Bible

Catching Up With The Podcast

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

It has been a busy few months and I haven’t posted links to the podcast on here as much as I had planned. But let’s do a quick catch-up:

After a sequence of weddings, I shared some thoughts on preaching at a wedding. The last months included some great interviews, including:

Andy Paterson – Firstly, on how the Word does the work of ministry, and then, the relationships of a preacher.

Marcus Honeysett – First, on painting with fire, then on the nature of true transformation, and finally, on the heart of the preacher.

Steve Mathewson, we crossed the ocean to hear from Steve on the importance of all scripture in our preaching, and then we reminisced together about lessons learned from our mutual mentor, Haddon Robinson!

Jonathan Lamb – back to the UK to hear from Jonathan on crossing cultures as we think about preaching, and then we thought about how preaching models for listeners!

Rick McKinley – and once more back to the US to hear from an experienced pastor in the Portland metro area on connections required to connect with our listeners, and a great discussion about the role of humility in preaching.

Along the way, we have had some bitesize episodes on specific subjects, like adding to the text, is something missing in your preaching?, preaching the prophets, preaching at Christmas, and highlighting historical accuracy when we preach.

Mike and I have also enjoyed some helpful discussions: thoughts on being a guest preacher – something we’ve both done quite a bit of over the years!, landing a message, bad preaching (another area where we have experience!), a chat about Pleased to Dwell in anticipation of the advent season, and a chat about preaching at Christmastime!

We hope these episodes have been helpful for you, and if you have missed any, please do catch up! As ever, we really appreciate any help in getting the word out about the podcast – sharing links, liking, subscribing, etc., is all really helpful. If you particularly like an episode, please do let others know about it on social media – thank you in advance!

Confidence for the Storms (Psalm 27)

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During a storm in life, people often look back to the calm moments before everything turned chaotic.  It is strange to look back on a moment of tranquility when you had no idea what was about to take place.  Psalm 27 reflects that experience.  In the first half of the Psalm, David appears to be filled with faith and peace.  Then, in the second half, there is more than a hint of fear in his words.  Where other psalms begin with fear and end with faith, this psalm seems to reverse that pattern.

However, it may be helpful to see the psalm differently, not as part 1 followed by part 2, but as an outer layer and an inner layer.  In the outer layer, David seems gripped by the reality of God’s greatness.  He knows that God is greater than any enemy.  He has seen it in the past, and he has confidence for the future.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (v 1)

He begins the psalm stating that God is the refuge of his heart (translated “life”), and his heart will not fear, even in the face of enemies, armies, and wars!  (Psalm 27:1-3)  Then at the conclusion of the psalm, he declares confidence in his future experience of the goodness of God and calls on others to strengthen their hearts by waiting for the LORD.  (Psalm 27:13-14)

We live in tumultuous times.  Whether we are in an active war zone or not, it seems that most of us are living in countries where tensions are running high.  How can we have confidence in the Lord, strengthening our hearts as we wait for Him?  Perhaps it is not enough to know that our God is bigger than our enemies, although that is undoubtedly true. Perhaps we should examine what happens in the inner layer of this psalm.

In verse 4, David describes his devotional determination to dwell in the house of the LORD and gaze upon the beauty of the LORD.  It is in the security of God’s presence that he can get to know God for who He is.  To be close to God is to be hidden in God’s shelter, concealed in His tent, lifted on a rock.  The word translated as “shelter” carries the sense of a lion’s lair.  Is there anywhere safer, presuming the Lion is good and is for you?

The secret to confidence in God is to meet God in the secret place.  To gaze upon Him.  To know Him.  Jonathan Edwards wrote of Christ that He “has infinite loveliness to win and draw our love.”  He went on to say that the angels in heaven, who can look on His face all the time, have never run out of reason to praise Him, even to this day.  How lovely He must be!  And so it is that we too can draw near to God in the person of Christ, and day after day, gaze upon the face of our God. 

In fact, in troubled and tumultuous times, our people need us to do just that.  If we are going to lead our families, our ministries, our churches, then we need to be spending time hiding in God’s presence, gazing on and getting to know the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Not only does David declare that he will seek God’s face, but God invites him to do so.  It is a bit like playing hide and seek with a small child.  Hide and seek is a classic children’s game.  One person counts to 100, while the other players hide.  Then the seeker goes hunting for the hidden.  It can be frustrating if the players are too creative.  But when you play the game with a toddler, it can be so much fun.  They want to be found!  All you need to do is say out loud what you are thinking, “I am thinking she might be behind the armchair?”  And a little voice will giggle behind the curtain.  “Is she behind the television?”  And a little voice will say, “No!”  It is all about the moment of discovery, the unbridled joy when two faces meet.

“Seek my face,” God says.  And as leaders of God’s people, may the cry of our hearts be, “Your face, O LORD, do I seek.”  We need to gaze on the beauty of His character to have confidence in His strength.  The greatest one is for us, so let’s not hold back.  Draw near, gaze, and grow in confidence.  Fearful times will come, but faith-filled leaders will emerge from God’s presence confident and ready.

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Going Beyond the Text?

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

When we preach a Bible passage, we need to preach the text.  That may sound obvious, but many don’t do it.  Some preachers use the text as a launching point – they read the text and then preach an associated thought from their own thinking or theology.  Others bounce briefly off the text and then preach other passages with some perceived connection. 

God is the best communicator, so as preachers, we want to reflect his communication as best we can.  When you are preaching a passage, really try to preach it.  That includes helping your listeners to see what is there, to understand what is there, and to feel the force of what is there.  To really preach a passage is not simply to educate listeners in the meaning, although that is a good start.  It is to get them into the text and get the text into them, and it is to introduce the God who is revealing himself through the text so that they experience the transformative power of a personal encounter.  The preacher is not merely teaching, but introducing, match-making, and fanning the flames of the relationship between listeners and God.

If we commit to truly preaching a passage, then we will come up against the challenge of saying more than the text says.  That is, if we are really committed to a high view of the biblical text, are we straying if we add any detail not overtly stated in the passage?  If we have a biblical narrative, are we restricted in telling the story so that we cannot fully tell it, but instead end up preaching theological points connected to it?  Are we trying to cram a 100-word reading into a 4000-word speech without really saying anything beyond the 100 words of the passage?

Here are five thoughts that may help when it comes to the subject of “adding to the text.” 

1. Think about the “informing texts” – As well as the passage you are preaching, there will be other passages that inform the content of your preaching passage.  Any passage quoted, or alluded to, or that provides the relevant history (think Acts for some of the epistles) should be considered as fair game for helpful content as you preach your passage.

2. Consider “related texts” – This is more subjective, but some passages are more related to your preaching text than others.  The same author or the same time period will tend to be more related than a distant author and era (unless the era is earlier and may have informed your writer, but then we are back to number 1: informing texts).  Related texts can be helpful, but don’t lean on them so much that your preaching passage is lost in the process.

3. Make plain “assumed knowledge” – When the Bible writers wrote, they were not thinking of readers in a different culture, language, location, and historical era.  So there is a lot of background information that is assumed.  The author might assume the reader knows who the Pharisees were, named individuals, cultural events, or societal norms.  Geographic descriptions weren’t needed for the original readers, but they might be highly helpful for modern listeners to make sense of the setting of a passage.  It is not going beyond the text to state overtly what is implicitly assumed within the text.  Study the background, the culture, the geography, etc., and help people to understand, visualize, and feel the impact of the passage as you preach.

4. “Imagined” thoughts and feelings in a passage can be shared honestly – We don’t know what was going through a character’s mind, or even what was happening in their life around the events of a story.  Where we use our imagination to help bring a passage to life, be sure to help listeners know that you are not asserting divine revelation.  I was listening to a Haddon Robinson sermon recently, and he said something like, “I’m not sure he said this, but I know we do…”  It was a helpful way to connect the real-life aspects of the story to the real-life experiences of Haddon’s listeners.  “I can imagine how Peter may have felt…” is a perfectly legitimate statement because your listeners know you are using your imagination.

5. Only “assert what the text asserts” – While sanctified, humble, and informed imagination can be helpful, it should never be the substance of your preaching points.  Let the thrust of your message, both at the level of the main idea and the main points, come from the passage.  Do not make assertions based on assumptions, imagination, or guesswork.  An example comes from Psalms where the historical setting is not stated but only guessed, and then the preacher makes a point that depends on a guessed historical setting.  Let the text drive the points you are making.  Use your imagination to help proclaim the passage.

Seasoned preachers know that the bigger challenge will always be what to leave out, rather than what to add to a message.  But in some settings, people have an overly restricted view of what should be said in a sermon.  They fear saying anything more than the passage itself states overtly.  That can restrict effective preaching. 

Let’s make it our goal to plumb the depths of our passage, to proclaim it as fully and engagingly as possible, and to make sure that it does its work in bringing listeners into an encounter with the God who reveals himself through the Word. 

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Here is last week’s podcast episode on this subject:

Podcast Catch-Up: Insights for Preachers

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

The last couple of months have been busy, to say the least. A conference with Josiah Venture in Czech Republic, the European Leadership Forum in Poland, two family weddings, two baptism services in the midst of a busy season at church – these all added up to not sharing much on this site. So, it is time for a catch-up on the podcast. What has been happening since the last post that was linked to an episode?

Mike and I discussed the various kinds of interruptions that can add some intricate dynamics to a preaching event. We also talked through the most basic sermon preparation process. While there is plenty of potential for complexity in the area of sermon preparation, we wanted to make sure the basic process is clear.

We have had quite a few bitesize episodes, including Peter on 5 Aspects of Natural Delivery, The Four Worlds of the Preacher, and Preaching Without Notes. (I will write another post on that subject soon!) Mike shared about the courage to confront yourself, and the potential poison of preaching ministry.

Along the way, we also had a couple of episodes hearing from Si Munsie of Life Church, Southampton. (Click here for part 1 on preaching to real people, and here for part 2 where we think about past employment and preaching.) And this week, we have part 1 of my interview with Andy Paterson, currently pastoring in Hong Kong – a fascinating conversation with a very experienced pastor-preacher! We have some great interviews lined up in the next months too.

So my apologies for being quieter on here and social media in recent weeks. We really do appreciate every encouraging comment, both in person and online. If you are able to subscribe on YouTube and in whatever podcast platform you use (eg Spotify or Apple), that really does help. Also, every like, comment, share, etc., is massively appreciated. Thank you for helping to get this podcast off the ground!

James and the Greatest Gap

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The book of James is a fascinatingly practical epistle. Some have called it the Sermon on the Mount in letter form. On the one hand, we shouldn’t expect anything less than practical from the son of a carpenter. On the other hand, we don’t want to miss the profound theological thrust of the letter.

After addressing issues of suffering, true religion, favouritism, the use of the tongue, and the right kind of wisdom, we arrive at James chapter 4. Now, James drills below the practical matters of the letter. Yes, there is a gap between conduct and confession, which seems to bother James. We could frame this as a gap between past habits and new identity, but James presents a more significant gap that we must face.

In James 4:1-3, he goes below the surface to explain what is going on and what is going wrong with his readers. Why do they have conflict? Very simply, it is because of the passions that bubble away inside them. Their conflict comes from their wants, like shoppers fighting to get bargains at the opening of a sale, like children fighting over the happy meals in McDonald’s, or even like chicks pushing to be in prime position to receive the worm from the mother that is bringing food into the nest . . . we clash, because we want.

It is encouraging to see James give a glimpse of the heart of our Father. We only need to ask since he is willing to feed us. So, the problem is inside each one of us – our selfish desires cause havoc in our lives.

What is the solution? Our world and Western tradition tend to tell us that self-control is the solution to our passions. Yes, we have an engine that moves us along, but we need to get a grip on the steering wheel and take control of ourselves. Interestingly, James does not instruct his readers to get a grip. Instead, he gives them a glimpse of what is happening inside God.

In James 4:4-6, we see inside God’s heart. What do we find? We see his jealousy over his people; he calls them “adulteresses.” James is not focusing on the women of the church; he is focusing on the people of the church, who are the bride of Christ. As the bride of Christ, we are flirting with the world. And God’s heart is grieved. It is jealously yearning for us to come back to him.

Here is the real gap that we need to face. Not just the gap between our conduct and our confession, nor even the gap between our past habits and our new identity. It is the growing gap between our hearts and his. Where there is unfaithfulness, God yearns for us to return. Where there is drift, God yearns for us to come close.

James 4 is like God has sat us down in a chair and confronted us with our drift. “What is going on?” We seem to be far from him. We seem to be motivated by other things. It may be overt unfaithfulness, or it may be signs of drift. It may be something that is not bad in itself, but it has become more important than him. Our career, bank balance, hobbies, favourite sports team. Just as we see in Hebrews 12:1-2, there is sin that entangles and everything that hinders—bad things, “good things,” but alternatives to him.

So, how do we respond when God lovingly confronts us for the drift in our spiritual marriage? If we stick out our chests and get defensive, claiming the right to define our spiritual health on our terms, then we reek of pride. God opposes the proud (James 4:6), but will we humbly admit the drift?

In James 4:7-10, we have the wonderful invitation. If we humble ourselves, submit to God, and resist the devil, we can draw near to God. We deserve his rejection, but that was also true before the cross. God loves us and gave Jesus to win our hearts to him. And as we drift, he continues to love us and waits with arms open to welcome us back to him. There may need to be mourning and grief over our unfaithfulness. Turning to our heavenly bridegroom should break our hearts as we see our waywardness and drift. But as we resist the devil and repent, turning back to our bridegroom, we will find that he also draws near to us.

The most critical gap in Christianity is the gap that can develop between our hearts and his. He may take James 4, sit us down in a chair, and confront us with our adulterous drift. But he does so lovingly, longingly yearning for our hearts to draw near to him. And as we do, he will draw near to us.

Hallelujah! What a saviour we have. 

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Please check out the new Biblical Preaching Podcast – in this episode, Peter Mead and Mike Chalmers discuss the four most important questions for all in ministry:

Preaching to a Mixed Crowd – Part 1

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We always preach to a mixed crowd.  The mix may differ, but the one thing we can be sure of is that there will be a mix.  Older and younger, male and female, biblically aware, newcomers to the Bible, church regulars and guests, and so on.  In fact, in the latest episode of The Biblical Preaching Podcast, we work through six types of mix that we often have in our churches.

In this series of posts, I will share five principles to think through as preachers:

1. We must believe the Bible can be effectively presented to mixed groups simultaneously.  Traditionally, many churches have targeted their preaching at either believers or not-yet-believers.  So you might have an evangelistic event and a Bible study separately.  However, it is possible to preach the Bible to believers and non-believers simultaneously.  And if we do that, we might avoid some of the mistakes that come from assuming Christians have moved past the gospel (see Galatians 3:1-3 for a strong warning on this!)

2. We should assume a greater mix than we can see in a congregation.  There are two reasons for this.  First, because there is a greater mix than we can see.  People may look similar on the outside but be very different in reality.  And second, we should assume a greater mix because we want a greater mix than we can see.  For example, how will people in a small church that often has no guests present be confident to bring guests in?  One way will be for the preacher to consistently preach as if guests are present so that church members grow in confidence that they can bring a guest and it won’t feel awkward.  Preach to the mix you have, and preach for the mix you want.

Click here to see the episode on YouTube.  Come back tomorrow for the rest of the principles in this series.

Jonathan Thomas on Revival (Podcast Post – Episode 5)

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“A reawakening of religious fervour” – that is a dictionary definition of revival. But in our latest podcast episode, Jonathan Thomas says we shouldn’t want revival. Jonathan has studied revival and produced documentaries on the subject. It was so good to interview him recently.

I remember reading Walter Kaiser’s book on the sixteen biblical revivals. Psalm 85:6 says, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” It is thrilling to read of seasons of God’s work being so tangible and imminent. Think of the revival under Josiah and Jeremiah or in the book of Acts. Kaiser finishes his book with these words, “I conclude that there can be no revival without the Lord initiating it and carrying it out. But I also conclude that no one can hide behind the doctrine of God as the explanation for why we have not had a revival in our day.”

So, how should we, as preachers, think about revival? After all, while we might assume we are unlikely to experience a revival, we cannot ignore the fact that revivals tend to involve preachers. I encourage you to watch these two podcast episodes, be encouraged by Jonathan’s thoughts, and join the conversation via the comments under the episode. (As always, please subscribe to the Cor Deo YouTube channel to easily find more content like this as it is released!)

And to find out why we shouldn’t want revival, here is part 2:

Why Biblical Preaching? (Podcast Post for Episode 1)

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The Biblical Preaching Podcast is live!  My plan is to build on episodes with blog posts here so that you can get extra content on the blog, but also hopefully want to check out either the podcast or the related videos on YouTube.

In Episode 1, we discuss “Why Biblical Preaching?” 

People often raise the issue of a changing society.  The logic is simple – our world is changing at a rapid rate.  Technology is advancing faster than ever; people are bombarded with highly stimulating, rapidly moving content, and consumers access information differently than they did even a few years ago.  Therefore, many say that a verbal monologue delivered to a gathered congregation must be a mode of communication that should be consigned to history.  Spurgeon’s Victorian England may have needed preachers, and maybe Lloyd-Jones’ twentieth-century London required preachers, but surely we now live in a different world?

In the first part of the podcast, we discuss the question, “why preaching?”  We mention three reasons:

1. Because of the Biblical example – From Moses and Joshua, through the times of the Old Testament prophets, to the ministry of Jesus and the apostles in the early church, the consistent example is that of spoken messages pointing people to God’s person and purpose in this world.

Note: The world of the Bible is not monolithic.  There were vast shifts and changes between the preaching of Moses in Sinai, and the message of Joshua in the Promised Land, to the proclamation of Paul in Athens or Miletus.  And yet, through all the rising and falling of great empires, the shifting of cultures, the progression in God’s plan of history, still the pattern is consistent.  God’s messengers spoke a word that changed lives and shifted history.  It could be considered arrogant to think that our brief period of change should override millennia of shifting contexts in which preaching was a primary means of God working in the world.

2. Because of Biblical instruction – Paul’s final letter, written to Timothy, closes with the instruction to preach the Word.  It is fascinating that he does not focus on spectacular spiritual gifts or any other possible emphases for continuing ministry beyond his own time.  Instead, he urges Timothy to prioritize reading God’s Word and preaching it!  In other places, we can see instruction that would lead us to consider preaching as a critical component of gospel ministry.

3. Because of theological reality – What is God like?  He is a revealing, speaking and incarnational God.  In preaching, we see all persons of the Trinity in action – the Father’s loving initiative driving the whole mission of God in this world; the Son’s revealing of his Father and rescuing of humanity is the focus of both Scriptural and biblical preaching; and the Spirit woos, convicts and changes hearts through preaching.  In the podcast, I note how preaching (in this case, including spoken testimony), plays a key role in the story of salvation.  Where humanity fell into sin by doubting the word of an apparently absent God, so God wins a redeemed people back based not on a great show of power but based on the apparent weakness of words spoken in the kingdom of darkness.

In the second part of the podcast, we get into why we use the label “Biblical Preaching” and whether that is the same as “Expository Preaching.”  I will let you listen to the podcast to find out more!  Please check out the podcast, follow it on your podcast platform of choice, and thank you in advance for every interaction with the podcast or YouTube clip, as it helps the algorithm spread the content to more people.  Positive reviews are invaluable as we get the podcast going – thank you!

Click here to find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and click here to find it on Spotify, or search for The Biblical Preaching Podcast on whatever app you use to find podcasts. And here is the YouTube video if you like to watch:

Introducing the Biblical Preaching Podcast!

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I’m excited to announce the launch of our brand-new podcast: The Biblical Preaching Podcast! Unlike the many great sermon podcasts, this podcast is designed for those who preach, those who are learning to preach, and anyone who cares deeply about the ministry of preaching.

My Cor Deo colleague, Mike Chalmers, will join me as we discuss all things preaching. Together, we’ll explore this ministry’s joys, challenges, and complexities.

Here’s what you can expect:

  • Engaging Discussions: Insights into various aspects of biblical preaching.
  • Special Guests: We’ll feature some amazing voices from the world of preaching—our first guest joins us next week!
  • Encouragement for Preachers: Each full episode concludes with a segment designed to encourage those in preaching ministry.
  • Bitesize Episodes: Shorter episodes focusing on one specific aspect of preaching.
  • Related Blog Posts: From time to time, I’ll share blog posts that dive deeper into themes we discuss in an episode. These posts won’t be mere transcripts but will provide additional perspectives, practical tips, or reflections to help you take the conversation further.

Our hope and prayer for this podcast is simple: that it will strengthen and encourage biblical preaching in churches around the world. Where biblical preaching thrives, the church grows healthier, and healthy churches reach their communities.

We want this podcast to be a gathering point—a place where preachers can connect, reflect, and grow together. This is your conversation! We’ll celebrate the goodness of God, explore the transformative power of rightly handled Scripture, tackle the complex realities of ministry, and share the joy of seeing lives changed through the preached Word.

How to Listen & Connect:
🎙️ Listen to the Podcast on Your Favorite Platform:

📺 Watch Episodes on YouTube:
Subscribe to our channel for video versions of the podcast and exclusive content: YouTube Channel.

🖋️ Read the Blog
Continue to visit BiblicalPreaching.net for posts related to specific episodes, offering fresh insights and practical takeaways.

Can You Help Spread the Word?
We’d love your help in making this podcast a resource for as many people as possible! Here’s how you can support us:

  • Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and/or to the YouTube channel.
  • Like and Comment to share your thoughts and join the conversation.
  • Follow Us for updates on new episodes and blog posts.
  • Share with your friends, fellow preachers, and anyone who might find this helpful.
  • Review the podcast on your favourite podcast platform – apparently, positive reviews are the most helpful thing!

Thank you for your prayers and support. We’re excited to see how God uses this podcast to encourage and equip preachers worldwide!