Category Archives: delivery

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From Cicero to Augustine to our Preaching

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Cicero influenced Augustine who, in turn, has influenced all of us!

The last few weeks I’ve been sharing key thoughts from Augustine’s, On Christian Doctrine (translated by Robertson). Because of my emphasis through the years of the intersection of homiletics and hermeneutics, I have read very little on ancient rhetoric. However, Augustine has given me a glimpse of it in this book and another that I began last week (Augustine and the Cure of Souls: Revising a Classical Ideal, by Paul R. Kolbet [not Stephen Colbert!].

You might be interested in the following quote from Augustine citing Cicero in the context of your own teaching and preaching work:

“Therefore a certain eloquent man said, and said truly, that he who is eloquent should speak in such a way that he teaches, delights, and moves. Then he added, ‘To teach is a necessity, to please is a sweetness, to persuade is a victory.'” (p. 136).

You and I are not interested in eloquence for eloquence’s sake.

However, we are interested in teaching. I had the privilege this morning again to teach the sacred Scriptures. It was my responsibility to interpret a section in Matthew’s Gospel in such a way that it functioned for my faith-family. We give biblical information and instruction.

We might not think about the second one, “delights.” Maybe because we’re not into entertaining. But what if I changed the angle with a quote from my mentor, Haddon Robinson: “It’s a sin to bore people with the Word of God.” So, if you struggle with the thought of delighting your listeners, you probably don’t struggle with trying to avoid boring your congregants with the Bible.

Finally, the third element, persuasion, is one that I expected to hear, even with my limited reading of ancient rhetoric. And this is one that you and I are extremely interested in. All our efforts to teach serve the goal of persuading our congregants to respond properly to sacred Scripture. Preachers talk about application or persuading listeners to apply their lives to the Bible.

N.B. You may recall from earlier posts that authorized persuasion is organically connected to theological exegesis. This requires skill to identify meaning of a passage that includes what God intends for that passage to do to listeners.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as we begin preparing for victory in our next preaching/teaching assignment.

Randal

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Assisting our “Silent Learners”: Augustine on Preaching

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Some of Our Listeners may Be Silent, but They Are Thinking.

I wrote recently that I finally read Augustine’s classic little paperback, On Christian Doctrine (translated by Robertson). Augustine provides a look at one challenge of the traditional, monologue sermon. He instructs his students,

“In a conversation anyone may ask questions. But where all are silent that one may be heard and all are intent upon him, it is neither customary nor proper that anyone inquire about what he does not understand. For this reason the teacher should be especially careful to assist the silent learner. [emphasis added]” (p. 134)

You can see that, in Augustine’s day, preachers didn’t engage in dialogue with their listeners. In his era, all were “silent that one may be heard and all are intent upon him.” Probably your preaching resembles that too. You preach and your parishioners listen without asking questions about what they don’t understand.

Here are some things to think about as you develop this week’s sermon(s) that will help you “to assist the silent learner”:

  1. As you study your preaching portion, make a list of all the questions you have of this text.
  2. Try to anticipate the kinds of questions that someone who has not studied as much as you might ask of that text.
  3. Try also to anticipate the disagreements they may have with you as you preach. One homiletician called these push-backs, contrapuntals (I knew you’d like that word!).
  4. During the sermon, ask your listeners questions in such a way that they know you expect them to answer. Even if you don’t expect them or necessarily want them to answer, still ask a question sincerely to help them think with you. I say that because, through the years, I’ve seen more than one preaching ask their congregants a question in such a way they knew he really didn’t expect an answer.

Our typical monologue-method on Sunday mornings presents some real problems for communicating biblical truth. Through the years I’ve found a conversational style to be more effective than the one-way method. Most of my listeners are used to monologue sermons, but appreciate the conversation.

If you find that you fit into Augustine’s mode of preaching, may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as you carefully assist your silent learners.

Randal

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How the Condition of your Listeners and Christ-Centered Preaching Affect the Mood of Judgment Texts

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The Mood of the Sermon Matches the Mood of the Scripture, except when…

This past Sunday I had the privilege of preaching through Matthew 11:20-24. It is a judgment text with no good news in it. Speaking to two cities that saw Jesus do “mighty works,” He states that

“it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you” (v. 22).

And then Jesus says to the third city: “You will be brought down to Hades” (v. 23) and “I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

A most depressing segment of Matthew’s Gospel, to be sure. The mood of such Scripture is somber to say the least and the mood of the sermon should match this. And it does for much of the exposition.

However, two things alter that mood.

First, the condition of my listeners meant that there is cause for celebration. Many of my listeners could offer thanks to God for the fact that they had done what the three cities and their inhabitants didn’t do. Many of them–probably most of them–had repented at some point when they heard the Gospel.

Second, the fact that Christ is our Judge means that we can be comforted by the thought of the “day of judgment.” I was able to say to our congregants:

“Your Judge was judged for our sin so that He could one day be our Judge at the Judgment. Just think that your Judge will be your Redeemer, the One who gave His life for you! Imagine how He will rule your case!”

Again, what is, by and large, a most somber, judgment text now contains an element of celebration when we consider the results of God judging His Son on the cross for sinners. No more fear of judgment day. Only praise for the righteousness of Christ credited to our account!

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as you consider how the Gospel affects the mood of even judgment texts.

Randal

For all the care you put into artistry, visual polish frequently doesn’t matter if you are getting the story right.

Ed Catmull, former President of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration (NYC: Random House, 2014), 37
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“Beyond Words to the Heart”: Guest Post by Dr. Ron Gannett

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A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting up with Dr. Ron Gannett. I met him back in the early 90’s when I was pastoring in New Brunswick, Canada. Ron was our keynote speaker for a special conference. Back then he was the Senior Pastor of Park Bible Church in Burlington, ON, Canada. As I young pastor, I remember learning so much from him. So, I was delighted when he contacted me about being in the area (we’re both DTS alumni).

I asked Ron if he would write a guest post for me and here it is. Enjoy!

“Beyond Words to the Heart

I recently attended a funeral where most of the family members, as expected, read their prepared memories about their lost loved one. But, when the pastor did the same by reading his sermon from a manuscript, it communicated to us that it was more about what he was saying than what we were feeling or needing at that moment. As he missed this strategic opportunity to speak from the heart, it reminded me that it is not about what I am saying, but what they are hearing.

Of course, manuscripts are helpful, and I often use bullet points written in my Bible to keep me focused. The issue I am addressing is whether we are too concerned about our presentation at the expense of the listener. Am I trying to give them the whole wheelbarrow of information I learned or equipping them to respond to God’s Word?

When I first started teaching at a Bible College just out of seminary, my dean required that I write my course objectives around three simple directives: what do I want my students to know, feel and do after taking this course. That stretching exercise has shaped my teaching and preaching to this day. It structured the course around the student’s needs, not me.

I have discovered through the years that these three objectives add fulness to the sermon. Sadly, content alone may glorify the preacher or make the listener feel inadequate. But truth that is clear and memorable, encouraging and motives the heart and provides tools and resources for the listener to practice will help produce the spiritual formation we crave for our people.

If you think about it, all three are essential since the emphasis on one without the others will only lead to unhealthy spirituality. So, lets proclaim the glory and grace of God to help hearts know, love and follow Him.”

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You’ve Heard of Thinking on Your Feet, but What About Listening on Your Feet?

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Are you able to listen to the Lord while you preach?

A couple of Sunday’s ago I experienced one of those times when I thought of something new while I was preaching. It wasn’t in my notes; it wasn’t even on my radar (I hadn’t had a fleeting thought that didn’t make it into my notes, only to be recalled while preaching.) In this case it was an illustration that came to me, one that really helped drive home the point in the text. I attributed it to the Holy Spirit’s help, not to something gastro-intestinal.

You too have probably had this happen. While you’re preaching or teaching you think on your feet. It can be described just as accurately as listening on your feet.

So, what has to happen for you and me to listen to the Spirit and learn while I’m preaching?

First, I do not think we can control this. If I remember correctly, the wind blows wherever it wants to. There is no formula that guarantees the Spirit will teach you something new, something substantial, every time you preach/teach.

But here are some things that may make it possible for the Spirit to teach me while I preach.

  • I choose to believe that just because my official study time and sermon prep is over, I am not done learning. I want to remain teachable and eager to learn from the Lord, especially while I am preaching.
  • The better I know my material, the better I am able to listen to the Lord while I am preaching. A good handle on the material means I don’t have to think about what to say next.
  • My congregants have some good insights that teach me while I am preaching. There are many times when dialogue teaches me. I had not thought of it and the thought of it added to my sermon. Technically, you might say that that was not the Spirit but another Christian. I agree. For the sake of this post, let’s say that the Spirit taught them, so He indirectly taught me.
  • Finally, I can preach and think at the same time. I don’t mean thinking about what to say, but really think about the Text and what it means. Ask yourself whether you are able to think and learn while you’re preaching. I don’t have to stop studying, stop listening to God, because I started to preach.

Anyway, I hope that you are able to invite the Spirit of God to teach you while you preach and teach His Word. In my case a couple of Sunday’s ago, the Lord received glory in the church and Christ Jesus because I was listening on my feet (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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An Example of the Second Reason We Might Put our Listeners to Sleep (the Beatitudes)

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We Could Be Losing our Listeners with our Well-crafted (yawn) Outlines.

A couple of weeks ago I suggest that we contribute to that glazed look (the Steve Carrel pic) by (1) allowing gaps in the emotional connection between our sermon data and our listener’s response and (2) allowing gaps in the logical connection between our sermon data–even main points–and our listener’s response.

In both cases I am talking about responses in terms of worship responses: what God intends for Scripture to do to the Christian.

An example of the second phenomenon is a sermon on the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.

There are nine “Blessed are’s…” in the section (vv. 1-12). I chose to spend two sermons on all nine (I covered the first three and then the final six).

This type of list can easily cause slumber in the seats because of how easy it is to allow gaps in the logical connection between the individual Beatitude and a worship response.

That means we have to work hard at each Beatitude, each main point if you will, to keep the worship response intact.

I did not do a very good job at this because I chose to cover the final six together: how the blessed ones are described.

Then, it was time to play catch up and connect the dots between Beatitude and God’s intention for announcing such blessings: Kingdom-Made Christians…

  • believe the blessing
  • stabilize their hope in this upside down world
  • assess the degree that they mirror these characteristics

I hope you can see that too many minutes between those bullet points and each Beatitude can create the yawns or blank stares.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as work hard to keep strong emotional and logical connections with our listeners who have ears to hear.

Randal

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Revisiting that First Reason We Might Lose our Listeners

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He couldn’t take any more of my fascinating biblical history lesson! Go figure.

In the previous post I talked about how the loss of emotional and logical connections can contribute to listener fallout. This weekend I want to elaborate on the first one.

My main preaching mentor, the late Haddon Robinson, taught us a major difference between preaching and lecturing. My own students each year are reminded of the difference between two stances: historical lecturer vs. theological preacher.

Haddon’s words were: the lecturer talks to people about the Bible, while the preacher talks to people about people from the Bible.

It is difficult to find balance, but ideally we want the sermon to sound like we’re talking to our listeners about them throughout the message. In the sermon, the Lord is addressing them and expecting them to respond to His Word.

That means that even those minutes devoted to explaining historical background, for instance, must quickly be reeled back into the preacher’s stance. The historical data, or exegetical data for that matter serves the purpose of theology–Scripture functioning for the Church.

Too many minutes of the lecturer’s stance–talking to them about the Bible–creates a lull in our emotional connection with our listeners.

If you had the courage to listen to a recent sermon, listen to which stance you’re in most of the time. You might find that you’re conditioned to be a lecturer. And you might try to reframe your delivery so that you talk to your listeners about them from the Bible. It will be more difficult for them to fall asleep on you if you’re talking to them about them and, as always, our Lord will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

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Two Reasons We Might Lose Our Listeners

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At times, we might contribute to this classic parishioner, blank stare.

One advantage of experiencing a couple of surgeries to extract a 6mm kidney stone from my right kidney was the opportunity to listen to a couple of sermons.

Preachers can relate to this. I was sincerely wanting to worship, not critique the sermon. But while I was worshiping, the homiletician in me thought, “Try to figure out the cause of the blank stare syndrome.”

I came up with two things over the past few weeks. They may help you as you prepare to preach.

First, I help create the blank stare when there is a lull in the emotional connection. There are sermon minutes filled with minutia that do not engage the listener. The data is not connected to any worship response. Many listeners who take God’s Word seriously will endure these minutes until the impact returns. But it’s painful for them and I don’t wan to cause this.

Second, I also help create the blank stare when there is a break in the logical flow of the subject matter. Too many minutes elapse as too many details are disconnected to the main worship response. And this can all happen within a well-crafted outline. Listeners easily lose their place in a sermon. Sometimes we lead them down this path of inactive learning by not connecting the individual concepts to their worship.

The two reasons I’ve listed cover the emotional and logical components of listening. Both are equally important for communication.

When you’re on vacation this summer and you’re a worshiper, play the reason-for-the-blank-stare game. God knows why you’re doing it. You want to be a better preacher. See if you experience what I did and for similar reasons.

And He will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) because of His gift and your extra effort to improve.

Randal

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Guest Post: Working Harder To Preach Shorter

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Dave and I enjoyed fun times together at our Global Outreach Summit. He also has great interest in hermeneutics and homiletics.

Dave Shive is a 1968 graduate of Washington Bible College, and a 1972 graduate of Capital Bible Seminary with a Th.M. in New Testament Studies. He is also a 1994 graduate of the Baltimore Hebrew University where he received an M.A. in Biblical Literature. Dave also pursued doctoral studies at Baltimore Hebrew University.

He has spent the past 48 years in fulltime ministry as a pastor, Christian school director, college professor, and missions advocate.

Since 2008, Dave and Kathy have served as full time mission mobilizers. They are currently on staff with Frontier Ventures (formerly the U.S. Center for World Mission) in Pasadena, CA.  

Dave and Kathy will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary in June 2022. They have lived in Catonsville, MD, for 25 years. They have three married children, Dan, Mike, and Becky and are the proud grandparents of 11 grandchildren.

Working Harder to Preach Shorter

As a guest speaker, I was recently asked to limit my sermon to 25 minutes. As one who prefers 35 or 40 minutes to preach, I was confronted by a daunting challenge. Oddly enough, I find that preparing this short post on preaching short sermons is much more difficult than writing a longer post about preaching shorter sermons!

As I prepared my short(er) sermon, I recalled a senior pastor who, when asked by a guest preacher how long he could speak, replied, “Five minutes shorter than you think.”  The senior pastor was probably thinking that he had heard many sermons that could be improved if only they were a bit shorter. One homiletics professor confided to me that each year one or two students would tell him that they could preach a better sermon in class if they were only allowed more pulpit time. The good prof’s response was always the same: “No, you couldn’t” (said with a smile).

As I was preparing my 25-minute sermon, the difficulties in preparing a shorter message were glaring. My struggle reminded me of the quote by Blaise Pascal: “I would have written a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time.” Similar to Pascal, I realized I could preach a shorter sermon, but I would need a lot more prep time! Therein lies the dilemma of preaching with less allotted time.

To reduce the length of a sermon, more care is required in the selection of what to say. There also needs to be a ruthless culling of what NOT to say. Almost every pastor can agree that preaching for 25 minutes is harder than preaching for 45. Give me a text and I can preach on it for an hour with little preparation (I’m not saying it would be a good sermon!). But give me the same text and ask me to preach on it for 25 minutes and I would need significantly more prep time.

To preach a shorter sermon, one must be more deliberate, focused, conscious of every word, sentence, paragraph, and idea. Greater discipline is needed to make the best use of every precious minute. I found myself desperately returning again and again to my Big Idea to make sure everything I was saying was necessary and remained true to the text.

Oh, and a footnote to my story about my 25-minute sermon. When I arrived at my guest home the night before I was to preach, I was informed that I could take as much time as I needed! Relieved to hear that, I only exceeded my original time limit by a few minutes the next morning. I realized that my preparation for a 25-minute delivery enabled me to preach a much better sermon.This kind of sermon preparation is great practice in developing homiletical discipline. Try this sample exercise: If you have 40 minutes to deliver a sermon, prepare as if you only have 25 minutes to preach. See what happens!