The Gospel in Concrete

May 16, 2013 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

In the New Testament, the gospel is never given “in a vacuum.” That is to say, we don’t find generic presentations of the gospel as a set of statements. Instead we find the gospel being applied to concrete situations: real people, real churches, real issues.

God didn’t give us a standard version and then leave the application to us. Instead we were given a set of case studies where we can observe the apostles engaging real life situations with the gospel. We see the church being split by a form of gnosticism in 1John, a different form creeping in in Colossae, the young believers under pressure from the antagonists around them in Thessalonica, the self-confident yet worldly church at Corinth, the divided churches of Rome, the threat of false-Law-teachers in Galatia, the discouraged by pressure believers addressed in Hebrews, etc.

As we ponder the “case studies” given to us in the New Testament epistles, here are some thoughts:

1. The apostles don’t respond to down-to-earth issues with mere down-to-earth instruction. You won’t find an epistle that just says, “here is how to act like Christians, pull yourselves together and just try hard, do the right thing and the feelings will follow…” Instead we find the apostles responding to sometimes very human issues with an application of theological reality. They certainly do get specific and practical, but always on the back of, or in association with, doctrinal instruction that needed to be grasped or reaffirmed. To put this in terms of relevance to today, just pressuring people to act appropriately is never appropriate. They need to be gripped by the reality of who God is and what He has done/is doing. They need to see themselves and the gospel clearly.

2. The apostles never assume the believers all know the basics. I could imagine some of us today writing a contemporary epistle along these lines: “Okay, so we all know who God is and what the gospel is, of course, so let’s get to the nitty gritty . . . ” The apostles didn’t do that. Even after spending months or years teaching in a church, they still chose to reinforce and re-communicate the truths of the faith. Why? Perhaps because they knew people didn’t easily grasp the wonderful realities of the gospel.

More thoughts tomorrow…

Contagious Pulpit Boredom 2

May 15, 2013May 14, 2013 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Yesterday we pointed out that God is not boring and the Bible is not boring. So why is some preaching boring? Two more facts and then we’ll get to the heart of the matter. . .

3. Life is not boring. Even in a safe neighbourhood where nothing seems to happen and people may complain of being bored, life is not boring. With all its complexities, doubts, troubles, questions, issues, fears, hopes, changes, challenges and memories, life is not boring. As we preach we preach from the inspired text to people desperately in need of what God has to say through the Word to them. Preaching with relevance should not be so hard, as long as we are in touch with life and its challenges.

4. Church is not boring. Many churches are, in fact, boring, but church itself is not. God’s glorious plan to call out and redeem a bride for His Son, working with materials that are still very much “works in progress” to build a beautiful temple, that is anything but dull. Now when we turn church into our own little kingdoms and lose any real awareness of what God is doing, then church can become a dull place of petty politics and personal preferences, but church from God’s perspective is never a dull matter.

So why is there dull and boring preaching? It must be something to do with the preacher! Hate to say it, but perhaps this can be a nudge to ask God to search our hearts and show us if there is any of the sin of boring people with the Bible in us? Actually, why not pray and then ask a few folks? It could be delivery, it could be personal manner, it could be that all the enthusiasm we generate for conversation about sport and family evaporates when we stand to preach. It could be a lack of personal vibrancy in our walk with the Lord. It could be a lack of sleep (perhaps due to number 4 above!) It could be something easy to change. Or it could be that we genuinely are finding God and the Bible and life and the church to be boring. If so, let this post be your call to a sabbatical or urgent action. Boring people through preaching is too dangerous to let it happen even once more.

Contagious Pulpit Boredom

May 14, 2013 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

It does not matter how true the truth you present from the pulpit, if you bore people with it, then you are doing damage.

Too much preaching is boring preaching. Sometimes it is due to the content, sometimes the delivery, sometimes the attitude, sometimes the preacher’s own personality. Whatever the reason, it should not happen.

1. God is not boring. Actually, God as a concept presented in a lot of theology has become personality-free. For many, He has essentially become an It, definable by a set of truth statements, but essentially unknown in his personhood. God has a personality. Our role as preachers is to pursue Him and chase Him and long to know Him more, so that we can represent Him effectively.

2. The Bible is not boring. How many classes and sermons and story times and lectures and presentations have turned the vivid and gripping self-revelation of God in His Word into a dull set of archaic moralistic tales? Sort of a set of ancient fables without as much of the talking animals as we might prefer. But the epic sweep of Scriptural history, the diversity of genres, the human personalities and the divine personality, the issues to wrestle with, the irony to catch, the pain to feel, the exhilaration to experience, and so much more . . . there is no collection of books like this one!

Tomorrow we’ll add a couple more factors and try to get to the root of the issue: Why is some preaching dull?

Preaching and the Harvesting of Imperatives – part 2

May 13, 2013May 11, 2013 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Last time we looked at the importance of seeing all of a text in its context, rather than plucking out heads of command for instant applicational preaching. We also highlighted the need for seeing the wider context since instructional sections of books were intended to be heard alongside the doctrinal foundations. Here are two more points to ponder, especially for those of us who tend toward the harvesting of imperatives for our preaching preparation:

3. Impartial tone sensitivity. Not every imperative is a command. As I have mentioned before, a little Greek can be dangerous. Knowing that a word is technically imperatival in mood does not mean it is automatically a command as we tend to think of them. It could be a pronouncement, or an request/entreaty, or even a stereotyped greeting! While it would be nice if we could all know our Greek better, that is not the only key here. One thing we can all do is to develop a sensitivity to the tone of the text. Some preachers are able to turn any textual “tool” into a sledgehammer–not because the text is one, but because that is all they can see. Their personal baggage makes every invitation, every encouragement, every description, every single text into a sledgehammer that needs to be smashed into the consciences of their listeners. Personal baggage is hugely damaging in biblical preaching.

4. What kind of God is this? Here’s a final thought to keep in mind. As you are reading through the Bible, consider whether the God being described is really a power-hungry law-giver, or whether we might be projecting something onto Him with such emphases. After all, what if the consistent thread throughout the canon is God’s loving relationality and therefore the imperatives might be reflecting a jilted lover rather than a distant law-giver? Perhaps it is worth a read through to see if that makes a difference to how we see the imperatives.

These posts are not intended to deny the importance of imperatives. Thank God that the Bible does not leave us in the dark as to what a person brought into relationship with God will look like in everyday life. But let’s beware that we don’t make our role as preachers into a pressuring role when our task might be presentation. How lives are changed is so significant an issue that I’d invite you to take a sabbatical and ponder it at length.

Preaching and the Harvesting of Imperatives

May 11, 2013May 11, 2013 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

In our natural desire to make our preaching applicable and relevant, we may be tempted to simply harvest imperatives. That is, to find the instructions in a passage and make them the preaching points. That surely avoids all the baggage and allows us to get to the point and preach with potent relevance? Here are four thoughts to keep in mind if you tend toward this approach:

1. Content, context and coloured fonts. Some people are huge fans of red-letter Bibles. These Bibles use different coloured fonts to allow the reader to spot when Jesus is speaking. Maybe that is helpful. And maybe, for some, it creates a level of confusion. After all, surely more than one or two folks have fallen into the trap of thinking something Jesus said is therefore more important than the fully inspired packaging of Matthew or Mark’s gospel writing around the quote? All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful, including the bits around what Jesus said. Same is true of imperatives. If we were to get an “orange letter” Bible with all the commands highlighted, we would be in danger of elevating imperatives in an unnatural manner. In our preaching we can effectively do the same. We need to be sure to study and present the meaning of the passage as a whole. All the content matters, all the context is relevant.

2. Wide, wide as the canon. The context of an imperative is not just the immediate setting of the sentence, paragraph or section. We need to develop sensitivity to the wider context. For instance, in the epistles we need to be sure to view the letter as a whole when we are looking at the imperatival sections in detail. That is to say, Ephesians 4-6 assumes Ephesians 1-3. It was meant to be heard at once. If we dive into the latter part of the letter (same with Romans, Colossians, etc.) without the first part, then we can turn description of God’s mercies and calling presented in real life terms into stand alone burdensome commands and duties. Let’s be sure to read imperatives in the context of the whole book, and with the assumed context of the theology of the writer as informed by earlier Scripture.

I will finish the list on Monday . . .

That Low?

May 7, 2013May 7, 2013 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

How far would God go to draw back incurved hearts without force? The unfathomable wonder of the incarnation and atonement. More than tongue can tell, or forked tongue predict! This post is hosted on the Cor Deo site. Please click the picture or here to go to the post.

Treasure Shifts – part 2

May 4, 2013May 3, 2013 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Here is the rest of the list of treasure shifts that can occur in the heart of a pastor/preacher. Paul Tripp hits the nail on the head on almost every page of his Dangerous Calling, but I am just offering this snapshot for now (review to follow in the next weeks!)

4. ESSENTIALITY: Moving from rest in the essential presence of Jesus the Messiah to seeing oneself as way too essential to what God is doing.

. . . I begin to load the burden of the individual and collective growth of God’s people onto my own shoulders. This causes me to devalue the importance of the gifts and ministry of others and tempts me to assign to myself more than I am able to do. In ways that I probably am not aware of, I’ve begun to try to be the Messiah instead of resting in my identity as a tool in his faithful and powerful hands.

5. CONFIDENCE: Shifting away from a humble confidence in transforming grace to overconfidence in one’s own experience and gifts.

. . . We are all capable of becoming all too confident in ourselves. A confidence shift begins to take place from the treasure of humble confidence in the power of rescuing, forgiving, transforming, and delivering grace, to rest in my own knowledge, abilities, gifts and experience. Because of this, I don’t grieve enough, I don’t pray enough, I don’t prepare enough, I don’t confess enough, and I don’t listen to others enough. I have begun to assign to myself capabilities I don’t have, and because I do, I don’t minister out of my own sense of need for Christ’s grace, and I don’t seek out the help of others.

Treasure Shifts

May 3, 2013 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

I am currently enjoying Paul David Tripp’s Dangerous Calling. This is my book of the year, so far, and once I finish it I will be sure to review it on here. There is so much good stuff in this book, but just as a taster, here is a list of five “treasure shifts” that can occur in the heart of a pastor/preacher (this is straight quotation from Tripp):

1. IDENTITY: Moving from identity in Christ to identity in Ministry.

In pastoral ministry, it is very tempting to look hirzontally for what you have already been given in Christ. . . . Rather than the hope and courage that come from resting in my identity in Christ, my ministry becomes captured and shaped by the treasure of a series of temporary horizontal affirmations of my value and worth. This robs me of ministry boldness and makes me all too focused on how those in the circle of my ministry are responding to me.

2. MATURITY: Defining spiritual well-being not by the mirror of the Word, but by ministry.

Biblical literacy is not to be confused with Christian maturity. Homiletic accuracy is not the same as godliness. Theological dexterity is very different from practical holiness. Successful leadership is not the same as a heart for Christ. Growth in influence must not be confused with growth in grace. It is tempting to allow a shift to take place in the way that I evaluate my maturity as a pastor. Rather than living with a deep neediness for the continued operation of grace in my own heart, I begin, because of experience and success in ministry, to view myself as being more mature than I actually am. Because of these feelings of arrival, I don’t sit under my own preaching; I don’t preach out of a winsome, tender, and humble heart; and I don’t seek out the ministry of the body of Christ. This allows my preparation to be less devotional and my view of others to be more judgmental.

3. REPUTATION: Shifting from a ministry shaped by zeal for the reputation of Christ to a ministry shaped by hunger for the praise of people.

. . . My heart begins to be captured by the desire to be esteemed by others, the buzz of being needed, the allure of standing out in the crowd, the glory of being in charge, and the power of being right. This makes it hard to admit I am wrong, to submit to the counsel of others, to surrender control, to not have to win the day and prove I am right. It makes it hard to accept blame or to share credit, and it makes me less than excited about ministry as a body-of-Christ collaborative process.

I will finish the list tomorrow.

(NB. This list is found on pages 105-107)

Deep and Wide, by Andy Stanley

May 1, 2013April 28, 2013 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

In Deep and Wide, Andy Stanley tells the story of North Point Community Church. He bares his heart, writes vulnerably, yet passionately sharing his commitment to creating a church that is about the activity of Christ. People who were nothing like Jesus, really liked Jesus. Andy Stanley thinks church is supposed to be representing Him to such people today.

I know that this creates tension. Is church supposed to be for the unchurched? Isn’t evangelism something we do “outside of church?” I think these are important questions and worth wrestling with. But I would share Andy Stanley’s concern that so many churches are functionally antagonistic to people getting saved and growing in relationship with Jesus Christ. I might agree with the idea that church is primarily for believers, but don’t we all agree that we want to be part of a church that we wouldn’t hesitate to invite a friend to attend with us?

After all, didn’t Jesus teach something about the world knowing who we are because of our relationships with each other? Actually, didn’t he pray about the world knowing about the love of the Father for the believers and the mission of the sent Son through the Godlike unity of the believers? In today’s society, I suspect we need to let people look inside the church to see the unity Jesus was praying about in John 17.

Andy Stanley knows that this book will infuriate some, perhaps most, church leaders. My opinion is that all church leaders should read this book and let it infuriate them (if that is the reaction…some will just be delighted!) Maybe we will all have issues with some of the prodding and poking that comes through this book. But if we are prayerfully conversing with God as we read, what do we have to fear?

Here is a quote from Andy in his chapter on preaching:

Okay, maybe we should end with something we can agree on. Currently, I’ve got two kids in college and one who is about to finish high school. All three of them love the local church. If by some freak of chance they should end up living in your town and attending your church, please don’t ruin it for ’em. Please don’t hide behind your tradition and your “this is how we do it here” habits and preach brown-and-serve messages to my kids. Please don’t steal their passion for the church because you are too lazy to learn. Too complacent to try something new. Too scared of the people who sign your paycheck.

Okay, so my kids probably won’t attend your church. But somebody’s kids are attending your church. If you have kids, they are attending your church. Every Sunday you are either instilling a deeper love and appreciation for the church or you are doing what most pastors do and providing them with one more reason not to attend when they no longer have to. That’s a big deal. I don’t want you to preach like me, but I do want you to be part of the solution. I want the fact that twentysomethings are leaving the church and never looking back to bother you. A lot. It bothers me. I think it bothers our heavenly Father. Do you?

So if we can’t agree about the importance of preaching to unchurched people, surely we can find some common ground around our passion to recapture the attention and imagination of a generation of kids that is growing up in church but that can’t wait to leave.

Andy Stanley’s 7 Guidelines part 6

April 30, 2013May 10, 2013 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

So to finish off Andy Stanley’s list of seven guidelines for preaching to the unchurched, here is number 7…

Guideline 7: Don’t go mystical . . . unless you want a new car.

I have resisted the urge to quote too much, so I’ve earned some quoting credit.

If you are serious about your weekend service serving as a bridge for those who are returning to faith or exploring faith for the first time, stay away from the mystical. Even if you are in a highly charismatic church, stay away from the mystical. You don’t live that way. Nonbelievers don’t live that way. So don’t preach that way. Mystical just puts distance between you and your audience.

Now, on the other hand, if you are into positioning yourself as “God’s man” or “God’s anointed mouthpiece” or other such nonsense, then mystical is the way to go. Mystical communicates that you have an inside track; you are closer to God than the people in the audience could ever hope to be. Mystical creates . . . mystery! And with mystery comes fear! And that puts you in the driver’s seat. Once you get your people thinking you are something special, they will treat you special. Throw in a little prosperity theology and in no time you will be driving in style, dressing in style, and the people close to you will never question your decisions. How could they? You are God’s man. It’ll be awesome.

Now, your spouse and kids will know you are a poser and a phony. But eventually your spouse will get so accustomed to the fortune and fame, he or she won’t say anything. Your kids, on the other hand, well, they’ll be a mess. But you’ll have the resources necessary to ensure they get the best treatment options available. Wear contacts. Avoid reading glasses. Get yourself an entourage, an Escalade, and some armor-bearers, and you will be good to go. Oh, one other thing. Stay away from the Gospels. Things didn’t go well for those guys. Stick with the Old Testament. The Gospels could be hazardous to your charade!

While many may not quite follow through to that extreme, there are many who offer a mystical charade as a means of multiplying the sense of authority in what they say. We need a radar for this kind of stuff in our own hearts and lives. Actually, we have a radar. He’s called the Holy Spirit. So while a false mystical approach can be so damaging, a humble walk with the One able to search us and know us is so important for communicators.