Stage 8 – Message Detail

Preach the Preaching Text

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

I have written before about staying within a low fence and generally sticking in the passage you are in for the message.  However, there is a similar but slightly different temptation we face as preachers.  It is the temptation to preach the whole book in which the text is found and fail to fully preach the text itself.

Why is this a temptation?  It doesn’t happen every time.  But if you are preaching a single message rather than a whole series (either as part of a series where others are preaching too, or as a stand-alone message), then you are more likely to face this temptation.  It comes from studying the passage in its context, the very thing you should be doing.  It comes from enjoying the study of the whole book, seeing the flow of thought perhaps clearer than you have before.  It comes from an understanding on your part that this text makes so much more sense once the context is fully understood.

What is the problem?  Well, you have to decide.  Should you preach the whole book, or should you preach the specific preaching text.  If it is part of a series, do not neglect your specific text.  If it is a stand-alone, you have the option of preaching the broader text (but if you do, remember that the message must be evident in the text sitting on listeners’ laps, whichever parts you point them to look at, or your message will apparently lack biblical authority).  The problem comes when you try to preach a specific text, but spend so much time giving the context and flow of the book that you fail to adequately explain the text that is read to the listeners.

So what to do?  Once a decision is made on whether you are preaching the main idea of the whole book, or the specific passage, check your outline/notes/manuscript.  Does the message content reflect your objective?  Be careful not to over-introduce.  It is painful, but cut unnecessary introduction and context.  Give enough to set up the preaching text, but be sure to preach the text itself.

Make Clear Carefully

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In expository preaching one goal is to make clear the meaning and significance of what is written in the passage.  That sounds relatively easy until you start considering specific passages.  You know the ones I mean.  The passages that you study for hours in order to understand what the author was saying.  In the process you work through numerous possible interpretations with multiple sets of evidence to support each interpretation.  It drives you to evaluate the accuracy and relative weight of these different pieces of evidence as you move toward an understanding of the passage.  In the end, Sunday comes and you sometimes have enough material to teach a seminary course on the passage.

The goal in preaching is to give the fruit of the study labor, not every detail of your behind the scenes work.  Select enough explanatory comments to demonstrate that your understanding is solidly based on the teaching of the text, otherwise your message will lack authority.  When you are not clear on the meaning of every element in the text, find the balance between recognizing the difficulty of the passage, but not undermining confidence in that which is clear.  Be careful that the goal of explaining the meaning does not crowd out presenting the relevance of the passage by means of application.  Don’t let heavy study turn a sermon into a lecture.

When we preach we seek to make clear the meaning and significance of the passage.  That takes prayerful care because it is not easy.  Pray that today’s message will be genuinely expository and pleasing to the Lord.  Pray that the Lord will be at work in the presentation of His Word to His people by you, His servant in the power of His Spirit.  We do our part, but it is not possible to achieve anything lasting with our part alone.

Why State Ideas Explicitly? – Part 2

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Here’s the question again:

Since our culture is shaped by the communication of implicit and pervasive ideas, and much of the Scriptures use a narrative communication with ideas implicitly conveyed, are we communicating effectively when we state explicit ideas in preaching?

Two more thoughts:

Generally speaking, explicit statement of the idea is necessary if people are to have any chance of getting it. I’ve seen it time and again in preaching classrooms.  The preacher knows that the class will be asked what the main idea of the message was, so they try to exaggerate it, repeating it until they feel almost embarrassed to do so any more.  Then when the group is asked for it (knowing they would be asked and some looking for it throughout the message) . . . many fail to give the preachers idea accurately!  It is scary as a preacher to realize how easily people miss the main idea, even when we are explicit.  So we need to consider how to communicate that idea effectively.  Generally this means repetition, emphasis, etc.  Sometimes a better way is more subtle, but strong through subtlety (as in an inductive message – less repetition, but more impact).  Moving deliberately away from explicit statement of the main idea without a very good alternative strategy and plan seems like homiletical folly.

This question does raise a valid issue. Not only do we need to think about the explicit main idea of our message, but we need to consider our implicit communication.  How can we reinforce the main idea through implicit means during the sermon?  What other values and ideas are we conveying implicitly in this or any sermon?

Is it right to state the main idea explicitly?  I think it is.  But this does not call us to simple formulaic approaches to idea repetition.  It calls us to wrestle with our entire preaching strategy as we seek to convey the true and exact meaning of the biblical text with impact in the lives of our listeners.

Why Don’t They Return

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

One of the perpetual questions for preachers and church leaders.  Why don’t visitors return?  Some churches may be persisting with “guest services” in some form or other that have not seen an outsider come in for years.  But other churches have some success at attracting guests or visitors.  If we get visitors, but never see them again, what is the reason?

Non-Preaching Reasons – This is a preaching site, so I have a tendency to think about the preaching part of church life, but there are many potential non-preaching reasons.  Are church members unfriendly?  Does the church put visitors in the spotlight and make them uncomfortable (“too friendly” approaches like, “would any visitors please stand up so we can welcome you with a round of applause, a huge bouquet of flowers and a fireworks display in your honor?”)  Does the whole experience feel uncomfortably alien to them?  (Remember that church culture is probably not their culture, so they don’t know when they’re supposed to stand, sit, look up a Bible reference, etc.)  Lack of personal connection (people ultimately come to church relationally, so if the relational connections are not made, return visits will probably not occur).  There are many more possible reasons, some of which are outside our control.  But for the sake of the gospel, take stock of everything from seating, welcomers, friendliness, to missing explanations of church service elements, to your own personal hygiene!  People matter, after all.

Preaching Reasons – Preaching is not everything, but it is a significant something.  Could visitors choose not to return because of their experience of your preaching?  Is your manner apparently false (lofty, outdated, affected, too “stained glass”)?  Is your preaching engaging or tedious?  Does it bear any relevance to their lives?  Can they follow what you’re talking about?  People are not used to sitting and listening to a speaker for an extended time (i.e. beyond five minutes!)  If your preaching is boring, irrelevant, strangely affected or unhelpfully aggressive, not to mention legalistic or apparently insincere (i.e. incessantly “nice” throughout) . . . well, they might not want to sit through it again!

Some elements of a visitor’s experience and motivation are beyond our control.  It is ultimately up to the Spirit to draw people to Jesus and the Gospel, as only He can truly convict and save.  But let’s not add any unnecessary barriers to the process.  Perhaps it’s time to take stock of everything from a visitor’s perspective.  This doesn’t mean transforming everything into an extreme seeker-sensitive church model.  Whatever your view on how church should be, surely we can agree it should be “visitor considerate.”

Doubt Is No Cul-De-Sac

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Do we allow people permission to doubt?  Doubt is natural.  But many Christians seem to fear it.  It’s as if doubting might open the door to serious enquiry that might undermine their faith.  So doubt is rejected as somehow unchristian.  I had a good conversation with my seven-year-old who expressed that sometimes she doubts her faith.  I asked what she felt she should do when she doubts.  “Stop doubting” seemed the right thing to say, but wrong.  I encouraged her to engage with any doubts that come.  If Christianity is true, if the Bible is true, then it can stand the test of some tough questions.  Good questions won’t harm truth.

Many Christians feel guilty for doubting.  They feel that they should immediately cut it out and get back on track.  Metaphorically the doubt is seen as a dead end road that should be reversed out of as quickly as possible.  I would encourage people to engage the doubt, to study the truth, to follow through.  Doubt is a pathway to a tested and evidentially undergirded faith.

As we preach we regularly have opportunities to address doubts.  Doubts about God, about the Bible, about suffering, about faith, about the future, about all aspects of Christianity.  Let’s be sure to not reinforce the typical response – to hit reverse and get out quickly.  Instead let’s encourage an informed, researched, understood Christianity.  Let’s encourage people to prayerfully wrestle with the Word.  Let’s model in our preaching a healthy response to doubts.

Don’t pretend doubt is not a reality for many believers, even if you don’t struggle.  Certainly don’t hide personal struggles as if you would lose all credibility if you were found out to be a real person!  Instead seize the moment to model healthy response to doubt and provide the quality of information people need for the struggles they face.

The Bigger Picture

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For most people in our churches today, the big picture is a mystery.  Their experience in the Bible is like being dropped in a huge forest.  They recognize some trees, they even like those trees, but what they know and recognize seems as random as trees in a vast forest.  We should not take for granted that people understand the bigger picture, the broad storyline of the Bible.

This is why Walk Thru the Bible was such a huge success a generation ago.  It gave people, in five hours, an overview of the storyline of the Old Testament, then later of the New Testament.

As preachers it is our privilege to help people understand how particular passages fit in the flow of the Bible story.  We don’t help by giving obscure links to random and questionable types and shadows elsewhere (unless they are clear and legitimate ones), but we do help by placing texts and stories in their context in the broad flow of the Bible story.

Preaching to People Who Need Counseling – Part 2

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So as well as excuses and lack of discipline, two more obstacles are worthy of note.  As preachers preaching for life change, we must be aware of these obstacles in the listener, obstacles well known to counselors, but relevant to preachers too:

3. Complicating problems. One area of change may be hindered by a related area that complicates matters.  For instance preaching on joint prayer in marriage will likely be hindered by general communication problems in marriage.  Perhaps another sermon (or series) is needed as a first step, before addressing the first issue.

4. Failure to repent. People may want to be different, but resist repenting for the present sin.  Many may desire a life of purity, but persist in impure habits.  Many may want to be truth tellers, but still live with unconfessed deception in their lives.  Failure to genuinely repent is a common issue, and an obstacle to life change.

Interdisciplinary studies are fashionable these days.  Here we see input from the field of Christian counseling for preachers.  What others interdisciplinary overlaps do you find helpful as a preacher?

Preaching to People Who Need Counseling

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

If you’ve ever studied counseling at any level, you will have discovered fairly quickly that counseling is not just for the few.  In fact, the case could be made that we are all in need of counseling.  We all have inner issues that influence how we live, how we respond to God, how we relate to others, etc.  Jay Adams is known for his writing in the area of “Biblical Counseling” or “Nouthetic Counselling.”   He makes an interesting point in his chapter on “Counseling and Preaching” in Preaching with Purpose.  Whatever school of counseling you ascribe to, I think his point is worth taking onboard.

When we preach applicationally for change in listeners’ lives, there are certain obstacles to overcome.  Obstacles well known to the counselor, but just as real for the preacher.  Adams lists four in his chapter.

1. Excuses. People resist impetus to change by making excuses.  As a preacher it is worth thinking about what excuses may come up, and then rhetorically addressing those excuses biblically during the sermon.  It would be a shame to preach a great message, only to have listeners resist change by an excuse that could be easily overcome with a little planning.

2. Lack of discipline. Many preachers experience the polite platitudes of the many, but the definite response of the faithful few (or should I say, the disciplined few?)  Most people don’t only need instruction on what to do, but also on how to go about doing it.  Since it takes discipline to create new habits, perhaps the preacher needs to help people see the path to change more clearly.

Tomorrow I’ll share the other two obstacles to life change that need to be considered for preaching to be ultimately effective.

Crises Don’t Hit Everyone Equally

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

The current “crisis” in our news is an economic one.  I’m not going to post any comment on this (you probably don’t care what I think the cause was or the best way out of it!)  But from a preaching standpoint I have a comment to make.  While the media present things a certain way, the reality may touch the lives of listeners in different ways.  Perhaps the current economic crisis is a disaster for some, only a worry for others, and maybe even a help for some.  I spoke recently with someone working “in the city” who is busier than ever due to the present “crisis.”

At other times the crisis has been different.  A war in a foreign land may be a foreign policy issue for many, but for some in the church it may be a significant concern since they have loved ones in that land, or in the armed forces.

It is easy to take the media perspective on current events (a habit worthy of significant questioning in itself), but fail to recognize the more diverse implications for listeners.  It would be a great shame to allow popular opinion shifts to become insensitive comments to some listeners.  For example, people may tire of a war or ongoing news story and grow complacent, critical or dismissive – but for some listeners with vested interest, it may be a reality that they live with each moment.

All that to say . . . we need to know our listeners.  We preach to them, not to the television.

Just Write Them A Letter Instead?

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Some people naively think there is no difference between written and oral communication.  Many of us would agree that there is a significant difference.  Yesterday I was interacting with someone who believes these two forms of communication are polar opposites.  Written communication is linear, it is single channel, it is the way to go when the goal is to inform.  Spoken communication is complex, it involves dozens of channels and it is the way to go when the goal is to motivate, to influence, to persuade.

With all the added channels of communication such as energy, eye contact, posture, body language, intonation, etc., preaching is an ideal opportunity to do what preaching is supposed to do.  Go beyond informing listeners to influencing and motivating response to the Word of God.  Preaching involves explanation of the text, but it is to be applicational explanation.  If all you plan to do in your next sermon is inform, then perhaps it would be better use of your time and theirs to just write them a letter instead?