We always preach to a mixed crowd. The mix may differ, but the one thing we can be sure of is that there will be a mix. Older and younger, male and female, biblically aware, newcomers to the Bible, church regulars and guests, and so on. In fact, in the latest episode of The Biblical Preaching Podcast, we work through six types of mix that we often have in our churches.
In this series of posts, I will share five principles to think through as preachers:
1. We must believe the Bible can be effectively presented to mixed groups simultaneously. Traditionally, many churches have targeted their preaching at either believers or not-yet-believers. So you might have an evangelistic event and a Bible study separately. However, it is possible to preach the Bible to believers and non-believers simultaneously. And if we do that, we might avoid some of the mistakes that come from assuming Christians have moved past the gospel (see Galatians 3:1-3 for a strong warning on this!)
2. We should assume a greater mix than we can see in a congregation. There are two reasons for this. First, because there is a greater mix than we can see. People may look similar on the outside but be very different in reality. And second, we should assume a greater mix because we want a greater mix than we can see. For example, how will people in a small church that often has no guests present be confident to bring guests in? One way will be for the preacher to consistently preach as if guests are present so that church members grow in confidence that they can bring a guest and it won’t feel awkward. Preach to the mix you have, and preach for the mix you want.
I was chatting about preaching with a friend on Sunday after preaching in his church. We talked about ways we sometimes get stuck.
Sometimes, the outline won’t quite work, and we keep looking at the text until eventually something clicks. Once it clicks, we can’t understand how we could not see the passage’s logic before.
Sometimes, the details of the message are the issue. What illustrations would work? How can I introduce the sermon? And so on. Again, the breakthrough moment is always a real relief and cause for rejoicing.
Sometimes, everything seems jammed up, and we simply can’t get the sermon to work.
In the latest episode of the podcast, Mike and I discuss seven specific logjams and offer some ideas that might help you break through the next time you get stuck.
But here is a thought: let’s be careful not to see the ideal as a jam-free future. While logjams can feel like hard work, there is also a blessing in them. Without the logjam, there might not be the desperate prayer. Without prayer, there would not be sweet moments of answered prayer as God lifts us in preparation for Sunday.
In the latest Biblical Preaching Bitesize, I share ten pointers for preaching Easter effectively. The Easter story is the heart of the Christian faith, and a key moment in our church calendar. So why might we struggle with preaching at Easter?
1. The story is so familiar. The Easter story comes up repeatedly throughout the year as we present the gospel in various situations. Sadly, the most wondrous news of all can become stale and predictable. We can end up saying the same things about the cross and the same things about the empty tomb. Listeners can bring assumptions from artistic images they have seen, or from presentations they have heard before.
2. The wondrous truth can get buried. Each passage that we might choose to preach is saying something about Easter. But sometimes, that theological and potentially life-changing truth can get buried in the story’s recounting. Or it can be lost because listeners get the sense they are listening to a famous old myth rather than the central moment of human history. When stories feel like a myth, listeners listen differently.
3. The preacher can feel flat. Familiar material, a busy time of year, and a preacher recounting history rather than feasting on the Word of God can lead to a flattened heart at the front of the church. We don’t want that, for our sake and theirs.
And don’t miss the encouragement at the end. What could be more powerful than a vivid image projected on the screen in a church using the best contemporary software?
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“A reawakening of religious fervour” – that is a dictionary definition of revival. But in our latest podcast episode, Jonathan Thomas says we shouldn’t want revival. Jonathan has studied revival and produced documentaries on the subject. It was so good to interview him recently.
I remember reading Walter Kaiser’s book on the sixteen biblical revivals. Psalm 85:6 says, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” It is thrilling to read of seasons of God’s work being so tangible and imminent. Think of the revival under Josiah and Jeremiah or in the book of Acts. Kaiser finishes his book with these words, “I conclude that there can be no revival without the Lord initiating it and carrying it out. But I also conclude that no one can hide behind the doctrine of God as the explanation for why we have not had a revival in our day.”
So, how should we, as preachers, think about revival? After all, while we might assume we are unlikely to experience a revival, we cannot ignore the fact that revivals tend to involve preachers. I encourage you to watch these two podcast episodes, be encouraged by Jonathan’s thoughts, and join the conversation via the comments under the episode. (As always, please subscribe to the Cor Deo YouTube channel to easily find more content like this as it is released!)
And to find out why we shouldn’t want revival, here is part 2:
Is there a small detail in your preaching that would yield disproportionate fruit if you gave it some attention? Maybe even a “non-content” element of preaching that would make your biblical content land with more precision and penetration? The answer is, yes, absolutely. Give some thought to your transitions!
As I listen to sermons in the classes I teach, it is often the transitions between points that either let a sermon down or help a sermon land with force. Each transition is an opportunity to give breathing space (for fast-paced preachers), or assurance of progress (for more ponderous presenters), as well as a re-entry point for distracted listeners, and an opportunity to restate the main idea at a key moment in the sermon. Then, of course, there is the main function of a good transition: to set up the next point in the sermon!
Transitions are small moments with big impact. In sporting terms, transitions provide assists so that the sermon points can score goals. Every coach knows the person giving the assist will get less glory but is critical to the team’s success.
So, hopefully, I have convinced you that transitions matter. Feel free to go to your next sermon and think through how each transition could be most effective. Or, if you want five specific suggestions on how to transition well, please check out this Bitesize episode on The Biblical Preaching Podcast!
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A compelling conclusion contains three ingredients: a look back, a look forward, and a definite finish. However, many sermon conclusions are harmed by extra ingredients. Here are a few to watch out for and avoid when bringing your sermon down to its landing.
1. The conclusion is not the place for new information. Do not go deeper into the text, nor bring in extra scholarship at this point in the sermon. A helpful story or quote could be helpful, but remember that you are trying to finish, not trying to add more to the message.
2. The conclusion is not the place for emotional manipulation. Do not try to ramp up the emotion at the end of the message. Let the affective force of the text do its work in the body of the message. While there is scope for enthusiasm and encouragement, listeners are rightly wary of added emotion designed only to stir response at the end of a message. It feels manipulative, so don’t do it.
3. The conclusion is not the place for an untrusting final effort. You have prayerfully prepared and presented God’s Word. Trust the Word and trust the Spirit. Do not think that if you just give one last push, then you will be able to push people into a response. Sometimes a brief message review can become one last try to drive the truth home to the listeners. This final and added push, often generated by the apparent lack of responsiveness in the listeners, is not faith-filled but is a fleshly effort to achieve a goal that is not ours to achieve. The Lord brings the growth.
4. The conclusion is not the place for a discouraging, downbeat fade towards the finish. A sea of apparently unresponsive faces can be pretty disheartening. But the conclusion is not the time to show your discouragement. If the listeners sense it in your tone, or see it in your face, then your conclusion will undo the good that may be present but invisible. Again, trust God to change lives, even if it feels like a failure in this moment.
5. The conclusion is not the place for disconnected applications. Some preachers feel the conclusion is a special moment to throw extra applications at their listeners. Don’t do it. After a message on prayer, don’t add in an extra “Oh, and also be sure to tell someone about Jesus this week and invite them to next Sunday’s special event.”
For a fuller explanation of the three ingredients for compelling conclusions and Peter’s acronym to remember them, please watch the video or listen to the podcast. We appreciate any help getting the word out about this new resource – thank you in advance for any likes, comments, reviews, follows, shares, and prayers!
The Biblical Preaching Podcast is live! My plan is to build on episodes with blog posts here so that you can get extra content on the blog, but also hopefully want to check out either the podcast or the related videos on YouTube.
In Episode 1, we discuss “Why Biblical Preaching?”
People often raise the issue of a changing society. The logic is simple – our world is changing at a rapid rate. Technology is advancing faster than ever; people are bombarded with highly stimulating, rapidly moving content, and consumers access information differently than they did even a few years ago. Therefore, many say that a verbal monologue delivered to a gathered congregation must be a mode of communication that should be consigned to history. Spurgeon’s Victorian England may have needed preachers, and maybe Lloyd-Jones’ twentieth-century London required preachers, but surely we now live in a different world?
In the first part of the podcast, we discuss the question, “why preaching?” We mention three reasons:
1. Because of the Biblical example – From Moses and Joshua, through the times of the Old Testament prophets, to the ministry of Jesus and the apostles in the early church, the consistent example is that of spoken messages pointing people to God’s person and purpose in this world.
Note: The world of the Bible is not monolithic. There were vast shifts and changes between the preaching of Moses in Sinai, and the message of Joshua in the Promised Land, to the proclamation of Paul in Athens or Miletus. And yet, through all the rising and falling of great empires, the shifting of cultures, the progression in God’s plan of history, still the pattern is consistent. God’s messengers spoke a word that changed lives and shifted history. It could be considered arrogant to think that our brief period of change should override millennia of shifting contexts in which preaching was a primary means of God working in the world.
2. Because of Biblical instruction – Paul’s final letter, written to Timothy, closes with the instruction to preach the Word. It is fascinating that he does not focus on spectacular spiritual gifts or any other possible emphases for continuing ministry beyond his own time. Instead, he urges Timothy to prioritize reading God’s Word and preaching it! In other places, we can see instruction that would lead us to consider preaching as a critical component of gospel ministry.
3. Because of theological reality – What is God like? He is a revealing, speaking and incarnational God. In preaching, we see all persons of the Trinity in action – the Father’s loving initiative driving the whole mission of God in this world; the Son’s revealing of his Father and rescuing of humanity is the focus of both Scriptural and biblical preaching; and the Spirit woos, convicts and changes hearts through preaching. In the podcast, I note how preaching (in this case, including spoken testimony), plays a key role in the story of salvation. Where humanity fell into sin by doubting the word of an apparently absent God, so God wins a redeemed people back based not on a great show of power but based on the apparent weakness of words spoken in the kingdom of darkness.
In the second part of the podcast, we get into why we use the label “Biblical Preaching” and whether that is the same as “Expository Preaching.” I will let you listen to the podcast to find out more! Please check out the podcast, follow it on your podcast platform of choice, and thank you in advance for every interaction with the podcast or YouTube clip, as it helps the algorithm spread the content to more people. Positive reviews are invaluable as we get the podcast going – thank you!
I’m excited to announce the launch of our brand-new podcast: The Biblical Preaching Podcast! Unlike the many great sermon podcasts, this podcast is designed for those who preach, those who are learning to preach, and anyone who cares deeply about the ministry of preaching.
My Cor Deo colleague, Mike Chalmers, will join me as we discuss all things preaching. Together, we’ll explore this ministry’s joys, challenges, and complexities.
Here’s what you can expect:
Engaging Discussions: Insights into various aspects of biblical preaching.
Special Guests: We’ll feature some amazing voices from the world of preaching—our first guest joins us next week!
Encouragement for Preachers: Each full episode concludes with a segment designed to encourage those in preaching ministry.
Bitesize Episodes: Shorter episodes focusing on one specific aspect of preaching.
Related Blog Posts: From time to time, I’ll share blog posts that dive deeper into themes we discuss in an episode. These posts won’t be mere transcripts but will provide additional perspectives, practical tips, or reflections to help you take the conversation further.
Our hope and prayer for this podcast is simple: that it will strengthen and encourage biblical preaching in churches around the world. Where biblical preaching thrives, the church grows healthier, and healthy churches reach their communities.
We want this podcast to be a gathering point—a place where preachers can connect, reflect, and grow together. This is your conversation! We’ll celebrate the goodness of God, explore the transformative power of rightly handled Scripture, tackle the complex realities of ministry, and share the joy of seeing lives changed through the preached Word.
How to Listen & Connect: 🎙️ Listen to the Podcast on Your Favorite Platform:
I am very pleased to announce that my new book, The New Birth, has now also been released in the USA.
If you would like a copy of the book and will see me in person during January/February, please ask. (I will be in Oregon, St Louis and Chicago.) To order the book from my affiliate link in the USA – click here. (To order the book from my affiliate link in the UK/Europe – click here.)
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy the book! (Please comment on this post if you’ve read the book already, but I would also greatly appreciate any positive reviews on 10ofthose, Amazon, GoodReads, etc.)
Endorsements
“Peter Mead presents this essential doctrine in a way that warm, clear, rich, and readable. The book is accessible and engaging, and the addition of stories and reflection questions at the end of each chapter enables us to consider and imagine the way that the truth of the gospel can and should shape our lives. This is a lovely and helpful book—a great introduction to those new to or exploring faith, and a refreshing encouragement to those who have been Christians for a while.”
Ellidh Cook, Student Worker at All Souls Langham Place, London
“This tiny book conveys a huge reality: that Jesus came to raise spiritually dead people into abundant life! Peter Mead’s insights into the new birth that Jesus offers are both pastorally wise and profoundly helpful.”
Philip Miller, Senior Pastor, The Moody Church, Chicago
“When I became a Christian, I didn’t really grasp what had happened. It was an infinitely bigger deal than I realised-it was (and is) beyond my wildest dreams. Peter has given us an excellent primer into this huge adventure. This lovely, heart-warming book opens up the foundational truth of the new birth. As with the rest of the Essentials series, it is short and simple, yet full of deep and delightful teaching.”
Jonathan Thomas, pastor, author & broadcaster
“I found Peter Mead’s The New Birth contribution to the Essentials’ series most helpful, because it weaves together our story with the big story of Scripture through the lens of the work of the Holy Spirit. Taking as its anchor point Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus, it wonderfully explains the theology and the felt experience of Christian conversion, and all along there are thrilling stories of how the Spirit transformed the likes of Spurgeon, Whitefield, C.S. Lewis, and modern men and women.”
As Christmas approaches, plans are coming together—not only for family gatherings but also for church events. Last year, our church put on a Christmas musical, which involved lots of cast, support crew, set building, costume making, songwriting, etc. This year, we are keeping it simple with just a couple of carol services. Whether we “go big” or “keep it simple,” there is one important ingredient that must not be forgotten.
It is so easy to have everyone frantically pulling together a Christmas production and then have nobody remembering to bring the baby for the manger. In the same way, it is easy to be busy with Christmas plans, even Christmas preaching, and fail to keep the focus on the baby at the centre of the story.
If Jesus is forgotten for a nativity scene, then someone will be quickly despatched to go and pick up a baby doll before anyone notices. But what happens if we lose Jesus from our Christmas, and even from our Christianity?
If the theme is Christmas, but Christ is missing, then there will be lots of peace on earth and goodwill to all men, but no basis for such a message of hope. And if the focus is more general, then a Christianity without Jesus will descend into moral tirades and an attempt to police either church or society. There can be no real Christianity without Christ.
And yet, it keeps on happening. How often is the gospel presented as a moral and legal logical presentation? “You have been bad, judgment is coming, God can help you get fixed, and there are some other benefits too…” It might involve some presentation of truth, but the heart of the message is missing.
John Piper wrote these words in God is the Gospel:
“The critical question for our generation – and for every generation – is this: If you could have Heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with Heaven, if Christ was not there?”
We have briefly considered Christmas, and Christianity in general, as well as our evangelism. But what about on a personal level? When Jesus is missing, we will tend to see God as distant and become increasingly self-focused. This does not necessarily mean we will become rebellious and overtly sinful. We might just become religious and self-righteous. Whether in compliance or rebellion, we will become much more behavioural in our focus.
Without Jesus, we will start to see our Bibles as instruction manuals, more than God’s self-revelation. For instance, in John 5, Jesus is rebuking the religious leaders for diligently studying their Bibles and yet missing him completely. They would study and recite the Hebrew Scriptures, but they were blind to the self-revelation of God that should have had them excited at the arrival of Jesus. Sadly, their study spectacles only allowed them to see the dazzling lights of self-glorification, and they missed the main focus of the Scriptures who now stood in front of them.
When we let Jesus drift out of the spotlight in our Christianity, we will lose that vital sense of the relationship with God that Jesus came to establish. Instead of gazing on Jesus and being transformed (2 Corinthians 3:18), we will see only ourselves and drift toward self-glorifying, or self-loathing, or we will become self-appointed evaluators of others and start to inflict unhelpful pressure on others.
There is a world of difference between Christianity with Jesus at the centre, and religion with me at the centre. Actually, there is an eternity of difference.
As we come to another Christmas, let’s be sure to pause and allow our hearts to be wowed by the wonder of it all. Charles Wesley’s hymn says this: “In vain the first-born seraph tries, to sound the depths of love divine!” If angels are amazed, surely we should slow down and make sure we are too. Can we ever fully grasp the wonder of Christmas? Wesley’s words again, “Veiled in flesh, the godhead see, hail the incarnate deity, pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel!”
Before the year is done, take a moment to stop and take stock. Jesus has to be the centre of everything, not only at Christmas, but in all of Christianity. He is much too precious to lose!
Biblical Preaching 