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Randal Pelton, Ph.D., D.Min., Th.M.

Senior Pastor, Professor

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What Kind of Questions Are You Asking This Sunday?

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I just completed three weeks of learning with some excellent Doctor of Ministry students. One of the things I was watching for during their in-class sermons was the kind of connection they were making with their listeners, one of which was me.

More than once, a question was asked in such a way that did not get any reaction from any listener. In other words, the preacher asked a question, but was not wanting or expecting an answer. They asked the question while looking down and did not wait for any response. They quickly moved on to the next statement in their sermon.

I strongly believe that asking the right questions in the right way is one of a preacher’s most important rhetorical devices. So many good things can happen pastorally when we take time to bring our listeners along with the right question asked in the right way (the right way meaning, asking the question in such a way that your listeners know you want them to think and answer quickly).

Last weekend I preached James 5:13-18. One scholar reminded me that James asks over 20 questions in 5 chapters, a lot of questions for that little letter. When you’re studying James, take a look at the kinds of questions he asks. One thing I learned is that James was aiming for an immediate response. For instance, in James 2:4, after telling us not to show partiality, he asks, “have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” Yikes! We want the Holy Spirit to do just as much convicting during our preaching as was happening when James was first heard. Asking the right question in the right way may be one way to achieve that goal.

So, how many and what kind of questions are you asking this Sunday?

Preach well for the sake of His reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal

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“We wouldn’t expect to see that”: An Example of Unconventional Exegesis

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06june

When I first saw this photo, it took me by surprise. Normally, whenever I see a camel, it’s always in the desert. Every once in a while I encounter a similar phenomenon when studying Scripture for sermons. I find that whenever I point out the unexpected, it helps me understand and communicate what God is saying.

For instance, 2 Corinthians 9:6 contains a proverb about giving: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” That proverb or principle is followed up in verse 7 with instruction on how to give. I would expect God to say something like, “Each one must give bountifully…” But that’s not what He says. Instead, God says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart…” I didn’t expect that. It seems risky. What if we don’t decide correctly?

I find that pointing out the unexpected is an effective way to help the faith-family understand what God is saying. It gains attention and often helps clarify meaning. When you read a proverb, whoever sows sparingly…and whoever sows bountifully…, anyone who values the harvest (what is reaped) will decide to sow bountifully.

Anyway, look for places in your preaching portions for such unconventional exegesis. Along with your usual study of background, definitions of key words and phrases, grammar and syntax, look for opportunities to highlight the unexpected.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal

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Watch Seminar On YouTube: Creating Saint-Sanctifying, Seeker-Sensitive Sermons

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Over the past several weeks I’ve been posting 9 observations from three preachers, way past, past, and present, who were and are effective in reaching both insiders and outsiders with an insider-directed message. In other words, they preach to mature the saints, but also address non-Christians as well with the same message. Those preachers are Jonathan Edwards, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Timothy Keller.

If you haven’t see the posts, here’s a brief summary. These preachers…

  1. Categorize listeners according to their spiritual condition
  2. Search the heart with probing questions
  3. Motivate listeners through both love for God and fear of God
  4. Attack the sin behind the sins
  5. Speak the thoughts of sinners (both the justified and unjustified)
  6. Identify our idols
  7. Show how the Gospel works to recreate the human heart
  8. Contrast what the world says with what God says.
  9. Plunge deep beneath the surface of theological terms.

If you are interested in exploring this topic further with me, I invite you to watch the YouTube presentation below. I had the privilege of spending an afternoon on April 3, 2014 on the campus of Capital Seminary and Graduate School. A huge thank you goes out to Debra Ross, Online Education Developer, who graciously videoed and edited the session. I also want to thank Derrick Seegers, Director of Church and Community Relations for hosting the seminar.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal

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How To Balance Saint-Sanctifying, Seeker-Sensitive Preaching (part 10)

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Have you ever tried balancing on a bongo board? Okay, I probably should ask it this way: Have you ever tried balancing on a bongo board at my age?!? Unless you’re extremely blessed, it’s usually a struggle to stay on for long; even tougher to stay on while you attempt to move around on it. I find it difficult to balance preaching to insiders and outsiders with the same insider-directed message. As you may have read when this little series began, 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 shows us it can be done, but it’s not easy to do.

So, my goal in this series is to list and briefly explain how three effective pastors reached and, in one case, still reach both insiders and outsiders with the same insider-directed message. The three are Jonathan Edwards, D. M. Lloyd-Jones, and Tim Keller. They are not your typical seeker-sensitive preachers and yet they were, and are, effective in reaching non-Christians while they preach theologically loaded sermons to the Christians. How? So far we’ve looked at the following aspects of their method. They:

  1. Categorize listeners according to their spiritual condition
  2. Search the heart with probing questions
  3. Motivate listeners through both love for God and fear of God
  4. Attack the sin behind the sins
  5. Speak the thoughts of sinners (both the justified and unjustified)
  6. Identify our idols
  7. Show how the Gospel works to recreate the human heart
  8. Contrast what the world says with what God says.

Now, #9: They plunge beneath the surface of theological terms.

This may sound counter-intuitive. We might think it’s best to reach non-Christians by avoiding heavy theological language. But all three pastors excelled in preaching sermons that included (and include) lengthy explanation, illustration, and application of theological terms. Listen to how Keller tackled repentance (sorry, I do not have the actual sermon; Logos footnoted this only from, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013):

“If you hold grudges, if you’re full of pride….In other words, when you do things wrong, it sets up strains in the fabric of reality and eventually, they lead to breakdown. When the breakdowns come, when the circumstances hit you, when there’s some kind of meltdown, then you suddenly say, ‘Whew! What have I been doing? What has been wrong? How could I have thought that? What’s the matter with me?'”

Keller helps us know what repentance means by showing us how it happens in someone’s mind. It’s like what the young prodigal son might have thought as he was coming to his senses in Luke 15. Check out some of the overlap with #5 above. If your preaching portion contains theological language, fight the temptation to lighten them and delve deep into its meaning.

Preach well for sake of His reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal

P.S. One of the most helpful little books I’ve read on this topic is Willimon’s, Peculiar Speech: Preaching to the Baptized. It will remind you of who we’re preaching to and help shape your perspective on crafting sermons.

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How To Balance Saint-Sanctifying, Seeker-Sensitive Preaching (part 9)

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My goal in this series is to list and briefly explain how three effective pastors reach both insiders and outsiders with the same insider-directed message. In other words, how do Edwards (as in, Jonathan), Lloyd-Jones, and Keller preach theologically loaded sermons to the saints and still manage to reach sinners? The three are not your typical seeker-sensitive preachers.

So far we’ve looked at the following aspects of their method:

  1. Categorizing listeners according to their spiritual condition
  2. Searching the hearts with probing questions
  3. Motivating listeners through both love for God and fear of God
  4. Attacking the sin behind the sins
  5. Speaking the thoughts of sinners (both the justified and unjustified)
  6. Identifying our idols
  7. Showing how the Gospel works to recreate the human heart.

Now, #8 is: Contrasting what the world says with what God says.

A few weeks ago the concept of meekness came up in a preaching portion. Almost everyone knew the world’s take on it: meekness is________? Right. Meekness is weakness. Defining what biblical meekness is is one thing, a good and necessary component of biblical preaching. However, we are more effective when we can contrast God’s view of meekness with the world’s view on it.

Why does God’s salvation include such a character trait (another way of getting at #7 above)? Why does the human heart have an allergic reaction to it (another way of thinking about #5 above: “Because the weak get run over in the ‘real’ world!”)? Let your listeners see just how diametrically opposed God’s kingdom and the kingdom of darkness are. Let them know why the two are opposite and why the kingdom of God is the better quality of life (both here and now and in eternity). That kind of analysis is good for saint and sinner alike.

Preaching well for the sake of God’s reputation.

Randal

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You Need To Read, Princeton and Preaching

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If you’ve read my blog, you know I refer to books from time to time. This new sporadic series, You Need To Read, will introduce you to some of the authors that have stimulated my hermeneutical, theological, and homiletical thinking. I am linked with WTS’s bookstore and also Amazon and will receive colossal cash from them if you ever decide to purchase a book directly from my blog. Okay, maybe colossal is an overstatement.

Over the years, my students have heard me talk about the importance of reading-to-become-a-theologian. I am indebted to so many authors! I know you feel the same way about the value that good reading adds to your preaching ministry.

So, you need to read Garretson’s, Princeton and Preaching. Some of my readers will be interested in Garretson’s first goal: “to enable church historians and students of American history to better understand the significant role that ministerial training played in shaping the ethos of American church history” (p. xix). Most readers will appreciate the second goal: “to assist pastors and preachers in their ministry and care of the people of God” (p. xix).

I benefited from Garretson's assistance, especially the sections on the qualifications for the ministry, preparing the preacher's heart, minister as shepherd, and the difficulties and challenges of the ministry. Garretson's description of Alexander made me want to be a better Christian even more than wanting to be a better soul-watcher.

Preach well for the sake of Christ's reputation.

Randal

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How To Balance Saint-Sanctifying, Seeker-Sensitive Preaching (Part 8)

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Work-Life-Balance

In this series, I’m presenting my findings from studying the preaching of Jonathan Edwards, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Timothy Keller. I selected those three because of their effectiveness in speaking to both saints and sinners with the same sermon. The trio seems to have had success through the grace of God in accomplishing what Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 (the unmasking of the man). I gravitated towards this trio of preachers because their sermons, though seeker-sensitive, were and, in Keller’s case, are heavy on theological insights.

So far we’ve looked at the following aspects of their method:

  1. Categorizing your listeners according to their spiritual condition
  2. Searching the hearts with probing questions
  3. Motivating listeners through both love for God and fear of God
  4. Attack the sin behind the sins
  5. Speak the thoughts of sinners (both the justified and unjustified)
  6. Identify our idols

Next: Show how the Gospel works to recreate the human heart.

One reason why I do not believe the typical seeker-sensitive sermon, “Five ways to (fill in the blank),” (please forgive the stereotype) is the best way to read the Bible is because the application is disconnected from the Gospel. In other words, the sermon gives me five ways to manage my anger, but it is not connected at all to my Christianity. That can lead to the moralistic sermon you’re well aware of.

A friend of mine recently argued against always mentioning the cross. He gave two reasons: (1) The biblical writers didn’t do this. However, a careful read of both Testaments shows God giving the grace-based indicative before the grace-based imperative. You’re probably familiar with Paul’s structure of beginning his letters with the indicative (our position in Christ) and then moving to the imperative (our practice as Christians).

(2) Can’t we assume that faith is intact and that the desire and ability to do God’s will will be there? My answer is “no.” My own experience talking to myself and listening to hundreds of others  over the years tells me that we need to preach the Gospel to ourselves every day (cf. the writings of Jerry Bridges). My reading of Scripture understands the Bible’s purpose to urge Believers to believe in the promise of God to save through Christ in the power of the Spirit.

I find it extremely helpful to follow the example of our three model pastor/theologians and show how the Gospel transforms the human heart. So, for instance, how does the Gospel create humility? Lord willing, this Sunday I’m preaching on Galatians 5:24-26 which includes avoiding becoming conceited. How does the Gospel create humility? It’s a great way to explain how Christianity is different from self-help or other religious options; it’s a great way to accomplish faith-driven application. Check your Sunday sermon’s application and see if you can explain how faith in Christ’s sacrifice creates the particular response.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation…

Randal

 

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How To Balance Saint-Sanctifying, Seeker-Sensitive Preaching (part 7)

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Work-Life-Balance

For those that have been reading this series, I thought you might enjoy a different image this time. Pretty incredible balance and power too!

In this series, I’m summarizing some of the things effective preachers do to hit both outsiders (unbelievers) and insiders (saints who entered the building with ears to hear) with an insider-directed message (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 for an example).These are ways in which men like Jonathan Edwards, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Tim Keller (of Redeemer Presb’ in NYC) reach both audiences.

So far we’ve noted the following effective rhetorical devices:

  1. Categorizing your listeners according to their spiritual condition
  2. Searching the hearts with probing questions
  3. Motivating listeners through both love for God and fear of God
  4. Attack the sin behind the sins
  5. Speak the thoughts of sinners (both the justified and unjustified)

Today’s tip is: Identify our idols.

There are times in our sermons where we can highlight the false gods we tend to worship. This is one way to attack the sin behind the sins (#4 in this series). It’s a way to analyze our sins in more detail. Identifying our idols is a way of uncovering the kinds of things that have captured our affections. Someone has said that the human heart is an idol factory. Preaching that uncovers idolatry effectively matures the saints, while also showing unbelievers that they too are worshiping something or someone other than God.

One effective way I’ve found to help identify my particular idolatry is to ask myself two questions: (1) What brings me greatest joy? (2) What brings me greatest sadness? Usually, the answer to either question helps me see what has captured my affections. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend Keller’s book, Counterfeit Gods.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation…

Randal

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How To Balance Saint-Sanctifying, Seeker-Sensitive Preaching (part 6)

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In this series, I’m summarizing some of the things effective preachers do to hit both outsiders (unbelievers) and insiders (saints who entered the building with ears to hear) with an insider-directed message (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 for an example). These are ways in which men like Jonathan Edwards, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Tim Keller (of Redeemer Presb’ in NYC) reach both audiences.

So far we’ve noted the following effective rhetorical devices:

  1. Categorizing your listeners according to their spiritual condition
  2. Searching the hearts with probing questions
  3. Motivating listeners through both love for God and fear of God
  4. Attack the sin behind the sins

Today’s tip is: Speak the thoughts and reasoning of sinners (both the justified and unjustified)

In describing Edwards’ approach, Carrick highlights the need to try to put your finger on “the secret language” of the hearts of our listeners (The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards, p. 302). This involves trying to figure out what the non-Christian and Christian might be thinking about the particular theology being communicated.

Apart from Keller’s unique, Christ-centered hermeneutic/homiletic, the one thing I’ve benefited from from Keller’s approach is his ability to articulate how his listeners are thinking about the preaching portion. This involves, of course, reading and listening to commentaries about our culture (newspaper, news reports, magazines, books, films). It involves listening to what people are saying whenever they declare their thoughts about life.

Carrick described Edwards as having “an incisive knowledge of the human heart” (p. 269). Add to that the ability to put words in our listener’s mouths, the things they should be saying. It’s an effective combination that helps “unmask the man.”

I must admit that this is the one area I’ve had to work on the most and am still working on. I find it much easier to exegete the Text than the pew. I’ve also found that the more I study my own depraved heart, the easier it is for me to speak the secret language of the hearts of my congregants.

Preach well for sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal

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Does a certain kind of sermon create “ears to hear”?

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“Even before the minister begins to preach, the conflict between God and Satan determines the listener’s situation, every listener’s situation.”

Gustaf Wingren, The Living Word: A Theological Study of Preaching and the Church, p. 72