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

Senior Pastor, Professor

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Do Your Congregants See Your Preaching Improving?

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Last week I had the privilege of spending a day with pastors of the Great Lakes Region of Evangelical Congregational churches in Youngstown, Ohio. My assignment was to help us all become more effective expositors of God’s Word. During one segment, we were all challenged by the instruction in 1 Timothy 4:14-16, especially the piling on of terms telling us we needed to work hard at getting better. The ESV reads: “Do not neglect…. Practice these things, devote yourself to them….Keep a close watch on….Persist in this…”

At one point I asked the pastors how they practice their craft. As you might imagine, none of us had much to say. Most of us are too busy ministering to spend time practicing. How does a pastor practice their hermeneutics and homiletics? It’s an appropriate question to ask in light of 1 Timothy 4:14-16.

And, then, the strangest thing is Paul’s reason for telling Timothy this. God says in verse 15: “Practice these things…so that all may see your progress.” That still seems odd to me. It’s not just that we practice these things so that we get better. No, God says it’s important that everyone in the faith-family sees our progress.

So, beyond studying for sermons and Bible lessons, what are you doing to regularly practice your hermeneutics and homiletics? Are you reading to gain competency (theologically rich books, journal articles, and blogs)? Are you engaged in informal or formal classroom instruction? How about seminars or workshops? As is true with so many disciplines, engaging in the process is more important than selecting the “right” resources.

May God help us progress for the sake of His reputation in the Church and in the world.

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“his interests are divided”: The Wonderful Life of This Married Pastor

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1 Corinthians 7:32-34a read, “I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided…”

On Valentine’s Day I wanted to remind myself of this fascinating perspective on the life of the married pastor. Too often I think and act like an unmarried man. I’m too focused on shepherding, teaching, and writing (not to mention my beloved hobbies). Yet, God’s Word tells me my interests are divided. God doesn’t give me a percentage (x percent on our Lord and x percent on our wife), only that my attention is split in two. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Although I’ve often displayed an unbiblical, undivided interest in the Lord’s work (notice, I didn’t say “in the Lord” because proper attention on the Lord would create the balance Paul describes), I have tried to let my faith-family know how important my wife is to me. Over the  years, during a sermon I have often given my wife credit for good insights into God’s Word. I want them to know how special she is.

Today is a good day for me to relish in my wonderful married life. Michele and I have been married for 26 years. She is the most Spirit-sensitive person I know. She continues to pursue her Lord passionately and it shows in the way she loves me and our adult children. Apart from Christ, God’s greatest gift to me is Michele and the opportunity I have to devote my attention to her.

If you are married, I hope you feel the same way I do.

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A Christ-centered Angle on Jesus’ Exorcism in Luke 11:14-23

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For many reasons, it is difficult to preach exorcism narratives. If you’re in a conservative Baptist, Presbyterian, or Bible Church-type church, Jesus’ exorcisms might make us a bit uneasy. I won’t try to explain a theology of demons and demonization. But I will offer a Christological reading.

You know the story of Jesus casting out the demon and then His power being attributed to Beelzebul. The fact that Jesus was able to cast out demons points to the power of the kingdom of God. In that power encounter, Jesus was the “strong man.” Verse 22 reads, “but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor…and divides his spoil.” On the cross, however, the tables were turned. Luke 23:34 tells us “…And they cast lots to divide his garments.” Jesus is overpowered. Through that loss, of course, we, by faith, experience eternal gain, including victory over Satan and his minions. We enjoy spiritual protection through answered prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

And then comes the unexpected discipleship challenge in v. 23, “…whoever does not gather with me scatters.” That’s really what Luke is after by recording the exorcism. We can’t get lost in all the details of demonology and forget the call to “gather with” Jesus. Jesus delivers us from darkness so we would join Him in gathering others into His Light. It’s scary to stop and think how many of our congregants confess to believe in Christ, yet are inactive disciple-makers.

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Make Them Feel The Disappointment

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In Luke 11:5-13 Jesus ends his teaching on prayer by stating: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (v. 13).

Certainly, one responsibility of an expositor will be to explain what it means for the Father to “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.” That will take a few minutes of sermon time for sure.

However, one effective way to preach this instruction is to make everyone aware of the disappointment most feel when they hear about this gift. Virtually no one listening to you preach would have guessed that the Holy Spirit would be the one gift identified. So, we need to spend some time addressing this slightly “disappointing” gift. It becomes a great time to remind everyone how important the Holy Spirit is for salvation (cf. Acts 2:38) and for service (Acts 6:8-10). The Holy Spirit was so important for Jesus (Luke 3:21f.) and the Church (24:49). Take the Holy Spirit out of our Christian experience and what do we have? Downplay His presence and power–sadly, the tendency in my Bible Church tradition– and what do we have?

So, making everyone feel the slight disappointment will go a long way toward giving the Holy Spirit His rightful place in our faith-families. Look for places in your preaching portion for these kinds of unexpected twists and turns.

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

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Mini E-book not available on Smashwords yet. Sorry

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I misspoke, actually misswrote, earlier concerning my book, A Preacher’s Manifesto. For the first 90 days, I’m obligated to stick only with Amazon. After the 90 days I will try to remember to make the book available through Smashwords. I am sorry for the confusion.

Again, thank you for thinking with me about preaching in the church.

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A Preacher’s Manifesto: Ten Commitments That Drive Biblical Preaching

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Last week I published my first book. It’s a mini e-book called: A Preacher’s Manifesto: Ten Commitments That Drive Biblical Preaching. I enjoyed distilling my beliefs and practices into this format. Here’s a description of the book:

A Preacher’s Manifesto presents ten commitments that should drive biblical preaching. These ten commitments will guide pastors in creating their preaching calendar, help steer their sermon preparation, and remind them of the vital place preaching occupies in the local church. The commitments include topics ranging from pastoral theology (“preaching as a function of soul-watching”), hermeneutics (“not allow a selected topic to override the meaning of the biblical Text”), and pastoral ministry (“preach as though my spiritual life and the spiritual lives of my parishioners depend on it”). A Preacher’s Manifesto will challenge assumptions, cultivate new commitments, and bring about changes in preaching for the sake of enlarging God’s reputation in the Church.

If you’re interested, you can find the book at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. Smashwords will give you several more reading options, including a PDF of the book. It will also allow you to download a percentage of the book to preview some content.

I hope the ole saying, You get what you pay for, is not true in this case. The book is $2.99, but I believe it will stimulate your thinking.

Again, thank you for thinking about preaching with me.

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

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Preaching and the Original Languages: Maximum Benefit from Minimal Knowledge

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How’s your working knowledge of Hebrew and Greek? I hesitate to ask. I know how difficult it is to gain an elementary working knowledge. I know it’s even more difficult to maintain an elementary working knowledge. Then, there’s the debate about how useful such skills are for preaching.

I am going to assume that the vast majority of folks reading this blog are not able to proficiently read Hebrew and Greek. That means you are not doing much translating of your own. Thanks to great tools you can still boost your communication of theology. Here’s a few ways to maximize the information provided by the experts:

  • Pay attention to the Hebrew and Greek word-order in key sentences. After several years of reading through the Bible in a year (roughly 4 chapters a day), I’ve decided this year to slow down and read the Hebrew OT little by little. Immediately in Genesis 1, I noticed the Hebrew ends each day of the creation account with the words, “…day one….day two….day three”, etc. Not much different from saying “the first day…the second day…the third day…” But just enough to change the way parishioners hear the creation account.
  • Usually, when you think of word-order, you’re thinking of emphasis achieved through the placement of key words–either first or last in a sentence. Sometimes it helps to attack a verse by using the order of the original languages. I’m currently preaching a series on the “one another” instructions of the NT. A week ago Sunday was Romans 12:10. The Greek noun, philadelphia, begins the instruction.
  •  Allow the original language terms to brighten your word studies. Years ago a professor once said that using the languages was like watching color television (compared to English only, black and white). The Hebrew language is especially good at painting pictures. But Greek also does this. The noun referred to above is a good example. Let the experts enhance your word studies. And, despite what some will tell you, it is helpful at times to remind your congregants, ” Our English word, _____, comes from this Greek word.”
  • Allow the original languages to help you explain the different translations being read in the pews. More than likely, more than a few translations are being read in your church. It’s often helpful for you to know why their translations read the way they do.

If you’ve experienced additional benefits, please take a moment and share them with us.

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

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Preaching the Perfect Example Text: Martha and Mary

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In Luke 10:39-40 Luke tells us that “Mary…sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving.” This might be the perfect example of a preaching portion that functions as both a good and bad example to follow. (You probably can think of others in Scripture that function in a similar way). It’s pretty simple. We say to our folks: “Follow Mary’s example and avoid Martha’s example.

The key, of course, is communicating what was wrong with Martha. She’s described as “distracted with much serving” in v. 40. Undistracted serving isn’t a problem. We need lots of that in the faith-family. Then, Martha crosses the line even further when, according to Ryken, she “stopped serving and started scolding” Jesus. Martha actually instructs Jesus! Can you imagine?! It’s a great time to ask our folks to monitor their attitude while they’re serving. How do they feel about others who might not be serving quite so much?

It’s easier to communicate what was right with Mary. O how we need God to develop more and more congregants who listen to the Word of God with a view toward adjusting their lives accordingly!

The Martha’s in our churches need an adjustment. Their adjustment is one way they worship during and as a result of the teaching of this narrative. I can hear my prof, the late Howard Hendricks say to the Mary’s in our churches: “May your tribe increase.” This Text is a great way to balance worshiping and serving. Because, if you’re only learning and never serving, then you’re not really learning at the feet of Jesus.

Faith in Christ creates Mary’s, not Martha’s. So, even though the narrative means something through good and bad examples, we do not dismiss our folks by saying: “Go and be like Mary, not like Martha.” Instead we spend a moment explaining how the Christ-crucified creates Mary’s posture and adjusts Martha’s posture.

Preach well for the glory of God.

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Preaching Jesus’ Gospel: The Parable of the Compassionate Samaritan

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Luke 10:25-37 records Jesus’ discussion with a lawyer who tried to test Him. Good luck with that, right?

Back in October of 2013 I mentioned the need to explain why Jesus always seemed to preach a works-based salvation. The parable of the compassionate Samaritan (I had to call it that in light of my previous post) requires such theological effort on our part. The lawyer asks, Jesus, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Most of us would have answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Most of us wouldn’t have answered the way Jesus did: “Do [the law] and you will live” (Luke 10:28). So, when Jesus ends the session with, “You go, and do likewise,” (v. 37) He’s giving us some theological work to do.

That may require a major point or move in the sermon not contained in Luke 10. We say something like, “In order for anyone to be able to perform like the compassionate Samaritan in a way that will be accepted by a Holy God (that last part’s the key), they must first experience the compassion of God-in-Christ-through the Spirit. Whenever a person sees Christ dying for them, their hearts are warmed and they have the desire and capacity for such compassion displayed by the Samaritan.” Or something like that. The point is that that point or move is a necessary element of a sermon. Otherwise, Jesus’ teaching will sound like salvation by works.

I suggest that this point or move in the sermon should occur before you spend time helping people flesh out what it might look like in their world to display such compassion for their neighbors. Remember, the section of the sermon where you give them five ways to be a good Samaritan isn’t moralistic self-help when delivered in the context of the Gospel.

You can probably think of other angles on this too.

Preach well for the glory of God.

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Try Giving Jesus’ Parable A New Name

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Familiarity with a preaching portion can sometimes hinder communication. This is especially true with some of Jesus’ famous parables. Luke 10:25-37 records the parable of the Good Samaritan.

You probably already knew this, but near the end of my workweek I realized that the adjective, good, did not occur in this parable. Jesus does say in verse 33, “…when [the Samaritan] saw him, he had compassion.” The lawyer admits in verse 37 that the Samaritan was the “one who showed…mercy.”

So, at the beginning of the teaching time, I gave the faith-family as assignment. I asked them while we were studying the parable to attempt to rename it. I asked them to help me remember this when we concluded the sermon so we could hear their attempts.

In this case, it’s an important assignment. Jesus ends the parable with: “You go, and do likewise.” Go and be good is a bit broad, a bit vague. When we rename the parable from The Good Samaritan to something like The Compassionate Neighbor, we help everyone move a little closer to specific acts of worshipful obedience.

You can think of other familiar sections of Scripture that could use some renaming. Lord willing, we’ll see another example in the months to come when I tackle Luke 15 and the parable of the Prodigal Son. You’ve heard it said that familiarity breeds contempt, but I say to you that familiarity breeds ambiguity.

Any time I’ve tried this renaming exercise, I’ve always found that it enhanced communication. It’s a simple, yet effective way to add to your exegesis and theological analysis.

Preach for the glory of God!