We live in a whole new world. Period. Full Stop. The culture
has shifted, and the church had better be seeking to understand and communicate
in ways that are effective, or we will fail have an utter mission failure.
We are commanded to do what Jesus commanded us to
do, make disciples. That is the mission, not facilitating legacy, or keeping the structures in place. we are told to make disciples; and we have some pretty wide parameters. In Acts, we see Peter and Paul using differing approaches for differing situations. Timeless message. Gospel, Gospel, Gospel. When you look at Paul, you see him in the synagogue, doing street evangelism, setting up class, preaching to all hours of the night at a church service, and on and on. What Paul does in one place is not always what he does in the next. He had systems, but they were always flexible. Looking back, he writes in 1 Corinthians 9, "I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel. (1Co 9:19-23).
Which brings me to today's issue here in preaching week.. Practical
considerations in preaching.
We live in a whole different world than the one that bred
the short, sub twenty minute sermon. You could take that lectionary, shorter
approach at one time. Could (not recommended even then, but could)... There was
a day when people knew the gospel story, and had a fundamentally Christian
worldview. They accepted the major themes of Christianity, because it was the
dominant metanarrative (grand story that shapes a culture) of western civilization.
Christianity shaped and molded western civilization, it was the air people
breathed, and it provided the framework in which we thought, whether or not we
knew it. The result was that people basically knew A-T of Christianity. They
knew the story. To bring them to Christ, you just had to get them from T to Z.
Now, you have to add allot more layers than you used to, people don’t know the
story, they don’t have a clue, and if we want to see lives changed, we’re
probably not going to see it happen in 20 minute sermons. The world has changed
in the years since the twenty minute sermon became king, especially in the last
20 or 30 years, as we have moved into postmodernism and began to feel its
force.
Let me take a moment to explain to give some background here
in terms of postmodernism. For the last 100 to 150 years, we have been living
in a world that has been dominated by the ideas of a school of thought known as
modernism. Simply put, Modernists felt that the world was knowable and
rational. There is an objective reality, and through science and human reason,
we could understand and master the world (the problem with Modernity is that it
assumes science is the source to all knowledge- therefore, it makes science
God). On the other hand, Postmodernism argues that “there is no objective
reality, you can’t really know anything, you only have your perspective”. There
are no truths, no absolutes (the major problem with postmodernism is that it
relegates all truth claims to the dustbin). There is no right or wrong, at
least not in terms of the object sense of moral absolutes, things are only
wrong in the subjective sense of “wrong for you” (so says postmodernity). This
is the increasingly dominant voice. We live in an era which has turned the
individual or 'self' into the ultimate authority. We've turned ourselves into
'gods'. My ideas, my opinions, my input is the final court of appeal. Everyone
demands his or her own pulpit or stage. Our postmodern age is an age which
elevates self-expressionism above all else. Everyone’s opinion is as good as
another's. Your own ideas are just as relevant (or irrelevant) as anyone
else's. Thus, why should you be forced to listen to someone preaching to you?
And the very
idea of preaching or being preached to is diametrically opposed
to the spirit of our time. At best we allow for dialogue, a situation in which
two or more people speak, share and provide insights with equal authority,
where being listened to is on a par with listening. An authoritative message
from the Creator to his creature, from the King to his subjects, the Master to
his slaves is anathema to the postmodern mind. [i]
However, as Christians we should not be modern or
postmodern, we believe that there is objective truth, God’s word is true, and
there are absolutes that he has given. It stands against modernity and
postmodernity. To the moderns, we say, there is an authority higher than
science. Science may shed light, but it is not the one who speaks about
ultimate reality. God does. To the postmodern, we say, there is objective
truth. We have a message that is true, you can know what is true and not. There
is an authority that says, "This is right, and wrong". There are
moral absolutes. Pay attention. Hear this loud and clear.
And here’s the application of this information to preaching.
More and more, as learn about communicating, I have been seeking to make
intellectual arguments as I preach. I have been seeking to challenge their
idols
(keep in mind that an idol is good things that we make ultimate
things, a good thing that we treasure more than God) and defeater beliefs
of moderns and post-moderns
(Everyone has defeater beliefs, things that they
believe that contradict the bible, and cause people to dismiss the bible’s
claim as something that doesn’t fit their worldview right off the top)[ii]. As I preach, I
have to show the text, and show that what the bible says is true, and also have
to show that they can’t just dismiss out of hand what doesn’t square with their
assumptions and worldview. This process takes time (to go back to yesterday’s
post- almost always well above that twenty minute mark).
In a sermon, you need to gain attention, introduce the
passage, explain the passage, challenge the things that say “dismiss what the
pastors saying”, the idols of our hearts and the defeater beliefs. And you need
to show why this all matters and relate it to life, and show how the cross
relates to this issue. Showing how the cross relates is huge. Ultimately, the
purpose of every sermon is not to give information and general instruction but
to preach the gospel and make it real to the heart. You have to get to the
cross. I would say that it’s not a sermon if Christ isn’t preached. It’s a
teaching, an encouragement, a speech, but not a sermon unless you get to the
gospel and show how, because of the cross the thing we’re looking at (whatever
it is), looks different.
Now here’s the challenge to those that grew up on the short
sermon. This takes time. Moving through this is what the bible says, this is
why you should believe this, and applying it is not a quick process. But if you
don’t, people (especially young post-moderns)
will dismiss what you are
saying out of hand. They’ll say, “it doesn’t square”, and move on. This means
you have to be fiercely apologetic, you have to show them why they should accept what the bible is saying. You need
to make arguments that make them engage. Show them that they can’t just dismiss
out of hand what they don’t want to hear. Think of it this way. If you lay
a charge of dynamite on a rock face, and blow it up, you sheer off the face of
the rock, but don’t blow it up. But if you drill a hole into that rock, if you
bore down, then put that same charge in, it blows the rock apart. In preaching,
if I just say “This is what the bible says, accept it”, or just make a straight
appeal to the heart, no one is changed.
[iii]
But if I drill down, with an argument, “Here is what the authoritative word of
God says”, if I show why they should believe the truth we are looking at, show
why the beliefs and assumptions that they have unwittingly picked up from
culture are wrong, and if I dig down and confront the defeater beliefs and the
idols, saying, “here’s is why it is true…. You know it’s true---- look at the
proof ”, and then, I get to the heart, through the cross, that changes us (Thank you Tim Keller for teaching me this. As a
pastor, I’m still learning how to do this better and better. Some weeks I do
well, some I don’t)
. But according some of the people who have studied this
far more than I, people that have had successful ministry to postmoderns- (such
as Keller, such as the people who are running Resurgence and Acts 29
conferences) that’
s how you get to postmoderns. People in their teens, 20’s,
30’s, and even creeping into the early forties. This isn’t a quick 20 min and
out the door.
And here’s the thing, younger people aren’t interested in
short quick stuff. Some of the most downloaded sermon Podcasts are people like
John Piper, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, Tullian Tchividjian. This
isn’t the soft mushy stuff. They give you meat. Younger generations, for all
their problems with the idea of truth, hunger to hear answers and certainty in
an uncertain world, and they want to grow and go deep. They crave it even if
they cant articulate it, is my observation.
Two quick thought as I wrap up today’s post.
First, at the end of the day, this process
will differ, depending on the passage. For some, the sermon may be close to
20 minutes, for others, it could be 40. Or 35 minutes. Or whatever. Pastors
need to be respectful of time and say, a sermon should be as long as it needs
to be to cover the passage adequately. Not more, not less. At the end of the
day, the issue should not be the length of the sermon, but the content, and
making it understandable. And understand, the reality is that to do good
expositional preaching, the pastor will probably go longer. We should probably
expect that solid expository sermons that mix this layer of apologetic in will be longer rather than shorter.
John Macarthur suggests that “I
am convinced that biblical exposition
requires at least forty minutes”[iv]
I’m not willing to go there ironclad, but he’s on to
something. The more you dig in, the more you find, and the longer it goes. As a
brand new pastor, I didn’t grasp this. I thought I could cut time down, I
vainly promised I would shorten, and believed that in time they would shrink.
Now, I don’t think so. I actually think I was underselling the reality, good
exposition takes longer. It just does. I know that now.
Second,
there is no alternative to preaching. The church
must make preaching the heart of its life. Preaching is how God speaks; it is is one of God's primary means of grace
. We cannot minimize it, or seek
to limit it. It is God's way because it is ultimately a reflection of the
nature and authority of God himself. Far too many ministers have a low view of
preaching. They would rather dialogue, encounter, counsel or advice. And the pulpit
is sidelined. The authority of God and his word is compromised and ultimately
drowned out. But equally, far too many of those who sit in the pew need to
change too. Far too many of us have drunk deeply from the wells of modernity
and postmodernity. Preaching has lost its appeal because we challenge its
authority by either not listening (or making an effort to) or by simply staying
away when we feel like it.
Getting preaching into its true, Biblically
demanded focus is essential, because God himself guarantees that his word will
never return to him empty. [v]
Now, with all this said about the practical considerations
in regards to the craft of preaching, here’s the bottom line. The church is
slowly growing, and God is bringing new life, and I believe that it starts,
with preaching. With the proclamation of the gospel week in and out being the
engine that drives everything.
New England is the least churched part of America.
Massachusetts is number 46 in terms of church attendance, and Gospel centered,
bible preaching churches are few and far between (while all around us dead
churches close their doors, last summer, a local church in our denomination
closed their doors- FBC Natick). And yet, we are slowly growing. Slowly. And for us,
the road to changing into a Gospel centered, bible driven church that seeks
God’s glory above while making an impact on our community has been rough. I didn’t understand that some in the
church decided to institute change through a man. But God is working, and we’ve
had conversions! New birth, and I long for many more, because that’s kingdom
growth. Transfer growth is fine, but it doesn’t build the kingdom, transfer
growth is just people shipping. Real growth happens as people connect to the
gospel- coming, listening, and finally seeing his need, and coming to Christ.
From there, we want to see disciples begin to grow in the gospel, and someday,
serve because of the gospel, sharing the gospel, and continue to be changed by
the gospel.
That is our trajectory. We have moved onto firm ground, and
while we are not out of the woods by any means God is working. My prayer is for
many, many more conversions. For changed lives and full on revival to hit
our imploding culture. Today, we are watching the devolution of our country,
and world. We’re watching the fall of Western civilization, and two millennia
of Christian culture fall apart. The churches in Europe are empty. My prayer is
for revival. It starts with us, hearing the gospel, taking it and approaching
it seriously, apply it to our lives seriously and living out in a real way that
allows us to share the gospel.
One final thought. In many ways we’re closer to the world
Christianity started in than the world our parents lived in. Islam, atheism,
Buddhism, Hinduism, Wiccan, and allot of other voices are active in our culture.
We are not a Christian culture in any way, shape or form. The northeast, has
been classified by many thinkers as Post Christian. So what do we do? Pastors,
church leaders, people. We preach well. Once again, we need to make the
arguments of scripture, use logic, and witness winsomely. We don’t sit and try
to be liked, and I need to be proclaiming the bible in a way that changes
lives, rather than gives a back massage. Furthermore, we take on a wartime
approach. Think of ourselves not as people who are home, but soldier in a
fight. Think of ourselves not as people who are home, but missionaries who have
a challenge. We need to change our mentality from that of comfortably settled
churches, to being churches that have a church-plantlike desire to create a
gospel movement that wins people to Christ and changes our communities for
Christ.
[i] Faith in Focus, "Preaching, the supreme means
of Grace"
[ii] Both of these ideas come from Tim Keller, for a great
book on idolatry, read his book, Counterfeit God’s- in my recommended books
list. The idea on defeater beliefs really comes from a sermon he gave at the
Gospel Coalition conference called The
Grand Demythologizer., although I've heard him make the point
several times.
[iii] I’ve heard Keller make this point several times, but
cannot tell you where as I have downloaded much of what he gives away and
listened and re-listened to them
[v] Faith in Focus, "Preaching, the supreme means
of Grace"
