How to . . . ?

Jesus vs Religion – Honouring God

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

StainedGlassJesus2So I am halfway through Eldredge’s list of ten indicators of religious distraction from true Christ-centred Christianity.  Let’s see if I can finish the list in a single post, actually I won’t bother trying.  I’ll finish the list tomorrow.  All to do with honouring God:

6. The holiness of God is taught by making him “unknowable” or unapproachable.

“God is spoken of as a mystery so high and lifted up we cannot possibly be friends.  The talk may be very intellectual and philosophical; it may be hyperspiritual talk of the heavens; it might be existential “dark night of the soul” stuff.  Do you ever hear Jesus talk like this?  Of course there are mysteries to God, but Jesus came to make God known.”

The incarnation is about the unseen God being seen, and touched, and met, and talked to, and heard, and known.  The New Testament critiques the proto-gnostic notions of an un-incarnate Christ because that tendency was in the churches.  In modified forms it still is.  While it may get us kudos as we stand at the church door and shake hands with the impressed, let us instead offer them the only begotten God who has made the Father fully known.

7. Holiness is substituted with rule-keeping.

The church seems to propagate technical righteousness and the minding of evangelical manners.  Is this what holiness is all about?  If we can’t make the connection between holiness and the fellowship of the Trinity, but only speak of separation from sinful acts, then perhaps our view of holiness is too superficial.  If the preacher doesn’t get it, the congregation have little chance.

Tomorrow I’ll finish the list . . .

 

Wide View Application

/ Peter Mead / 6 Comments

WideViewIf we are not careful we can easily misfire when it comes to applying Bible texts.  One cause of dangerous misfiring comes from too narrow a view of the text.  The result is application that functions as a legalistic burden – appealing to the flesh, but not consistent with the gospel.

In Narratives Look Up.  In Bible stories we can easily focus on the human characters and determine to copy or not copy them.  The moral of this story is . . . oops.  This is a recipe for burdensome preaching.  It is not a recipe for gospel preaching.  It is not really good news that the Bible is full of examples for us to copy or not copy in our own strength.  We need to always look up.  The characters are not just humans in action, they are humans living in response to God and His Word.  Their response is instructive, but we don’t live as their copycats, we live as people responding to God and His Word too.  In preaching narratives, be sure to use a wider view and include the divine dimension.

In Epistles Look Out.  In epistles we can easily focus on the commands and determine to obey them.  The lesson for today is . . . oops.  This is a recipe for burdensome preaching.  It is not a recipe for gospel preaching.  It is not really good news that the Bible is full of imperatives for us to harvest and apply in our own strength.  We need always to look out.  The imperatives and commands are not just stand alone instructions for holy living, they are imperatives and commands coming in the context of a whole letter that was written to be heard in one shot.  The recipients would have felt the force of the instruction in light of the gospel content.  Ephesians 4 is to applied in light of Ephesians 1-3, otherwise it becomes just another burden for our weary souls.  In preaching epistles, be sure to use a wider view and include the divine doctrinal dimension.

Transitions 3

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Spheres2Transitions are a tiny part of a message, but they can make all the difference in terms of being heard properly.  We’ve looked at the first two types of transition.  Let’s ponder the third: concluding transitions.  Or to put it another way, transitions to a conclusion.  This is very biblical, by the way.  I was just looking at Galatians 5:1-12.  I think that is Paul’s transition from his second main point and body of his argument to the conclusion and application phase of his letter.  An abrupt move from main point to conclusion may not be effective.  So?

Concluding Effectively

Review clearly – These would be true of a message conclusion as a whole, but I am speaking of a transition from body to conclusion.  This is a good place to review where we have been together.  Anything more than clear and crisp statements runs the risk of sounding like the development of another element of the message.  Don’t add explanation to this.  Don’t restate in a way that might appear to be development rather than restatement.  Keep this element as clear and punchy as possible.  Try to make the message sound clearer than it did when you preached it!

Regain any drift from relevance – There is always a danger that in the development of the main argument of a message, with all the biblical and theological explanation, that listeners can lose sight of its relevance for them.  This shouldn’t happen if you make every movement relevant and apply as you go, but sometimes you need to give time to explanation.  Lest any be drifting from the moorings of crystal clear relevance, use the transition to underline that this is for us today.  Paul did this in his transition in Galatians 5.  The sermon to the Hebrews reinforces relevance in every transition throughout the sermon.

Avoid apology – I haven’t mentioned this yet, but this applies at any point.  Almost always avoid apology during your preaching.  Some have the habit of half apologising in transitions. “Well, anyway, that could have been clearer, but . . . ” or “I wish we had more time, we haven’t really gotten the point of that section . . .” and so on are not helpful.  There may be occasion for apology.  If you have a cough or weak voice, apologise if you feel it is necessary, but do so confidently.  Basically the listeners will respond to your tone – if you are apologising, they will feel bad.  If you are confident, they will take that on board.  So avoid undermining a message by apologising in some unnecessary way.

Transitions 2

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Spheres2Transitions are disproportionately significant.  They don’t convey the content of the message, but their critical role can significantly support, or significantly undermine the message as a whole.

Last time I looked at the introductory transitions (A on the image).  What about a transition between two movements in a message?  This is the purest form of transition.

Transitioning Effectively (B)

1. Slow down noticeably.  The sermon is an unsafe vehicle.  There are no seat belts or doors that guarantee your passengers will stay with you.  When you take a turn, make sure they are right there or you’ll leave them in the aftermath of the previous movement.  Slow down through the curves.  Listeners can seem like they are with you at a certain pace of delivery, and they might be able to stay with you in a straight line, but when you go in a new direction they may be unable to keep track and they will be left in a heap with dust settling around them.  Slow down.  Change pace.  Pause.  Make the transition clear.  Sometimes in our anxiety to press on and get through it all we can cut corners at this point (since it isn’t content at this point) and in doing so undermine the whole message.  If you must speed up, do so within a movement, not between them.

2. Look both ways.  That is to say, use the opportunity to provide both review and preview.  Where have we been so far?  Where are we going next?  Just a couple of sentences can make the world of difference.  It is the difference between an enjoyable ride in a nice car with a good driver, and an uncomfortable ride in an overpowered car with an overconfident teen at the wheel.

3. Mark physically.  Slowing down the delivery and reflecting / previewing are helpful.  But why not reinforce the shift in direction by a physical marker?  You could physically switch from one side of the lectern to the other (assuming you don’t hide behind it all the time), you could gesture appropriately, change you orientation by a few degrees, etc.  Subtle reinforcement in this way can communicate very effectively.

Notice that I haven’t suggested simply saying, “Now for my next point…”  If you have to, fine, but consider that this may have a soporific effect if the listeners don’t have confidence in you.  Good transitions should give a sense of momentum and progress.  Bad or patronizing ones can either lose people, or reinforce the sense of boredom.  Maybe a minute of your message will be taken up by this kind of transition . . . but this minute could be make or break!

Transitions

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Spheres2The bulk of preparation effort usually goes into the main content of a message.  We wrestle with the text, we allow it to shape our theology, we think through how that content marks our lives, we ponder all this in light of who will hear the message.  This is all work on the points, or movements, in a message.

Then perhaps we ponder illustrative material to help make sense of those movements.  We consider how to introduce the message.  We might even give some thought to how we will conclude it.

But often there is too little thought given to the transitions between movements in a message.  These are represented by A, B, C on the diagram.  Too little attention given to these little moments will result in too great a negative effect on the whole message.  Great messages bomb because of poor transitions.

Here are some nudges to help us better transition during our preaching:

Introducing Effectively (A)

1. Emphasize clearly.  The listeners need to know that you are moving from whatever introductory material you have given into the first movement of the message.  You can do a star jump, pause for two minutes and turn to look at a powerpoint slide.  Or you can be less awkward.  Vocal variation can serve to underline your shift effectively: perhaps a pause, a change of pace, a variation in pitch.  You can say, “So for my first point…” but that is probably hinting at dullness already.  But something along those lines could be helpful: “So let’s see how the passage launches . . .” could work, as long as people catch what you just said (so think through how to add emphasis).

2. Preview appropriately.  What is appropriate depends on the type of movement that will follow.  If you are presenting a declaration and then supporting it, as in a typical deductive message, then you might be able to simply offer a preview of the point by stating it and telling what will follow (i.e.explanation, application, etc.).  By previewing and then re-stating the point as you progress, listeners will spot the entry into a section of the message.  If the point is the development in a narrative, then you may not want to give it all away at the transition.  You need to decide how to make sure people are with you as you enter in.  Perhaps a question that will be answered – some variation on “so what happened next?” might work.

3. Introduce confidently.  Whatever you are about to say, convey confidence in how you introduce it.  Don’t apologise.  Don’t downplay in some supposed act of humility.  “Oh, I guess I should probably say a few words about . . . ”  Uh, no.  “Just a disconnected story first before we get into . . .”  Again, no.  “I wasn’t sure where to start, so. . .”  No.

Delivery Dynamics: Do They Trust?

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Microphone2Delivery matters because communication does.  We have considered two important questions: can they hear and will they listen?  Another important consideration relates to how listeners perceive the speaker.

Do They Trust?

There are many factors that influence whether listeners will trust or distrust the speaker.  For instance:

1. Eye Contact.  You wouldn’t buy a car from someone who refuses to look at you.  Shifty eyes are a real turn off.  If someone wanted to tell you about a wonderful place they visited, but kept hesitating and checking some notes, you might be suspicious.  Eye contact is massively important in the whole package of sermon delivery.  Whatever we can do to maximize appropriate eye contact, let’s do it.  Don’t skip around or you’ll seem flighty and untrustworthy.  Don’t linger too long or you’ll communicate intimidation or intimacy.  But do make and maintain meaningful eye contact with listeners if you want them to trust what you are saying.

2. Belief.  Bert Decker’s book, You Have to Believe to be Heard, is well worth a read.  We are able, as listeners, to perceive whether someone believes what they are saying.  The signals are made up of multiple factors in tone, articulation, gesture, expression, posture, etc.  If people perceive cockiness, that won’t help.  But if they don’t perceive belief, they won’t trust.

3. Body Language.  So what are some of these visual signals of conviction?  If something is important, then not only should the words chosen reflect that, but the communication of our bodies should reinforce it.  A confident and secure posture is important.  Don’t stand awkwardly and squirm.  Be seen.  Don’t hide behind a heavy pulpit, be as visible as possible.  Leaning forward tends to underline an important point.  Appropriate gestures help.  Leave the hands in pockets casual look for a casual illustration.

Reading and Preaching

/ Peter Mead / 8 Comments

StudyI remember hearing about someone who made the mistake of writing down a book suggestion for someone he was discipling.  The book was ideally suited to the situation, but the author was just too different.  The man was chased out of his church.

What makes a Bible school “liberal?”  In one sense the term refers to wide and free reading across the spectrum.  Strangely, I hear that there are many of the more “liberal” schools that won’t include “conservative” books on their reading lists.  At the same time, many “conservative” schools will recommend and even require the reading of “liberal” scholars.  If this were all that a label referred to, then they would need to be reversed!

Seems like we should be reading widely (and I’m not really referring to facebook / blog surfing!)  At the same time, it may not be wise to advertise the breadth of your reading habits in some circles.

Good reading should not only reinforce your understanding by affirmation, but also by challenging what you believe.  And as maturity increases, so can the band-width of your reading spectrum.  It seems to be a very immature trait to dismiss books simply because they are not 100% on target.

Read widely, disclose wisely.

Beware of Re-Assigned Language

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ConversationLast night I led a discussion on the New Age and Eastern Mysticism.  It was fascinating to try to get a handle on what is sometimes described as a “meta-network” . . . a network of networks where the religious ingredients may have some commonality, but are essentially optional.  I suppose it was a bit like trying to grasp a jellyfish.

The real benefit of the discussion, though, was for people in the group to not only be alert to some of the core features of this movement, but also to recognize where they might misunderstand what others say to them.  For instance, coming from an evangelical church, it is easy for some to get confused when they meet someone who “believes in Jesus.”  That language carries certain meaning in church-world.  It carries different meaning in non-church world.

As preachers we must be alert to this.  We can’t hide in a church ghetto and preach Christian language without clarifying the meaning we are seeking to convey.  We will not even know if people in our church are understanding what we intend them to understand.

I suppose there are several dangers to be alert to.  People need to know what others mean in order to interact with them and know where the disconnects may be occurring in the conversation.  It is not good people thinking they’re on the same page as someone who means something entirely different by enlightened or saved or delivered or believe or whatever.

At the same time people need to know not only what is different with other understandings of reality, but also what is attractive about other understandings of reality.  It is easy in a church setting to look down on the silliness of other views, but that is not at all helpful.  There is a reason people are drawn into different philosophies and religions.  There is a reason why people who’ve grown up in good churches can be drawn into these other religions.  To simply mock or ridicule is to fail to engage meaningfully with what others hold dear.  At the same time it is to set up people from the church to be picked off when they discover a more compelling presentation of an alternative than they were led to believe is possible.

My Highlight Books of 2012

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

BookIt seems fashionable to offer a list of the best books of the year during these days.  I can only offer some of the highlights in terms of what I’ve read.  Consequently, not all these books were published in 2012, but they were read by me in 2012!  I won’t include any of the books I am currently reading, even though there are some real gems, with bookmarks in them, next to my reading chair.

To be effective preachers we need to be readers.  Readers for the sake of our preaching, our biblical studies, our theology, our cultural awareness, our personal spirituality and our growth in all aspects of ministry.  So here are some books I’d encourage you to get hold of if they weren’t in your stocking yesterday or on your shelf already:

Best Theological and Spiritually Stimulating Read of 2012: The Good God, by Michael Reeves.  This book is appearing on lists far more comprehensive and purposeful than mine.  Hopefully people will get the point – this delightful book is well worth reading! It is rich yet accessible, theological yet heart-stirring, historically alert yet relevant and enjoyable. (It was released in the UK in March 2012 by Paternoster, and in the US in the fall by IVP under the title, Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith. Click here to buy the book in the UK.)

Other Theologically Stimulating Reads in 2012.  These are not new, but worth grabbing if you get the chance.  Holmes Rolston’s John Calvin Versus the Westminster Confession is very thought provoking.  Janice Knight’s insightful analysis of the Antinomian Controversy in New England in the 1630’s is a golden piece of work (at a golden price, it must be said).  The contrast between a God obsessed with His own power and a God who gives of Himself in love is as fresh a discussion as any from all those centuries ago.  Orthodoxies in Massachusetts: Rereading American Puritanism – buy or borrow if you can.  (To buy in the UK, click here.)

Best Freely Accessible Historical Document of 2012: I have thoroughly enjoyed time with both Luther and Edwards this year.  Edwards is not always the most accessible, and Luther is not always the most consistent, but both are worth some reading time!  For starters, why not try The Freedom of a Christian, by Luther (aka Concerning Christian Liberty – easy to find online, but why not get The Three Treatises on your shelf – to buy in the UK, click here.)

Biblical Studies Book of 2012: Jesus on Trial: A Study in the Fourth Gospel, by A.E.Harvey.  This is an older book, published in the 70’s, but worth its weight in gold.  This book helps make sense of the continual legal tension between Jesus and his accusers.  I will long remember reading this by flashlight in the sleepless nights after our youngest was born – she was worth being awake for, but this book only made it even better!

Not Overtly Christian But Well Worth Reading Book:  C.S.Lewis’ Experiment in Criticism is a delightful read on literature and how it engages people.   Instead of evaluating readers by what they read, what if we evaluate literature on how it is read?   This is well worth pondering on a spiritual, as well as on a literary level.  (To buy the book in the UK, click here.)

Insight Into Human Psyche Book of the Year: A New Name, by Emma Scrivener. – This was published this year.  It will make a mark on you if you read it.  Autobiographical, profoundly vulnerable and deeply gospel-centred.  This journey through the agony of anorexia gives insight into a world many of us know practically nothing about (but many in our congregation do).  (To buy in the UK, click here.)

Attention! Strategy…

/ Peter Mead / 6 Comments

If you haven’t got the attention of your listeners, then they aren’t really listeners, and you’re not really preaching to them.  I know there are all sorts of factors influencing the preaching event, and we’ll probe some of those later in the week.  But to be super simple, here’s a principle we should all take on board:

People listen if they want to, so make them want to . . . 

How can we do this?

1. Relevance.  I think the preacher needs to prove as early as possible that the preacher, the message and the passage is relevant to the listeners.  Introduction is critical here.  But then there needs to be a continual re-proving of relevance throughout.  Don’t leave “application” until the last few minutes, they probably won’t be with you by then.  Demonstrate relevance all the way through.  This includes lots of factors, but the content is critical.  Historical lecture, theological diatribe, rant against them out there, etc., are all felt to be irrelevant to listeners in the church setting.  Speak to us.

2. Interest.  When the content is interesting, people are more likely to pay attention.  Never bore people with the Bible.  Be interesting.  Does that mean we rush to our illustration sources?  Hang on.  The Bible is interesting.  Too many preachers preach dull Bible enlivened by interesting anecdotes and stories.  This may be less dull preaching, but it is not interesting biblical preaching.  Communicate the content well, and use explanations, proofs, applications, when they are genuinely helpful.  Make sure the core of the content is interesting.

3. Accessibility.  If it is completely over their heads, they won’t listen.  If it is patronizing and trite, they will get annoyed and also stop listening.  Make it appropriately accessible for the level of those present.

4. Energy.  Getting attention has a lot to do with delivery as well as content.  Your energy matters.  When we stand in front of a crowd, our natural instinct is to become limited.  Seek to break out of that monotonous box and be yourself with appropriate energy for the occasion and your personality.  This means eye contact, facial expression, vocal variety, movement and gestures.  If you are enthused and have an appetite for it, they have a chance of catching it.  If you don’t have the disease, you’ll struggle to be contagious.

5. Warmth. Energy in delivery is not about a show or a performance.  It is about the real you communicating with them.  One key ingredient is your personal warmth.  If you come across as cold, they won’t lean in to what you are saying.  Simple.  Represent the gospel in your manner and tone, as well as in the precision of your content.

6. Spirituality.  People can sense when you have the spiritual gravitas that comes from being with Jesus.

More to add, but I’ll leave it there.  Tomorrow we’ll consider some of the illegitimate approaches people take to get attention.