truths. We also need to un-learn the lies we’ve taken into ourselves. Some of that un-learning happens along the way, as a matter of course, as we study the truth; but some of the lies we’re afflicted with are so ingrained, so much a part of us, that it takes real focused attention to discover where they reside inside of us, and to sort out what’s wrong and what might still be right. Sometimes we need to study and learn what not to believe.

Of all the un-learning required today, nothing is more crucial than “truth is relative, and it’s immoral to believe otherwise.” Western students “know” this to be true. Pastors and parents must understand this belief well enough to disarm it. Otherwise, though we may be successful in persuading students Christianity is true, they’re bound to mix it with other “truths” they believe, just as the Israelites mixed true worship with idolatry.

This applies to each of us individually, in our families, and in our churches; and in a parallel way it also applies to our encounters with culture. We need to know our culture’s falsehoods, not to participate in them but to be able to name them and to contrast them with God’s truth. Our friends and neighbors have a lot of un-learning to do, too, and we need to be equipped to help them—winsomely and effectively—so they can better grasp and follow God’s truth, revealed to us in his Word.

FIVE SUBTLE WAYS SATAN SNEAKS INTO YOUR PEOPLE

One of my passions is evangelism and I am always on the lookout for resources for this vital ministry.  One of those is called EvanTell Inc. led by a gentlemen named Larry Moyer. He has written an excellent article for self-evaluation as the preaching pastor.

Larry Moyer: Effective ministry demands that we recognize the tactics of the enemy and then guard against them in our preaching.

 

Take five minutes out. Lean back in your chair at the office or put your feet up in your recliner. You might close your eyes to help you think and ponder. Now ask yourself a question that could determine if you'll still have an effective ministry 20 years from now: "If Satan were to sneak into your pulpit, how would he do it?" Keep in mind that you won't recognize him by his clothing or actions. He'll be kind, polite, winsome, and attractive. But he's ugly and deceptive underneath.

Effective ministry demands that we recognize the tactics of the enemy and then guard against them. Penetrating Satan's mind and knowing that "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world" are key (I John 4:4).

Criss-crossing the world as an evangelist, I've seen five prominent ways he sneaks in the pulpit. Let's examine what they are and how to avoid them.

1. Satan will convince you that you're not only someone, you are SOMETHING.

 God never uses one person or one ministry to touch everyone. It's together that we get the job done. It's the combination of spiritual gifts God uses to build up the body. That's why I Corinthians 12: 21 teaches, "And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you'; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.'"

You are one of the "someones." Uniquely gifted, God uses you and your giftedness to both reach the lost and build up those who are His. As people are helped and blessed, they let you know. They should! All of us need to be encouraged.

But one encouraging comment can become several comments, sometimes many comments. They come verbally through text messages and emails. Sometimes comments you make get repeated on a website or two, and then you might find people have referred to you on Twitter or Facebook.

That's when Satan causes you to think you're not only someone, you are SOMETHING. Pride creeps in—not overnight, just one Sunday at a time. In six months, you start to be a different person. You begin to ponder, "Where would the church be without me? Why don't other preachers develop the skills that I have? I never knew God was going to so abundantly use me."

The answer for this problem is two-fold. First, secure an accountability partner who is honest enough to tell you every time they see something prideful about you. But don't get defensive, since they are probably right and are trying to help (as you asked them to), not hurt. Secondly, every day remember something: Should you be wiped off the scene today, the work of Christ would go on pretty much unhindered. This fact is sobering to say the least and keeps you right where you need to be—feeling dependent, undeserving, and grateful.

2. Satan will suggest that instead of teaching something relevant, you need to teach something new.

The preacher's job is well defined. II Timothy 4:2 says, "Preach the word! " This means our message is confined to what He says. We are not teaching something new but truth as old as the Bible itself. We don't have to make it relevant; it is relevant. All we have to do is communicate effectively to the people. This is why the pressure we need to feel is not how to come up with a truth our people have never heard of. Instead, it's the pressure to take the truth God gave years ago and put it in words that are meaningful and applicable. Sometimes we teach the same truth 50 times. It's been accurately stated that effective communication is saying the same thing in different words.

But the longer you're in the ministry, the easier it can be for Satan to convince you that people are tired of hearing the same old thing. Therefore, instead of feeling the need to use sentences, illustrations, and analogies that drive truth home in a fresh way, you think that you need to come up with something new, period—something never thought of, never taught, and never heard. The subject may be the mind, marriage, relationships, spiritual growth, love, hate, or a myriad of things. Soon you have stepped outside the Scriptures, teaching your thoughts instead of His. Discerning people will appropriately begin to say, "I'm not sure that's what the Scriptures say." The difference is profound. God has never promised to bless your word; He's only promised to bless His.

The answer? Get down on your knees, open the Bible in front of you, and utter a simple prayer: "Don't let me stray outside this book, but help me teach whatever is in this book clearly and effectively." Then, approach someone in your church who is very knowledgeable in the Word and say to them, "If you hear me say something strange, don't just accept it. Ask me about it, and don't assume that because I'm the preacher I am right." That person should regard you highly for caring enough to make sure you're preaching His thoughts, not yours.

3. Satan will tell you that your people need an exhorter in evangelism.

A pastor who has spent any time in the Word knows II Timothy 4:5: "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." When Paul wrote that, he was not addressing Timothy as a gifted evangelist, but Timothy as a gifted pastor-teacher.
Unfortunately, Satan will try to define that verse for you. He can convince you that you have to stand before your people and say, "Evangelize, evangelize, and evangelize." That way, you feel that you have done your part.

It is what Satan doesn't tell you that matters. He doesn't tell you that people are most apt to do what you do, not what you say. If you talk about the lost, they will talk about the lost. If you talk to the lost, they will talk to the lost. Examples, not exhortation, change the hearts of people in evangelism.

As you show your church how you take advantage of opportunities to converse with the lost, soon you will have a church full of people who are not just "discussing" the work of an evangelist but are doing the work of an evangelist. How do you get there? It's simpler than you might think.

First, as Paul did in Ephesians 6:19–20, ask your people to pray that when you open your mouth, something will come out of it (utterance) and boldly. Secondly, once again, find an accountability partner. This may be the one you've asked to check your pride or maybe a different one. But once a month, have that person ask you, "What have you done to reach out this week to a lost person?" I assure you, I know pastors who have taken up that challenge, and it is changing their lives and—guess what—their churches.

4. Satan will convince you that you can grow spiritually through your sermon preparation.

I've heard of few sermons that benefited people much when they didn't first hit the preacher. Preachers who preach with passion are those who have been so deeply touched by a passage that they become a channel to transfer the blessing to others. It shows in the way they come across. Their whole demeanor is not, "This is what you need." Instead, it is, "This is what God showed me I need, and I know you're going to be blessed by it, too." Sometimes there's uncertainty as to whether it's a sermon or a testimonial.
But Satan uses the struggle every preacher faces: time. You can begin to think that you don't have time to get alone with God, so your sermon preparation, climaxed by a few moments of prayer, will suffice.
Since God is a God of grace, He obviously understands your time constraints and loves you, but He also desires your fellowship (I John 1:3). Those moments when you close your ear to everyone else's voice and just listen to His as it comes through devotional study of the Word—those uninterrupted moments with your best friend—are what keeps you fresh. Some of those times cause tears to run down your cheeks as He shows you areas in which you're flawed and need improvement, but you still come away feeling energized. Interestingly enough, preachers who have fallen away from the Lord have commented to me that where they made their mistake was neglecting their quiet time with Him.

Consider creating a hallowed spot. For me, it's my chair in the living room where God and I meet each morning. Always going through a book of the Bible, I may cover one verse or I may cover a chapter. I don't care. What I do care about is that I go from there into my day's activity with one truth to meditate on for that day. I also keep the requests I give Him carefully noted on a 3x5 card, so I'm careful not to forget. I come away fed, energized, helped, and encouraged—as only the One who saved me more than 40 years ago can do. Don't ask me why He would ever want to be with someone so depraved as you or me. But He can't wait to talk, and I can't wait to listen and respond.

5. Satan will convince you that "you're not getting the attention you deserve."

Frustrating, isn't it? You may be more faithful in your study and preparation of your message than many preachers you know, but somehow they get the recognition you don't. What follows is money. Increased recognition brings increased funds with it. So while you and your church struggle to make it, the other preacher's church and even the preacher are doing quite well.

Satan can convince you that you have a right to be frustrated. You are not getting half the attention you deserve. Soon your frustration turns to others whom you deem responsible—your people, a staff member, board member, denominational head, or perhaps your own mate. Tension builds, and Satan stands on the sideline smiling…correction: laughing.

The answer: Go back to the starting block. Don't memorize but master I Corinthians 4:2, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." Note the word is "faithful," not "famous." Place it in front of you on the desk. Hang it in your office. But don't just memorize it; swallow it. Absorb it into your spiritual being so that it becomes a governing principle of your life.

Why? Because God is the keeper of the books. No good deed goes unrewarded. No amount of discipleship goes unnoticed. No mistakes are made in His bookkeeping. Everything due to you will come in terms of recognition, if not now, then later. He promises, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work" (Revelation 22:12). Think about it—who would you rather be rewarded by? Someone down here who only sees a lot of what you do, or someone "up there" who sees all of what you do?

Conclusion

Now that you know Satan's tactics and how to prevent them, ACT! Let Satan know in no uncertain terms that his tactics won't work with you. James 4:7 promises, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Your prayers and action will give him a not-so-subtle message: "I'm not interested in a truce; I'm only interested in victory. And victory will be mine."

A FRANCISCAN BENEDICTION FOR LEADERS

May God bless you with discomfort At easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships, So that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless you with tears To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war, So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy. And may God bless you with enough foolishness To believe that you can make a difference in the world, So that you can do what others claim cannot be done, To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor. Amen

PREACHING CHRISTMAS - GREAT VIDEO

Preaching Christmas by: Preaching Rocket from Casey Graham on Vimeo.

LEANING INTO THE SERMON - PART 3

More great counsel from Ben Witherington ....

There are lots of different kinds of deliveries. There’s regular mail, there’s Fed Ex, there’s UPS… we could go on and on. But when it comes to the delivery of the sermon it’s not just about fast or slow, regular or irregular. There are more effective and less effective ways of communicating with a particular audience. Here, knowing one’s audience is crucial. There is a difference between a word on target, and using the buckshot approach and hoping to hit something. Of course this means you need to get to know your audience. It’s about connecting the Message to the people. And we must always remember its not about the Messenger, though at times you will have parishioners who think it is, and want to shoot the Messenger.

Let’s start with voice. Do you know what you sound like? Are you loud or are you soft. Do you have a high voice or a low voice, or somewhere in between? You need to know this. Why? Because some voices are harder to hear than others due to pitch. And you need to know this. Proper miking helps of course, but if you have a soft voice, you must not allow your voice to drop regularly into a lower register, or people will simply miss the end of sentences. And this is not good. Then there is the issue of volume. Some people are just loud, some are just soft. If you are loud you can easily come across as overbearing, boorish, browbeating etc. You need to learn to modulate your voice. It should not be like the preacher who wrote in his sermon notes “not sure about this point, increase volume and pound the pulpit hard”. Volume never ever makes up for a lack of substance.

This leads to a discussion of enthusiasm. Being dull is deadly when you have the most exciting message ever written down. Indeed, it is a contradiction in terms. It is o.k., indeed advisable to show your enthusiasm for the Word, and for what you have learned from it. Indeed, when people see their pastor get excited about something, even if they don’t fully get it, they too can become excited. Somethings are more caught than taught anyway.

And then there is the issue of gestures. If you gesticulate wildly, you will indeed appear out of control, even unhinged to some. Of course this varies from congregation to congregation. In some Pentecostal contexts no gesticulation means no preaching, so of course you have to be sensitive to your context. The first church of the Frigidaire however is not much fond of wild gestures. It ought to be gestures that come naturally to you, not something forced, but something that helps make your points. The opposite of this— standing like a statue and simply reading your sermon text is not so good either, though God can use most anything. But consider this— would you rather be used in the way Paul was used, or would you rather be used in the way Balaam or his donkey was used ? You get the point.

The preacher’s demeanor will convey the seriousness of the message, his enthusiasm the exciting nature of the experience, his learning the need for studying the Word, and his application the relevance of the message. All of this, and much more is ‘leaning into the sermon’. But in the end don’t be like the following example.
The young preacher was worried about getting through his first sermon at his first church, a little country church. All throughout the week he practiced and practiced his sermon. He practiced on his children until they complained, he practiced on the dog until it howled, he practiced on his wife until she said ‘no mas’. He practiced in the shower, and finally decided to memorize the text just in case he got too nervous. He knew his congregation frowned on preachers who used notes much less a sermon text.

The day of reckoning, Sunday, came along. He manage to remember all the elements of worship leading up to the sermon, even remembered to take up the collection like the bishop urged.

After reading the text for the sermon he closed the Bible he gripped the pulpit and in a loud voice said ‘Behold I Come’ and then his mind went absolutely blank. Panic overcame the young man. What would he do?

Now this little country church had a pulpit that hovered over the front row of pews so the appearance was that of Moses giving the ten commandments from Mt. Sinai. Backing up in the pulpit which had a little runway, the young minister launched himself at the pulpit and said again, even louder ‘BEHOLD I COME!’ Still nothing came to mind after that.

Now the preacher was really sweating. His palms were moist. He decided to back up and try one final time. Charging the pulpit his sweaty palms slipped as he attempted to grip it and he went right over the front of the pulpit and into the lap of persons on the front row.

Picking himself up, and the lady he had landed on, red faced he apologized and said ‘I am ever so sorry mam..’ as he envisioned his ministry career ending before it really began.

To this she replied…. ‘well it wasn’t a total surprise, You done told me three times you was comin’”

LEANING INTO THE SERMON - PART 2

More from Ben Witherington on preaching ....

here is of course a long history of preaching, inside and outside of the church. It’s called a sermon or revival message inside the church, evangelism outside the church, though it’s only one form of evangelism of course. My concern in this post is to talk about the rather drab and dismal state of preaching in some quarters these days, even in Evangelical churches.

While of course it is true that the Holy Spirit is involved in the process of preaching, and provides inspiration and guidance, the Holy Spirit should not be used as a labor saving device. The Spirit brings to mind things you have previously learned and put into that brain of yours. I once had a student who came up to me frustrated. He said ‘I don’t know why I need to learn all this NT stuff, I can just get up into the pulpit and the Spirit will give me utterance’. My reply was ‘yes you can do that, but it’s a shame you are not giving the Spirit more to work with.’ This little series is meant to help us get focused so we do give the Spirit more to work with.
The first thing to be said….which ought to be obvious is that while there are many possible styles and kinds of sermons, at the root a sermon is supposed to be an explaining and applying of some text or texts of the Bible. You are not supposed to be preaching your own experience, or your latest counseling theories, or the latest self-info you think is neat. Nor should your sermons be based on human wants and needs. Your sermons should be grounded in the word of God, helping people understand and live out of that Word. If you do that, of course the genuine needs of people will be addressed.

There is a problem with preaching that is needs-based. First of all, such preaching is based on what the pastor or the congregation perceives as their needs. Perceived needs are not the same thing as actual needs. More often than not, they are more like wish lists or wants, than actual needs. And in any case worship is not about giving people what they want and crave, its about giving God what he desires and requires. And what God requires of preachers is that they preach the Word, in season and out of season, when it’s popular and when it’s not.

In order for preaching of the Word to actually be done competently it requires actual study, actual reading of resources, actual perusing of good commentaries (I would recommend the socio-rhetorical commentary series of Eerdmans and Inter-Varsity I have been involved with). Ideally, it involves the actual exegesis of the Hebrew or Greek text of the Bible. There is nothing like original language study of the Bible to produce all sorts of exciting insights into the Word. Failing that, you should rely on reading 3-4 good exegetical commentaries on any given passage. Illustration books or sources should be consulted last, after you have done your detailed textual work. And illustrations should illustrate some point you are actually making. The danger is that the illustration or the joke or the poem, or whatever takes over and becomes the only memorable part of the sermon. So choose illustrations that illuminate what you are actually preaching.

All of this takes time, and this means that you the preacher must set aside adequate time to do this task of sermon preparation well. This is in some ways the most important thing you do for your people. Even Jesus thought so. In Mark 1.38 Jesus tells his disciples he did not come mainly to heal, or to administer a congregation, or to visit the hospitals, or to visit people in their homes. or to have committee meetings…. he came into this world to proclaim the Good News. It’s important that the preacher make the main thing the main thing, and delegate to the priesthood of all believers a lot of these other tasks, instead of thinking one has to ‘do all the ministry’ just because you might be paid to do ministry’. Too often the pastor’s ego gets caught up in trying to be all things to all people, to be pastor superstar, and instead of enabling other people for ministry, he or she ends up disabling other peoples gifts, instead of ‘equipping the saints for ministry’.
‘Leaning into the Sermon’ in this case means having the discipline to jealously guard the time each week to prepare excellent messages from the Word itself. When a preacher simply recycles older stuff, you can tell.

And it stultifies his or her own growth when he does so as well. If you were to read through my Eerdmans collection of sermons (entitled Incandescence) you would find messages that today I would often preach differently because of re-engaging the same texts and learning new things. I won’t even discuss the problem of recycling other people’s sermons. There is no living engagement with God’s Word in that. You can get ideas from other sermons, and learn from them— but they cannot be your own sermon text. That requires you, prayerfully engaging with the text and listening to what the Spirit is saying to your church or churches.

In our next post, we will talk about what should happen on the day of delivery in order to ‘lean into the sermon’.

LEANING INTO THE SERMON

Ben Witherington writes an excellent blog called Bible and Culture.  He has written some excellent counsel about preaching, which I will be sharing in this post and future ones. - Steve


Leaning is a means of concentrating. The parishoner leans forward in the pew to listen more intently to what the preacher is saying. The preaching leans forward on the pulpit when he is making a particularly crucial point and wants to have the full attention of the congregation. I like to lean on the arm of the pew and incline my ear and heart to the Word. Some of us are more visual learners (especially the computer generation) some are more auditory learners, but whatever it is that you do to ‘focus’ and to ‘hear and heed’ what is being said, we need to do that, for our spiritual life and growth does indeed depend on it. Preaching is a sacrament of the Word, and listening and heeding a means of grace. In this series entitled ‘Leaning into the Sermon’ we are going to reflect on the sermon from various perspectives— that of the listeners and that of the speaker as well. Let’s start with the listeners.

If indeed preaching can be a means of grace for those who are listening then it would serve us well to pay close attention. So let’s talk about preliminary things we need to do in order for that to happen. Firstly, since we are in a worship service we should have already stilled our hearts, and begun to focus on the Lord. We should have quieted all we are in the presence of the Lord. It is not just people present in that sanctuary, it is the Lord, and he has something to say and to do with you as you worship. Preparing yourself to receive the Word involves not just turning off the cellphone, it also involves a deliberate setting aside of all wandering and distracting thoughts and feelings and resolving to concentrate with one’s whole self on the Word. No excuses at this point. Don’t be complaining that the preacher is weak, or his sermon is not perfect. Of course both of those things are true, but God can write straight with a crooked stick. I’ll get to the part about the preacher doing a better job of leaning into his sermon.

Right now I am focusing on the listeners. Unfortunately, our TV addiction has trained us to only concentrate periodically, tuning out commercials. There are usually no commercials in a sermon, or at least there ought not to be. If you find the sermon a bit tough, then gnaw on the bone until you get some meat off of it. My point is it requires a concentrated effort on your part, indeed continual concentration throughout. Don’t expect the pastor to spoon feed you pablum each week. If he does, shame on him (and we will get to that). Expect instead he will tease your mind into active thought. One thing about Jesus’ preaching— he never pandered to the lowest common denominator. He boiled up the people, he did not water down the Gospel.

Now it may well be that the Lord has only one important thing to say to you through a whole sermon, but you will need to be listening intently to hear it throughout. There is a reason Jesus said ‘let those with ears hear…’ There is a difference between listening and hearing, just as there is between hearing and heeding.
Of course sometimes we don’t want to hear. We are afraid we might have to change something or do something if we actually hear and comprehend something. Sure enough, that’s true. On the other hand, the Lord may really have many things to say to you through a sermon. He may be dealing with you in some extensive or profound way, not merely in a casual way. The Spirit will let you know when it’s one of those Sundays. And by golly when that happens, you need to focus like a laser beam on the meat of the Word on that day. The preacher has stopped preaching and started meddling in your life….and it needed to happen.
It may be useful for you to take a few notes on the sermon. It is after all a learning occasion not just a revving up the troops of inspirational occasion. Don’t be ashamed of being a student of the Word even in worship. It shows your maturity, not your bookishness. Remember, sermons are not another form of entertainment, or they shouldn’t be in any case. They are the proclamation of God’s Word. You should not view this as a consumer opportunity. You should see this as an opportunity to grow in Christ and grow closer to God. As 2 Pet. 1.3-4 makes very clear everything necessary for Christian life and godliness comes through the knowledge of God…’ You need to know Him and his will better. Word Up. You need to listen to the preacher.