New Year Non-Resolution

January 1, 2013 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Resolved: To make no New Year’s Resolutions for me to do, but to cling to the One who can make this year exactly what it should be.

I am currently enjoying the masterful biography of Jonathan Edwards by George Marsden. Fascinating to see the early resolutions of Edwards give way to a delighted in and by Christ kind of spirituality later in his life.

Let’s face it, there are so many good resolutions that we could make as we head into 2013. Bible reading commitments, wider reading plans, personal prayer schedules, pursuit of ministry training ideas, find a mentor strategies, evaluation and feedback gathering plans, sermonic self-improvement schemes, pastoral ministry visitation goals, personal fitness/diet/exercise/rest regimes, family scheduling tactics, and on the list goes.

All of these would be good ideas. But making these determined and resolute teeth-clenched-and-muscles-flexed kind of personal commitments may well not be the best way to go.

As we head into 2013, let’s hold all those resolutions with a very loose grip, but squeeze tightly on the hand of Him who holds us, our families, our ministries and our year ahead in the palm of His hand.

Can we even begin to imagine what our Lord might do in us and through us in 2013? Exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that we ask or even imagine . . . and certainly more than we can achieve by our own self-determined productivity and improvement plans!

2012 Blog Review – Part 2

December 31, 2012 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

On Friday I reviewed the year from several angles. But there is one left to consider. Since this was a year of weekly series, what were some of the highlights? Which series stirred the most responses? Which series stirred interest with the fewest post, and which went on the longest? Here’s a quick look back:

They got into the final – Four series stirred enough interest (comments and likes, as well as in-person conversations) to warrant a mention here:

Beyond Guilt – is there a better way to motivate listeners to change than guilt? Absolutely. Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4.

Why Do We Preach – the year ending reflection on our own motivation in ministry. Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, summary.

Truth Through Personality – reflections on implications of Philips Brooks oft-quoted definition of preaching. Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6.

Overqualified! – how easy to over qualify important issues in our preaching and thereby undermine them. Grace, Trinity, Go, Means, Heart & Head.

Agonizingly close to a podium finish – Just keeping up the Olympic theme since this has been such a great year for British sport! These three almost sneaked into the top three:

Faint Not – the discouraged preacher is a title many of us carry regularly. Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4.

Biggest Big Ideas – this was my favourite series of the year to write. The biggest big ideas weaving through the canon. God, Creation, Sin, Grace, Faith, Redemption, Community, Spreading Goodness, Hope, Christ.

Interactive Bible Observation Preaching – this was the shortest series to make the review, with just two posts. Post 1, post 2.

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The medal places – So here are the top three series of 2012:

Bronze – Preaching New Covenant . . . a core issue for truly Christian preaching. Introduction, Sin, Heart, Trinity.

Silver – Technology, Bible Software and Preaching, the new reality for many of us. Online research, Social Networks+, Disconnected, Bible Software, Downside, Ajith Fernando’s Comment.

Gold – Preaching Story (also the longest, at 18 posts!): Theology, People, Plots, Power, Function, Adults, Reading, Telling, Mistakes, part 2, Thesaurus, Bible, OT, Gospels, Acts, Storying, Super-Genre, Artistry/Accuracy.

It has been a good year to ponder preaching together. Thank you for visiting the site, for commenting and most of all, for faithfully serving a God worth proclaiming!

My Highlight Books of 2012

December 26, 2012 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

It 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.)

So Why Do We Preach?

December 22, 2012 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

This week I’ve been pondering the motivations for a preaching ministry. Here are the eight points, followed by a summative two:

1. We preach because God is a God who speaks, therefore we have something to say.

2. We preach as an act of service to others.

3. Because the Gospel is thrillingly good news.

4. Because people need to hear the Gospel.

5. We preach to build God’s kingdom.

6. We preach to equip others for ministry.

7. Because we can’t help but speak of Someone so wonderful.

8. Because we care about the people to whom we preach.

9. (Odd Numbers) – We preach because we love the Lord. All of the odd numbered points have been different angles on the same issue. I certainly haven’t exhausted the possibilities here. Preaching as an act of devotion, an act of worship, and even preaching as obedience to God’s Word and as obedience to His calling on our lives – these could all be added. But the bottom line surely is this: as we take stock of our own motivation in preaching, are we still gripped and driven by a vertical responsiveness? This can so easily grow dull or become corrupted by a self-elevation and self-worship. Surely the best thing to do here is to spend time on our face before God and ask Him what our motivations are (ask yourself and you may respond with a lie!)

And what if motivations aren’t good here? Chase Him. Seek Him. Recognize that you cannot fix your own spirituality through personal resolutions and effort. The solution must always be a fresh vision of who God is. Open the Word, open your heart and here I come, ready or not!

10. (Even Numbers) – We preach because we love our neighbour. All of the even numbered points have been different angles on the same issue. Again I have by no means exhausted the possibilities. We could add preaching to strengthen the relationships of others (both vertically and horizontally), or preaching to influence society, or preaching to mark eternity.

Again, the bottom line is whether we have a horizontal outgoing motivation, or whether we have been corrupted by our flesh into a self-serving ministry that uses others to pursue our own goals and agenda. I find that the vertical spills into the horizontal. When I am the god of my life, then others become servants in my subconscious motivations. When God is clearly God from the perspective of the eyes of my heart, then I gladly reach out to serve others. Love the Lord, love your neighbour . . . always in that order.

Why Do We Preach 4

December 21, 2012 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Here are another pair of thoughts as we reflect on the why? behind the ministry. Perhaps these two should give more pause for thought than the others already posted?

7. Because we can’t help but speak of Someone so wonderful. This should be the case. Sadly, over time, it can easily cease being the case. We can end up in a role, in a ritual, in a rut. We end up preaching because that is what we do, or that is how we pay bills, or that is how we get respect. We feel we should. We feel it is expected. We know it is needed. And somewhere along the way we fail to notice the fog gathering between our hearts and heaven.

A growing spiritual complacency is the proverbial frog in boiling water syndrome for preachers. God can become familiar and distant at the same time. He can become a concept, a set of truths, a source of identity for us, but somehow fade from being the captivating One who so fills our hearts and lives that we can’t help but speak of Him. May we all have a constant stream of newly engaged folks in our churches – constant reminders of the simple reality that a captivated heart can’t help but spill out.

8. Because we care about the people to whom we preach. Again, this should be the case. Sadly, over time, our flesh can easily co-opt the other centredness of ministry and turn it to a self-serving project. We can become preachers doing so to gain respect, to gain credibility, to gain attention, to gain a following, to gain influence. The gain increases and the give becomes token. Of course we can talk about giving – we can frame the ministry in self-sacrificial and spiritual terms. But really?

Just as spiritual fog can go undetected for too long, so a growing self-absorption is hard to spot in the mirror. Our flesh will always justify a subtle pursuit of godlike status. So we must keep walking with the Lord and ask Him to search us and know us. Ask Him to underline the motivations that drive what may look like a gloriously giving ministry. The true biblical preacher is shaped by the Word they preach, and they join God in giving of themselves as they preach it to others. The blessings are hard to quantify, but they must be the by-product, not the goal.

Why Do We Preach 3

December 20, 2012 / Peter Mead / 3 Comments

As we come to the end of the year, it is a good time to reflect on the glorious burden of a preaching ministry. Our lives and ministries are probably tangled webs of motivations, but it is good to sift through and ask why we do what we do. Here is another angle on the same issue:

5. We preach to build God’s kingdom. There will always be a tension here. Ever since Genesis 3 we have all been deeply infected with the death-virus of godlikeness. We will default to independence in any way conceivable (including self-driven ministry), and our flesh will always look to build our own kingdom. But we are called to join Christ in His work of building the church. It is not about our pursuit of godlikeness, but about our humble service for the God we desire to honour and please.

There are so many factors to keep in mind in this pursuit. God often works more slowly than we’d prefer. So we need patience. God can transform people and communities in miraculously short order. So we need to expect great things. God can choose to build his work in ways we don’t expect. So we need to trust in His providence. God can choose to bless the work of others, even in our neighbourhood (after all, the earth is the Lord’s, including your neighbourhood!) So we choose to esteem others. We are not building our own kingdom. We are privileged to participate in building His.

6. We preach to equip others for ministry. No matter how great you may be, you are nowhere near as great as your whole congregation equipped, enthused and launched into ministry. I’m thankful that many churches have grasped that ministry is not wrapped up in a clerical class. God has given gifted people to the church to equip believers for their ministries. I long to see the day when an entire church is so gripped by God, so equipped by God, and so excited by God that they are like an army of effective witnesses, of empowering encouragers, of heartfelt worshippers, spilling out into the rest of the church and the community and the world.

We preach to that end. We don’t preach to look ministerial. We don’t preach to build our own reputation. We preach to serve Him, and we preach to serve them.

Why Do We Preach 2

December 19, 2012 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

As an end of year pause for reflection, we are considering why it is that we preach. Yesterday we looked at the fact that God is a God who speaks, and that our preaching is not for our own sake, but as an act of service to others. From a slightly different angle:

3. Because the Gospel is thrillingly good news. The mission of the preacher is not merely to communicate ancient truths relevantly. God has given us a message. And that message is labelled as good news for a reason. The great sweep of redemption history involves the intra-trinitarian mission to rescue fallen creatures and restore them to full glorious fellowship with a loving and giving God.

It is not some sort of heavenly plan B to make the best of a bad situation and try to restore some semblance of respectability to a God who is on the throne but attacked on every side. When time is wrapped up and we have the benefit of both hindsight and eternal perspective, we will be gasping at the multi-coloured and multi-faceted dazzling beauty of what God has done in Christ.

We get to proclaim that now!

4. Because people need to hear the Gospel. There are only two types of people in the world. Those who need to hear the gospel and be saved, and those who need to hear the gospel as they are being saved. While we may get beyond simplistic and trite presentations of some scaled down version of the good news to some sort of legal loophole, we never move beyond the gospel in its glorious richness.

What God is like, what He has done for us in Christ, how much we need Him, redeclaration of total dependence – justification, regeneration, reconciliation, adoption, fellowship. Preaching Christ so that people will trust in Him. This is something our people can’t hear enough about. They need the hope, the faith and the love that is only found in the gospel. We are not called to give tips for successful independent living, or to offer life coaching team talks. We are called to preach Christ and Him crucified, that all may trust in Him, know Him, enjoy Him.

Gospel preaching, why wouldn’t we want to do that?

Why Do We Preach?

December 18, 2012 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

As the Christmas messages get preached for another year, many preachers feel like there is a brief window in the schedule. It may be only a week or two, but psychologically there is a window of respite that allows for reflection and anticipation. Another year. Another year of preaching. So why do we do it?

There are so many factors involved. Let’s explore some of the reasons we preach over the next few days. I don’t want to ponder issues of pay (many preachers receive less than minimum wage for what they are doing). I don’t want to dwell on inappropriate motivations, even if they are significant for some. I will just mention some of them in passing.

Let’s take stock of some of the good reasons we preach.

1. We preach because God is a God who speaks, therefore we have something to say. Actually there are probably too many who are too confident that they have something worth saying. I don’t think we have much that is worth saying, but the Bible is a revelation of God that is certainly worth proclaiming! That is why Paul could urge Timothy to “preach the Word!” in his final words to him. He wasn’t urging Timothy to chatter and noise and declaration of vain imaginations relating to societal ills and self improvement principles. He wanted him to preach the Word.

Consequently the Bible must never become just a repository of preaching material. It must always remain the very exclusive fuel for the fire of our walk with Christ, through whom we can know the Father. When the Bible starts to feel dry to us, we have a real issue. Not because we need to squeeze a message out of its apparently dusty pages, but because something isn’t right in our relationship with the One whom we represent when we stand to preach.

2. We preach as an act of service to others. Paul views every gift given by the Spirit to the church as a gift given for the building up of others. Consequently any gifts that relate to preaching must be offered to others in faithful service. So it can’t be primarily about our own fulfillment, and certainly shouldn’t be about our own egos. We preach to build up others – to proclaim, to offer, to invite, to comfort, to challenge, to help.

Not to control, that would be self-focused. Not to cajole, that would be self-serving. Not to show off, that would be self-glorifying. We preach to serve.

Truth Through Personality 6

December 11, 2012December 11, 2012 / Peter Mead / 2 Comments

I have been blogging about the basic requirement that preachers should themselves evidence growing fruit of the Spirit in life and ministry. It is a disaster when the truth of the gospel is undermined by a perceived lack of Christlike character in the preacher.

So we’ve gone through the fruit of the Spirit in pairs, but we skipped the first. Or did we? Perhaps the four pairs lay out what that first fruit looks like.

It shows in the joy that comes from resting in the goodness of God, and the peace of healthy ordered relationships with God and others.

It is patient in trusting God’s work in the lives of others who often need longer than we feel is necessary (just as we do too!), with a kindness that is giving for the good of those also still in process.

It has an inherent goodness that reflects the profound quality of God’s character, as well as the gentleness that is fitting for someone reflecting God’s manner of authority.

It has a faithfulness that speaks of both trusting and persisting for that which is good and right, while always retaining the appropriate self-control of a life lived in the desires of the Spirit rather than the impulses of the flesh.

We have had several interrupted nights in a row as a virus has worked through our family. The loss of sleep does add a certain strain to daily life! Under pressure, does the fruit of the Spirit show? I’m sure I am not the only one who wishes it showed more. But the solution isn’t to strain in my own effort to look good under pressure, the solution is to grow as one walking in step with the Spirit. I hope that my preaching next week, next year, in twenty years time, will show a more Christlike personality than it does now. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Truth Through Personality 5

December 10, 2012 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

The preacher preaches, and so the preacher matters. A personality that doesn’t reflect the fruit of the Spirit, the character of Christ, is a personality undermining the truth being proclaimed. So let’s finish the list…

Faithfulness – The issue with faith is always the object. We can’t have faith in ourselves, our skills, our preparation, our training, our gifting, etc. And we can’t place our faith in the audiences, whatever their size. Our faith has to be in God. This points back to patience, but it is more than that. Not only do we keep pressing on over time, but we also need to demonstrate faithfulness in every circumstance. We may be preaching to hundreds or thousands one day, and to a handful the next. Our faithfulness should show in both situations. We are trusting God and giving our best to the tiny gathering, and we are trusting God not the occasion with the larger gathering.

Faithfulness in preparation means we don’t offer shoddy sermons. Faithfulness in accepting bookings means we follow through. Faithfulness in delivery means we give ourselves fully, even if it does mean being wiped out at the end.

Self-Control – It is so easy to do damage with your words. You can say too much, violate privacy, twist the truth, deceive, belittle others, etc. And all before you pause for thought. Self-control is a critical fruit of the Spirit for biblical preachers. Keeping a tight rein on our tongues is so important. I read somewhere about the ancient wisdom that the human tongue is like an arrow, not just a sword. That is, if you unsheath your sword to kill your friend, he may plead with you, beg for mercy and you may return the sword to its sheath. But once an arrow is shot, you simply cannot return it to the quiver, no matter how much you want to do so.

Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. The fruit of the Spirit. Required for preachers. But one is missing . . . tomorrow.