If you haven’t already, I hope you will consider preaching through books of the Bible this year. Your congregation will thank you for it.

If you’re already making this a practice, may your tribe increase. You may find my approach something to think about when planning your new year. If you have never regularly practiced preaching through books of the Bible, you may find some of this post helpful.

First, years ago I was captivated by reading and listening to old W. A. Criswell of First Baptist, Dallas, TX explain his plan to preach through the entire Bible during his tenure. If you knew the kind of preaching the church was used to before Criswell arrived, then you know how bold a move this was. Hearing him tell the effects that this approach had on him and his congregation moved me to tears (I think he was addressing an Evangelical Theology Society meeting?). I knew I needed to practice some variation of that approach to preaching in church.

So, here’s what I did:

• I started with a book I thought I could “handle” as a young preacher (in my case, James).
• I tried to avoid books of the Bible that previous pastors had covered recently (even though I know congregants rarely remember a sermon from Sunday to the next Sunday!).
• I wanted to vary the diet by making sure I switched back and forth between the testaments and also between genres (e.g., if I began in James, an epistle, then my next book would be in an OT narrative or prophecy or apocalypse).
• Even though I did not want to cater to the culture, I still knew I did not want to take forever in any one book (I love Piper to death, but knew I didn’t want to follow his approach to spending a millennium on Romans).
• That meant planning to break up a series in, let’s say, Isaiah in order to keep myself and my listeners from committing spiritual suicide. When I left the dear folks at The People’s Church in NB, Canada, I was preaching through the Gospel of John. I stopped in the beginning of chapter 17. When I arrived to the dear folk at Calvary Bible Church, I did a kind of John Calvin and picked up where I left off and finished the book with my new flock.
• In the middle of long series such as Isaiah, or in between book studies, or during special events in the church calendar or special holidays, I consider straying away from a series, confess my sins and preach topical exposition.

Both my congregations have often thanked me for this approach. I wouldn’t do anything else. It certainly stretches me (I continue to work through books I haven’t covered yet) and I know it helps the faith-family see how God’s revelation fits together to tell a most wonderful Story.

Happy New Year to you. Preach books of the Bible or at least large segments of books of the Bible to get your feet wet in 2017 and all for His glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal