Homiletics

A Purposeful Change

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

I just returned from the campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. During the weekend I was able to spend some good time with Mike (the less frequent co-author of this site). He is enjoying a three-month well deserved sabbatical from local church ministry. In one of our many discussions, we decided to make a change to the stages presented on this site (and in preaching instruction I give). We have added a stage and adjusted the order slightly.

The Change – The central stages were previously three; passage idea, passage/message purpose, message idea. Now the central stages in the model are four; passage purpose, passage idea, message purpose, message idea. You’ll see them on the right menu bar.

The Reason – The new order makes sense. Purpose precedes and informs idea. This was true before for the message idea, but not the passage idea. Now the stages are more consistent. The details of the passage are studied for content and structure (stage 2), which helps to reveal purpose (stage 3), that all informs the goal of passage study – the passage idea (stage 4). Then the message development phase begins with sermonic purpose (stage 5), which influences the statement of idea (stage 6), that leads in to the shape of the message (stage 7). Since this is only a website and not published material, we can easily make this change.

As preachers we must be aware not only of the “what” in a text (content), but also the “why” (intent) and the “how” (genre/form). I believe that recognizing the influence of purpose as well as content in the forming of an idea is a step in the right direction.

Preaching Lessons from TJ Hooker – Part 2

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

I certainly don’t want to push this illustrative analogy, but just one more post from the world of 1980’s television drama.  The title is wrong.  These two posts are really preaching theory “illustrations” rather than “lessons.”  Obviously I can’t use the term “illustrations” because it would mislead on a preaching website, but I’m also not saying we learn our preaching from Aaron Spelling TV productions.  The fact is that as times change, so does the presentation style used by the media.  They are driven to be as effective as possible, so they tend to evolve their approach.  Some aspects are negative (more and more shocking content to stir results in numbed viewers), but others are simply neutral (such as the phenomena noted in the last post and this one).

So just one more “lesson.”   A quarter of a century ago, the episode I was watching followed a clear plot line.  A situation thrown into tension by a problem, with the tension then increasing until the moment of resolution, followed by several minutes of denouement – tying together loose ends and returning the viewers to a state of relaxed contentment.  Those last few minutes were intriguing to me.  The program almost landed twice, but still dragged on.  After the satisfying capture of the felons, there were two more scenes.  One in which the arresting officer made a tricky play on words in reference to the length of jail term one would receive.  Then another showing the officers joking together as they headed out of the door. Corny?  Yes.  Necessary?  No.

Compare that with equivalent police or military dramas today.  Often the show ends just before you expect it to end, not three minutes after it should have ended.  Often the show ends with some tension remaining, a thought-provoking scene, or a cliff-hanger.  These two approaches illustrate a preaching lesson that homiletics writers also affirm:

When you come to the end of your message, don’t add three minutes of nothing and a corny freeze frame moment that leaves listeners comfortably returned to a state of relaxed levity.  Instead carefully craft your conclusion to both resolve the message, yet also to leave an unresolved state of heart and mind, a slight disequilibrium that gives some momentum into the application or further consideration of the message.  Oh, and try to do all that and finish a couple of sentences earlier than they expect.

Preaching Lessons from TJ Hooker

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

Compare and contrast.  Sounds like an exam question.  I’ve been comparing and contrasting two TV shows.  I’m away from home so I’ve watched a couple of TV shows to unwind at night.  One is a classic police show from the early 80’s.  The other a quality mini-series from last year.  One is compelling viewing, the other is hilarious.  Apart from great clothes, old cars that roll in every chase, shallow plots and pathetic one-liners, what else has changed in 25 years of TV production?

The introduction.  A quarter of a century ago people would gladly sit through three minutes of canned music, watching several action shots and freeze frames of central characters with yellow lettering across the screen, “Starring – William Shatner.”  I can just imagine people making themselves comfortable and saying to themselves, “I’ll watch it if he’s in it!”  After the opening credits there are then a few more minutes of tedious scene setting, relaxed police officers enjoying a few empty jokes.  Finally things start when a crime takes place (unrealistic, utterly ridiculous, but at least it is some action).

Today the opening credits last 45 seconds and don’t come until 8 minutes into the show.  The very first frame of the broadcast is action, tension, intrigue, interest.  Producers know that unless you grab people in the first seconds, you’ll lose them to one of the several hundred other options under their right thumb.

We are not preaching 25 years ago.  People don’t make themselves comfortable and say to themselves, “a sermon about Moses, great!  I’ll listen to it if he’s in it!”  Life is faster, people are ready to move on quicker (not physically, but in their minds).  What can you do in the first three or four sentences to arrest their interest and lock their focus?

I hope your clothes have changed in 25 years, and if the Lord has blessed you at all then hopefully your car has changed too.  Let’s not go retro on the intro.  

Biblical Preaching Must Be Biblical

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Of course biblical preaching has to be biblical.  However, just because preaching is biblical it does not mean it is the best it can be.  John Piper notes that just because the Bible is believed to be inerrant, it does not guarantee that preaching will therefore flourish.  He notes three ways in which evangelicals undercut the power and authority of biblical preaching:

1.”Subjectivist epistemologies that belittle propositional revelation.”  In a day when truth is considered relative and subjective, we preach the Word because God has given revelation to us by means of objective proposition.  Preach the idea of the text, and you preach the Word of God.

2. “Linguistic theories that cultivate an exegetical atmosphere of ambiguity.”  Sometimes diligent study using all tools available can lead us to a point of textual confusion and paralysis.  We have to evaluate whether that is a genuinely difficult passage and admit that, or find a way past exegetical paralysis to effective preaching.

3. “Cultural relativism that enables people to dispense flippantly with uncomfortable biblical teaching.”  So easy to try to please the people by avoiding the tough stuff.  We must preach the whole counsel to help the people and ultimately please our audience of One.  (Quotes taken from Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, 40.)

It would be good to take stock of this list and check our own ministries to make sure we are not undercutting the power and authority of biblical preaching.  (We should also make sure we don’t use some of this terminology that would render us incomprehensible to most listeners!)

Preaching’s Core Vision

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

“We shall never have great preachers until we have great divines.” That was C.H.Spurgeon’s opinion. In the busy world we now inhabit, a world of phone calls, emergencies, emails, travel, financial complexities, family responsibilities and ministerial intricacies, we need to freshly recommit ourselves to the core vision of the preacher. Our core vision is not a philosophy of ministry, a theological stance or sense of calling. Our core vision is God Himself.

We have the privilege of being so captivated by the greatness and grace of our Lord that every moment of our lives is lived in the shadow, no the glory, of that vision. A deep awareness of who God is will continue to drive us back to His Word, diligently pursuing more of Him so that we might respond further. This is not about discipline and effort, this is about delight and response. We dive into His Word so that we might see Him more clearly, be captured more fully, and be stirred more deeply. Then we will preach more effectively.

Our preaching should flow from a personal intimacy with God and a personal commitment to His Word. That is what our people need.

The Problems of Picking a Passage

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

One of the struggles many preachers face is selecting passages to preach. It is often easier to plan a year’s preaching schedule than to select a passage for a stand-alone message. I don’t have a definitive solution, but perhaps a helpful suggestion.

When selecting a passage there are two extremes on the scale. At one end there are passages that seem so easy and so “preachable.” Perhaps you’ve preached them before, or they are very familiar and seem to yield a message and structure just by looking at them. At the other end of the scale there are those killer passages that make you wonder how they could ever be preached. These may be tempting if you like to take on the great challenges and prove yourself. I suggest you keep a list of those that sit in between these extremes.

As you are reading through the Bible, or researching other messages, keep a log of possible preaching passages. These are passages that would take some work, but you are attracted to. Passages that seem stimulating as you read them, and would be stretching if you had to preach them. I would hope we agree that every passage is worth studying and preaching. However, we should not overlook the extra motivation that we have for some.

When you have the chance to preach a stand-alone message, take the opportunity to study where your motivation points you. But let that be a motivation for study, driven by a desire to know God through His Word, rather than a desire for an easy preaching option. Your attraction to the passage and motivation for its study may prove to be an intangible ingredient that adds zest to the message, stirring in your listeners the same motivation and desire for God.

Spiritual Warfare and Preaching – Part 3

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Since spiritual warfare is a reality we face as preachers, perhaps there is more we should be doing in order to stand firm against the wiles of the enemy? Again, I would love to hear your suggestions. I would like to focus my thoughts on one key area – prayer.

Preaching Prayer Partners – I am a firm believer in the importance of prayer partners. We are blessed with a network of prayer partners that stand with us in prayer as we minister. This is not just the privilege of missionaries, why not preachers too? Seek out a group of people who will pray for you as a preacher, your family and your ministry. Then remember to communicate regularly, appreciate appropriately and pray for them as well.

Preaching Prayer Teams – This is one of the most difficult things to organize, perhaps because it has so much potential. Find a small group who will pray during the service, interceding for those ministering (preacher, music team, etc.), and for those in attendance. The challenge is first of all finding people willing to miss the service, then finding people who understand what it means to intercede throughout the time rather than for just the first few minutes. Training, encouragement and appreciation are vital.

Personal Prayer Life – Arranging for others to pray for you and your ministry is no substitute for a dynamic personal prayer life. In this area I am more of a pragmatist than a spiritual disciplines fanatic. Do whatever it takes to stimulate and cultivate a healthy prayer life – journaling, prayer-walking, prayer while swimming, prayer while pacing, prayer-driving, etc. There really is no substitute for time with God.

Enjoying Exegesis

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

At its core, a commitment to expository preaching is a commitment to biblical exegesis. If we are going to rest our eternity on the message of the Scriptures, and entrust the needs of our congregations to that message, then we must diligently pursue the meaning of the text. Our ministry demands a disciplined, responsible and wholehearted commitment to exegesis. While our exegesis should be rigorous, we should not allow it to become a chore for us. The journey of discovery as we wrestle with God’s Word can be a lifelong delight. As Richard Erickson puts it, “…always keep the ball rolling, however slowly. . . . Strive not for perfection, but for persistence.” His book on New Testament Exegesis is on its way to me, and I look forward to reading it. But more importantly, let us enjoy the privilege of studying God’s Word.

One of my professors at seminary, Dr Bruce Fong, now at Michigan, would always start class the same way, “Well, good morning class, always a pleasure to welcome you here. No place on earth I’d rather be, than studying God’s Word with you. Man, O man! What a privilege!” Let us never allow the pressures of ministry, the problems of people and the perpetually approaching deadlines to steal from us the joy of studying God’s Word.

Spiritual Warfare and Preaching – Part 2

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

In part 1 I opened the subject of spiritual attacks on us as preachers.  I’m sure I’m not alone in experiencing unusual technical difficulties before presenting, or out of the ordinary family tensions on a Sunday morning.  Then there is the more overt attacks both before and after preaching.  Not always, but sometimes.  But if we are thinking about the work of the enemy, it is important to remember he can also target the listeners in a preaching event.   Our ancient foe seeks to work woe on various fronts.

As 2Cor.4:4 states, the enemy works to blind listeners to the gospel so they cannot see the truth.  There is also the possibility of distraction before and during preaching, as well as discouragement whispered direct.  I do not want to give any credit to an enemy who stands defeated, but it would be naive to ignore this dimension of preaching.  We tremble not for him, but must be sure to stand firm in our role as God’s spokesmen.

My hope with this post is to stimulate thinking in this area.  Please comment on strategies you perceive against yourself or your listeners.  There will be a part 3, and we will consider practical ways to stand firm and be effective in our ministry.  Praise the Lord, the right man, of God’s choosing, is on our side, and his kingdom is forever.

Spiritual Warfare and Preaching

/ Peter Mead / 3 Comments

Whenever the subject of spiritual warfare is raised, there is a danger of falling into one of two extremes.  On the one hand it is easy to become paranoid, “seeing demons behind every tree” and giving Satan far more credit than he deserves.  On the other hand, it is easy to become overly relaxed and essentially treat the spiritual realm as having no effect on our lives.  Yet if there is a realm in which we should be aware of spiritual warfare, surely it is in the realm of preaching.  Surely the enemy would love to disrupt or damage the proclamation of God’s Word, the presentation of the Gospel, the encouragement of believers and the praise of God.

Today I am merely going to scratch the surface of the subject.  Then in future posts I’d like to consider it further.  First of all, spiritual warfare and the preacher.  What tactics does the enemy use against us as preachers?  Here are a few, perhaps you have others to add.  One danger constantly facing us is that of pride, which leads to a lack of dependency on God.  Then there is temptation to sin – how often do we face waves of temptation in areas of vulnerability while preparing to preach, or the day after we preach?  Perhaps distraction is a tool of the enemy – things thrown in our path that keep us for the task at hand.  Then there are lies, the discouragements meant to bring down our high goals with their high prayers.

I’d like to pursue this subject further, but let me ask you – what tactics does the enemy seem to employ in relation to your preaching ministry?