BookPastor >> "Power in the Pulpit" (Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on May 8th, 2017.

c

---

TITLE: Power in the Pulpit: How to Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons
AUTHOR: Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2017, (448 pages).

Preaching is hard. Good preaching is rare. Being able to sit through a well-prepared, well-delivered, and well-researched sermon is a tremendous blessing for any Christian community. Many preaching books nowadays try to address the great need for biblical preaching and an appropriate level of delivery that balances theological orthodoxy, biblical faithfulness, cultural awareness, and the cry for help and the hunger for hope. Not many can achieve this. This book hits close to this target. One clue about the effectiveness of this book is the need for a new edition to keep up with changing needs and changing times. First published in 1999, author Jerry Vines had been preaching for over 40 years. Half of that time was when he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville. At that time, he had a passion for sharing his knowledge and experience with fellow preachers. Knowing the tough demands on the pastoral vocation, he senses a great need to equip fellow preachers with some basic pulpit skills. Basically, it needs to address two things: Faithfulness to the Word; and fruitfulness as the Word takes root in the hearers. During the past decade, many things have changed, most importantly, the cultural shifts that have been occurring in the world we live. Most of the material from the first edition have been preserved. This new edition not only updates the material, it strengthens the expository preaching preparation part and simplifies the delivery. It is also more conversational when compared with the original.

BookPastor >> "Preaching Old Testament Narratives" (Benjamin H. Walton)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Jan 20th, 2017.

c

---

TITLE: Preaching Old Testament Narratives (Preaching with Excellence)
AUTHOR: Benjamin H. Walton
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2016, (256 pages).

What does it mean to preach with biblical authority? How do we preach in a manner that relates to modern life? What is biblical preaching and expository preaching? This comes from sound exegesis and hermeneutics, followed by an appropriate rhetoric. Beginning with the stories of three pastors trying to preach biblically and with relevance an Old Testament narrative, this book compares the differences between Old and New Testament narratives. We are advised against adopting a "monkey-see-monkey-do" method of interpretation. He teaches us terms like:

• Complete Unit of Thought (CUT)
• Original-Theological Message (OTM)
• Take-Home Truth (THT)

He cautions us from ways of misapplying the Bible: like springboarding; universalizing plot lines; and ways in which we fail to consider properly a CUT; a OTM; and a THT. Walton shows us the way through the following steps:

1. Selecting a CUT
2. Identifying the Theological and Historical contexts
3. Studying the Plot
4. Discovering the OTM
5. Crafting the THT

BookPastor >> "How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All Its Worth" (Christopher J.H. Wright)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on April 16th, 2016.

conrade

---

TITLE: How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All Its Worth
AUTHOR: Christopher J.H. Wright
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016, (288 pages).

Christians who believe in the authority of the Bible will have no problem about the importance of the Old Testament. However, when it comes to communicating the truths and the nuances of the biblical texts for the general audience, it becomes more challenging because of the ancient contexts, the archaic languages used, and how it is relevant for contemporary cultures. Author Christopher Wright has seen it all. He knows how infrequent preachers use the Old Testament for their Sunday sermons. Even those who teach prefer to use the New Testament as it involves less work for the teacher and less intense for the students. Yet, the difficulty should not be the reason for not studying the Old Testament. Despite the title of the book, there is a progression of why first before the how. This is important.

Part One of the book is about the WHY we need to preach and teach the Old Testament. Part Two reveals the HOW.

BookPastor >> "Preaching the Whole Counsel of God" (Julius Kim)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Feb 12th, 2016.

conrade

---

TITLE: Preaching the Whole Counsel of God: Design and Deliver Gospel-Centered Sermons
AUTHOR: Julius J. Kim
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015, (240 pages).

There are lots of preaching going on every week everywhere. Due to the many different theories and philosophies surrounding the ministry of preaching, very often, it is not easy to distinguish what is true preaching of the whole counsel of God. Some expound the Bible well but fail to connect with contemporary relevance. Others connect so well that they fail to emphasize the relevance of the gospel to life. Some believe that content is everything while others insist on the method of delivery. Not only that, preaching is also about the audience. Do we preach until it hurts or do we maintain a level of feel-good healing posture? This book is important for the simple fact that good preaching means reestablishing a renewed confidence in the Word of God for all of life. The basic question in this book is this: What constitutes the whole counsel of God?

As far as author Julius Kim is concerned, there are four parts to this. Preaching must begin with the author's discovery of the truth; progressing to discerning the truth; designing the message; and finally delivering the text.

1. The herald must discover the truth of the text according to the human author.
2. The herald must discern Christ in the text according to the Divine Author.
3. The herald must design a sermon that is true, good, and beautiful.
4. The herald must deliver the sermon for attention, retention, integration, and transformation.

BookPastor >> "A Vision for Preaching" (Abraham Kuruvilla)

This review was first published on Jan 4th, 2016 at Panorama of a Book Saint. 

conrade

---

TITLE: A Vision for Preaching: Understanding the Heart of Pastoral Ministry
AUTHOR: Abraham Kuruvilla
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015, (214 pages).

Three words anchor this book: "Preach the Word." The purpose is to let the Word shine in this world biblically, pastorally, amid an "alchemical and distillatory tendencies of this generation." This means not submitting to humanistic desires for newness but to re-tell God's story faithfully regardless of old or new. This means not succumbing to tendencies to reduce to Word to what it is not, but let the Word speak clearly, insightfully, and powerfully. As far as the author is concerned, it involves eight questions based on eight preaching thrusts:

1. Whose words were these words originally? (Biblical)
2. Who said it? (Pastoral)
3. In what context? (Ecclesial)
4. What should these words convey? (Communicational)
5. What is the general thrust of the text? (Theological)
6. Who was the audience? (Applicational)
7. Why was it said? (Conformational)
8. To what ultimate end? (Doxological)
9. By whose power? (Spiritual)

All of these are summarized in one vision statement: "Preaching is biblical (Biblical) - by a leader of the church (Pastoral) - in a gathering of Christians for worship (Ecclesial) - is the communication of the thrust of a pericope of Scripture (Communicational) - discerned by theological exegesis, (Theological) - and of its application to that specific body of believers, (Applicational) - that they may be conformed to the image of Christ, (Conformational) - for the glory of God (Doxological) - all in the power of the Holy Spirit (Spiritual)."

BookPastor >> "Preaching by Ear" (Dave McClelland)

You don't have to be a preacher to benefit from this book. There are lots of tips for Bible teachers and communications in general. This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Nov 24th, 2014.

conrade

---

TITLE: Preaching by Ear: Speaking God's Truth from the Inside Out
AUTHOR: Dave McClelland
PUBLISHER: Wooster, OH: Weaver Book Company, 2014, (176 pages).

Preaching is not only about giving a sermon. It is also about preparing the preacher. This two step process is critical, but it needs to begin at the heart. For once, the heart is right, we have one foot firmly on solid ground. As for the other foot, we will need an "orally based model of preaching." This two-part preaching process is taught in this book, with a very intriguing title, "preaching by ear." I have heard of "playing it by ear" by musicians, as a way in which experienced persons "wing it" or let the spirit flow. In social circles, when people say, "Let's play by ear," it can also mean staying flexible to decide the right moves later. More importantly, in preaching by ear, one preaches out of something rich and full "because the preacher and the sermon are inextricably linked," so says Dave McClellan, Pastor of the Chapel at Tinkers Creek in Ohio. With a PhD in Rhetoric and Communications from Duquesne University, McClelland is well equipped to show us how to move sermons from paper into the preacher's heart, and then to the audience. For the author, preaching by ear is a movement from literary sermon to "the orally driven sermon." The former streams off from the written text while the latter springs from the impressed heart. Preaching by ear carries with it an aura of vulnerability and risk. How do we cultivate a heart that leads to the ability to preach by ear?

Kregel Blog Tour: Larry Moyer's books on Evangelistic Sermons

TITLE: Show Me How to Illustrate/Preach Evangelistic Sermons
AUTHOR: R. Larry Moyer
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2012.

ISBN: 9780825438806 (254 pages)

ISBN: 9780825433566 (368 pages)

There are two books that I will be reviewing together in one post. Written by the same author, it is about the practical implications of communicating the gospel over the pulpit. It is about designing, demonstrating, and showing readers, pastors, teachers, and communicators on the hows, the whys, and the whats of the message.


Book #1: How To Preach Evangelistic Sermons

The author starts off with a candid appraisal of his own humble beginnings. He shares about his early years of being corrected for not speaking clearly enough. With help from his seminary professor and a speech therapist, Moyer eventually hones his speaking skills and is able to let his passion drives his speaking. The book is arranged in two parts. In the first pare, he looks at the opportunity to learn to improve one's skills no matter how difficult it is. He clarifies what expository preaching is. He probes into the reasons why expository and evangelistic sermons are few and hard to find. He tackles the challenges of dealing with such topics. He warns preachers against 4 erroneous assumptions and provides 6 different ways to communicate an evangelistic message. While it is normal to expect preachers to prepare messages targeted at believers, Moyer makes a point to remind preachers how to design a message for unbelievers even in a non-evangelistic setting. This part essentially helps readers make the most of all the possible opportunities to bring about an evangelistic message, that evangelism is both to believers and non-believers; both good times and bad; both service and sermon; both expository and evangelistic, etc.

Part Two goes into the nitty-gritty of designing, preparing, and preaching an evangelistic sermon. Using a generous helping of stories, examples, and illustrations, Moyer shows us how to communicate seemingly simple terms such as 'sin' or 'sinner.' He makes a case for ensuring our message be simple enough and understandable not only by laypersons, but for non-believers. That means clarity and frequent explanation of terms. He points out the need to let grace and truth flow together as one body. Content-wise, it is critical for sermons to have good illustrations. Context-wise, it is important to understand the audience and the setting. In terms of method, repetition, humour, length of message are all crucial elements of an evangelistic sermon. Most of all, the message needs to aim at the hearts of men for the Spirit of God to touch.

The Appendices complement the book with an example sermon on John 3:16, Luke 19, and ways in which we can creatively ask questions of the audience.

Book #2: How to Illustrate Evangelistic Sermons

Moyer provides this companion volume to the first book that can be a useful reference for preachers, pastors, and teachers.  In a nutshell, illustrations need to be relevant, pertinent, sufficient, engaging, believable, understandable, and appropriate.  He then provides a library of illustrations that cover three major aspects of an evangelistic sermons: Sin, Substitution, and Saving Faith.

This book shows us the hows, the whats and the whys on using illustrations in sermons. It gives readers a one-volume collection of illustrations, checklist, and topics. What is most useful for me is the way in which the author guides readers on the use of each illustration, with "Possible Entrance" and "Possible Exit" like parenthesis of each illustration. That to me is in itself worth the price of the book.

My General Comments (Both books)

These two books form an important resource for all preachers and teachers. In fact, sermons ought to be evangelistic as the Word of God needs to be constantly preached to both believers and unbelievers. The latter needs to hear the good news. The former needs to be reminded of the gospel. I find the book useful for three reasons. Firstly, it shows us what expository preaching really is and that evangelistic sermons ought to be the staple of every Church. As a student of Dr Haddon Robinson, I find myself nodding my head at every page I turn. Moyer has applied Haddon's teachings in many ways, faithfully and diligently. Secondly, it reminds all preachers that preaching is hard work and not to be taken lightly. This hard work includes the need to continue to improve our speaking and communicating skills, the need to use fresh examples, and the need to continue learning and growing as students of the Word. Thirdly, this book is a resource that preachers can readily use when they preach. Although the title of the book refers to 'evangelistic sermons,' the illustrations are so good that they can be readily applied in many different kinds of messages. In fact, this book may very well encourage preachers to learn and to collect more illustrations from other sources, especially from a more personalized perspective. What I particularly like in this book is the way the author shows us 'possible entrance' and the 'possible exit' of each illustration. That easily is worth the price of the book.

That said, I have a few observations which I hope to see greater improvement. Firstly, it will have been better for the two books to be combined into one volume. For those of us with library of books, it is so easy to pick up one book and then misplace the other. Moreover, if not for the blog tour requirement, I will not have noticed that these two books are supposed to be purchased in pairs! Perhaps, the cover of the book can indicate something to show readers that there is a companion volume to the book.  Secondly, a preface or an introduction will be good for the prospective reader to get a map of where the author is going. In such an introduction, the author can also share with readers what the book is meant or not meant to achieve. Perhaps, share the philosophy behind the book clearly in the introduction. Thirdly, have a conclusion and a list of resources for the interested reader to look at.

As a preacher and pastor, I feel that these two books form an important resource for the sharing of the Word of God over the pulpit. Congratulations and thanks to Larry Moyer for sharing this wonderful resource and for serving the preaching community with books like these.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.


conrade

---

This book has been provided to me free by Kregel Publications without any obligation for a positive review. All comments furnished above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Four Critical Moods in Preaching

TITLE: THE FOUR CRITICAL MOODS IN PREACHING
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 18 May 2011

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction." (2 Tim 4:2)

[This article is first published on SabbathWalk]

I love to preach. Having gone through theological training, and being schooled by some of the best preachers in the world, I still feel frequently inadequate. The irony is that when I feel confident, and when I think I have preached well, there seem to be very little effect on the people. On the other hand, when I feel weak, and inadequate after my preaching, strangely, lives are touched. Preaching can be a humbling experience. I have a world-class professor as my mentor. He has been voted one of the top 12 best preachers in North America. Sitting through his class is an experience in itself.

I write the following to remind myself about the FOUR critical moods needed before, during, and after preaching. If you are a preacher, or one who may be called upon from time to time to preach the gospel, feel free to listen in.

Book Review: "YHWH"

TITLE: YHWH (The Flood, the Fish and the Giant - ancient stories retold)
AUTHOR: G. P. Taylor & Paula K. Parker
Published: London: Authentic Media, 2010.
Reviewed by: Conrade Yap

A) WHO SAYS OLD STORIES CANNOT BE REFRESHING?
This book is a refreshing re-telling of the biblical stories in the Old Testament. From the creation story at the Garden of Eden, to the amazing experience of Isaiah the prophet, Taylor and Parker masterfully crafts modern story-telling skills with vivid imaginations that could instill attentive listening for jaded ears. In twenty short chapters, the authors capture the essence of the story by heightening the effects through conversations, and makes the scene comes alive with props and scenes that reflect a modern Hollywood drama.

In fact, the book can be used directly as a Sunday School play. With very little editing, the fast movement in the story line can bring a fresh understanding to these ancient stories, retold from a contemporary mindset. I am impressed by the way the authors communicated their belief in timeless principles by drawing a lot of meaning for our time-based culture. One example is the chapter on Noah's Ark and the Great Flood. Faith being the timeless principle, Noah explains his decision to his children as follows:

"The ways of the Creator are not our ways. Our minds cannot understand. In faith I take all that is said as the truth and in that I put my trust." (25)

One thing that modern readers of ancient Scriptures struggle with is the effect of how the Israelites of old feels when they hear the spoken words. Thus, sometimes we tend to read Scriptures without feeling the actual effect. The authors of the book fills in this gap with a livid imagery, to reinforce the scary effect of the size of the descendents of Anak. A few times, there were statements of how scary these Canaanites are.

"... these giants eat children who do not do their work." (150)

B) STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
With repetition and clever play of emotional effects, Taylor and Parker makes the biblical stories virtually come alive. Below are what I feel are the strengths of the book:

• It gives a very fresh look at the biblical stories without seriously compromising on the original content;
• It keeps people awake from otherwise a very monotonous reading;
• It communicates strongly the emotional impact of the narratives;
• It makes the stories fun to listen to;
• The stories are very suitable for ready-made plays in Sunday School performance, Church Camp Fun nights, acting out the biblical scene, as well as communicating biblical truths clearly.
• It is a powerful preacher's and teacher's tool for giving a wide repertoire of telling the stories.
• It communicates without becoming 'preachy.'

Here are some cautions to take note of.

• There are some parts which are not recorded in the Bible, but added in to increase/decrease impact.
• Certain names and characters are invented.
• Some of the conversations made are entirely fictional. 
• If we were to read the book by itself, we may even be mistake to think that the Bible contains all these material. 

In order to maximize benefit from reading the book, and to minimize wrong perceptions, I will strongly encourage readers to read the book with the Bible next to it. The authors give us a helpful text note at the end of the book (p306) to tell readers where the stories are taken from. If you read the Bible together with this book, not only will your reading be richer, you will feel motivated to read more of the Bible, and perhaps, do your own retelling in your own unique manner. I strongly recommend this book to preachers, teachers, Sunday School classes, Bible teachers and those who work a lot with youths and children.

conrade

"Book has been provided courtesy of Authentic Media and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller." 

Worldliness in the Church

TITLE: Worldliness in the Church
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 17 July 2010

MAIN IDEA: Beware the presence of worldliness in the church, especially those that perpetuate the promiscuities of prosperity.

At the end of the 19th Century, Bishop Huntington of Central New York writes this in a religious journal related to the Quakers, 'The Friend.' He warns the professing Church of Christ about the internal threat to the Church: "Worldliness in the Church."

"In prosperous times like ours, and in affluent communities, Antichrist goes himself to church, patronizes preaching, buys a pew, gets himself elected to the vestry, and takes a hand in shaping the policy of the establishment, and by blandishment or bluster, in pitching the keys of the pulpit. All that you may hear said of the mischief of this secular corruption in disordering Christ's family, vitiating doctrine, emasculating the manhood of the ministry, and lowering the standard of personal righteousness, rather understates than exaggerates the fact. It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the Gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity."

(Bishop Frederic D. Huntington, in THE FRIEND – A religious and Literary Journal, Vol LXII, Philadelphia: WM H Pile’s Sons, 1889, p326)

What a paradox. The more prosperous we are, the greater the tendency toward worldliness. It certainly casts a fresh light to what it means when Jesus tells us to choose between God or Money.  In Matthew 6:24, the word, Mammon, translated as Money, is also understood as 'that which we show our allegiance to.'  We have to choose either to worship God or to worship idols. There is no other way. Huntington hits it hard, and it appears that the battles that he fought in his era, are not so much different than 2010 now. The greatest threat to the Church is the insidious invasion of the pursuit of prosperity instead of the pursuit of Christ.

The 'Prosperity Gospel' has been going on for quite a while. The Wealth and Health teachings have gripped the attention of many faithfuls, who virtually soak in everything the Faith-Word healers and preachers offer on their stage. Under the guise of religion, they have legitimized their pursuit of wealth. Under the convenient permission of God wanting them to be rich, they have justified their own hoarding in the name of using wealth to help others. Under the constant barrage of teachings against the law, they have conveniently excused themselves from having to obey the disciplines of old, in favour of an unlimited providence from a cuddly 'daddy' God. They have replaced the dangers of sin with the wagers of pleasure. The biggest concern I have is the direct equation of blessings with all things 'material.' When this happens, is this not a forming of a golden calf of Materialism? Is this not a new face of Mammon? I ask, how can this ever be a legitimate pursuit of Christ? Do we really need so much 'blessings' in order to bless others? The way to bless others is not on the basis of replicating our own appetites inside them. It is to let them grow their love toward God and neighbour in their own special way.

 [Picture Credit: imspeakingtruth.wordpress.com]

A) Worldliness in the Church
I am not saying that everyone in the prosperity gospel churches are infatuated with materialism. In fact, I will grant that there are genuine people within the flock, who yearns to know and to love Jesus more. Many of them are pious, and are generous with what they have. Some are even prepared to live sacrificially, that the Name of Christ can be broadcast farther. What bothers me is the teaching. If I were to blame, I blame the preachers for giving hopes centered on materialism. I blame these stage performers for trying to paint God like a heavenly treasury, or a heavenly Bank that writes checks that can be readily cashed on earth.  Sometimes, the world that we live in influence our attitudes toward worldly possessions and worldly pursuits.

The Chicago pastor AW Tozer writes,

"In a similar sense, there are those who are more influenced by the world than by the New Testament, and they are not ready for the Holy Spirit. Of these people, we have to say that they are influenced far more by Hollywood than they are by Jerusalem. Their spirit and mode of life are more like Hollywood than it is like Jerusalem. If you were to suddenly set them down in the New Jerusalem, they would not feel at home because their mode, the texture of their mind, has been created for them by twentieth century entertainment and not by the things of God!" (AW Tozer)

Using the formula of entertainment, riches, and health, how can any church NOT draw people in? How can such an organization not grow? How can anyone resist the temptation of getting rich materially while accumulating spiritual knowledge?

B) An Old Argument?
My question is: Is this dated, old warning from Bishop Huntington relevant for us today? For those of us who immediately asks WHY, may I suggest we ask with the same breath, "Why not?"

One of the problems of modern Christianity, especially in developed countries is that we seek ways in which to justify what we have. The rich tries to justify their pursuit of more riches. The poor tries to justify for additional wealth. Prosperity Gospel does not care whether one is rich or poor. For example, in the rich West, "Prosperity Gospel' quickly becomes a convenient way for people to get more in order to become happier. In the poorer parts of the world, like Africa, the poor are deceived into giving away whatever little they have to the coffers of the prosperity preachers, and in the process, starving their needy families for the needed funds to buy food and clothing. In some ways, the fanatical follower of the Prosperity Gospel is like the gambler addicted to gambling.

It is easy for us to go to lengths and defend our current lifestyles. It is easy to blame it on our busy schedules and that we have lots of other things better to do. It is also quite common to say that we cannot control our society. After all, we need to make a living right? Wrong!

C) The Seduction of Positive Power
In the book "Losing Moses on the Freeway," Chris Hedges sees similarities between motivational gurus like Anthony Robbins and the prosperity gospel preachers. He writes about Anthony Robbins:

"His message is a secular version of the television evangelist's gospel of greed and personal empowerment. Once you pay your tithe to these groups, God will shower you with blessings. God will do your bidding. God will make you rich. The testimonials used by these multimillionaire television evangelists differ little from those used by Robbins. Robbins offer secular rather than divine tools to reach the same end. Each peddles a dangerous form of self-worship. They tap into the greed that runs like an electric current through America. They promise quick, easy shortcuts to get what we want, to become the idol we worship." (Chris Hedges, Losing Moses on the Freeway, NY: Free Press, 2005, p161) 

We become the idols we worship. In fact, when followers vigorously, and vehemently defend their prosperity preachers with their lives, they have sought to protect the idols both outside and inside. Both feed on each other. Such adherents need their preachers to feed them more of the prosperity gospel. Without them, they suffocate. That is why they defend tooth and nail to ensure that their prosperity idols remain intact, so that their inner idols remain steadfast in their hearts.

D) Wisdom from Proverbs
The wisdom from Proverbs show us the way to navigate through the valley of the shadow of worldliness. It says:

“Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." (Proverbs 30:7-8)

How we need to pray this prayer each day. We need God to show us that all we need is our daily bread. We pray the Lord's prayer to grant us our daily providence, and to lead us not to temptation but to deliver us from evil. We need to declare that God is our Heavenly Father, and in Him alone we trust and declare our sufficiency. God has freed us not only from the law, but also from the deceitful desires after Mammon; and the Money that the idol of prosperity promises.

Beware of the insidious tendencies of the prosperity gospel that leads us to idolatry. They will even use the Name of Christ to legitimize our pursuits. They will accuse those who are against prosperity preaching, to people who prefer poverty and sickness. This is absurd. Such accusations border on mischief more than anything else. Believers in Christ, when they are led by the Spirit will seek to shine a light in a world of darkness. May I encourage believers, even those in the prosperity gospel camp, to seek Christ and Christ alone. That whether in riches or in poverty, it is only Christ they seek. As we do this more and more, we learn to banish worldliness from the church. For the Church, neither prosperity nor poverty should be sought. They must seek Christ alone, and they do so on the sufficiency of the daily bread God faithfully delivers each day.

In Christ, we do not need to come to God: "Can I have more money please?" Instead we come and we say: "Have mercy on me, O God!" Beware too, that worldliness can infect not only churches that teaches the prosperity gospel. It can influence *ANY* church.

conrade

Talk@VST: "Biblical Narrative in an Age of Twitter" (Barbara Brown Taylor)

I traveled to UBC on Tuesday to attend a lunchtime talk. Thanks to VST and the Peter Hayes grant toward sponsoring the lectures, we in Vancouver were able to listen first-hand to a world-class preacher. Dr Barbara Brown Taylor is one of my favourite preachers and authors. I see how effective she was in terms of communicating with wit, humor, honesty and poise. She has a magical ability to weave words together into beautiful prose. The lecture sounds like musical notes strung together melodiously. It gives me encouragement, to learn to revere the power of words. Entitled, "Biblical Narrative in the Age of Twitter," Taylor talked about the intersection of faith and culture, the biblical faith, with the contemporary culture of today.

With wit and humor, she helps the audience lower their guards with her plain honesty and simplicity. Describing her clumsy experiences with technology, she begins with a heartening disclosure of her limited TV signals (one!) and the intrusion of cell phones into the lives of her students, something she says has never truly comprehended. She shares an important observation, that faith and culture seems to be clashing, just like 'virtual reality' being at loggerheads with 'actual reality.' The deeper danger is not the clash but the losing of self. OK. I know that. What else?

She talks about our own lives' narrative. That the real meaning of freedom is in terms of giving attention, awareness, and effort to appreciate people. Those of us who have read her book, "Geography of Faith - An Altar in the World," will be familiar with this. Essentially, her key note is that it takes a story (our life) to make a story (our calling). With anecdotes and stories from her wide literary library, Taylor puts together an enjoyable talk that we can identify with. The most humourous part of the talk is the part about the 'living novel' project she read about, from a student who tattooed a word 'and' on her arm. The organizers of this project will invite participants and volunteers to choose one word and tattoo it on their bodies. At a specified date, volunteers will turn up at a location to stand with other volunteers with their chosen word tattooed on them as well. Depending on the number of people who turns up, the organizers will then put the people together to form phrases, which will determine how the living novel will look like. It can be a bizarre experience, like a human scrabble where instead of letters, people come as words.

My Comments
The whole talk was delivered like a living narrative. Those of us who attends her talk, thinking that it is something to do with technology cannot be more wrong. Taylor's gift is not in explaining the do's and don'ts of technology usage. Her talent lies in the ability to craft a story with words, and astute observations of contemporary culture, backed by biblical faith. She is a world-class preacher.

I learn that when we give talks, it is a powerful way to communicate narrative by being able to narrate our lives with it as well. In our modern age (age of Twittter), where people tend to rush, push and shove, we need to learn to connect, to recognize our own limitations, and to engage culture as persons. In other words, in an age of Twitter, when we engage culture, there are 2 things to note. Firstly, we need to be conscious of our own life narrative, who we are, what defines us. This helps us understand who we are regardless of what is happening out there in the world. Secondly, we need to recognize that the world is changing constantly. Sometimes, the best way is not to explain the world away through problem solving or solution seeking. The best way is to use a story (our life) to tell the story (our engagement with contemporary culture).

"Biblical Narrative in an Age of Twitter" is a compelling title to remind us of these 2 thrusts. Remarkably, Taylor provides us another insight, in that sometimes it is not us who choose the narrative, but the narratives that choose us. Above all, our narrative of life is based on what we give our attention to. This is the single most important nugget I take home that day. Thanks Dr Taylor.

I left the lunchtime talk with a personal autograph from Barbara Brown Taylor. Awesome. If only this talk has been more widely publicized.

conrade

Justifying One's Existence

JUSTIFYING ONE's EXISTENCE

It happened to me before when I was working for an IT firm. After a particularly bad quarter, my superior will somehow indicate to me with a wink: "Justify your existence." This essentially means the following.

"Conrade. You know the company is not meeting its targets for the past two quarters. Can you show me the reasons to keep you? Can you help me justify your continued employment in this company?"

The statement flows softly, but bellows loudly through my ears. It pierces my heart to think that even the boss that I trust can be so cold and business-like. Maybe he is just doing his job. Maybe he needs to protect his position as well. Maybe I am simply not up to his expectation. Maybe he sees it as a way to spur my performance.

Justify your existence in the company.

This past year, I have also witnessed layoffs and retrenchments happening in non-profit organizations. A pastor friend of mine was laid off recently. The setback is not just the job, but a tremendous loss of self-esteem. Ministers of God's churches are still human. They need to feed their family. They need to exercise their training and gifts. They need to be faithful to the calling they have received. A retrenchment is like a slap on that original sense of calling. When one can no longer justify one's existence in any organization, it is time to say goodbye.

The Calm Before the Storm
In profit-based corporations, successive poor financial performances only mean one thing: Retrenchment is coming. Amid the hive of activity lies an arduous mood of gloom. One starts to wonder how long one can continue to justify his or her own existence in the firm.

In non-profit companies, like churches and charitable organizations, a hint of worse times to come appears through 'innocent' questions. For instance, one of the dreaded questions to ever ask any minister is this:

"How much time do you spend in preparing a sermon?"

When the funds are low, the board members, or the person holding the purse strings will tend to ask questions like these. It can make a preacher felt threatened, or left scrambling for numbers to 'justify his own existence.' When a church wants to cut costs, or manage spending, this question can be deadly to the joy of serving in the ministry of preaching. In an insightful article "Why Pay the Preacher?" by Dan Hotchkiss, the writer brings us to appreciate the inner rumblings of the preacher upon hearing about connecting hours to sermon preparation time. I loved the humor in it.

"Last week's sermon about aging took me sixty years."

We can laugh at it, but not all treasurers of finance board members will find it funny. They are dead serious that we justify the amount of money the church pays its pastors and preachers. In good times, where church members are regularly contributing, preachers need not 'justify their existence.' In lean times, where the money is tight, this is when faith gets tested, financially.

My Idea on Preaching
For me, I think preaching is a calling that cannot be easily quantified into hours and minutes. There are weeks in which it takes just a couple of hours to put together a moving sermon. There are also times in which even 3 full continuous days of preparation draw a blank. Preparing a sermon is not a task but an attitude. It is an attitude that stems from a living relationship with Jesus. It is an aptitude that grows from a loving relationship with people. It is one's inner gratitude to God and neighbour that enables one to preach faithfully and truthfully in God, to the people of God.

Preaching is very much my passion. I wrote an article this week about it on SabbathWalk. In it, I maintain that preaching is not an act but an attitude. Likewise, because it is an attitude, while we can try to quantify them, remember that the Spirit of God cannot be quantified into chronological time. On the question, "How many hours do you put to prepare a sermon?" let's put out 2 hands. The first hand is to put down the numbers to give board members an idea. Be honest about the challenges and the topic. Certain topics require greater number of hours. Others less. The second hand is to be constantly aware of the Spirit's leading. Finally, put these two hands together in the shape of a praying hand. Preaching must begin, not with books or sermon materials first. Preaching being an attitude needs to begin with God, who shapes this attitude.

As we pray more, as we preach more, as we trust God more, we will strangely find that 'justifying one's existence' no longer becomes as fearful as it sounds. Trusting God is a strange discipline. Often, we feel like we need to take the first leap of faith, thinking that if we don't initiate, nothing will happen. Yet, have we ever wondered that God has already made that first move. We simply needed to keep in step with the Spirit. So our 'leap' of faith cannot measure up to the LIFE of faith, Christ has fully given to us more than 2000 years ago. God, in Jesus has already justified our existence for all eternity. Why are we still afraid? Perhaps each time we approach the threshold of fear, it simply means we have spent too much time worrying and not enough time praying.



conrade

"Yawning at the Word"

This month's article by Mark Galli has a rather brave assertion: Reading the Bible during a Church service is considered boring to many. He tells of a worrying experience where reading the Bible is equated to boredom, himself being asked to 'cut down' on the Bible verses while he is preaching. More disconcerting is his sharp rebuke at preachers who prefer to preach exciting 'relevant' stuff like stories etc, rather than the plain Word of God. He writes in ChristianityToday Nov web edition: saying that "It's really hard to listen to God when there are really interesting things to think about." 

There are truly many more interesting things for the 1-day a week Church goer. How can a 1 day Church service compete with 6 days of TV, Internet, Sports, Work, Social and everything else combined? The 6-day mentality wins hands down. Galli's main criticism is on pew listening. From experience, he raises several points pertaining to the way church goers listen to the sermon.

• People tend to get 'lost' when too much Bible is read during the sermon;
• People are more interested in processed arguments rather than the pure Word itself; (eg arguments about creation, rather than reading Genesis)
• People tend to be more concerned about 'relevance' rather than the plain reading of the Word.
• Some listeners expect illustrations and applications to interest them.
• Some listen to sermon as if they are preparing to mount a counter-argument, to prove their own personal point;

Poignantly, he shares with us his observation about the lack of listening skills we have simply because we CHOOSE to listen according to our set thinking. Worse, we are raising a whole generation to listen like this.

"We often hear people say how difficult it is to hear God anymore, and I wonder if one reason is that we've forgotten how to listen to the Word of God when it comes to us in the sanctuary or the classroom. We listen like a husband and wife listen when they are in the middle of an argument: they listen only so they can have ammunition to mount a counterattack. That's not listening. And when we listen to the sermon only to hear what seems immediately and directly relevant, neither is that listening. And yet we've raised a whole generation of Christians to listen like this." (Mark Galli)

My Comments
I understand Galli's points. I think the Church ought to incorporate the reading of large chunks of Scripture. I too believe that the Bible ought to be given its full attention, not simply listening only to 'choice' perspectives. Having said that, there is more than meets the eye. I like to make 3 responses in fairness to the laity. Let me put it as my P.E.W response.

1) P: PREACHING COMMUNITY

I believe that preaching is a shared responsibility. Both clergy, preachers as well as laity ought to come together to listen together. They ought to help one another along, give feedback, and see the sermon as a special channel to deliver God's Word. As much as listeners have to learn to listen to the pure Word of God, preachers ought to give them TOOLS to listen. Training needs to be encouraged for preachers to be able to connect with their listeners. Listeners need to be handheld as they move from one point to another. The lack of listening ability is not simply the responsibility of the laity. The preaching community has to play their part. Both the preaching community and the listening community constitutes the Church TOGETHER.

2) E: EDUCATION
Teaching the congregation to listen well is an ongoing endeavour. In preaching, we valiantly preach at the level of teenagers so as to ensure the maximum number of people can catch what we are saying. It is wrong to assume everyone's spiritual maturity is at the same level. I believe that with every congregation is both unique and similar. They are unique in the sense that their church and personal contexts are unique. Location of church, the mix and the idiosyncracies of the neighbourhood. Yet, they are universally similar in the sense that the tradition and background they come from mirrors many others of the same. Moreover, they use the same Word of God, even if the translations are different. Not every person on the pew has the privilege of studying and preparing the Word of God like the preacher. They genuinely need help to cope with large chunks of Scripture. Hence, by gently guiding the listeners to where the preacher is saying, the listeners can be trained. I tend to think that if we give in too often to listener's preferences, we end up spoiling their appetite. Preachers need to WHET their appetite for the Word of God, starting from where they are.

3) W: WORSHIP
I believe that reading Scripture is important in sermons. However, let us not limit ourselves to just the sermon but the WHOLE worship time. We can read Scripture during the singing, in between announcements, when the hat is passed, before the doxology apart from the actual sermon itself. Maybe, 'Scripture reading' can be incorporated into one highlight of the whole church service! This will prepare the ears of people to listen better. Reading chunks of Scripture during service raise other agendas (many legitimate) in the minds of listeners.

• What is the preacher trying to say?
• Why is he quoting this part of Scripture?
• What context is he referring to?

In conclusion, I believe Galli's concern about raising a new generation of narcissistic listeners is somewhat valid. Yet I also believe that preachers have to shoulder part of the blame. We cannot simply sit down and point fingers to people who genuinely desire to know the Word of God. Sometimes, they need an admonishment. Other times they need a gentle encouragement. At all time, they need a loving exhortation. While Galli may have made a good observation, let me add that not everything is lost. It is the subsequent steps that is much more important. Whether one agrees with Galli or not, the question remains:

"How can we listen to the Word of God better?"

ks

What is your Pastor's Preaching Style?

Poll as of 16 Oct 2007

It is heartening that expository preaching is still among the top styles. I think the church is in greater need for expository than topical. Pray for good bible expositors worldwide. You can add in your church's statistic at the ChristianityToday site here.

Preaching on Martha/Mary -30July06

I preached last Sunday on Luke 10:36-11:1, with a focus on Martha and Mary. The stories were told. The exegesis were made. The observations were mentioned and the applications for us were explained. The start was slow, as I fumbled over trying to put many things within the first 5-10 minutes. I knew that from my expository preaching classes that context is critical. Somehow, I felt like a living Martha scrambling in my head and mouth over the many exciting discoveries I made regarding the text with the limited time given. Indeed, only after the initial 10 minutes, I started to focus on one thing which helped tremendously. Words came natural. The thinking juices started flowing like a brand new fountain. I gave the congregation the question: "Is the text telling us to be Martha-like or Mary-like?" After giving sufficient rhetoric over that, I pounced onto my main point and thought I hit it home.

Yet I felt strangely disturbed within me. I do not feel like I have connected my heart with the hearts of the congregation. Preaching is already hard, from a preparation and delivery standpoint. However, to preach as a form of worship and neighbourly care for the congregation is to me a distant art, that I can simply glimpse at. My feelings danced between disappointment and hope. Perhaps that is the Lord trying to care for me in a way that does not flatter me or break me.

May the Lord be merciful on my next 2 sermons in August.

kianseng

Preaching this Sunday - Choices

Will be preaching this Sunday. Passage taken will be Luke 10:36-11:1. It will be entitled: "Choices we make. Choice make us." May change the title as the days draw near as I need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

May the LORD prepare the hearts of hearers and preacher continually.

Told my wife that my sermon this Sunday is 90% complete. Simply needed to warm it up by this weekend. The other sermons in August is still under slow cooker mode. Taking a long time. Pray that the fragrance of the Word will come through powerfully. May it be a testimony that the Power is truly in the Word, as the preacher is but a mere imperfect mortal.

kianseng

Theologian with the Head + the Heart (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

I watched an amazing documentary on Dietrich Bonhoeffer on KCTS last night. It was a biography of one of the humblest and courageous theologian who lived and practiced the Christian faith to his death. Born in Germany, he was in the resistance movement against Nazism and in particular, Hitler. The state church then bowed down to political pressure and subsequently failed to champion the rights of the weak and the oppressed. Bonhoeffer and a handful of German Christians were appalled and started their own Confessional Church movement, even to the point of planning the assassination of Hitler. That failed and led to the execution of Bonhoeffer and many others.

The writings below represent a portion of Bonhoeffer's convictions in his book "The Cost of Discipleship". Bonhoeffer was executed at a Nazi concentration camp on 9th April 1945, just before Germany surrendered to the allies in WWII. Theologians with both the head AND the heart. We need more of them.

============================================
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Cheap Grace vs Costly Grace
WE DO NOT NEED CHEAP GRACE
"Let the Christian rest content with his worldliness and with this renunciation of any higher standard than the world. He is living for the sake of the world rather than for the sake of grace. Let him be comforted and rest assured in his possession of this grace - for grace alone does everything. Instead of following Christ, let the Christian enjoy the consolations of his grace!"

That is what we mean by cheap grace, the grace which amounts to the justification of sin without the justification of the repentant sinner who departs from sin and from whom sins departs.

Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession.

Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

WHAT WE NEED = COSTLY GRACE
Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must then be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price, and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us.

Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Powerful stuff!
{for more on Bonhoeffer click here}

kianseng

Preaching on John 1

After turning on my stopwatch, remembering that I have only 20-25 minutes to speak, I started the Scripture reading. As I read verses 1-14 from my outline, a strange excitement wells up in me. "I am preaching God's Word! What a privilege. Not a normal Toastmasters speech nor a motivation speech. It is pure and simple an exposition of God's Word!"

After verse 14, I prayed that God will prepare all of us to receive God's Word. It was amazing when I spoke the Word, the normal Toastmasters fear do not arise. I had prayed that whatever glory, mine be the smallest and God's be the highest. I believe that was the reason for the lesser fear in me. Thus I spoke going from God as Creator, to God as Community to God as Co-equal. Careful to vary my voice and make sure I am audible, I went ahead verse by verse. After 22 minutes, I ended with 3 exhortations. "Let us shine" "Let us be with the people." "Let us be humble in all we do."

During feedback session, when probed where did the text say it? I kind of forgotten to add in a transitional phrase that "Because God has done so, we should . . ."

That will clarify most of the questions pertaining to "Where did the text say?" The exhortations were indeed truths I had gleaned from the texts but did not explicitly state how it led to my conclusions. I had forgotten again that I had the privilege of living in the text a much longer time than the rest in the room, hence were able to see the deeper implications at that time. By bringing out the conclusions without explaining in detail how I got it, (I was trying to keep within time), the audience were struggling to find the link.

Feedback forms were however very encouraging, and one even said that he can now read John 1 in a new and fresh light. What made me most glad was that people were rekindled to appreciate John 1 even more, a supposedly difficult passage.

I went home, took a quick Lasagne bite and slept from 9.30PM to 8AM the next day. My body needed the rest after a gruelling 4 days of non-stop classes and counselling and stress.

kianseng