10 Questions for Your Preaching Year Review

December 29, 2014December 29, 2014 / Peter Mead / 3 Comments

As we come to the end of another year, it is good to look back and take stock. Be careful though, it is easy to do this in a way that isn’t helpful.

As you look back, don’t emphasize things like ‘what fruit has my ministry produced?’, or ‘which was my best sermon?’, or ‘whose life has changed the most under my ministry?’ These kinds of questions put your focus entirely on yourself. Negative versions of the same questions still do the same.

The right way to look back is in conversation with God. Here are ten questions that may help:

1. What am I thankful for in respect to the opportunities I have had to preach? Whether you have preached a couple of times, or a couple of times a week. Whether it has been to one church, or to multiple groups, give thanks.

2. Where have I seen prayers answered in respect to my preaching? Take time to reflect on prayers answered as you look back over the specific preaching opportunities you have had. Were there some challenging sermon preps that came together as you prayed? Did certain people hear certain messages?

3. Where might my prayers have been answered without me knowing during this year? This is the important impossible one – what might have happened that you don’t know about? A lot. Ponder and pray about that.

4. What sermon preparation has most stirred my heart during this year? A specific text, or a certain series?

5. What lessons does God want me to learn from what has happened this year? Lessons about preaching, about life, about ministry, about yourself, about Him?

6. What life change have I seen that I can give thanks for? It could be gradual or sudden, salvation or growth. Give thanks for the privilege of being a part of what God is doing!

7. How has God protected my integrity during this year of ministry? You could be out of the ministry right now. How has God guarded you from that?

8. How has my intimacy with Christ developed (or faded) during this year? Don’t automatically self-evaluate. Ask God to search your heart and show you His perspective on this.

9. What should I be thankful for in terms of provision to allow my ministry? Whether it is paid employment that allows you little time to prepare, but pays the bills, or ministry-related income that makes it possible . . . give thanks.

10. Is there anything else that I should give thanks for as I finish my review? Family support? Key friends? A mentor? A preacher you look up to and learn from? A book that has helped? Challenges that have shaped you? Take time for God to bring to mind whatever has been missed in the earlier questions. Gratitude is the critical ingredient in a truly faith-driven ministry. Give thanks.

Preaching Holiness – part 4

December 5, 2014December 2, 2014 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

This week we have been pondering the preacher and the theme of holiness. There is so much more that could be said about each point, but hopefully we have had something to think and pray about.

15. Every sliver of unholiness will be judged and purged. We really have no clue of how good that will be! (That includes the unholiness of “older brother” religiosity . . . which means more of our lives will get there “as through fire” than we probably realize. Nevertheless, what an utter relief the purging of all sin will bring to ransomed souls.)

16. When we make holiness sound like sour pickled vegetables we don’t motivate anyone to think beyond this life. The New Creation will be wonderful in many respects, not least because of the total absence of sin and pain and tears, as well as the presence of Christ Himself. Too many in our churches still have lingering images of sterility and fun-free hymnathons. The Bible gives a lot of future glimpses to motivate us in the present.

17. Jesus was holy and magnetic, often our version of holiness is anything but. The truly holy person is fully alive. At the same time that person will be profoundly attractive and deeply offensive. (And if the Gospels are an indicator, then such Christlikeness will be attractive to needy people, and offensive to religious people.)

18. The great threat to holiness in the church is not just the worldliness of culture, but also the pseudo-holiness of church culture. Just as a weekend of binge behavior in a degraded society is horribly empty, so too is a relationally empty performance devoid of meaningful engagement with God and others (sometimes polite conversation can be empty too).

19. Preaching for holiness cannot be restricted to applications of conduct, nor even of conforming the mind…it must seek to engage and stir the heart. It is not what goes in from the outside that defiles a person (i.e. religious duties and traditions), but what spews forth from the heart. So preach in such a way as to engage the heart. Informing the mind and pressuring the conduct will never suffice when the heart of the problem is the, uh, heart.

20. The overwhelming use of the term “Holy” in the New Testament is in reference to the Spirit of God. Let’s be sure that our preaching is pursued with a thoroughly biblical and growing understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in respect to our sanctification. Too much Christianity still ignores the Spirit or turns Him into some sort of battery pack (either highly visible or highly invisible). It is by the Spirit that we are united to Christ. True relationally rich holiness is our privilege in the Gospel!

21. If you long for greater holiness in the lives of people in your church, don’t preach for “holiness.” Instead, pray and preach for spiritual vitality in their relationship with Christ. If we, and they, will love God, then what we want to do will be profoundly holy. The Gospel does a work on our wants!

So much more could be said, but let’s pray for the beauty of God’s holiness to pervade our lives, our ministry and our churches . . .

Bruce Fong – Inspirational Incarnational Influences on Expository Preaching

September 10, 2014September 7, 2014 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

My first ever seminary class was with Dr Bruce Fong sixteen years ago. It was such a joy to walk through half the Bible under Bruce’s contagious laugh and delight in the Scriptures. We have both changed jobs a couple of times since then, but he is now the Dean of Dallas Theological Seminary’s Houston Campus. Bruce blogs regularly on brucefong.com. As we continue this series marking the release of Pleased to Dwell, Bruce shares with us some thoughts on the difference the Incarnation makes to expository preaching.

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Every preacher is challenged to build a bridge between the sermon and the souls of people. These two worlds of earth and eternity were stunningly linked by the life of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself when He was incarnated at His birth. The Scriptures tell us that He gave up the expression of who He was as the Son of God in order to identify with mankind and ultimately sacrifice His life on their behalf. This incarnation of the Christ to be Jesus of Nazareth is a model for every preacher to do the same.

When an expositor successfully follows the example of Jesus’ incarnation they ultimately blend culture with the Gospel by way of four emphases. He modeled each of these qualities in His coming to earth. They are humility, a new mind, a renunciation and a new identification.

First and foremost of these incarnational elements is Christ’s example of being sent to be born as a human. He did not argue, complain or resist the Father’s plan. Instead, He humbled Himself and became human so that He could die as a substitute for sin in our place. The expositor lives a humble life in compensation, Spartan lifestyle and public affirmation.

Second, somewhat related to His humility Jesus Christ demonstrated a new way of thinking. His incarnation led to an existence that was never self-absorbed. He did not worry about losing public status but instead was absorbed with an unending interest in His assigned mission, bringing the Gospel to the whole world. In the same way expositors by virtue of their mission selflessly bring attention to their Lord.

Third, before Christ came to earth as a Galilean Jew He first “emptied himself”. This was a sacrifice. He renounced His status, his independence and his immunity. Voluntarily He set aside what was rightfully His. Pride and the pursuit of fame has no place in the life of an expository preacher who is following the incarnational model of the Savior.

Fourth, Jesus had a genuine solidarity with man by becoming a true human, sharing in the limitations of flesh and blood, through both life and death. He lived among the people, embraced them and served them. Expository preachers will be more effective when they live among and embrace the people to whom they bring the Word.

The incarnation that Jesus followed and modeled is our example of His devotion for us. Furthermore, it is the example that should be the driving motivation for every expository preacher.

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.

Beyond Guilt – Part 2

April 17, 2012April 17, 2012 / Peter Mead / Leave a comment

This week I am pondering how to preach with a more nuanced approach than mere guilt pressure. As I’ve written already, there is a place for genuine conviction of sin, and I am not hiding from that. But equally, I am not just hiding in that, nor avoiding the danger hiding in a non-nuanced guilt approach.

How can we hide in a guilt approach? I suspect some see no other way to help lives change than to pile on the pressure. Every passage is turned into a guilt trip. Doesn’t matter what tone the passage takes, the message will have been filtered into a guilt and pressure tone.

And what danger is hiding in such an approach? There is an implicit danger with guilt focused messages. I say you should feel guilty. If I convince you, then you feel that you must change. Guilt alone will not drive people to God. It will drive them to despair or to efforts of the flesh. Neither result is good. Guilt has to come in a package with hope, with grace, with access to life transformation that has to come from God, not from self.

So, yesterday we looked at the issue of stance. Here’s another element, perhaps an obvious one, but still important nonetheless.

2. The Preacher’s Tone. Too many people think too simplistically. As if communication is about information transfer. But the truth is that communication involves a complex of signals, some of which can override others. So my body language can contradict, and overwhelm my words. So too can my vocal presentation. Voice and body language combine in regards to the tone of my communication.

If my tone is close to that of an angry prophet, that will override the most gracious of poetic content. If my tone is akin to that of a Victorian school master, then my words, my message, will take on a whole new meaning.

Children know this. If a parent says their name with a certain tone, they know they’re supposed to feel guilty. It’s voice, expression, posture, etc. But it boils down to tone.

Do you have a default tone that is guilt inducing? Can you make the most encouraging passage into a pressure text? Can you turn Psalm 23 into a rebuke for not being a good sheep? Can you take Jesus’ yoke and burden, which are easy and light, and make them tricky to put on properly if your listeners aren’t living just right?

Let’s be sure that when we preach, it is not just our words that reflect the meaning of the text, but that our tone also reflects the tone of the text, and the tone of the God who is speaking to these people on this occasion.

Stance and tone can be adjusted to avoid a guilt-only approach. They can be factors in a better motivational methodology. But tomorrow we’ll zero in on a key factor in preaching to encourage and motivate.

But They Know Actual People

December 9, 2010 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

It seems inevitable that a biblical ministry that brings the message of the Bible to people in this world will frequently have to engage with sin. If you have figured out how to preach only positive messages, then you probably should preach from more than the first couple and last couple of chapters! So as we preach we address sin. Here’s my one point for this post, although much more could be said on numerous levels, of course: sometimes we can make reference to certain sins in the abstract, but f0r some listeners these things are not abstract. We may speak about the sin, but they know actual people who engage in that sin.

For example, it is easy to zoom in on the sin of a certain addiction or behaviour. From your perspective what you say is fine. You are looking out at a broken world and speaking about it, hopefully using biblical support for what you say. But some of the people listening aren’t working in the abstract. They are wrestling with the issue themselves. Or they have a friend or relative who is caught up in it. They know the back story. They don’t want to excuse the sin, but they feel for the person entangled in it.

What to do? One approach would be to tread softly around all issues, never get specific, always speak happy thoughts in abstract and vague ways. Doesn’t sound like the best approach when you’re reading the Bible and seeing God’s spokesmen in action, does it? Perhaps the better approach is to address whatever issue and instead of saying less, say slightly more. Sometimes just including an acknowledgment of listeners’ feelings and the complexity of sin makes all the difference. For example, avoiding the obvious ones so we don’t get distracted from the point of the post, perhaps you are addressing the sin of eating peanuts (and have biblical support for your position!) You might have said some things already about the prevalence of this addiction, but then maybe you include something like this:

“Perhaps you know someone who struggles with this. You know what the Bible says, but you also know them and you care about them. You know what they’ve gone through in recent years, or how they were hurt by that failed relationship, or the scar left by their absent father. This is not some sort of abstract issue for you because as soon as it is mentioned you see their face. I understand that. We live in a broken and hurting world filled with real people with real stories. Sin is real and it hurts.”

Then you continue with your point. If the transition to this content and from this content is smooth, it won’t jar, but it will keep listeners with you as you touch on a subject that hits a nerve. Sin is always viewed differently when it touches close to home. When you preach to a decent sized and diverse congregation, sin issues are always touching close to home for someone. Be sensitive to them. Win an audience for the Word.

Blind Spots

April 15, 2010 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Eye contact is helpful. Authentic and natural eye contact is priceless. So much has been written about the importance of eye contact in communication, but I’ll leave you to search around for that online if you so choose. I’d just like to share a few thoughts on this for us as preachers.

1. Too fleeting gives the impression of being untrustworthy. It’s tempting to just scan your eyes around while really you are just waiting until you can look down at your notes again. Just because people see your eyes doesn’t mean you have made eye contact.

2. Too lingering implies intimacy or intimidation. Opposite gender folks will start to shuffle uncomfortably, same gender folks may wonder if you are wanting a fight. I suppose the danger here is an unthinking “eye lock” on one person as your mind is elsewhere.

3. Too predictable implies eye contact is contrived or secondary. Have you listened to a preacher that alternates between their notes, the clock and a fascinating plant over in the corner? It’s thoroughly distracting and annoying. It feels like they are looking up from their notes because they’re supposed to, but the room might as well be empty because their is no connection with the people (and in time may become empty, but that’s another matter).

4. Beware of blind spots and find out what they are. I’ve learned that my blind spot is usually in the middle front of the congregation. I tend to get the sides, and even singers behind me on the platform, but often fail to make any meaningful eye contact with the front few rows in the middle. I recently observed a preacher who would look up to the right side up to 17 times before he’d look up to the left side of the congregation.

5. Do you really need to look down? It’s amazing how preachers often claim to have their notes simply as a security blanket, but actually they barely look at them (but when filmed discover they are looking down perhaps 70% of the time!) Do you need as many notes as you have? Do you look up as much as you think? When you look up are you making eye contact with people, or just pausing until you can look down again?

Eye contact is worth so much to communicators trying to appear genuine. It should be valued even more by those of us who actually are genuine and desire to genuinely connect with people.

Of Lecterns and Pulpits

September 12, 2009September 7, 2009 / Peter Mead / 2 Comments

Lecterns and pulpits are worth thinking about. After all, we so easily take them for granted. Perhaps you’ve always had one, perhaps you’ve always seen preachers preach from behind one. However, if our goal is to effectively communicate God’s Word to people, we need to consider every aspect of our preaching. So here are a few thoughts on these pieces of ecclesial furniture.

Don’t hide. I suppose this is the basic thought in this post. Don’t hide. Remember that communication includes body language, which means that people need to be able to see your body language. Be careful not to slouch or lean on the pulpit. If they can’t see a significant percentage of you, then you probably need to elevate your energy levels to appear normal in your expression. Be deliberate in letting your gestures show above and beyond the pulpit (reach higher and wider). Seriously consider coming out from the castle! Let the pulpit hold your notes, but don’t feel obligated to stay there yourself.

Do familiarize. Make sure everything is ready ahead of time. If it is adjustable, adjust it appropriately (which doesn’t mean it should be up to your armpits just because you’re tall!) Make sure any notes you use will be visible (why are some lecterns at such a high angle?) Make sure you have a glass of water if you need it, etc. If there is anything more technical than a glass of water, make sure you know how it works ahead of time – any light, controls for visual media, etc. Obviously if you’ve preached from the same pulpit for a while, then this isn’t as necessary, but it’s always worth double checking before the meeting.

Don’t criticize. You may understand the negative impact of “barrier furniture” to communication, but be very careful not to criticize it. Even if it holds your notes in a near vertical position, makes your water glass nearly inaccessible, blocks your listeners from hearing “with their eyes” and looks like a wooden battle ship, or upended casket, or whatever . . . keep these thoughts to yourself. You can move to the side, or make the best of the situation from behind there. But if you give voice to these thoughts you will not come across well, and the person whose father built the monstrosity in 1924, or who donated the money to buy it in honor of their spouse’s homegoing . . . well, you know how they’ll feel!

Essential Ingredients of the Best Preaching

August 19, 2009August 7, 2009 / Peter Mead / 1 Comment

According to Greg Haslam, there are five ingredients common to good preaching. He lists and expands these in chapter 11 of Preach the Word, the hefty book he edited in 2006.

1. Therapeutic – “All preaching that is God-centred and leads to encounter with God will inevitably be therapeutic, or healing in its effects.” (p151)

2. Unconventional – “Within good preaching there is an element of surprise, so that it often startles and, dare I say, even shocks the hearer.” (p152) Haslam urges the preacher to take some risks in preaching, becoming bolder in application of the Word. He points to Jesus for several examples of unconventional, but powerful, preaching.

3. Lucid – “A sermon is both a spiritual and an intellectual exercise. It will make demands on the intellect and should engage it completely.” (p.153) Haslam goes on to describe the need for prepared preaching, with purposeful planning, memorable points, etc.

4. Illustrated – “I would go so far as to say that without illustration it is probably not possible to teach or preach from the Bible very well.” (p.154)

5. Passionate – “Our preaching must contain emotion and also evoke emotion in our hearers. It should be full of pathos, energy and enthusiasm. In the West we urgently need to reconnect the broken circuits between our heads and our hearts.” (p.154)

The discerning reader might notice the alternative use of a famous acrostic in this. Nevertheless, these are points to ponder. Would you add to the list? What if you could only have five ingredients?

Easter Laughter

August 18, 2009August 6, 2009 / Peter Mead / 2 Comments

Helmut Thielicke described Spurgeon’s humour as “Easter laughter,” that which comes as a “mode of redemption because it is sanctified – because it grows out of an overcoming of the world.” (See Mohler, He is Not Silent, p165.)

We recently enjoyed a CD of Chuck Swindoll funny stories. Some were funnier than others, but his laughter was a real blessing to us all. As he stated on that CD, one person wrote in and told him, “Chuck, you can stop preaching, but never stop laughing. Your’s is the only laughter that ever comes into our home.”

A leader that frets and stresses under pressure is not a leader that followers will find reassuring. There is a need for a certain calmness that comes from confident faith in God’s purposes. Likewise, there is a benefit in a certain laughter. Not drunken laughter. Not distracting myself from reality laughter. Not immature laughter. But confident in God, all is in control, Easter laughter.

Don’t force it, but don’t be afraid of it either. Appropriate humor and laughter in a message may be more than therapy for listeners – it may be the conveying of a deep personal faith conviction.