Homiletics

Rest: A Dirty Word

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

For many pastors, ministry leaders, and preachers, rest seems like a dirty word. 

Of course, we will affirm its importance in others’ lives.  The overloaded person in our church, who is starting to show signs of cracking, should take rest more seriously.  The marriage, which is under a lot of stress and showing signs of wear, would do well to take some time out to recuperate and reconnect.  Even the church leader down the road should incorporate rest into the rhythm of life and ministry.  But when it comes to the person in the mirror, some of us tend to resist our own advice.

We probably know the biblical case for the sabbath – that weekly rhythm of work and rest, the day set apart for honouring God not only through our worship but also through our faith-filled cessation of striving.  We may also know about the Old Testament lesson of giving land a season of rest and what happened when Israel didn’t follow God’s instruction in that regard.

Then there is the New Testament’s far more familiar ground to cover.  Think of Jesus taking time away from the crowds to be with his Father.  Or the example of Martha, who was so busy loving her neighbour that she failed to love the Lord as her priority.  Yes, she was busily serving in the kitchen. Still, Mary had chosen the top priority – she was sitting at Jesus’ feet, letting him minister to her.  It wasn’t just Martha’s cooking that was steaming; it was her as well when she came into the gathering, making the atmosphere feel immediately tense and awkward.

We know what the Bible says.  We know that it applies to others.  We can see the need for rest in those around us as their attitudes reflect Martha’s bad day.  But all too often, we cannot see the issue in ourselves.

I’m sure there are all sorts of psychological reasons why we feel exempt from the instruction to rest.  Maybe our identity is caught up in being busy?  Perhaps we are addicted to the adrenaline that comes with pressure, deadlines and crises?  Or our addiction might be to being needed by others, being the vital cog in the machine, or just being busily distracted from some personal inner emptiness? 

In Acts 6:4, the apostles recognised the danger posed by the growing demands of ministry.  The danger was that they would not be able to devote themselves to the Word and to prayer.  On my recent sabbatical, I read The Unhurried Pastor by Croft and Martin.  They pointed out that the church leader needs to guard time for the essential foundation of ministry.  That is not email, text messages, committee meetings, planning meetings, paperwork, organisation, administration, etc.  All of these have their place, and ministry will involve a variety of work behind the scenes and with people.  But the essential foundation is the Word, prayer, and contemplation.  Do these have their proper place in our ministry rhythms?

I read another book, a collection of mini-biographies by Warren Wiersbe.  He mentioned several times an elder statesman who repeatedly advised other pastors to take two months off from the pulpit every summer.  That was at the start of the last century.  For most preachers and church leaders today, two months away would be a rare sabbatical, not an annual vacation.  Nevertheless, it does provoke the thought – would my ministry be more effective if I gave it room to breathe?

I did not realise how much a sabbatical would bless my soul.  I did not feel like I needed it.  And yet, I am thanking God for the extended break away from ministry responsibility that we were given at the start of the year.  I am thanking God that we were able to be away from home so that the switch-off could be complete.  And I am thanking God that we chose to switch off rather than use the time away from normal responsibilities to take on more (like teaching elsewhere or writing). 

The blessing of an extended break away from home may feel impossible in your circumstances, I understand that for many reasons.  You can still pray about the possibility and see what God does.  But in the meantime, how about your next day off?  When is it?  How will it be a day off?  What will you switch off?  What will you do that is life-giving to you spiritually, physically, emotionally, and relationally? 

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Preaching to Build the Church

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

I recently returned from a three-month sabbatical.  What an incredible blessing that time was for our family – time to rest, time to grow closer to God, time to focus on our marriage.  After being in full-time ministry for over two decades, it was our first extended break.  We thank God, our church, and all who helped to make it such a blessed time.

One of the side benefits of this time was the opportunity to visit about 13 different churches.  I often see other churches, but as a visiting speaker.  That’s different.  Being an unknown guest allowed me to observe, notice, appreciate, and learn.  We went to churches of all sizes (from 40 in the pews to tens of thousands over multiple services), various backgrounds, unique stories, and diverse strengths.  (We also didn’t go to a few churches because they did not indicate when they meet – not on their sign, no phone number or website!)

Here are three big takeaways from this season of church visits:

1. Christ is building His church!

    It is easy for us all to get so caught up in our own local church or our own church network that we lose sight of what God is doing around the world.  We worshipped in drafty warehouses, historic buildings, tired functional buildings, stunning modern buildings, and a basketball arena.  We sang and listened alongside tens and alongside thousands.  We heard preachers with massive podcast followings, preachers with decades of experience, and a preacher without training faithfully filling the pulpit because the pastor had recently been promoted to glory.  In different settings, with different crowds, different musical styles, and different preachers, the Gospel is being preached, and the church is being built.  We saw so many baptisms; it was hugely encouraging.  In our own setting, we may be encouraged or discouraged, or some combination of the two.  But let’s remember that Jesus promised to build His church, and He continues to do exactly that across the world.

    2. Preach the word to build the church!

    I met with one pastor who quickly became a friend.  He told me of a church that had gone from hundreds every Sunday to a handful of people in less than twenty years.  Why?  They had given up on preaching truth.  On the other hand, two of the churches we visited are notable for their courage in going against the cultural tide and daring to be outspokenly biblical.  I know many who would not share their courage or boldness.  And yet one church was adding extra campuses to its ministry, while the other was desperately trying to add the parking spaces needed to accommodate the growth in attendance.  Compromise on the Scriptures, and a church has nothing to offer.  Dare to preach the Gospel boldly and not shy away from graciously addressing difficult subjects, and the church seems to grow.

    3. Preach to reach the world; don’t just preach to the church!

    I noticed how many preachers seemed to miss one key group of people in their preaching.  They preached to their congregations, in some cases offering clear, bold vision, faithful Bible teaching, and challenging applications aimed at specific groups in the church.  But in many cases (not all), they did not clearly address guests and unbelievers.  It seems to me that there are a couple of good reasons to preach in such a way that guests and unbelievers feel seen and valued.  First, because there may be guests and unbelievers present.  What is the benefit of assuming everyone present is already saved and following Christ?  Guests can show up on any Sunday (assuming there is a way to find out when the church is meeting!).  Why miss the opportunity to present the Gospel to them?  The second reason is that people in the church might be willing to invite neighbours and colleagues.  However, to invite people, they need to trust that their guests will feel seen and valued.  People generally will not risk relationships on inconsistently welcoming and irrelevant church services.  How we preach when no guests are present will influence whether church members invite guests in the future.

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    Repentance Without Compromise: A Return to the Heart of the Gospel

    / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

    One of the most remarkable and yet most neglected themes in Scripture is the call to repentance. In the prophets of the Old Testament, we see God’s people repeatedly summoned to turn—not simply to behave better or to correct their actions, but to turn back to God Himself. It was always relational: a call to restoration, not just reform.

    Yet even today, repentance is often compromised in the way it is understood, presented, and practised within the church.

    Why Repentance Matters

    Repentance sits at the very heart of the Christian message. The Bible unfolds the staggering story of God’s grace in rescuing a fallen humanity. Since the fall in Genesis 3, the human condition has been marked by rebellion against God—a rebellion that is not merely behavioural, but deeply relational. We do not first stand neutral before God, awaiting an introduction; we are spiritually dead and estranged from Him.

    Into this broken story, God speaks His love. In Christ, He takes the initiative to reconcile us to Himself—paying the penalty for our rebellion, breaking sin’s power, and making possible a restored relationship between Creator and creature. Because God doesn’t merely invite us to His side, but pursues our hearts through His providence and mercy, our response must be more than a superficial adjustment. It must be a true turning—not just of actions, but of direction, affection, and allegiance.

    Repentance, then, is not an optional add-on to the Christian life. It is an essential response—the appropriate and inevitable reaction to God’s gift of grace. Without it, we miss the very heart of the Gospel.

    How Repentance Gets Compromised

    We compromise repentance whenever we lose sight of God’s initiative and instead make repentance about us. When the focus shifts from God’s heart toward ours, repentance becomes a task we perform rather than a posture we receive. We begin to think:

    “Repentance is something I must muster up.”

    “If I make myself sorry enough, then God will respond.”

    “Repentance earns grace.”

    But this is a distortion of the Gospel. To imagine God waiting for us to pull ourselves together before He shows mercy is to misunderstand the nature of grace entirely. It’s like imagining a fiancé who pursues someone over many years, only for the other person to think, “Now that you’ve earned my love, I’ll let you marry me.” Repentance is not something God earns from us; it is a response to God’s already-won love.

    In the Old Testament, this distortion took many forms. In Hosea, Israel’s repentance was often superficial—words and rituals without the true turning of the heart. They offered sacrifices and performed religious acts, but they did not turn to God in genuine trust and affection. God Himself declared that He desired steadfast love and knowledge of Him more than external ritual.

    Repentance Is a Turn To, Not Merely a Turn From

    At its core, repentance is relational. It is not primarily about turning away from sin as if that alone makes us acceptable to God. Instead, it is about turning to God Himself—acknowledging His glory, His purposes, and His mercy extended to us in Christ. Repentance is a response to God’s loving pursuit of us.

    This distinction matters. True repentance does involve a turning from sin—but that turning becomes a fruit of our turning to God. When someone truly embraces God’s mercy, the direction of their life inevitably changes. But the beginning of repentance is always toward God, not merely away from wrong things.

    Sadly, when repentance is compromised, it becomes understandable only as improved behaviour. It becomes a checklist of actions—a list of things to stop doing and start doing. But the prophets remind us that turning from sin without turning to the Lord can be hollow. Israel in Hosea could recite religious devotion convincingly, yet their hearts remained distant from God.

    What True Repentance Looks Like

    So what is true repentance when it is uncompromised?

    1. It begins with God’s initiative.
    Repentance is not something we produce independently of God. Scripture emphasises that God’s kindness leads us to repentance—that it is the work of God’s Holy Spirit in our hearts that awakens us to our need of Him.

    2. It is a relational turning.
    True repentance is about re-orienting the heart toward God. It acknowledges that sin is not merely hurtful behaviour but a rejection of God’s lordship and goodness. This aligns with the biblical emphasis that repentance involves turning toward God in trust and love.

    3. It is humble and empty-handed.
    When we come to God repentant, we bring nothing of our own merit—no self-improvement, no spiritual checklist. We come with a recognition that we are entirely dependent on His mercy, like children coming home or an orphan entering the embrace of a loving Father.

    4. It leads to life-changing transformation.
    While repentance begins with turning toward God, it naturally results in change—a life increasingly shaped by holiness, love, and obedience. But these fruits are the result of our turning to God, not the cause of His pardon.

    Repentance and the Gospel Today

    We live in a culture where the idea of repentance is often misunderstood or minimised. In some Christian circles, it’s relegated to a vague sense of “being sorry” or “feeling bad about sin.” But the Bible calls us to something deeper: a radical turn of heart to God, recognising His grace in Christ and responding with trust and obedience.

    Repentance is not a ritual to be performed; it is a life posture. It is not merely about stopping bad habits; it is about embracing God’s mercy and surrendering our lives to Him. It is not something we muster up by our own strength; it is a gift that flows from God’s love, drawing us to Himself.

    Whether we are encountering God for the first time or walking with Him for many years, the call is the same: turn to Him with an open heart, trust Him with your life, and let Him be your all. In that turn, we find not only forgiveness, but intimacy with the God who loves us beyond measure.

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    Making Christmas Real

    / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

    The end of the year brings a strange combination of familiar traditions and genuine challenges.  While we may be surrounded by bright lights and cheerful music, with parties and celebratory gatherings, we may also be struggling financially, wondering how we are supposed to get everything done and concerned about how we will handle looming difficulties.  It could be navigating an awkward conversation with that difficult family member, or coping with the exuberant happiness when we are grieving a loved one, or facing particular challenges that would be hard enough at any time of the year, let alone during the “festive season.”  Life can feel like too much, and Christmas sometimes makes it feel even worse.

    As Christmas approaches, whether we are dealing with a particular challenge or not, we will all again be confronted with the challenge of seeing past the consumer festival and the nostalgic traditions to the reality of the incarnation.  Finding the relevance of this critical doctrine is not achieved by simply revisiting familiar truths through nostalgic traditions.  We also have a fresh need to explore how the old truth resonates with contemporary life – including all its challenges.

    We are familiar with reviewing the great step taken by the Son of God from heaven to earth – the infinite taking on infancy, the glorious riches to abject poverty, etc.  We are used to noting that He came with a purpose; He took on a human body and life so that He could experience death in that body for us.  Indeed, Christmas is an arrow pointing to Easter, and it is right to think of that each year. 

    More than that, Christmas is an arrow pointing to a God who is revealing Himself in the ultimate way, and an invitation opened to rich and poor, local and global, Jew and Gentile.  It is a story to stir our nostalgia and our worship, an inspiring example, and, if told well, a thriller with a villain, a deadly threat, and a perfectly-timed escape.

    Actually, Christmas is a many-layered story, with intriguing characters, long-awaited prophecies, and profoundly moving themes woven together. 

    And yet, we so often end up repeating it as if it were merely a nostalgic children’s story to retell like an old family tale that gets trotted out once a year as we gather around a fire and nibble on seasonal treats.

    How will you engage the Christmas story this year?  How will it connect with your current experiences and concerns in a unique and fresh way in 2025?

    Your life, your struggles, are very real.  So was the first Christmas.  It was not a pretty scene with snow falling peacefully.  It contained real fear, real confusion, real hopelessness, real heartbreak.  The bewilderment for Mary would have been so constant, the uncertainty for Joseph so vivid.  The emptiness and despair of life for the shepherds would have been genuinely bleak.  The intrigue of the wise men and all who came into contact with them must have been genuinely perplexing.  The first Christmas was real. 

    As we come to another Christmas, let’s not just go through the motions of another ritual celebration.  Let’s not think of it only in picture book scenes, nor apply its truth in nice generalities.  Let’s be sure to bring the most real concerns of our time to the Christmas story and find in it a Saviour who has learned what it is to be human, what it is to enter into a world of political tensions, of the deadly inhumanity of men to one another, of the searing heartache of poverty.  May we find a richer appreciation for our Lord because our 2025 Christmas realities meet with His first Christmas realities.

    The reality of the incarnation is big enough to maintain its relevance and to shine forth its significance, no matter how difficult our current experience might be.  May we honour God by bringing our real mess up close to the very real messiness of the first Christmas.  There we will find a true Saviour, who is Christ our Lord, and that really is good news for all of humanity. 

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    Peter’s book, Pleased to Dwell, is an ideal read in the Christmas season. To buy in the UK or Europe, click here, and to buy in North America, click here. Please do subscribe to the podcast, and let others know about it too:

    Catching Up With The Podcast

    / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

    It has been a busy few months and I haven’t posted links to the podcast on here as much as I had planned. But let’s do a quick catch-up:

    After a sequence of weddings, I shared some thoughts on preaching at a wedding. The last months included some great interviews, including:

    Andy Paterson – Firstly, on how the Word does the work of ministry, and then, the relationships of a preacher.

    Marcus Honeysett – First, on painting with fire, then on the nature of true transformation, and finally, on the heart of the preacher.

    Steve Mathewson, we crossed the ocean to hear from Steve on the importance of all scripture in our preaching, and then we reminisced together about lessons learned from our mutual mentor, Haddon Robinson!

    Jonathan Lamb – back to the UK to hear from Jonathan on crossing cultures as we think about preaching, and then we thought about how preaching models for listeners!

    Rick McKinley – and once more back to the US to hear from an experienced pastor in the Portland metro area on connections required to connect with our listeners, and a great discussion about the role of humility in preaching.

    Along the way, we have had some bitesize episodes on specific subjects, like adding to the text, is something missing in your preaching?, preaching the prophets, preaching at Christmas, and highlighting historical accuracy when we preach.

    Mike and I have also enjoyed some helpful discussions: thoughts on being a guest preacher – something we’ve both done quite a bit of over the years!, landing a message, bad preaching (another area where we have experience!), a chat about Pleased to Dwell in anticipation of the advent season, and a chat about preaching at Christmastime!

    We hope these episodes have been helpful for you, and if you have missed any, please do catch up! As ever, we really appreciate any help in getting the word out about the podcast – sharing links, liking, subscribing, etc., is all really helpful. If you particularly like an episode, please do let others know about it on social media – thank you in advance!

    The Day

    / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

    I can remember the first time I saw a Star Wars film in the cinema. This was back in the 1980s. With popcorn in hand, we found our plush velvet seats and tried to get comfortable. Then we were plunged into darkness. A slight pause. And then it began. In just two minutes, I was transported into another world. Everything normal seemed like a distant memory. “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” Then the blast of the brass section of an orchestra as the film title appeared. Three paragraphs of background story to orient us, and we were there. The start of the Star Wars movies was genuinely epic.

    The Bible can, and should, have that same effect on us. Lifting us out of the everyday rhythms of life and helping us to see another whole realm of reality. For instance, consider the theme of The Day of the LORD. It is mentioned eighteen times in the Old Testament, plus dozens of other references like “on that day.” It is that future moment when God would step into history, bringing judgment for the wicked and blessing for His people.

    Not only is it anticipated in the Old Testament, but it is also still anticipated in the New Testament. Consider, for example, 2 Peter chapter 3. There, Peter describes how scoffers will ridicule the idea of anticipating that day. Their tactic? They will suggest that “nothing really changes.” And how effective that tactic can be. Nothing really changes. So why should we be concerned about anything happening in the world? Nothing really changes. Why should we try to influence what is going on around us? Nothing really changes. Why look for something to break in from outside of our world? Nothing really changes. Today is like yesterday, and tomorrow will be more of the same. As one fiction writer put it, “it is a pity that thoughts always ran the easiest way, like water in old ditches.”

    And yet, the Bible wants to lift our eyes and our hearts beyond our psychological preference for predictability. It wants us to know, and live in light of, the reality that one day, God Himself will step into history again.

    Consider one of the passages that anticipates “that day” – Malachi chapter 3. For the first few verses, we read of how God is coming, the messenger of the covenant who will come like the purifier’s fire, like fuller’s soap. Two vivid images of cleansing, purging, separating – that fire so hot that metal melts and the impurities are separated; that lye that pulls out the impurities from fabric and bleaches it clean. The Lord is coming to cleanse and purify. Yes, the focus is on restoring proper worship, but the imagery is imposing and intimidating. 

    We might expect the passage to conclude with a call to run. Run for your lives! Flee this terrible day that is coming! And yet, as in so many of the “Day of the LORD” passages, we find an invitation. This God, who is coming to purge and to cleanse, is a God of grace who invites His people to draw near to Him.

    In verses 6 and 7, God speaks of His character. He does not change, which means they are not consumed (because He keeps His promises). But they should change. They should change direction. They have gone away from God, but if they return to Him, then He will return to them. As James later put it, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

    They asked how they could return. So God raised the issue of their giving. In verses 8-12, God describes how they should test Him (an unusual concept in the Bible!) by seeing if they could outgive God. They never would be able to do that! As we come to the end of the chapter, we find that some of the people who were challenged to give of their treasure, which really belonged to God anyway, were also moved in heart to fear God and be responsive to Him. So they are described as being God’s treasured possession. 

    A chapter that begins with such overpowering imagery of judgment is so full of God’s overflowing grace. Yes, the Day of the LORD is terrifying, and many in this world should be shaking with fear at what is coming. And yet, for those of us who know what it means to belong to this God, we can look forward, waiting, anticipating, hoping. We live today in light of that day, knowing that the old ditches of life are not forever. We understand that the “nothing really changes” mindset is doomed to be proven profoundly wrong. We wait, knowing that with a blast of the brass section of heaven’s orchestra, we will be transported into another time. 

    Honestly, I am not concerned with whether we agree on the details of what is to come in the future. I am worried that we are discouraged by the scoffers who claim that nothing really changes. Let’s read God’s Word and let it lift our eyes and our hearts. We have a God who has stepped into time and history and who will again. His coming will shake up everything. And we who live in anticipation of that day should live differently today. 

    In light of Malachi 3, let’s be sure to turn to God now and be ready for that day. Let’s consider our “tithing” – that is, our giving and investing in eternity today. And let’s rejoice at the privilege of being His treasured possession. May the Lord use us now as we live for Him, and wouldn’t it be great if He came back soon!

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    With Christmas coming soon, it is time to start making plans … especially if you are involved in preaching or teaching! Check out the latest episode of the podcast, and please do subscribe so you don’t miss any of the forthcoming episodes!

    Going Beyond the Text?

    / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

    When we preach a Bible passage, we need to preach the text.  That may sound obvious, but many don’t do it.  Some preachers use the text as a launching point – they read the text and then preach an associated thought from their own thinking or theology.  Others bounce briefly off the text and then preach other passages with some perceived connection. 

    God is the best communicator, so as preachers, we want to reflect his communication as best we can.  When you are preaching a passage, really try to preach it.  That includes helping your listeners to see what is there, to understand what is there, and to feel the force of what is there.  To really preach a passage is not simply to educate listeners in the meaning, although that is a good start.  It is to get them into the text and get the text into them, and it is to introduce the God who is revealing himself through the text so that they experience the transformative power of a personal encounter.  The preacher is not merely teaching, but introducing, match-making, and fanning the flames of the relationship between listeners and God.

    If we commit to truly preaching a passage, then we will come up against the challenge of saying more than the text says.  That is, if we are really committed to a high view of the biblical text, are we straying if we add any detail not overtly stated in the passage?  If we have a biblical narrative, are we restricted in telling the story so that we cannot fully tell it, but instead end up preaching theological points connected to it?  Are we trying to cram a 100-word reading into a 4000-word speech without really saying anything beyond the 100 words of the passage?

    Here are five thoughts that may help when it comes to the subject of “adding to the text.” 

    1. Think about the “informing texts” – As well as the passage you are preaching, there will be other passages that inform the content of your preaching passage.  Any passage quoted, or alluded to, or that provides the relevant history (think Acts for some of the epistles) should be considered as fair game for helpful content as you preach your passage.

    2. Consider “related texts” – This is more subjective, but some passages are more related to your preaching text than others.  The same author or the same time period will tend to be more related than a distant author and era (unless the era is earlier and may have informed your writer, but then we are back to number 1: informing texts).  Related texts can be helpful, but don’t lean on them so much that your preaching passage is lost in the process.

    3. Make plain “assumed knowledge” – When the Bible writers wrote, they were not thinking of readers in a different culture, language, location, and historical era.  So there is a lot of background information that is assumed.  The author might assume the reader knows who the Pharisees were, named individuals, cultural events, or societal norms.  Geographic descriptions weren’t needed for the original readers, but they might be highly helpful for modern listeners to make sense of the setting of a passage.  It is not going beyond the text to state overtly what is implicitly assumed within the text.  Study the background, the culture, the geography, etc., and help people to understand, visualize, and feel the impact of the passage as you preach.

    4. “Imagined” thoughts and feelings in a passage can be shared honestly – We don’t know what was going through a character’s mind, or even what was happening in their life around the events of a story.  Where we use our imagination to help bring a passage to life, be sure to help listeners know that you are not asserting divine revelation.  I was listening to a Haddon Robinson sermon recently, and he said something like, “I’m not sure he said this, but I know we do…”  It was a helpful way to connect the real-life aspects of the story to the real-life experiences of Haddon’s listeners.  “I can imagine how Peter may have felt…” is a perfectly legitimate statement because your listeners know you are using your imagination.

    5. Only “assert what the text asserts” – While sanctified, humble, and informed imagination can be helpful, it should never be the substance of your preaching points.  Let the thrust of your message, both at the level of the main idea and the main points, come from the passage.  Do not make assertions based on assumptions, imagination, or guesswork.  An example comes from Psalms where the historical setting is not stated but only guessed, and then the preacher makes a point that depends on a guessed historical setting.  Let the text drive the points you are making.  Use your imagination to help proclaim the passage.

    Seasoned preachers know that the bigger challenge will always be what to leave out, rather than what to add to a message.  But in some settings, people have an overly restricted view of what should be said in a sermon.  They fear saying anything more than the passage itself states overtly.  That can restrict effective preaching. 

    Let’s make it our goal to plumb the depths of our passage, to proclaim it as fully and engagingly as possible, and to make sure that it does its work in bringing listeners into an encounter with the God who reveals himself through the Word. 

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    Here is last week’s podcast episode on this subject:

    Love Jesus, Love the Gospel

    / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

    It does not surprise me when I find scholars who do not believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word and also have a problem with the Apostle Paul.  But it still surprises me to find Bible-believing Christians who view Paul negatively.  For some, this is a reaction to his argumentative persona and intellectual presentation of complex truths.  For others, the antagonism comes from the feeling that he is misogynistic or overly self-referential.

    Where there is a specific criticism based on a particular passage, it helps to study that passage in its context and take into account the rest of his writings as well.  But where the criticism is more a general feeling (i.e. he is too argumentative or complex), I think what helps is to try to enter into his world and see Paul in action.

    At the beginning of Galatians, we find an extended biographical section that, at first glance, may appear self-congratulatory.  However, delving into Paul’s world is a worthwhile endeavour.  Not only will we find a brilliant and articulate fighter for the truth of the gospel – perhaps even a hero of the faith –  but we will also find a motivation we can emulate.  Maybe most of us will never be as brilliant as Paul.  But all of us could love Jesus and the truth of the Gospel as Paul did.  And if we did, perhaps the global and eternal impact would be beyond anything we have dreamt.

    Let me try to give you a taste of this.  On Paul’s first missionary journey, as recorded in Acts 13-14, Paul and Barnabas arrived in the region of Galatia, preached the gospel, and saw churches established.  They were understandably excited as they headed for home base to report what God had done.  But when they arrived, they discovered that others had followed in their footsteps and sought to correct their ministry.  The criticism?  Paul was not a full apostle, and Paul did not preach a complete gospel message.  Perhaps Paul was portrayed as well-intentioned, and his message was seen to serve as a good starting point.  But these later teachers were promoting themselves as representatives of the Jerusalem apostles and their Law-based message as a more complete and committed version of what God expects.

    Paul was livid!  He wrote Galatians to ward off this falsehood and try to win back the hearts of the believers before they were pulled away by this destructive corruption of the good news he had preached.

    Why did Paul write with an edge?  (No pun intended)  Why does he seem to be shouting?  Why is Paul so sharp with them?  (Ok, that was slightly deliberate for the context!)  The answer is that Paul loved Jesus, the Gospel, and the believers in the Galatian churches.  Like a parent shouting sharply at a child walking towards a busy road, Paul was desperate to get their attention.

    In the latter verses of Chapter 1, he laid out his apostolic credentials.  This was not about showing off but about exposing the lies being told about him.  He did not derive his authority from Jerusalem. He had barely been there.  His authority came from God himself.  And in the opening verses of Chapter 2, he focused on his Gospel message.  It was a message that he had laid before the Jerusalem apostles.  Even under pressure from the same false teachers, Paul’s Gentile companion Titus had not been compelled to be circumcised.  The highest council of apostles, the inner circle itself, had affirmed his calling with a hearty handshake and no doctrinal caveats.

    When you ponder the world Paul inhabited, it becomes clear that he was driven not by a desire to win arguments or a passion for self-promotion like an early social media influencer.  A deep love for Jesus drove Paul, and therefore, a passion for the gospel of God’s grace that truly transforms lives from the inside out.  It was that deep love that drove Paul to travel, to preach, to be misunderstood, to be persecuted, to suffer, and eventually, to die for the Lord that he loved.  In Galatians 2:11-14, it was that deep love that drove Paul to take a most uncomfortable step: he publicly called the great senior apostle Peter a hypocrite in front of his home crowd.

    I’m not suggesting we should be looking for opportunities to poke others in the chest.  I’ve seen far too much bombastic finger-wagging on social media.  But I’ve also seen far too little courage in person when faced with character and behaviour that compromises the Gospel.  Will we be willing to take uncomfortable steps in the face of compromise, or will we be willing to take uncomfortable steps in the calling of missionary need? 

    We cannot give ourselves a good talking-to and suddenly generate sacrificial motivation for ministry.  Neither can we muster up Paul’s level of theological brilliance just because we start to find him inspiring.  But we can gaze long and hard at Jesus.  We can ponder the wonder of the gospel of God’s grace in Christ deeply.  We can ask God to give us a heart-exploding glimpse into the wonder of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.  Because if we see Jesus for who he is, if we get a sense of the wonder of the gospel, then perhaps we will start to share in Paul’s motivation for the truth of the gospel.

    Why did Paul contend for the truth of the gospel, even in the face of opposition?  Two words from Galatians 2:5 – it was so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved “for you.”  And by extension, from Galatia down through two millennia, it was for it to be preserved for us.  May we be ever more captivated by the glorious good news of God’s great love for us so that we are motivated to preserve it for others.

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    Podcast Catch-Up: Insights for Preachers

    / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

    The last couple of months have been busy, to say the least. A conference with Josiah Venture in Czech Republic, the European Leadership Forum in Poland, two family weddings, two baptism services in the midst of a busy season at church – these all added up to not sharing much on this site. So, it is time for a catch-up on the podcast. What has been happening since the last post that was linked to an episode?

    Mike and I discussed the various kinds of interruptions that can add some intricate dynamics to a preaching event. We also talked through the most basic sermon preparation process. While there is plenty of potential for complexity in the area of sermon preparation, we wanted to make sure the basic process is clear.

    We have had quite a few bitesize episodes, including Peter on 5 Aspects of Natural Delivery, The Four Worlds of the Preacher, and Preaching Without Notes. (I will write another post on that subject soon!) Mike shared about the courage to confront yourself, and the potential poison of preaching ministry.

    Along the way, we also had a couple of episodes hearing from Si Munsie of Life Church, Southampton. (Click here for part 1 on preaching to real people, and here for part 2 where we think about past employment and preaching.) And this week, we have part 1 of my interview with Andy Paterson, currently pastoring in Hong Kong – a fascinating conversation with a very experienced pastor-preacher! We have some great interviews lined up in the next months too.

    So my apologies for being quieter on here and social media in recent weeks. We really do appreciate every encouraging comment, both in person and online. If you are able to subscribe on YouTube and in whatever podcast platform you use (eg Spotify or Apple), that really does help. Also, every like, comment, share, etc., is massively appreciated. Thank you for helping to get this podcast off the ground!