Mark Messmore's Blog, page 5

REVIEW: The Devil in Pew Number Seven

ALERT: This post contains spoilers about the various individuals mentioned in the following book.

 

Tragic.

That is how I would describe the early life of Rebecca Nichols Alonzo, author of The Devil in Pew Number Seven. In a way, it almost feels odd to review or evaluate a book detailing the heart-breaking circumstances that someone had to endure. Thus, I will do my best to separate my thoughts about the book from thoughts about Alonzo’s story.

THE STORY

A majority of The Devil in Pew Number Seven takes place in and around the small town of Sellerstown, North Carolina. It is here that Robert and Romona Nichols felt God had called them to serve a local church. As the pastor, Robert led and revitalized a local community congregation, reaching the lost for Christ and leading the church to change and grow in a variety of ways.

However, as any pastor who has led change can tell you, not everyone likes change.

Horry Watts was a well known and widely respected member of the Sellerstown community. Watts had been a previous councilman, was quite wealthy and was very well connected. He was not, however, a fan of the changes brought by this new pastor to HIS church.

And furthermore he was not, under any circumstance, accustomed to NOT getting his way.

Over the next four years Watts orchestrated a campaign of fear aimed at Pastor Nichols and his family. Late night calls punctuated by silent breathing, threatening letters, slashed tires and even sticks of dynamite let off at the pastor’s house were all part of an attempt by Watts to get this pastor to leave town.

However, these acts of terror were not the only horrifying experience the family had to endure.

In a completely unconnected thread to that involving Watts, the family had willingly taken in a local mother and her infant to help them escape the woman’s abusive, drunken husband. The husband, in a fit of rage and revenge, arrived one night at dinner only to shoot and kill the author’s mother (Romona) and twice shoot the author’s father (Robert).

As I said above, this author’s early years are nothing less than heart-breaking and tragic.

THE BOOK

While my heart breaks for the author’s story, I had a lot of conflicting thoughts as I read this book. I recognize that perhaps I’m too used to fiction and I want everything to align in a nice, neat literary fashion. I also recognize that sort of storyline rarely plays out in real life. Yet, purely from a book standpoint, I struggled.

My most significant issue lay in how a vast majority of the work deals with the actions of Mr. Watts and his campaign of terror against the Nichols family. Because he is the titular character, this is unsurprising. Yet, after various chapters of build up have taken place detailing each of the attacks, the effects on the family, etc, another story is interjected regarding the shooting of Mr. and Mrs. Nichols.

Reading it felt very sudden and very disconnected.

Again, I recognize life does not work like literature. However this much more dramatic, and tragic, incident seemingly comes out of nowhere. Given how much build was given to Mr. Watts, I was anticipating some connection to be made between the storylines. Yet, the only connection was the Nichols family itself.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

I wish this were the only story I was aware of where church politics resulted in acts of violence. It’s not. It is, however, by far the most extreme example I am aware of.

The Nichols family, particularly the children, endured more than I would hope any child must experience. Yet, in the fallen, broken, messed-up world we live in, many children endure similar tragedy.

Woven throughout the story is a consistent example of the Nichols family commitment to live by the commands of Jesus, offering grace and forgiveness. That is undeniable.

The author concludes identifying how forgiveness and reconciliation was sought out by one such devil in her life, but the status of the other was unknown. Within their stories, you can see how some one-time villains can experience redemption, while others do not.

If all of this feels a little disjointed, then it reflects how I felt about The Devil in Pew Number Seven.

Diversifying Your Approach – Word Study Sermons

This post is part of a series where I discuss various sermon approaches.
I hope within these posts you may discover some new methods you can use to structure and deliver a message.
PART 1 – Diversifying Your Preaching Approach
PART 2 – Story as Sermon (Narrative Preaching)
PART 3 – From Specific to General – Inductive Preaching
PART 4 – A Way to Train Your People – Expository Preaching
PART 5 – Preaching to People’s Needs – Topical Preaching

In his work The Four Loves, author C. S. Lewis dedicates time and attention to the meaning of four greek words. These words, all found in the original language of Scripture, have meanings that are quite different from one another, even though each is translated into English, as the word, “love.” The purpose and intention of Lewis’s work, then, is to differentiate the meaning and application of those four “love words” for his readers.

Think of it like this…

I love my wife. I love my dogs. I love my mom and dad. I also love the caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino that I am currently sipping while I write this. To say I love any and all of those things is accurate. But it does not take a linguistic scholar to see that, though the word “love” is used in each context, my meaning for each statement is quite different.

This is the concept that Lewis unpacks in his work. This is also the sort of approach we will take as we discuss the idea of a word study sermon.

Before we go very far, I want to make one disclaimer.

Do not be intimidated if you have little or no knowledge of the Greek or Hebrew languages.

Thanks to modern tools, it is possible to use a scavenger hunt style approach that allows you to do your own word study. While this is not some sort of substitute for academic studies, it is a way to enrich your understanding of the words used in Biblical languages.

HOW TO APPROACH A WORD STUDY SERMON

While they are not pure opposites, I like to approach a word study sermon inverse of how I approach a topical sermon. Here is what I mean.

In a topical sermon, you begin with a contemporary idea.In a word study sermon, you begin with a Biblical idea.In a topical sermon, you look across the breadth of Scripture to find uses of the same English word or concept.In a word study sermon, you look across the breadth of Scripture for uses of the same original (i.e.Greek or Hebrew) wordIn a topical sermon, you present Biblical applications to modern topics.In a word study sermon, you present modern applications to Biblical topics.

None of the above should be seen as some sort of hard-and-fast rule to clarify what is or is not a word-study sermon.  As with other types of preaching, you will find overlap among various preaching approaches. Ultimately this is another means to preach God’s message to God’s people.

HOW TO BEGIN

Like the topical approach, a word study sermon is best used in specific situations. Therefore, please do not just pick any word and decide to build a sermon around it. The result would likely be immensely exhausting for both you and your congregation. Instead, like Lewis looked at the four Greek words for love, you want to select a significant word and expand upon its meaning and application. Here are some possibilities:

Greek: doulos (δοῦλος) – English translation: slaveGreek: hilasmos (ἱλασμός) – English translation: propitiationGreek: lootron (lytron) – English translation: redeem

While there are many more possibilities than just these three, any of these could serve as a rich source of material to deepen the lives of the congregation. Once you have selected your word, it’s time to let the word study scavenger hunt begin.

THE SCAVENGER HUNT

In a typical scavenger hunt, you will need tools like a map, a compass, or perhaps even a list of clues.

For this activity, we will also need some tools, but never fear! You can find a plethora of tools that are freely available on the internet. The tool we will be using for this exercise is called a concordance. A concordance, in case you are unaware, is a book that lists off every usage of every word in the Bible. Since different translations will have different totals, concordances are usually connected with specific translations such as KJV, ESV, or NIV.

Want to know how many times the word “the” shows up in the King James Version? A quick concordance search will provide you with the answer of 64,016. Furthermore, another section of a concordance will show every Greek or Hebrew word that ends up being translated as “the.”

But I’m getting ahead of myself. More on that later.

If you own a concordance, feel free to grab it off your shelf and follow along. Otherwise, venture over to BlueLetterBible.org (BLB) for access to some great, free tools.

Our scavenger hunt will proceed like this:

Start with your selected English word from a selected text.Identify the original Greek or Hebrew word.Discover other ways the original word is translated.Evaluate how the different translations deepen your understanding.

Step 1: Start with your selected English word from a selected text.

If you have done word studies previously, you likely are aware of some specific original words that you would like to build a sermon around. But otherwise, how do you start? Out of all the words in the Bible, how do you select one to unearth in a sermon? Here are three suggestions:

A word that stands out to you. If a topic means something to you, it is more likely to mean something to your audience.A word that catches your attention during a study. Have you ever been studying for a message, or in your devotional time, only to have a word or topic catch your attention? This may be a great word to unpack.A word that is common, but rarely understood. What exactly does it mean to be “redeemed?” We may sing and talk about such a concept in church, but how would the original recipients have understood it? Why is it an important concept for us to grasp today?

Once you have a word pinned down, I strongly recommend beginning from a single passage and branching out from there.

Imagine you decide to perform a word study on the English word “redeem”. Upon looking up “redeem” in your concordance, you find out there are around 40 different uses of the word in your English translation. These 40 instances include multiple different original words (i.e. Greek or Hebrew words) that end up translated as redeem in English.

I hope you can see how this might lead to an exercise that would make you want to leave this approach to only those with doctorate degrees.

But stick with me. You CAN do this.

Begin by selecting a single passage where your word is used. This will not only be your starting point, this will be the focal point of your message.

For our purposes, we’re going to look at the use of the word redeem as found in Titus 2:14.

Step 2: Identify the original Greek or Hebrew word.

Look up your selected word in your concordance. This is the part of the concordance that I find to be SUPER cool.

Every Greek or Hebrew word is numbered!

Yes…I’m a geek and get excited about quirky things like this.

As you look at all the English uses of your selected word, you will find every passage reference and a corresponding number. Write this number down as it will help us to the next location in our word study scavenger hunt. If your passage is in the Old Testament, the associated word comes from Hebrew. If your passage is in the New Testament, your associated word comes from Greek.

This is where our concordance helps us even further. A concordance lists not only every usage of every English word but all the Greek and Hebrew ones as well. If you are using a concordance in physical book form, flip towards the back where you will find the sections on Greek and Hebrew. If you are using an electronic version, you can probably just click on the number.

Step 3: Discover other ways the original word is translated.

Thus far we have followed the trail to the land of ancient languages. If you have used the number from earlier and looked in the appropriate section, you will now find every usage of that Greek or Hebrew word.

EXAMPLE:

I did a search for the word redeem in the New International Version on BlueLetterBible.org.Scrolling down to Titus 2:14, I clicked on “TOOLS.”I then found the word redeem from the list, and saw it was identified as g3084.

Based on my brief scavenger hunt, I now have a pronunciation, an outline of how the word is translated, and every place the Greek word shows up in the New Testament.

Step 4: Evaluate how the different translations deepen your understanding.

So what do I learn about the idea of redemption from these various usages? Here are a few quick observations.

Redemption has to do with a purchase. Payment of some type of ransom is required.The result is freedom. This is not like the purchase of one slave from one owner to another. This is a purchase that sets the redeemed one free.Ransom is explicitly used multiple times. Thus, this is not bail or bond, but payment to be released from the captivity of a hostile opponent.1 Peter 1:18 is a good support verse to help reiterate these ideas.

I would be remiss to point out that you can trace various usages of the same root word, often finding them numbered consecutively with the original. However, in the same way, that “redeem” and “redemption” may be listed separately, original language words may appear separately also.

Whew…that is a lot of explanation. But based on this information I hope you can see how you can begin to craft a message around what is meant by Paul in his letter to Titus when he says that Christ gave himself to redeem us from all wickedness.

But I want to hear from you. Have you ever done a word study sermon? What approaches have you used? What tips have you found most helpful?

Diversifying Your Approach – Topical Preaching

This post is part of a series where I discuss various sermon approaches.
I hope within these posts you may discover some new methods you can use to structure and deliver a message.
PART 1 – Diversifying Your Preaching Approach
PART 2 – Story as Sermon (Narrative Preaching)
PART 3 – From Specific to General – Inductive Preaching
PART 4 – A Way to Train Your People – Expository Preaching

If you have read many of my posts, I doubt you will find what I’m about to say surprising.

I really enjoy preaching.

I love the act of preaching. I love helping others learn about preaching. I even discovered how much I enjoy writing about preaching. I read books on preaching. I attend conferences on preaching. I have had a blast discussing preaching on various podcasts. It is safe to say I am really into preaching.

But, do you want to know something I have learned? Not everyone is as excited about preaching as I am.

For some reason, no podcasts based around the topics of fantasy sports, traveling, day trading, or fitness have reached out to have me as a guest to discuss the topic of preaching.

Because – try to follow me here – not everyone is as interested in preaching as I am.

I know. I don’t get it either.

I tell you this because I’m confident you can understand.

Perhaps your “thing” is classic cars or duck hunting. Maybe you love to discuss anime or 18th-century Russian literature. I am confident you know what it is like to find enjoyment in a topic that others find to be uninteresting or even boring.

I am also confident you know what it feels like to listen to someone who is super passionate about a topic that you have no interest in. Your politeness will carry you so far. Your love for the person will help you endure further. However, at some point, you look for a way out of the conversation or breathe a sigh of relief when they run out of steam.

AVOIDING THE DISCONNECT

Now consider this…how many sermons have you listened to where you felt the same way? I am talking about sermons where the preacher, even if passionate and theologically accurate, was simply speaking about things you had no interest in.

Yes, there is a place to discuss the nuanced difference between the dative and vocative cases in Koine Greek and how they influence our understanding of a passage in light of Johannian theology.Yes, there is a place to discuss four different theories about the identity of the Nephilim in Genesis 6.No, the role of a preacher is not to just provide Sunday morning entertainment with a bit of Jesus thrown in for good measure.

However, as I discuss in Simple Preaching Prep, it is imperative for the preacher to ask the hard question of “Why Does This Matter?” Otherwise, you answer questions that no one is asking. This, in turn, leads to messages that, no matter how much information is contained within, feel irrelevant to the listener.

One method to avoid this disconnect is by using the approach of topical preaching.

TOPICAL PREACHING

Topical preaching is exactly what it sounds like, preaching focused on a particular topic. But I don’t just mean any topic. The motivation for preaching a topical sermon would be generated from real-life issues and pain points that your people are dealing with. The point of the message, then, is to identify what the Bible has to say about the particular subject at hand.

As with previous approaches, I feel it important to point out that done properly, topical preaching is still Biblical preaching. Some have branded topical preaching with a negative connotation because of its overuse or misuse. However, I will stand by the assertion that topical preaching has its place in the life of the church and the approach of the preacher.

HOW IT WORKS

So, how does one put together a topical sermon? While entire books have been written on that topic, here is how you can approach such a task.

Identify the “what” and the “why”.

One need only glance at the Bible to know that there is a LOT in there. Thus, you cannot expect to fully cover any given topic in 30 or even 60 minutes.

Let’s imagine for a moment you are preaching on the topic of grief. This is the “what.” However, it is important to narrow down such a broad topic and identify why you are speaking about this topic. Is your attempt to:

Help believers navigate the loss of a loved one?Discuss the grief that arises when the reality of life does not meet what we expected?Address the question of why bad things happen in our fallen world?

Once you clarify your why, that helps clarify what facet of the topic you want to focus on. That is not to say the other topics should not be addressed, but perhaps not in this message.

Start narrow, go wide.

This is a recommendation I would offer to any novice or experienced preacher. Even if you are taking a topical approach, find a singular passage to use as your starting point. Use this starting passage like the hub of a wheel. Ground your message there then, as needed, you can branch into other statements of Scripture about this same topic.

Clarify the “what now?”

Let’s return to the earlier example of a message on grief. What does a widow mourning the loss of her husband of over forty years do with this information? Should she feel guilty because she is still heartbroken a month, six months, or a year after his death?

Remember that a big reason behind your topical approach is to answer questions and deal with the real-life issues of your congregation. Make sure to help your people draw conclusions that will help them navigate the Christ-honoring life they are trying to live.

POTENTIAL PITFALLS

Before I leave the subject of topical preaching, I want to offer a word of warning. As stated above, I believe topical preaching can be a great tool in the toolbox for any preacher. However, a steady diet of topical preaching can lead to some unintended consequences.

You can end up chasing a certain audience response.

I once heard a well-known mega-church preacher say he had to be careful not to preach about forgiveness all the time. He began to recognize that every time he spoke about forgiveness, people would be lining up after service to tell him what a great message it was. Why? We all have someone we need to forgive.

Yet, since topical preaching often aims to address felt needs, the after-service result can potentially leave the preacher feeling as though they are having a greater impact.

This can be addicting.

To be fair, this has more to do with the attitude and internal disposition of the preacher than the approach of topical preaching itself. And, to be clear, I’m not against the pat on the shoulder and feeling that I’ve made an impact in someone’s life. I appreciate that as much as anyone.

However, if you are not careful, the motivation of a sermon can be to generate a certain audience response rather than communicating God’s Word to God’s people.

You can fail to teach your people how to read Scripture.

I’ve already said multiple times that topical preaching is still Biblical preaching. Yet if the week-in-week-out experience your people have is topical in nature, where are they being taught how to read the Bible for themselves? How are they growing in their understanding of the teachings of Jesus or the story of the early church in Acts?

Yes, if they have a certain question topical preaching can help them have perspective about how to deduce the answer. However, they may be lacking in the understanding of how to interact with God’s Word on a day-to-day basis.

CONCLUSION

Topical preaching can serve as a great approach for helping connect with the needs of your congregation. However, I would encourage any preacher to think of this like you might think of fast food. Yes, it can provide some sustenance. Yes, it can be a nice change of pace, a convenient approach, or really be appropriate for a particular instance. However, a steady diet of it is not the best for anyone.

Diversifying Your Approach – Expository Preaching

This post is part of a series where I discuss various sermon approaches.
I hope within these posts you may discover some new methods you can use to structure and deliver a message.
PART 1 – Diversifying Your Preaching Approach
PART 2 – Story as Sermon – Narrative Preaching
PART 3 – From Specific to General – Inductive Preaching

I’m a pilot.

Well, sort of. Let me explain.

I do not own a plane. I do not have a pilot’s license. My wife, however, did once get me a flying lesson as a gift. Therefore, if the definition of “pilot” is that you have been in control of an aircraft, I certainly qualify.

The total amount of flying time on my pilot’s logbook: 30 minutes.

After reading that, chances are high that you are not interested in having me pilot a plane to transport you and your family for your next vacation. It’s easy to understand that, even if I have technically flown a plane, that does not mean I am qualified to be a pilot.

As preachers, a dangerous assumption we can make is that even though our people can read the Bible, we assume they know how to read the Bible. Yes, they may in fact be literate individuals able to decipher the words on the page. Some in your audience may even be able to recite verses or list off the books of the Bible. However, do they know how to interpret the text and apply it to their lives and experience?

Herein lies the value of Expository Preaching.

For some preachers, this is their bread and butter. Expository preaching is THE foundational approach they use, and for good reason. Others, however, begin from a desire to preach about the needs of their congregation. This is not an illegitimate motivation. In fact, I will write about topical preaching, and its value, in the coming weeks. Yet by adopting an expository approach, you, as the preacher, can not only help your people understand a passage but help them grow in their understanding of how to read the Bible as a whole.

However, to understand expository preaching, we need to begin with some definitions to ensure we are all on the same page.

DEFINITIONS

What does it mean for preaching to be expository?

At its basic level, expository is just a fancy way of saying we are exposing the text. By preaching in an expository fashion, we are looking at a specific passage and diving deep to unearth life principles and application that can be derived from the selected verses. To preach in an expository fashion is to answer the following questions:

What does it say?What does it mean?Why does it matter?

Yet, in true seminary-style fashion, we’ve pulled words from Greek to make this all sound more complicated. Respectively these are exegesis, hermeneutics, and homiletics. Let’s take some time to dive into each.

WHAT DOES IT SAY? (EXEGESIS)

Exegesis (pronounced “ex – uh – Jesus”) means to “read out of” a passage. Therefore, when preaching in a manner that exposes the text, we must begin by understanding how the text reads. The goal of this first question, therefore, is to understand what the author meant.

Consider Philippians 4:13 which reads, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” To exegete that passage we would look at the surrounding context and language. In this text, then, we understand that Paul is discussing his own life hardships (arrest, beatings, etc) and discussing how he has learned how to find his contentment and joy in Christ rather than in his circumstances.

However, if we fail to look at the context and understand the author’s intention, we end up performing eisegesis (“eye-suh-Jesus”) which means we read into a passage what we want to see rather than what the author meant. This is how Philippians 4:13 has devolved, in some circles, to be a religious-sounding way of saying, “We can win the sportsball game because Jesus!”

By beginning with the question, “What does it say?” we begin with the original author’s intention rather than our own position of preference or preconceived notions.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? (HERMENEUTICS)

Once we have developed a solid understanding of the author’s original intention, now we must connect that content to meaning. For instance, in Luke 9 Jesus states, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” This one statement begs a number of questions.

What does it mean to be a disciple? Is this in addition to being a follower of Jesus? Is this optional? Is this important?What does it mean to deny yourself? Does this mean I must deny myself physical necessities such as food and water? What about luxuries such as air conditioning or season tickets to my favorite sports team?What does it mean to take up your cross? Do I literally need to go out and build a cross from 2x4s and carry it around? Is a necklace enough? How about a tattoo?What does Jesus mean when he says, “follow me?” How do I follow Him when He’s nowhere to be seen?

Based on your congregation you may find some of those questions more relevant than others. However, do not assume that just because you see a question as ridiculous, no one in your audience thinks that way. Recognize the spiritual spectrum of your people and respond accordingly.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? (HOMILETICS)

So what? You’ve told me what a passage says and the intention behind the words on the page, but what do I do with this information that you have given? Homiletics (Hum -ill -et -icks) takes the content from the page and demonstrates application to the life of the audience.

King David danced publically when the ark of the covenant was brought back to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). Sure, it’s a neat story, but what difference should that make to someone who is working on the assembly line 50 hours a week or the stay-at-home mom as she’s raising her kids?

Help your people see the relevance of Scripture to their lives. Help them take the lessons at hand and apply them to where they are living.

CONCLUSION

As preachers, we have the responsibility of sharing God’s message from God’s Word to God’s people.

This means more than just reciting some selected verses that focus on specific topics.

This also means more than using sermons as a running theological commentary meant to convey a massive amount of scholarly information.

This means training your congregation on how to read, interpret and apply the Scriptures for themselves.

An expository method of preaching can serve as a live-action demonstration on how to do just that.

Diversifying Your Approach – Expository

This post is part of a series where I discuss various sermon approaches.
I hope within these posts you may discover some new methods you can use to structure and deliver a message.
PART 1 – Diversifying Your Preaching Approach
PART 2 – Story as Sermon – Narrative Preaching
PART 3 – From Specific to General – Inductive Preaching

I’m a pilot.

Well, sort of. Let me explain.

I do not own a plane. I do not have a pilot’s license. My wife, however, did once get me a flying lesson as a gift. Therefore, if the definition of “pilot” is that you have been in control of an aircraft, I certainly qualify.

The total amount of flying time on my pilot’s logbook: 30 minutes.

After reading that, chances are high that you are not interested in having me pilot a plane to transport you and your family for your next vacation. It’s easy to understand that, even if I have technically flown a plane, that does not mean I am qualified to be a pilot.

As preachers, a dangerous assumption we can make is that even though our people can read the Bible, we assume they know how to read the Bible. Yes, they may in fact be literate individuals able to decipher the words on the page. Some in your audience may even be able to recite verses or list off the books of the Bible. However, do they know how to interpret the text and apply it to their lives and experience?

Herein lies the value of Expository Preaching.

For some preachers, this is their bread and butter. Expository preaching is THE foundational approach they use, and for good reason. Others, however, begin from a desire to preach about the needs of their congregation. This is not an illegitimate motivation. In fact, I will write about topical preaching, and its value, in the coming weeks. Yet by adopting an expository approach, you, as the preacher, can not only help your people understand a passage but help them grow in their understanding of how to read the Bible as a whole.

However, to understand expository preaching, we need to begin with some definitions to ensure we are all on the same page.

DEFINITIONS

What does it mean for preaching to be expository?

At its basic level, expository is just a fancy way of saying we are exposing the text. By preaching in an expository fashion, we are looking at a specific passage and diving deep to unearth life principles and application that can be derived from the selected verses. To preach in an expository fashion is to answer the following questions:

What does it say?What does it mean?Why does it matter?

Yet, in true seminary-style fashion, we’ve pulled words from Greek to make this all sound more complicated. Respectively these are exegesis, hermeneutics, and homiletics. Let’s take some time to dive into each.

WHAT DOES IT SAY? (EXEGESIS)

Exegesis (pronounced “ex – uh – Jesus”) means to “read out of” a passage. Therefore, when preaching in a manner that exposes the text, we must begin by understanding how the text reads. The goal of this first question, therefore, is to understand what the author meant.

Consider Philippians 4:13 which reads, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” To exegete that passage we would look at the surrounding context and language. In this text, then, we understand that Paul is discussing his own life hardships (arrest, beatings, etc) and discussing how he has learned how to find his contentment and joy in Christ rather than in his circumstances.

However, if we fail to look at the context and understand the author’s intention, we end up performing eisegesis (“eye-suh-Jesus”) which means we read into a passage what we want to see rather than what the author meant. This is how Philippians 4:13 has devolved, in some circles, to be a religious-sounding way of saying, “We can win the sportsball game because Jesus!”

By beginning with the question, “What does it say?” we begin with the original author’s intention rather than our own position of preference or preconceived notions.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN? (HERMENEUTICS)

Once we have developed a solid understanding of the author’s original intention, now we must connect that content to meaning. For instance, in Luke 9 Jesus states, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” This one statement begs a number of questions.

What does it mean to be a disciple? Is this in addition to being a follower of Jesus? Is this optional? Is this important?What does it mean to deny yourself? Does this mean I must deny myself physical necessities such as food and water? What about luxuries such as air conditioning or season tickets to my favorite sports team?What does it mean to take up your cross? Do I literally need to go out and build a cross from 2x4s and carry it around? Is a necklace enough? How about a tattoo?What does Jesus mean when he says, “follow me?” How do I follow Him when He’s nowhere to be seen?

Based on your congregation you may find some of those questions more relevant than others. However, do not assume that just because you see a question as ridiculous, no one in your audience thinks that way. Recognize the spiritual spectrum of your people and respond accordingly.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? (HOMILETICS)

So what? You’ve told me what a passage says and the intention behind the words on the page, but what do I do with this information that you have given? Homiletics (Hum -ill -et -icks) takes the content from the page and demonstrates application to the life of the audience.

King David danced publically when the ark of the covenant was brought back to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). Sure, it’s a neat story, but what difference should that make to someone who is working on the assembly line 50 hours a week or the stay-at-home mom as she’s raising her kids?

Help your people see the relevance of Scripture to their lives. Help them take the lessons at hand and apply them to where they are living.

CONCLUSION

As preachers, we have the responsibility of sharing God’s message from God’s Word to God’s people.

This means more than just reciting some selected verses that focus on specific topics.

This also means more than using sermons as a running theological commentary meant to convey a massive amount of scholarly information.

This means training your congregation on how to read, interpret and apply the Scriptures for themselves.

An expository method of preaching can serve as a live-action demonstration on how to do just that.

REVIEW: What is Biblical Theology?

During the pandemic quarantine of 2020, I renewed my enjoyment of reading. I found myself being transported to Mars in fantastic works of fiction by talented authors. I have been informed and enlightened by experts in various fields, stretching my understanding of historical and social issues. I have felt laughter and anger experiencing situations (both real and fictitious) as conveyed by the authors.

But rarely has a book made me feel…

…nothing.

I hate to say it, but that’s what I am walking away thinking and feeling after finishing What is Biblical Theology?

Let me break my thoughts down a bit further into something more helpful.

The Author’s Approach

As the subtitle indicates, the different chapters are laid out in such a way as to over-arching themes, images, and types in the Biblical narrative. To that end, the author does well to present copious amounts of Biblical support to help the reader see the connections he is making.

My issue is, that I felt time and again as though several pages of this book could have been summarized with a chart or two. The reader, then, could visually see the connections between different parts of Scripture and the associated themes at hand. If an image is worth a thousand words, each chapter could have been a chart with one or two paragraphs of explanation.

Furthermore, with each section, the author started over and tried to make his point across the breadth of Scripture. I would have preferred he allow his book to follow the Biblical narrative. Yes, this is clearly a personal preference, however, I felt it could have made the book feel a bit less “jumpy.”

The Right Audience

I believe there is absolutely an audience for a book like this, however, I feel as though the task will be akin to threading a needle. Someone who is new to Scripture would find some of the discussions and references pointing to the New and Old Testaments a bit challenging to follow. Yet someone who has studied Scripture quite a bit may find the lessons about symbolism and even typology to be ones referenced in a hundred previous sermons.

Perhaps the perfect audience involves those who have seen Scripture mostly from an academic angle of a book to be studied. This resource, then, could help such an individual open their eyes to a larger overarching narrative and beautiful symbolism that can be found throughout. To that person, I believe this resource could be immensely beneficial.

Conclusion

To a certain audience, a work like this would prove valuable to connect dots and see Scripture as more than just a source for theological argumentation. For me, it was an ok reminder of symbolism and patterns in the Biblical narrative, but nothing overtly remarkable.

Diversifying Your Approach – Inductive Sermons

This post is part of a series where I discuss various sermon approaches. I hope within these posts you may discover some new methods you can use to structure and deliver a message.
PART 1 – Diversifying Your Preaching Approach
PART 2 – Story as Sermon

On February second each year, groundhogs in various communities are brought from their dens, and announcements are made as to how much longer it will be until winter passes and the warmer weather of spring arrives. This odd holiday, known as Groundhog’s Day, has been around since the early eighteenth century and has taken on new life since the 1993 movie of the same name starring Bill Murray. This odd holiday, known as Groundhog’s Day, has been around since the early eighteenth century and has taken on new life since the 1993 movie of the same name starring Bill Murray.

See what I did there? 😉

I mention this because I have a question. Without doing an internet search, do you have any idea where the celebration of Groundhog Day came from? Whose idea was it to entrust rodents from North America with meteorological prognostications?

However, to be fair, we could ask similar questions about lots of traditions and celebrations.

What do Christmas trees have to do with the birth of Jesus?Why, for sporting events, do people show up hours in advance to tailgate?Why does the United States use the Imperial System when the Metric Act of 1866 was passed by Congress recognizing the use of the Metric System?

Sure, you can search and find answers. But the reality remains that there are lots of things we do without necessarily understanding why we do them.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH PREACHING?

I use these examples because the approach I am about to suggest may feel as if I’m trouncing on a sacred tradition, even if you don’t know where that tradition came from.

Like many preachers, you may have a particular approach to preaching that you learn and hold dear. Yet, as I have mentioned previously, practicing new approaches can help you grow as a preacher and help ensure preaching routines do not morph into preaching ruts.

The approach I would like to recommend to you today is one called Inductive Preaching, and it is not new by any means.

Fred Craddock discussed inductive preaching in the sixties with his classic works Preaching and As One Without Authority. More recently, Andy Stanley has presented an inductive approach in his book Communicating For a Change, even if he did not refer to it in those terms. Thus, the idea is not unheard of, even if some preachers do not realize this is the very approach they are using.

WHAT IS INDUCTIVE PREACHING?

In case you have read an opposing viewpoint, I want to start with the following statement: inductive preaching, done properly, is still Biblical preaching. As with other approaches, we are changing the delivery mechanism, not the content. All preaching should be derived from a thorough study of Scripture, not psychology or our latest motivational thoughts on life. In fact, even some Scriptural passages are presented in an inductive fashion. Take, for example, the entire book of Ecclesiastes. The author, Solomon, presents chapter after chapter of how he tried and failed, to find fulfillment. Then only in the last two verses does he give the associated lesson.

So then, what is meant by an inductive sermon? To answer this, we need to have a better understanding of the terms inductive and deductive. While the differences cannot be fully covered in a post like this, I want to offer a basic understanding of definitions and differences.

ApproachObjectiveExampleProsConsDeductiveStart with general premises and draw specific conclusions.All birds lay eggs,
a chicken is a bird, a chicken must lay eggs.If your starting premises are accurate, your conclusions will be accurate

Logical in nature

Leaves no room for outside observation

Not everyone may agree on the accuracy of the premises

InductiveStart with specific premises and draw general conclusions.Chickens have feathers and lay eggs. Therefore a chicken must be a bird.Invites a process of observation and explorationLimited premises can lead to inaccurate conclusions.

Arguments against inductive preaching often focus on the aspect above about the accuracy of the premises versus the ability to draw incorrect conclusions. However, any preacher who is responsibly working to accurately draw from a text will be cautious about any conclusions that would otherwise contradict sound doctrine.

SO WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?

I want to offer two very basic outlines to demonstrate how the same passage can be preached deductively and inductively. For this exercise, I’m going to use John 3:16-21.

DEDUCTIVE

Premise: God is love and He offers His love to any who believes.

God loved us so much that He sent JesusGod does not want to condemn anyoneGod gives eternal life to any who believes in Him.

INDUCTIVE

Premise (in the form of a question): John 3:16 is the most famous verse, but why does it actually matter?

We learn of God’s love for all people.We learn that God does not want anyone condemned.We learn that God invites us to eternal life through Jesus.

Yes, those may seem quite similar, and given the passage they are. However, go back to the table above. Deductive begins with a conclusion and gives details about the said conclusion. Inductive invites the audience on a journey of discovery and ends with a conclusion drawn from the observations.

So with all that said let me ask, what attempts have you made at inductive preaching? How has a topic like this been portrayed to you? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

REVIEW: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about God (But Were Afraid to Ask): The Jesus Edition

I’m a frequent user of the Libby App available through my local library. It allows me to check out various books, audiobooks, and more with just a few taps on my phone or iPad. That’s how I came across this book by Eric Metaxas. I’ve heard him speak a few times over the years and decided to give it a whirl.

I guess you could say I had pretty uneven feelings about this book.

Metaxas presents this book in a sort of question and answer format with one character, “Q”, as the one with all the questions and the second character as the well-studied theologian. The intent, as I understood it, was to make the reader feel as though they were observing or listening in on a conversation rather than reading a book about apologetics and theology. The concept caught me as interesting I found it engaging for the first few chapters.

However, after a while, the approach felt awkward and distracting. I found myself quite annoyed by the approach even before I was halfway through.

Speaking of the first few chapters, my enjoyment of the approach was not the only item of note. As I listened to Metaxas present quality apologetic evidence to common arguments contrary to the Christian faith, I really felt as though I had stumbled upon a text that would be a valuable resource to hand to others.

Then, we again got past the first few chapters.

I’m not going to say the last two-thirds or even the last half of the book was bad per se. However, I had a variety of issues with the dialogue and content.

First, it was not long before felt “Q” was more a representation of questions the author wanted to answer, rather than questions a non-Christian would genuinely ask. There were several times I rolled my eyes at the dialogue because it felt forced rather than conversational.

Second, even though this book was published in 2010 there were a number of illustrations and references that I felt were quite dated. At one point the author referenced someone who was a “famous talk show host.” Honestly, I had to look up the name as I had never heard of the person. Turns out this reference, along with several others, were before my time. These details definitely made the book feel as though I were reading something out of date.

Again, it was published in 2010. I would not expect that from something printed in the dozen years.

Finally, sometimes I felt like the author was trying to be funny or cute, but not succeeding. For example, one chapter begins with a question about the “lost years” of Jesus. I was surprised to hear this and was intrigued by how the author might build a whole chapter around that. The content of the chapter, however, quickly turned subject of sarcasm found in Jesus’s teachings.

Is there sarcasm in Jesus’s teachings? Sure. I can point to various examples.

But what does that have to do with the so-called “lost years?”

Conversations meander, I get that. If this was meant to feel like an authentic conversation that weaved in and out of topics, I can respect the attempt.

However, I don’t feel like he pulled it off well.

In short, there is some good apologetic and theological information here, but enough problems with the writing itself that I’m likely to recommend another work like Cold Case Christianity instead.

Diversifying Your Approach – Narrative Sermon

This post is part of a series where I discuss various sermon approaches. I hope within these posts you may discover some new methods you can use to structure and deliver a sermon
PART 1 – Diversifying Your Preaching Approach

As human beings, we are captivated by the power of a good story. Sure, modern blockbuster movies may often include state-of-the-art CGI, along with lots of explosions and the most recognizable names in Hollywood. Yet the experience, even in this visual and experiential medium, boils down to the depth and power of the story being told.

Of course, the power of the story is nothing new to humanity. Long before the first high-tech explosion, our predecessors would gather around campfires to share stories. These stories, whether historical, personal, or mythological, could elicit emotions of fear, sadness, excitement, and more from young and old alike.

Jesus himself was a master storyteller. Examples such as The Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 or The Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15 are widely recognized by those outside Christianity as excellent examples of simple stories with immense depth.

Yet, when it comes to the topic of preaching, storytelling is often seen as an illustrative method and nothing more. For some, we feel as though we have not truly “preached” unless the presentation has included parsing of Greek verbs or unpacking contextual nuances that justify our academic training, and thus our paycheck.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not calling for a moratorium on expository messages. In fact, I will discuss that method further in a future blog post. What I am suggesting, however, is the acceptance of the story as the sermon. We call this approach a narrative sermon.

Before I offer recommendations of how something like this might be pieced together, I want to offer a couple of disclaimers.

Not every story is a sermon. The story about what happened at your kid’s soccer game may be fun. It may serve as  good illustration material for some point you are making. However, as I write about in Simple Preaching Prep, “Preaching, properly done, is based on the Word of God. If we base our message on anything else it can be considered a pep talk, a motivational speech, a TED talk, or a variety of other things, but it is not preaching.“To build on the previous point, what I am talking about with the story as sermon is not an absence of Scripture, but a change in our presentation of Scripture. I would encourage you to check out Jeff Walling’s “A Flight Through the Old Testament” as an example. In this message Jeff connects a variety of dots in Scripture to help the audience understand the overall narrative of the Bible. Thus, the message is certainly Scriptural, even if it is not built upon his exposition of a single text.

While your style and personality will differ on how this approach might work for you, here are some recommendations on how to design and preach a narrative sermon.

SELECT A NARRATIVE

When thinking of sermon material, your mind may initially go to passages on the nature of grace from Romans, or using Old Testament descriptions of sacrifice to convey how God sees sin. Yet, a substantial portion of the Biblical text is written in narrative form. Thus if you are considering preaching a message with a narrative approach, you will find it much easier to use the book of Jonah or the story of the Good Samaritan rather than Romans 6:23 as your primary text.

Here are some types of texts you may consider:

Overview of a Biblical character’s life. Several years ago I preached a narrative-style sermon from the life of Joseph with the focus of demonstrating Joseph’s trust in God and God’s faithfulness to Joseph. As I walked through the message I used a phrase beginning with the letter P (Preferred son, Pit, Potiphar, Prison, Palace, Prosperous). This helped me remember where I was in the story and allowed a call-and-response dynamic with the congregation as I recapped where we had been several times during the message.Overview of a Biblical event. Consider the death and raising of Lazarus in John 11 or the interaction with Elisha and his servant when approached by the Aramean army in 2 Kings 6. Either could be structured in such a way to convey an important truth about God, even as you frame the message in the form of a story.

SELECT A PERSPECTIVE

Back in school you probably had to learn and identify when stories were being told from different perspectives. As a reminder, a first-person perspective is when I am telling a story as it happened to me. A third-person perspective, however, is when I tell a story as it happened to someone else.

Either possibility can work in a narrative sermon.

For example, it is completely appropriate to take on a first-person perspective as one of the disciples when the news is shared that Lazaraus has died. You can share how those around may have felt, or questions they may have been asking. For example in John 11:6, we read that Jesus stayed two more days. If you knew Lazarus sickness was serious would you be asking questions like, “Why are we still staying? Isn’t Jesus concerned?” Then how would you feel if, upon arriving in Bethany, you learned Lazarus had died? How would you look back on what Jesus’s previous statements and his delay in coming to Bethany?

On the other hand, all of this can be told from a third-person perspective. Behave as the story teller, giving indications on how the disciples might have felt during each pieces of this emotional journey. On the other hand, what if you are speaking from the perspective of one of the unnamed townspeople who, expected Jesus to come only to see him arrive too late. You are not required to act as though all this had happened to you.

Before we move to my last recommendation, I have three more quick bits of advice about perspective.

Show, don’t tell. It is one thing to walk on stage and say, “Today I will be playing the role of an unnamed townsperson in the passage of John 11.” A more effective approach can be to walk on stage and just introduce yourself. For example:

“Oh hi there! My name is Simeon and I’m a resident of this lovely city of Bethany. Since I don’t recognize you, I’m guessing you want to hear about that time Jesus came to town and brought Lazarus back to life. Yeah…most random visitors who show up are asking that very thing. Ok then, take a seat. I can tell you about it because I was there…”

You can craft the story as though you are in the first century with period clothing and all. However this is not always required. Perhaps you want to speak as though you’re a tax collector named Zachh Eaus while wearing a suit and tie as you tell about the time you met Jesus.Some may say otherwise, but in a sermon like this I’d recommend not pretending to be Jesus. Is it inherently evil if you do? No, not necessarily. However, I believe there are going to be a lot more precautions and delicate steps you need to take if you do. Thus, I would not recommend it.

SELECT A STORY THREAD

Knowing stories of the Bible is great. In fact, for millennia this was the primary means by which the story of God was passed on from one generation to the next. However I find a narrative sermon has the greatest opportunity for impact when I provide my audience with a takeaway. Essentially, I am bringing out a point of application and demonstrating how they can apply this Bibilcal story to their lives.

Yet, when possible, don’t just leave application for the final two minutes of a message. Weave it throughout.

Above I mentioned my message which was an overview on the life of Joseph from Genesis 37-50. While I used the alliterative method to help the audience follow the story, the point I kept coming back to was how, despite the circumstances Joseph remained faithful to God because Joseph knew God would always remain faithful to him. I kept bringing this statement up again and again so that, by the time the message was nearing conclusion, I did not have to share some new idea. The audience had been exposed to the application the entire time.

CONCLUSION

I recognize there is a lot more that could, and has, been said about narrative sermons. However I want to hear from you. What approach have you tried? What did you see as the benefits and pitfalls of such an approach? What did you find to be the hardest part of preaching a narrative sermon?

REVIEW: Ted Talks

TED has quickly surged to the forefront in the last decade when it comes to public speaking events. Think about it. How many social media posts have you seen written something like this:

The toilet paper roll goes top-out. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Once something has entered meme-level status, you know it has become well-known.

As someone who has public speaking as a significant facet of my job, I was interested to dive into this book by Chris Anderson, the head of the TED non-profit organization. I wanted to know the lessons that have been learned in training people from all walks of life on how to speak publicly.

THE CONTENT

The book is broken up into various sections so that readers can digest the information based on wherever they may be in their own speaking journey. If the reader is getting an overview on preparing and presenting their first talk, they will find a wide swath of information including discussing topics such as how to dress, the use of props, and more. On the other hand, readers with years of public speaking experience could find value in identifying a specific area where they want to improve, without needing to read every page of the book to do so. Thus, it is a valuable resource for the public speaker.

The book is written using language that is easily understood by just about anyone. The content is neither so basic that it would prove exhausting to the experienced speaker, nor so nuanced that a novice presenter could not pick it up and employ the tactics. Furthermore, references are given to all sorts of TED talk videos so that the reader can view examples for themselves and learn from world-class communicators.

SO WHY DID IT NOT GIVE IT FIVE STARS?

Anderson uses his book, not only to give lessons on public speaking, but also to promote, and even give some historical context to the TED organization. I would even say he does so unapologetically. Therefore, based on his intention, I feel as though he hit the bullseye.

This book is a great primer on how to give a TED talk. I, however, would have liked to see more about the talk and less about TED.

At times I almost felt as though it were a commercial for TED. And, to be clear, TED is an organization that I already like and do not need to be pitched on. Perhaps I’m being unfair with this criticism and judging what is not there as opposed to what is. Perhaps I’m punishing a work based on how my expectations were different than the author’s intention.

Any of that counter-criticism would be entirely fair.

However, this is my review and I get to respond as I wish ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

CONCLUSION

TED Talks is overall an excellent resource on the shelf for someone to grow in their approach to public speaking. However, be prepared for this work to be focused more on the TED than the talk.