Jason K. Allen's Blog, page 22

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Able To Keep You From Falling” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Able To Keep You From Falling” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 9, Morning)

“Able to keep you from falling.” (Jude 24)

In some sense the path to heaven is very safe, but in other respects there is no road so dangerous. It is beset with difficulties. One false step (and how easy it is to take that if grace be absent), and down we go. What a slippery path is that which some of us have to tread! How many times have we to exclaim with the Psalmist, “My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped.” If we were strong, sure-footed mountaineers, this would not matter so much; but in ourselves, how weak we are! In the best roads we soon falter, in the smoothest paths we quickly stumble. These feeble knees of ours can scarcely support our tottering weight. A straw may throw us, and a pebble can wound us; we are mere children tremblingly taking our first steps in the walk of faith, our heavenly Father holds us by the arms or we should soon be down. Oh, if we are kept from falling, how must we bless the patient power which watches over us day by day! Think, how prone we are to sin, how apt to choose danger, how strong our tendency to cast ourselves down, and these reflections will make us sing more sweetly than we have ever done, “Glory be to him, who is able to keep us from falling.” We have many foes who try to push us down. The road is rough and we are weak, but in addition to this, enemies lurk in ambush, who rush out when we least expect them, and labour to trip us up, or hurl us down the nearest precipice. Only an Almighty arm can preserve us from these unseen foes, who are seeking to destroy us. Such an arm is engaged for our defence. He is faithful that hath promised, and he is able to keep us from falling, so that with a deep sense of our utter weakness, we may cherish a firm belief in our perfect safety, and say, with joyful confidence,

“Against me earth and hell combine,

But on my side is power divine;

Jesus is all, and he is mine!”

 

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Ten Tips for Leading Kids to Christ

My greatest stewardship in life is not training a generation of students at Midwestern Seminary. It is training my five young children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I feel the weight—and glory—of this stewardship daily and find immeasurable fulfillment and joy as I see my children taking steps toward Christ.

I am sure many Christian parents feel the same way I do—awestruck by the opportunity and responsibility that is ours. In fact, my wife Karen and I are often asked about building a Christian home and rearing children who grow up to follow Christ. We will be the first to admit that we are far from accomplished. On the contrary, we just keep plugging away, seeking the Lord’s grace in our children’s lives, as in our own.

This is definitely not an article about “success, and how we have achieved it.” Rather, as the old adage goes, we are beggars telling other beggars where we have found some bread. If you are seeking to influence little ones toward Christ, you might find these ten tips helpful:

1. Remember, children do not have to become like adults to be saved; adults have to become like children. When Jesus made this point in Matt. 18, he was not referring to spiritual innocence. Rather, he commended a spirit of humility, dependence, and deference—virtues which are common in children and essential for whoever would follow Christ.

2. Remember, you are responsible for your child’s spiritual formation, not your church, your pastor, or your children’s minister. Be faithful to teach them the Word, to shape their hearts, and, yes, to indoctrinate them. Even if your church is healthy enough to outsource your kid’s spiritual formation, do not do it. It is unbiblical, and it robs you of some of life’s greatest joys.

3. Remember what conversion is. Conversion is more than intellectual. We are looking for more than our children’s ascent to biblical facts about Jesus. My children have known the broad contours of the gospel since preschool, but that is not enough to save them. Have an ear for confession, repentance, faith, and submission to Jesus as Lord. Ask yourself, has Jesus changed their life?

4. Share your testimony with your children. Do your kids know how much Jesus means to you; how he changed your life; and when and how you became a Christian? Sharing your testimony with your children provides a natural context to discuss what God is doing in their lives too.

5. Share the gospel with your children. Do not assume they have heard it at church, and do not leave it to them to connect the dots from Sunday School lessons and sermons. Share the gospel with your children plainly, passionately, and frequently.

6. Share the gospel in front of your children. As you do, your children can overhear the gospel in a less intimidating, more natural context. Moreover, they will sense how important the gospel is to you, that it applies to all people, and that you value the gospel and people enough to acquaint the two.

7. Provide natural contexts for spiritual conversations. In our house, we strive for spiritual conversations to be as natural as talking about school, activities, sports, or any other aspect of our lives. For us, this most naturally takes place during family worship. The key is not the context but the consistency. Infrequently talking about the things of God ups the awkwardness for your children. Frequency makes it more natural.

8. Encourage steps toward Jesus. W. A. Criswell, the famed pastor of First Baptist Dallas, coined this phrase. It is a helpful phrase—and a helpful concept. When your children express interest in following Christ, even if they are quite young or you have other reservations about their inquiry, you can still affirm them as they ask questions and “take steps toward Jesus.”

9. Talk to your pastor. Though you should not outsource your child’s spiritual formation, you should seek your pastor’s counsel. Do not ask him leading questions or make too many assumptions. Just let him visit with your child and join in shepherding them toward Christ. Sometimes the church assumes parents are leading their children to Christ while the parents are assuming the church’s ministers are doing the same. Assume nothing. Your child’s heart is too precious for ill-informed assumption. Partner with your church.

10. Be quick with the gospel, but slow with the baptistery. Just because your child expresses interest in following Christ—or even professes they are following Christ—does not mean you have to baptize them right away. Baptizing young children who are not yet genuinely converted confuses both the child and the congregation. Even worse, it may mislead the child into thinking they are converted while they yet remain outside of the Kingdom. Instead, be patient and trust the Lord. Let their desire for Christ ripen. Look for the fruits of conversion. Baptize them as you gain confidence they have truly met Christ.

Conclusion

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of baptizing one of my own children. The joy of leading her to Christ and seeing her grow over many months has been an unmatched joy.  I now resonate with the Apostle John’s assessment, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in truth.” Let these 10 tips guide you as you shepherd your children toward Christ, and, as you do, may you know the joy of seeing your children walk in the truth as well.

____________________________________________________

III John 4.

*This article was originally published on 9/14/16*

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Praying In The Holy Ghost” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Praying In The Holy Ghost” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 8, Evening)

“Praying in the Holy Ghost.” (Jude 20)

Mark the grand characteristic of true prayer–“In the Holy Ghost.” The seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven’s storehouse. Only the prayer which comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord’s arrows back to him. That desire which he writes upon our heart will move his heart and bring down a blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power with him.

Praying in the Holy Ghost is praying in fervency. Cold prayers ask the Lord not to hear them. Those who do not plead with fervency, plead not at all. As well speak of lukewarm fire as of lukewarm prayer–it is essential that it be red hot. It is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant gathers force as he proceeds, and grows more fervent when God delays to answer. The longer the gate is closed, the more vehemently does he use the knocker, and the longer the angel lingers the more resolved is he that he will never let him go without the blessing. Beautiful in God’s sight is tearful, agonizing, unconquerable importunity. It means praying humbly, for the Holy Spirit never puffs us up with pride. It is his office to convince of sin, and so to bow us down in contrition and brokenness of spirit. We shall never sing Gloria in excelsis except we pray to God De profundis: out of the depths must we cry, or we shall never behold glory in the highest. It is loving prayer. Prayer should be perfumed with love, saturated with love–love to our fellow saints, and love to Christ. Moreover, it must be a prayer full of faith. A man prevails only as he believes. The Holy Spirit is the author of faith, and strengthens it, so that we pray believing God’s promise. O that this blessed combination of excellent graces, priceless and sweet as the spices of the merchant, might be fragrant within us because the Holy Ghost is in our hearts! Most blessed Comforter, exert thy mighty power within us, helping our infirmities in prayer.

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Pastors: Preach, Don’t Rant

Pastors are called to preach sermons, not deliver rants. Too often God’s people are subjected to the latter, but it is the former they truly need. This distinction struck me several years ago while co-preaching a conference with several other pastors.

I sensed we were in for a rant when one of the speakers declined a microphone, assuring the sound-booth attendant he would be sufficiently loud without it. When his moment to preach came, he did not disappoint. I was as amazed at his volume as I was disturbed by his handling of the text.

Pastors are called to preach sermons, not deliver rants. What differentiates the two?

Possessing Authority, Not Just Pulling Rank

To be sure, the preacher’s reputation, credentials, self-presentation, and speaking style may add credibility to the man and the message. However, true authority is much deeper—and much more lasting—than these superficialities.

Simply put, a sermon’s authority is derived from Holy Scripture’s authority. The more Scripture is presented, rightly interpreted, and brought to bear on the congregation, the more authority the sermon—and the preacher—will have.

Paul exhorted Titus, “These things (Scripture) speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”[1] In this sense, we should aim to speak as Christ spoke, who, “when he had finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at His teaching: for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”[2]

When we preach with the authority of the text, the sermon arrives with a “Thus Sayeth the Lord” ring to it—resounding with true, biblical authority, which God himself bestows through his inerrant Word.

Conversely, if a sermon does not come with the weight of Scripture behind it, the preacher is merely pulling rank—insisting the crowd obey his message because of the position he holds or the block of wood he is standing behind. If this is the case, the pulpit more resembles a soapbox, and the sermon more a rant.

Having Compassion, Not Just Passion

Once, a witty person described preaching the Bible and teaching the Bible as synonymous tasks, but in preaching you get to yell occasionally. There is a grain of truth to that observation.

Great preaching is usually passionate preaching. There are occasional examples to the contrary, but usually great preachers are impassioned ones. This is fitting and right. If the preacher is not moved by the message, why should the church be?

However, for every ounce of passion in the preacher’s voice, there should be a pound of compassion in his soul. To Timothy, Paul instructed, “Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”[3] And that, “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition…”[4]

Most poignantly, Peter calls the pastor to, “Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; not lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.”[5]

Preaching is more than cranking up the volume. Yelling at people may help you get an irritation off your chest, but it likely won’t enable you to get it into the hearts of your congregants. Balance passion with compassion.

Having an Object, Not just a Subject

Sermons usually have a subject, but great sermons have an object. Preach to honor the object of the sermon—Christ. For example, do not just preach against the subject of sexual sin.  Preach to glorify Christ by showing your church the vileness of sexual sin, but also forgiveness through Christ, and the joy of obediently living for him.

Preachers are not merely called to preach on something but to people. If you’re preaching on something, you just tee up the concern of the week and have at it. If you are preaching to people, you seek to bring God’s Word to bear on them, not just the subject of the day.

Intentionally focusing on Christ in the sermon and viewing the subject of the sermon through that prism, have the added value of personalizing the sermon to the congregation.

Conclusion

Any preacher can rant, and too many preachers do. But God’s men are called to preach. To this end, make sure your sermon is grounded in the authority of Scripture, delivered with compassion as well as passion, and that you point your people beyond a subject, to the object of making their joy complete by glorifying Christ.

[1] Titus 2:15.

[2] Matthew 7:27.

[3] II Timothy 4:2.

[4] II Timothy 2:24-25.

[5] I Peter 5:1-4.

*A version of this article first appeared on 1/25/16*

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Launch Out Into The Deep” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Launch Out Into The Deep” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 8, Morning)

“Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” (Luke 5:4)

We learn from this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in the saving of souls, God worketh by means; and while the present economy of grace shall stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When God worketh without instruments, doubtless he is glorified; but he hath himself selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which he is most magnified in the earth. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing. “Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.” What was the reason of this? Were they not fishermen plying their special calling? Verily, they were no raw hands; they understood the work. Had they gone about the toil unskilfully? No. Had they lacked industry? No, they had toiled. Had they lacked perseverance? No, they had toiled all the night. Was there a deficiency of fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master came, they swam to the net in shoals. What, then, is the reason? Is it because there is no power in the means of themselves apart from the presence of Jesus? “Without him we can do nothing.” But with Christ we can do all things. Christ’s presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter’s boat, and his will, by a mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up in his Church, his presence is the Church’s power–the shout of a king is in the midst of her. “I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.” Let us go out this morning on our work of soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us in solemn anxiety. Let us toil till night comes, and we shall not labour in vain, for he who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.

 

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How Expository Preaching Should Engage Cultural Concerns (Part II)

As an expositor, one must assess both the culture and the congregation in order to determine whether or not to engage certain concerns that arise.  Clarity in this matter is essential. How does the preacher gain clarity in his assessment? Let’s consider these nine questions, which will serve as indicators for the expositor—helping him discern the extent of the concern and whether or not it should impact his upcoming sermon:

1. Does the concern affect a substantial portion of the congregation in a substantial way? Does the problem, crisis, or concern on the minds of the church members move them to come to church hoping (and needing) to hear a direct and timely Word from the Lord? Given the sensationalized and never-ending news cycle to which we are now afflicted, the key word is substantial—are a substantial number of people affected in a substantial way?

2. Should this concern be affecting them? Is the distraction a legitimate one? Many church members stumble into worship with earthly distractions. Everything from college football and pop culture personalities and circumstances to the rolling events of the never-ending news cycle all clamor for their attention. The last thing the preacher should do is give these issues legitimacy or draw attention to them. To engage such is to forfeit biblical exposition altogether and become a topical preacher. Just because there is an elephant in the room does not mean one should engage it. Perhaps it needs to be ignored—or shooed out altogether.

3. Does this concern pose a threat to God’s people, morally, doctrinally, or in some other way? The faithful shepherd warns the sheep. This warning most commonly happens through the regular exposition of Scripture, but there are times when a more direct, timely word is needed. Hence, it may be necessary to preach an isolated, expository sermon on the Prosperity Gospel, the historicity of Genesis, biblical sexuality, the Obergfell decision, religious liberty, etc.

4. Does this concern necessitate a pastoral response of comfort? The faithful shepherd not only warns the sheep, he also comforts them. For example, in the context of the Iraq War, I pastored a church comprised of nearly 50-percent military personnel. During the ramp up to the war, when a number of our members were being deployed to combat, I interrupted my series to preach a particularly encouraging sermon from the Psalms. Or, to borrow a more recent event, if one pastored in Paris during their recent terrorist attack, it would be ministerial malpractice to ignore it. Or, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, the sermon most needed by the congregation probably was not one of rebuke against the culture, but of hope in God and a reminder that Christ is building his church.

5. Does the preacher need to inform the church of a hazardous issue or circumstance? For instance, is there pending legislation, on marriage, of which the church must be informed? Is there a forthcoming issue that will roil the congregation? Events such as the Ashley Madison scandal, Planned Parenthood videos, the Obergfell U.S. Supreme Court decision, may necessitate the preacher to inform his congregation or interpret the issues for them. Additionally, there may be internal issues which merit direct engagement. Issues like disunity in the church, sexual immorality, or some knotty case of church discipline may necessitate interrupting the sermon series.

6. Is there a clear biblical connection between the concern and a specific text? Does the Bible actually speak to the issue? Just as bad as not speaking where the Bible speaks, is to speak where the Bible does not speak. For instance, as the presidential election approaches, issues like taxation, immigration, states’ rights, the Affordable Care Act, and a host of other issues will dominate the headlines, most of which would be a stretch to engage from Scripture or in the sermon.

7. Has this concern come to the preacher? Though I have argued the need for a preacher to have an antenna, the biggest concerns will surely find him. Are God’s people, in essence, clamoring for a Word from the Lord?

8. Is there a biblical “therefore” to the text and the concern? Does the Bible not only reference the concern, but also speak to it? For example, as to the issue of marriage, we not only point out what it is not—same-sex—but what it is, the conjugal, covenant union of a man and a woman.

9. Are you moved by principle or just wanting to break the boredom? If the impulse to interrupt the series is to alleviate boredom, then the preacher may have bigger issues. If that is the case, you do not have a problem with the length of the series but the composition of the sermons—hence a problem with the preacher himself. Be wary of interrupting the series for anything less than a true congregational or cultural urgency.

How to Engage Pressing Concerns

The wager of lectio continua is that over the long haul, the accrued week-to-week benefit of sequential exposition offsets the weekly flexibility of topical preaching. With lectio continua as the preferred approach to preaching, the proposed steps to engage pressing cultural concerns incrementally and only when truly necessary, away from it. Let’s consider five questions to help frame how we might accomplish this:

1. Does this week’s text speak to, or touch on, the concern? Can you legitimately derive implication or application from the passage before you? If so, the problem is solved. Again, the key is to not bend the text to this end. To do so is to forfeit faithful exegesis. It is always better to change texts than to bend the text.

2. Does an upcoming text sufficiently engage the concern? One benefit of lectio continua is, generally, you know not only what you are preaching in the near-term, but what you will be preaching down the road. In fact, cultural and congregational realities may rightly inform the book one preaches through.

3. Does this concern merit interrupting the sermon series? The greater the concern, as assessed by the previous nine questions, the more likely one should interrupt the series. Picture two ascending and correlating lines. The higher up the concern graph, the more likely the concern will merit interrupting sequential exposition to address it.

4. Can you preach a topical, expositional sermon on the urgent concern?Regardless what one preaches on, or from what passage one preaches, the congregation should be unsurprised by how one preaches. To interrupt sequential exposition in order to let another text speak can reinforce the authority and relevancy of God’s Word. To interrupt sequential exposition for periodic, topical soapbox sermons undermines biblical exposition. It subtly infers verse-by-verse preaching is what one does when there is not a sexy, more captivating topic on which to preach.

5. Is this concern a gospel one, answered in Christ? Remember, the ultimate points of application are found in Christ. Run to Christ at the end of the text and as the solution to crisis and need. As you run to Christ, you can point out the many signs of fallenness and the need for the gospel. After all, so many of our pressing cultural concerns go back to the effects of total depravity and the aftermath of Genesis 3.

The ultimate point of every sermon is Christ’s saving work, and the most profound points of application for pressing cultural concerns are found in him. When preachers run first from the text to contemporary application, they may speed-by the most prescient application point of all, the finished work of Christ. Yet, when they run to him, they apply the text to the deepest needs and longings of the human heart.

Conclusion

There is an old saying, “When heresy moves in across the street, evangelicals tend to move across town.” Though topical preaching certainly is not heresy, when it comes to us most committed to lectio continua, we can overreact against topical preaching by studiously avoiding contemporary concerns and the impulse for relevance altogether.  So much so, perhaps we err in running too far the other direction. We argue that the Bible does not need to be made relevant, because, as the Word of God, it is unfailingly relevant. This is true. Though we cannot improve upon the Bible’s relevancy, as we rightly exegete our text, our culture, and our congregation, perhaps we can make our sermons a touch more relevant.

*This article was originally published on 8/24/16*

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Now On Whom Dost Thou Trust” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Now On Whom Dost Thou Trust” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 7, Evening)

“Now on whom dost thou trust?” (Isaiah 36:5)

Reader, this is an important question. Listen to the Christian’s answer, and see if it is yours. “On whom dost thou trust?” “I trust,” says the Christian, “in a triune God. I trust the Father, believing that he has chosen me from before the foundations of the world; I trust him to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to guide me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to his own house where the many mansions are. I trust the Son. Very God of very God is he–the man Christ Jesus. I trust in him to take away all my sins by his own sacrifice, and to adorn me with his perfect righteousness. I trust him to be my Intercessor, to present my prayers and desires before his Father’s throne, and I trust him to be my Advocate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify me. I trust him for what he is, for what he has done, and for what he has promised yet to do. And I trust the Holy Spirit–he has begun to save me from my inbred sins; I trust him to drive them all out; I trust him to curb my temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, to check my passions, to comfort my despondency, to help my weakness, to illuminate my darkness; I trust him to dwell in me as my life, to reign in me as my King, to sanctify me wholly, spirit, soul, and body, and then to take me up to dwell with the saints in light forever.”

Oh, blessed trust! To trust him whose power will never be exhausted, whose love will never wane, whose kindness will never change, whose faithfulness will never fail, whose wisdom will never be nonplussed, and whose perfect goodness can never know a diminution! Happy art thou, reader, if this trust is thine! So trusting, thou shalt enjoy sweet peace now, and glory hereafter, and the foundation of thy trust shall never be removed.

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How Expository Preaching Should Engage Cultural Concerns (Part I)

In John Stott’s classic Between Two Worlds, he depicted the preacher as a man positioned between two civilizations—tasked to bridge the ancient world with the modern one, and the ancient text with modern hearers.

Stott argued that the preacher is a bridge, and if he is to be effective, he must be firmly grounded on both sides of the canyon. The preacher must be a careful student of both worlds; exegeting both his text and his times.  To accomplish this, Stott contended the preacher must ask himself two questions: what did the text mean then, and what does it say now? The latter answer, of course, rooted in the former.

Stott’s paradigm speaks to our ministry moment as well. In the year 2016, the American church faces unprecedented, and often unpredictable, cultural challenges. The American church seems placed in the middle of a never-ending session of bull-in-the-ring, with cultural pressures—especially related to gender, sexuality, marriage and family—coming from anywhere and at any time. The preacher’s task, therefore, to bridge the ancient world with the modern is an urgent one, and increasingly so.

Stott’s depiction, though offered more than three decades ago, is a helpful reminder of the preacher’s fundamental task—to bring the text of Scripture to bear on the lives of his hearers. But, if one is committed to biblical exposition, and especially to lectio continua, or, we might say, sequential, verse-by-verse exposition, than to be a man between two worlds is occasionally to be a man in tension.

The stauncher one’s commitment to lectio continua, the more heightened the tension at times will be. The predicament is clear. Expository preaching, and especially sequential, verse-by-verse exposition is, at times, an uneasy partner with the prophet’s burden.

Framing the Dilemma

Biblical exposition is rooted in the Bible’s self-attestation, that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” and that the preacher’s primary task is to “preach the Word.” As he does, he stands on promises like, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

These passages, among many others, provide a rationale for biblical exposition, but they do not define it. In fact, a consensus definition for expository preaching proves stubbornly elusive. Consequentially, and regrettably, the phrase “expository preaching,” has become quite elastic, with much preaching getting crammed under that heading though it bears little resemblance to more traditional marks of biblical exposition.

For the sake of clarity, let me suggest, minimally, four characteristics of biblical exposition:

1. The necessity of accurately interpreting the text, in light of its immediate and broader, biblical context.

2. The necessity of deriving the point of the sermon and the sermon’s points from the text.

3. The necessity of deriving the sermon’s application from the text and for the text to be brought to bear on the congregation.

4. More tenuously, the priority of lectio continua, or sequential, verse-by-verse exposition.

Condensing these marks, we might simply define biblical exposition as, “Accurately interpreting and explaining the text of Scripture and bringing it to bear on the lives of the hearers.” Again, the constants within expository preaching are: accurately interpreting the text, deriving the sermon’s main point and sub-points from text, and bringing the text to bear on the congregation, preferably through lectio continua.

Even this minimalistic definition of expository preaching necessitates subordinating the sermon’s application to the sermon’s text. The preacher does not preach from the text or on the text, he preaches the text—thus limiting the sermon’s application to the point of the passage preached.

The tension, therefore, shows up in most every form of exposition, but especially through sequential, verse-by-verse exposition. It also forces the question: how does one remain faithful to the text, and to sequential exposition, yet adequately engage pressing cultural concerns impacting the congregation?

Conversely, the less committed one is to sequential exposition, the less the tension. A topical preacher just preaches on the desired topic. A loose expositor just manufactures application from the text, even if there is no direct textual connection.

The wager of lectio continua is that over time the accrued week-to-week benefits offsets the weekly adaptability and flexibility offered by topical preaching. The upside of sequential exposition, though, does not obviate the periodic tension the expositor feels.

My Journey with this Tension

In my early years of pastoral ministry, I was committed to preaching through books of the Bible. Generally, next week’s sermon—and every week’s sermon—was pre-committed. That was the conviction with which I began my preaching ministry. It is a conviction to which I stubbornly cling today.

I would periodically surface to select the next book of the Bible to preach through, but week-to-week, there was little suspense in my life over what I would be preaching.  My text, and thus my sermon and its application, was preselected.

Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, July 4th or other national holidays were irritants, as I knew many congregants expected the sermon to reflect the calendar in this regard. I knew it would take time to wean my people off of this expectation.
Christian celebratory days, like Christmas and Easter, were easy, as they were days for believers to focus uniquely on Christ. Thus, I was happy to plan my preaching schedule with these days in mind.
However, the vexing occasions for me were days like “Right to Life Sunday,” or when issues of sexuality, marriage or family came up in the culture in a way that truly merited—even necessitated—focused attention from the pulpit. Or, and most dramatically, when an adult entertainment store opened in proximity to my church, and the zoning regulations and city council wrangling which accompanied it drew the congregation’s attention. I simply had to address it.

 

This third category left me conflicted. I was committed to biblical exposition, but I had a nagging sense that I should be periodically instructing my church on the great social urgencies of our day.

Conversely, and of additional concern, I witnessed some ministers hiding behind their commitment to expository preaching. They professed readiness to preach boldly on issues of life, gender, sexuality and marriage and to reprove and rebuke with all authority when they come across these issues specifically in the text. They just managed to never come across them in the text.

Preaching as Contextual Act

Every sermon is delivered in a context, situated in a cultural moment with space and time realities. Preaching is not a sterile, or clinical, act. That is why seminary preaching labs can only accomplish so much. They are artificial, synthetic settings.

We do not preach to impersonal groups, but individuals with circumstantial concerns, distractions, questions and urgencies.  The aim of the sermon is to speak the Word to them specifically, the gathered crowd. The Word is powerful enough to be preached anywhere and anytime with effect, but our full confidence in the preached Word should not minimize the need for the sermon to be tailored for the specific moment.  The goal of the sermon is to impact and change the lives of those gathered. As York and Decker note, “Sermons are not about just imparting information.  They should be custom-built to change lives.  We don’t want to fill their heads; we want the proclamation of the Word to grip their souls and motivate them to conform to the will of God.”

In fact, apostolic preaching was strikingly contextual.  Peter and Paul heralded the foundational truths of the Christian faith like the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and salvation by repentance and faith. Yet, as they preached they engaged their audiences. This follows suit with the New Testament Epistles, each of which are written to address specific concerns, doctrinal or otherwise, facing believers.

Perhaps the preaching of the Protestant Reformation furnishes the best example. As a case study, we can look to Uldrich Zwingli, the one who rediscovered lectio continua. Before Calvin was in Geneva preaching from the New Testament every morning and the Old Testament every evening, Zwingli was recovering lectio continua in the Grossmunster.

Zwingli, citing the pattern of Augustine and Chrysostom, ascended his Swiss pulpit in Zurich on January 1, 1519, and preached from Matthew 1:1, beginning his pattern of lectio continua, and in so doing began the Reformation in Switzerland. Zwingli argued that the best way to reform the church was through preaching the whole counsel of God.

The Reformers, including Zwingli and Calvin, applied their sermons to the pressing issues facing the Reformation, including social challenges and civic disruption. In fact, to read their sermons is to be confronted with the throes of the Reformation and all the drama of their age. What is more, they occasionally interrupted their lectio continua to engage pressing civic and church concerns.

Therefore, we stand on solid biblical and historical ground to engage cultural concerns through our preaching, but knowing when to actually interrupt lectio continua is an altogether different matter.

When to Engage Cultural Concerns

The preacher must always be engaged in three realms of exegesis—first the text, then his times, and finally his congregation. Preachers are not called to be politicians, but they are called to be alert. As the preacher exegetes his text and his times, he sees how the two intersect, or do not intersect with his congregation.

When the preacher exegetes the text, he seeks the authorial intent of the passage, understanding every passage has a human and a Divine author. The exegetical process includes the broader context as well. “What concerns are being carried forward?” “What are the themes of the book?” “What issues is the author is addressing?” “What is the cultural setting in which the book was penned?” “What does this passage communicate explicitly or implicitly about Christ?” “How does this passage fit into the overall schema of God’s redemptive history?”

Questions like these help us determine the parameters of application. Again, biblical exposition must derive its application from the text preached. If the text does not speak to the pressing cultural concern, it is better to change to another text that accurately relates what you intend to preach than to bend the text to fit your momentary need.

The text is the primary realm of exegesis, but it is not the concluding one. The preacher must also recognize how the culture is influencing his congregation and what, if any, are the pressing, disrupting concerns of the day.

Finally, the preacher must always be exegeting his own congregation. The best preaching takes place with full awareness of congregation and culture, and the preacher must be familiar with both.

The temptation, most likely, will be to interrupt sequential exposition too frequently, not too infrequently. Therefore, by way of analogy, the preacher should think of himself something like an insurance adjuster, who arrives in the aftermath of, say, a car accident, and surveys the damage. He analyzes the wrecked automobile, photographs and documents the damage, and writes out an assessment of how much it might cost to repair the vehicle.

The preacher functions something like that. He assesses the culture and his congregation, both of which are ever changing. He determines if the concern is so great that he should consider engaging it. If the answer is yes, he then discerns how best to engage it. How does the preacher gain clarity in his assessment? This will be examined in part two of this article series.

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John Stott, Between Two Worlds (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982).

I Peter 1:23-25.

[3] Hershael York and Bert Decker, Preaching with Bold Assurance: A Solid and Enduring Approach to Engaging Exposition (Nashville: B&H, 2003), 11.

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Lord’s Day Meditation: “Wherefore Hast Thou Afflicted Thy Servant” by C. H. Spurgeon

Lord’s Day Meditation: “Wherefore Hast Thou Afflicted Thy Servant” by C. H. Spurgeon (Morning and Evening, October 7, Morning)

“Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?” (Numbers 11:11)

Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father’s countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,” is heaven-born faith. The Lord afflicts his servants to glorify himself, for he is greatly glorified in the graces of his people, which are his own handiwork. When “tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope,” the Lord is honoured by these growing virtues. We should never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the winepress; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed. The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by the trials through which his vessels of mercy are permitted to pass. Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shades in the picture to bring out the beauty of the lights. Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven, if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth? Will not peace be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after toil? Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified? There are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our brief meditation, let us muse upon it all day long.

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Why I Like to Sit by Young Children and Why You Should Too

I’ll admit it. When it comes to airplane travel, my first inclination is to be a loner. Though an outgoing person by nature, when I fly my tendency is to retract into my seat and enjoy a parenthesis of disconnectedness in an otherwise full and busy life. No cell phones. No text messages. No email or social media. This is a recipe for productivity and rest.

A funny thing, though, has happened to me over the years. There is one circumstance that trumps all others. I find myself making a beeline to sit in the middle of one seemingly undesirable scenario.

Almost like a gravitational force, I find myself drawn to young children on a plane. As the father of five young children, you’d think I’d get my fill at home, but that’s not the case at all. I love to sit by young kids when I fly. On a recent flight, I cataloged my own heart and discovered why flying by young children brings me such pleasure. Consider this:

First, children hold a special place in the eyes of God. Even the rowdiest of kids brings a smile to God’s heart, and they should bring a smile to ours. Jesus, after all, beckoned the children to come to Him, and we may hardly be more like Christ than when we do the same.

I don’t pity the overwhelmed mother on a flight with three kids. I pity the young professional who, due to selfishness, material pursuit, or 1,000 other reasons has declined to have children. I pity the person who finds kids too expensive, too burdensome, too disruptive to enjoy. The parent who feels a bit overwhelmed is to be supported, assisted, encouraged, and commended, but not pitied. Their station of life is life, and it is good.

Second, most parents are on edge when they fly, afraid their crying baby or squirming toddler will be unwelcome to those seated nearby. My wife and I know these feelings because we have been victim to them ourselves. Perhaps that is why I especially enjoy watching the parent’s relief when I say I love children, am the father of five young children, and am honored to get to fly by their family. For most parents, these words come as good news from a distant land. It pleases me to get to share them.

Third, parents of young children often have a particular openness to the gospel. Whether it is sentimentality, physical weariness, or a renewed sense of life-stewardship, a mother holding a babe or a father wrestling with a toddler are often open to a spiritual conversation. The Lord often seems to work in the hearts of parents during this stage of life, prompting receptivity to the gospel. Moreover, a warm response to disruptive children is so rare in contemporary society that a gesture of grace itself often segues to the message of Christ.

Fourth, I love the constant reminder of the biblical pattern. God has ordained the family, and a young couple with children, after all, is a sign of God’s common grace. God intended the world to know children—and lots of them. Quiet homes and empty nurseries are a lamentable aberration to the divine pattern, and for me to see a family in action is a present reminder of God’s glory and grace.

Fifth, flying by a young family gives me an opportunity to serve. Travel is an irregularity from a normal and healthy pattern of life. Waitresses serve you meals; skycaps scurry to help with your luggage; bellmen are at the ready to tend to your baggage; and flight attendants hustle at the press of a button. While nice, these luxuries can be heady, leading you to think you are at the center of your own universe. As a helpful counterbalance, lending a hand to a young parent can bring much needed help to them and much needed perspective to you.

Sixth, it reminds me of my own kids. The wheels usually are not up on the plane before I find myself missing my own children. In some small way, I can vicariously enjoy my own children as I enjoy my neighbor’s. Furthermore, I often observe a need, notch a life-stage observation, or note a child’s particular want; all of which can help me be a better father, and, in the meantime, remind me of God’s goodness to me through the gift of my own children.

Seventh, I love the adventure of it all. Toys flying, kids squirming, juice-cups dripping, even babies squalling, all bring sunshine to my heart. Life is an adventure, and life with kids—your own or others—is especially adventurous. I find myself laughing, smiling, and leaving the plane happier than when I boarded it.

So, next time you fly, spurn conventional wisdom, take one for the team and choose to sit in the midst of a young mother with, as Loretta Lynn would say, “one of them a toddlin’, and one is a crawlin’ and one’s on the way.” You’ll likely be a blessing to that family, and, I promise you, they will be a blessing to you.

*This article was originally published on 5/23/13*

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