Preach Specifically
A prevalent preaching philosophy is that the Sunday message must appeal or relate to everyone in the congregation. So, we go through a laundry list of applications to include everyone or applications are watered down.
What about preaching scripture that hits one group directly and deeply? If we do that, what will happen to all the folks that fall outside of that direct application? We are scared that they will be bored and disengage.
For example, if we preach a specific message to men, what will the woman do? If we preach on marriage, what will the singles think? If we preach on money, what will the unemployed think?
Here are my 3 reasons that it is ok to Preach Specifically.
- Every sermon should reveal God – If our sermons do not reveal the image and at least one attribute of God, then we have failed. No matter what the application, our congregants should be shown what God looks like and how he acts and reacts to humanity. That in and of itself should be a meaty morsel for anyone.
- He/She might be in this situation in the future – one the best messages a single person can hear is one on how God created marriage and what He expects. We need to GO into situations prepared. Instead of preachers bailing people out with sermon messages, we should be preparing and preventing sin and difficulty. When we preach specifically about life situations in the future, we are setting people up for success. (Remind them to thank you later)
- He/She needs to know to relate to and minister to others – Women need to know what God thinks and expects of Men. Men need to hear about God’s role in women’s lives. I may not be going through divorce, but my neighbor might. I need to know how to listen, minister, counsel people in other life situations. This shows people the responsibility we have in the lives of others.
We are cultivating selfish/self-centered congregations when we try to cater to every current situation going on their life. We are telling them that the church service is all about them personally.
Broad strokes painted in sermons are often bland strokes. Scripture is so rich and deep in flavor and power. Let’s not be afraid to go strong. I believe it will lead to quicker life change.
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Robin
Questions For Building
Lately, I have had several pastors ask me what our process looked like when we borrowed money for a church project. I thought I should write my thoughts down so that anyone else could take a look. Here is the disclaimer: I am not a financing expert and this is only our process. Yours might look a lot different.
The problem with talking to ‘experts’ is that most of them have an agenda. They will either make or lose money on your church’s decision, so it is difficult to know when they are shooting straight with you.
In the last 7 years we have had 2 major building changes and 2 property purchases. We have borrowed money 3 different times from the same bank. Here are the questions we answered:
Is God leading us to make this change? This seems obvious, but sometimes our own personal agendas get in the way. We think we should build or buy in order to stay up with the other churches.
Easter Sermon Mindmap
After, I have prayed, researched, and prepped all my notes for a particular sermon I then draw pictures and link all the parts visually to help me retain the information. I also draw a lot during the early stages of preparation to help visualize the concepts. Here is the ‘map’ I ended up with for my Easter sermon.
I start writing in the top left and then go clockwise in a circle. Follow the line of thought around and end up in the center. Research has shown that our mind retains more information when we study something in this clockwise motion. Don’t ask me why. It works.
Notes from Wednesday Night 4/4/2012
When Jesus was arrested, the disciples ran. Then, two of them (Peter and John) circled back around and followed the group to Caiaphas’ and Annas’ quarters. John was familiar with the guards, so he went in promptly with Jesus. Peter was standing at the outer gate, John spoke to the girl attending the gate and she let Peter in. At this point, Peter messes up. He decides to stand out in the courtyard and warm himself by the fire, while John and Jesus are in a different part of the compound. Peter is surrounded with a lot of people that are not supportive of Jesus and it sets him up for failure.
We see 3 types of people:
My Backstage Life
Tony Morgan
Currently, I am being coached by Tony Morgan. He is teaching me, asking great questions, and pushing me to go further with God, ministry, and life overall. Part of my homework assignment this month is to read Replenish by Lance Witt.
Last night, I read a powerful truth that I needed for my own life and it just so happens to line up perfectly with PSM’s weekend message. I will be finishing our sermon series called FIT and this message is centered around “one on one discipleship”.
We all have a front stage and a back stage.
Out front is our public life. It is what everyone sees and knows about. We focus on making it look as good as possible. It is all about doing things. It is important. However, we are killing ourselves softly if we don’t…. Read the rest of this entry
Robin Steele 