Transcript A prayer before preaching … (by Bob Morehead?)

Preaching to Seekers
Source: Mike Breaux, “Communicating
in Today’s Reality,” Willow Creek, 2003
[email protected]
First of all …
• Don’t call them
“seekers”
• Many think of
themselves already
as “Christians”
– whether we do or not
What we say and what they hear …
• Remember the
“communication wheel”
• There is a usually a gap
between what we intend
to say and what spiritual
seekers actually hear
“For the message about the cross is foolishness to those
who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is
the power of God.”
“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not
know God through wisdom, God decided, through the
foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who
believe.”
“For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and
God's weakness is stronger than human strength.”
1 Corinthians 1:18, 21, 25
(NRSV)
"Real deal, real meal."
1. Deal: Character of
messenger
2. Meal:
Content/Context of
message
1. Character : Be real
• Don't try to be like
someone else.
• Great turn-offs for
seekers: arrogance,
show-off, pretense, lack
of obvious attribution.
• Leadership magazine
cartoon: "Wife: Let's
switch this week: why
don't you be charming
at home and grumpy at
church?
The "Gawd voice."
• Quoting Greek and
Hebrew
– "the real meaning of
"comforter"...
• Christian code
• Being false, pretentious,
or someone else is
exhausting.
B). Maintain a healthy sense of inadequacy.
• All gifts flourish in the
soil of humility.
• It is good to be
perceived as a fellow
learner alongside your
hearer.
• Throw the alley-oop for
God to complete.
C). Preach from the overflow of your
personal relationship with God.
• Do you love preaching
or love God?
• Are you attending to
the reservoir or simply
going to the spigot?
• Live with the subject
and text to the point
that you can be taught
before being a teacher.
D). Work hard with your gifts.
• Release the giftedness of others in the body
of Christ so that you have time for preaching
– do you fold the bulletin?
• "Study to show yourselves approved"
– Let the Holy Spirit work through your preaching on
Tuesday morning, not just Sunday morning.
• Winging it shows apathy to lost people.
"Real deal, real meal."
1. Deal: Character of
messenger
2. Meal:
Content/Context of
message
2. Real Meal (Content/Context)
“Let the Word speak!”
“For Jesus doesn't change—yesterday, today, tomorrow,
he's always totally himself.” (Hebrews 13:8, The Message)
“Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out.”
(Luke 21:33 The Message)
“God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle
listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but
patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know
how or when God might sober them up with a change of
heart and a turning to the truth …” (2 Timothy 2:23-24)
• Ezra reads for hours and people are changed (Nehemiah 8:18)
1. Trust the Gospel to do its work.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the
power of God for salvation to everyone who has
faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16 (NRSV)
• Don't rob seekers of Truth.
• Don't neglect or avoid the guard-rails: sin,
repentance, morality, hell. People want to know
where the underground dog fence lines are.
We don't need another motivational speaker
– they only have one
story
• the eagle who was
raised by chickens
– The goal is not
better Americans but
Christ-followers
2. Crack open the door of your life with
sharing the appropriate balance of
struggle and transformation.
• But don't just share
your struggles.
• Make sure no hero is
more than 97% good.
3. Build and utilize a team around you - it will
enhance your creativity and connection.
• You'll get a lot of
"footprints" emails
but also some good
stuff
– especially if you will
coach them
4. Freely use the creative ideas of others.
• Freely acknowledge
borrowing - it enhances
your credibility as a
thorough researcher
and humble learner.
• Focus especially on the
good series of others
and good titles.
5. Be in touch with contemporary culture.
• Don't use any
canned preacher
stories
– "on a windswept hill
in 1912 ...“
– Cutesy sermon
websites, mags
6. Weave transformational stories.
• Your story -> their story -> God's story.
• "What is most particular is most general."
• Share "yeah God!" stories.
• Buttrick: phenomenological formation of people
through moves in consciousness.
– When you share authentic stories of people who are being
transformed, it maps for others how it can happen in them.
7. Pick Five.
• Up front, write down
the names of five real
seekers who might or
could be hearers.
• Ask: "what would they
ask?"
• Intelligibility: Level the
playing field so that
they are not shut out by
code words.
8. Don't be afraid to deal with issues
(seekers care), but don't be political.
• The apostles never
preached, "If we
could just get rid of
Nero ..."
• If seekers take the
trouble to show up,
they want to know
what you have to
say
9. Check your 'tude.
• Do you love seekers? Do you know
any? Hang out with any?
• Get a seeker to evaluate your
message.
• Do you hold up people like Eminem
as negative examples?
– creates "us vs.them" mentality
– plus, they matter to God,
• and that's what you want to communicate.
A reminder about ‘tude ….
• Rock on desk:
reminds me of …
– the rock I crawled
out from under and
– not to throw stones.
10. Make the ask.
• "Because it's true."
• Preaching like it's the
last time - Life is short
and Jesus is the way.
• The #1 characteristic of
those who connect with
seekers is that they
speak with passion.
Where there is passion,
you will find a way.
The Invitation?
• “Yes, and …”
• Vary approach
• Time in service
• Classic 3-fold
• Open beyond service
• Beyond extroverts
• Not always?!
A prayer before preaching …
(by Bob Morehead?)
“O God, don’t let the pulpit call me
to the sermon; let the sermon
call me to the pulpit.
Before I break the bread of life, let
it break me. Wash my heart
and lift the iniquity there.
I want to preach, yes,
hemorrhage, under the divine
anointing.
Strip me of all pride, all
cleverness, all showmanship,
all salesmanship. Deliver me
from reliance on suaveness,
education, academics,
personality, notes, canned
quips and celestial cliches.
Let me speak with the humility of
Moses, the patience of Job, the
wisdom of Paul, the passion of
Peter, and the authority of
Jesus Christ.”
Prayer before Preaching
(continued)
“Lord, make my preaching
clear, not clever;
passionate, not pitiful;
urgent, not usual;
meaty, not murky.
Let self be abased,
Christ be exalted,
the cross be central,
and the plea be with passion.
May my eyes never be dry.
Let me disturb the comfortable and
comfort the disturbed.
Just now, Lord, take me out of
myself. Usurp anything I plan to
say when it’s in the way of your
message.
Let it warn the sinner,
mature the saint,
give hope to the discouraged, and
ready for heaven the whole
audience.
Here I am, Lord. I am your vessel.
Amen.”
Preaching to Seekers
John Chandler
www.rasnet.org
[email protected]