Pastor, You Probably Need To Quit

By / Apr 30

Editor’s Note: The weekend can be an incredibly distressing time for many pastors to enter into. The desire to spend quality time with family while juggling the pressures of an unfinished sermon can be an exhausting reality. What many pastors need are not more tips on how to prepare better sermons as much as some encouragement to better prepare their hearts to preach the sermon they have. Join Ronnie Martin every Friday for The Preachers Corner, where he offers some words of comfort and stories of hope to help preachers enter the weekend encouraged by the gentle and lowly heart of Jesus. 

Not a great year for pastors. 

I don’t have stats, but it doesn’t take hard data for us to imagine the level at which pastoral job boards and search organizations have been bombarded this year with overwhelming inquiries from frazzled pastors looking to get out and get on to something new. If that’s you, let me begin by saying two things: 

It’s ok, friend. 

Jesus understands completely. 

So, here’s a word: Pastor, you probably need to quit. But before you quit your current ministry (and you might just need to do that, by the way), there might be some other things you should try quitting first. 

  1. Quit saying “I know the last year has been hard, BUT…”. It’s probably better to say, “The last year has been hard, period.” You are on the back end of a bitter year and it’s understandable that your desire is to stop the bleeding and move on to some healing. But don’t miss this unprecedented place that God has lovingly and sovereignly placed you in. I wonder what He’ll do? You should pause long enough to let yourself wonder that, too. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12). 
  1. Quit being so productive. I get it. There’s a mad scramble to get things back to the way things were. People have left, budgets have diminished, and the questions of what to do and where to go are nagging at you endlessly. But maybe instead of working so hard to get your church out of the valley it’s in, you should see if there’s something God wants you to notice that’s only visible when you’re in a valley. Don’t miss something glorious that God in His grace has slowed you down this last year to see. But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41,42).
  2. Quit being so hard on yourself. It’s a sad thing to have less compassion on yourself than Jesus does. When He looks at you, He sees His beloved. He sees His faithful undershepherd. He doesn’t expect you to accomplish what only He can accomplish. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust (Ps. 103:14). Allow yourself to be known and remembered by God in this complex moment of your pastoral life.
  3. Quit thinking you’re the only one. We can so easily slide into self-pity during seasons of exhaustion. We can forget that what we’re experiencing is not unusual for a pastor…or a Christian. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you (1 Pet. 4:12). It’s that irritable sense of surprise that can keep us disgruntled, and worse yet, disenchanted, which leads to cynicism. Pray that God would open you up to the plight of other pastors right now, because they may be thinking they’re the only ones.
  4. Quit looking at everybody else. Pastors are all over the map right now in how they’re processing Covid, getting Sunday gatherings back in place, and finding how to best serve their people as vaccination numbers increase and restrictions are being lifted. To begin comparing your pace and your methods with other churches in different contexts than yours is probably not a healthy direction for your mind. Who you are and where you are is unique, so look to God to do something uniquely merciful and compassionate in the context of your life, church, and community as the coming days unfold. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us (Ps. 123:2).

I could likely go on and on, but I wonder how your perspective might change if you took some time to reflect on these five points (so we’re clear, not those five points) and pray how God might help relieve you of some of the stress and anxiety they have brought upon you? It may be that God is using Covid to transition you to another ministry. It could also be that God is using Covid to tether you to the ministry you’re already in, but with much more depth of heart, renewal of mind, and restoration of soul.



Matt Capps on Transitioning Back To Pastoring

By / Apr 30

We asked Matt Capps, “Recently transitioning back into pastoral ministry, what do you feel prepared for this time around?”



Dean Inserra on Adorning The Gospel

By / Apr 29

We asked Dean Inserra, "How do you adorn the gospel with creative elements in worship without hindering it?"



Shepherds are Shaped by the Sheep

By / Apr 29

At our final evening prayer service before we left Shanghai to repatriate to the States, our church members took the time to tell us how thankful they were for themselves.

Sounds a bit pretentious, doesn’t it?

OK, so that’s not exactly how it went down. But, in a sense, it’s true. I’ll explain.

A SHEPHERD THANKFUL FOR HIS SHEEP

After a difficult 2019, we prayerfully decided in May 2020 to transition from the church where I had served as the senior pastor for the past six years. This congregation is incredibly sweet, generous, and encouraging; I’ve been so thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to serve them. I can’t imagine a better scenario or a sweeter season for my first pastorate.

As we were on our way out, our congregation really went over the top to encourage us, bless us, and serve us. In the aforementioned prayer meeting, another elder opened up a portion of the time for church members to share thoughts of thankfulness for me and my wife Kim. And then the church parlayed those categories of praise into a time of prayer for us and for the whole church.

It all felt a little like one of those encouragement sessions from a mission trip or a summer camp. You’re in the “hot seat,” feeling somewhat awkward while people say nice things about you. Part of you wants it to end as quickly as possible and another part of you is filled to the brim with godly encouragement. You hate it but you love it. You want to avoid it but it gives you life.

As the meeting concluded, the presiding elder looked my way and said: “Unless, Jason, you have anything you’d like to say.”

I instinctively said, “Yeah”—and then I wiped some tears from my eyes, stalling while I thought about what I should say.

My mind raced back over all the encouraging things that had been said about us in the last half hour. Then this truth hit me: they were responsible for the things they were thanking us for!

So I spoke up: “Thank you guys so much for all of those kind words. But let me point out that all of the positive things you have said are things that were forged through our friendships with you. So, in a weird sense, I guess you’re thankful for yourselves.”

That last line was said half-jokingly, but I believed it. And the more I’ve thought about it, the more I realize how true and essential it is. There’s a necessary and proper symbiosis in shepherding.

For example, one church member said they felt challenged by our practice of hospitality. But it was the Wards and the Tylers and the Ans and the Lius who had challenged us in hospitality. They pushed us to be more sacrificial with our time, to look for people on the fringes of our community, to ask good questions, to do a lot with a little, and many other lessons.

Another church member said they were blessed by my pulpit ministry. I knew how much my preaching had changed from Year 1 to Year 6—it was as different as night and day. It’s laughable for me to compare those early sermons to more recent ones, and I’m sure I feel the same way about Year 6 when I get to Year 12! But it was my wife and Mark and Matt and Danny and Brandon and Marian and Feng and Emily and Chris and Nicola and Jon and countless others who gave me helpful feedback on my sermons, enabling me to grow in biblical exposition by the grace of God.

A few folks mentioned our parenting. But we were simply drawing from a storehouse of godly examples laid down by the Collinses and the Swems and the Chuangs and the Phillipses. Our teaching, loving, educating, encouraging, comforting, disciplining, and devotional life were all indelibly shaped by fellow church members.

I could go down the line with virtually any area of my life and ministry that the Lord has used to impact others. The people we ministered to shaped this minister. There’s a symbiosis to shepherding. Shepherds are shaped by the sheep.

WE NEED TO REMEMBER THIS

As pastors, we need to remember that the Lord will continue to use our local church to sharpen and mature us. Indeed, we are examples to the flock (1 Pet 5:3), but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from those around us. It’s a tragedy when pastors surround themselves with “yes men” or place themselves at the untouchable top of an org-chart. Instead, we ought to surround ourselves with men and women who love us but aren’t mesmerized by us—with friends who love us enough to see to our growth and development.

If you’re a young or aspiring pastor, don’t be discouraged when you look at older, more seasoned pastors. You may want to be a clearer preacher like the guy on that podcast, or a more instinctual evangelist like that visiting missionary, or a more insightful and gentler counselor like the church’s previous pastor. We see examples of godly men and rightly want to mimic them. But how do we get from Point A to Point B, from where we are currently to where we want to be?

It’s worth remembering: mature Christians didn’t start there. And they didn’t get there through their seminary education or their natural disposition or their book collection. They probably got there first and foremost through life in the local church—shaped by the same kinds of sheep that you are, empowered by the same Holy Spirit that God in His grace has given to you.

Life in the local church offers nourishment, protection, and growth—all things that the shepherd needs as much as the sheep.

Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared at the 9Marks blog and is used with permission.



Clamoring for Greatness: Confessions from Someone who Struggles with Insecurity and Pride

By / Apr 28

Luke 22:20–24: And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

We read in horror as Jesus predicts his betrayal. Immediately, we see the disciples questioning whether they would be “the one” to carry out this egregious act. However, it seems their concerns are short-lived. Luke explains that, shortly after that, these same disciples get into an argument with one another. Yes, they are arguing with one another during their last meal with Jesus. The meal was a place of fellowship and acceptance. The meal was an important time in that culture, but this was no ordinary meal. This was a meal during the time of the Passover and their last meal with Jesus. So, what were they arguing about?

They were arguing about which of them was the greatest. They are clamoring for cultural class status. “Which of us is the most important? Which of us is the highest class and most worthy? Which of us deserves the best seat and most honor?”

Jesus has repeatedly told them that he is going to die as the suffering servant and that they too are called to a life of service (Matt 20:26–28; Mark 8:31, 34–36). Jesus has just discussed the fact that one of them is a betrayer (Luke 22:22). This betrayer abides in their midst and will act against them to try and sabotage the ministry of Christ. Furthermore, the other disciples are going to let it all happen. They are ignorant of the proximity of the enemy. They are ignorant of the urgency of the moment. They are ignorant of the magnitude of the threat. At the same time, they are consumed with self. They are consumed with status. They are consumed with a desire for superiority.

As I read the irony of their dispute, I’m sickened. I’m sickened by their blindness. I’m sickened by their lack of compassion for Jesus. I’m sickened by their lack of sensitivity to the moment. I’m sickened that they are missing important conversation with Christ in order to indulge in petty conversation with one another.

Yet, if I’m honest, I’m most sickened because I see “me” in the text. I see that, all too often, my heart longs for the promotion of self. I, all too often, allow the voice of my ego to drown out the voice of my Savior.

In reflecting on this dysfunctional display by the disciples, I’m brought face to face with my own broken and misaligned desires. To help me better think about my heart and my desires, to seek to bring every “thought” (and motive) captive to better obey Jesus (2 Cor 10:5), I’ve created this list of questions. I pray that you too will find them helpful.

  • Do I first listen with an attentive heart ready to learn for personal application when I’m in God’s Word or is my mind on how I can use this text to teach others?
  • Do I focus my mind on the text of Scripture when I’m studying or is my mind on my next task that might bring about my next accomplishment?
  • Do I primarily mine the Bible for personal truth to be consumed like honey or do I mine the Bible for sermons, blogs, and tweetable material?
  • Do I ever call to check up on someone simply because of the status that person holds and the future opportunities it might bring me?
  • Do I try to make myself look better than I am in front of others?
  • Do I think I’m better than others?
  • Do I think my ministry is more or less significant than someone else’s based on numeric and worldly standards?
  • Do I listen to other pastors or denominational leaders and feel the pull of envy or pride? Does my heart hunger for prominence and power?
  • Do I find myself feeling proud when another leader stumbles and morally falls?
  • Are my ministry goals focused more on worldly success than shepherding well and following the voice of Jesus daily?

I wonder, how often do I miss a moment with Jesus because my attention is so fixed on myself? I wonder how much of my effort is spent trying to convince others I’m significant? I’m sickened by the fact that my heart often longs for significance over service.

But, I’m also grateful that God is a redeeming and purifying God. While I may struggle with desires for self, I’m thankful that in Christ, I do not have to give in to those desires. I’m thankful that he is renewing me and maturing me. By the power of the Spirit of Christ in my life, I can resist these desires for prominence and choose to walk in humility (1 Cor 10:13; Gal 5:16). So, this list of questions is a check-up for me. It’s a way for me to examine my life and seek to submit my life more fully to the Lord. It is a way for me to fight in this life (1 Tim 6:11-12) while I await the full redemption my Savior will bring at the end of the age when he removes all insecurity and pride from me.



Episode 115: Fruitful Elders’ Meetings

By / Apr 28

For The Church Podcast

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz discuss what makes for good elders’ meetings.



Pastoral Advice Worth Repeating – Part 3: Learn Patience

By / Apr 27

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. — 2 Timothy 4:2

Calmly Urgent Ministry

The Christian ministry is—and must be—characterized by urgency. The time is short for any given Christian’s missional work, and the stakes are eternal.[1] The urgency of eternity is ever before us. And yet most American churches are in no danger whatsoever of becoming too urgent in their missional work. While those who do not trust in Christ walk among us and by us, too often we fail to sense, acknowledge, or address the realness of their sin, the realness of God’s wrath for them, and the realness of God’s grace for them. Added to this, the sheep in the church walk through suffering or doubt, and need help applying the truth of Scripture. They need growth and maturity as soon as possible that they might become disciples who make disciples. But too often Christians also toy with sin, treating the instrument of our former depravity much too lightly. Because of all of this, Christian churches desperately need pastors to lead them toward urgency in mission, discipleship, and holiness.

There is also the soul-calming peace that comes through God’s saving work.[2] This is not an inactive peace, but a peace characteristic of our redeemed and obedient action. If urgency with preaching and evangelism is the melody of pastoral ministry, a trusting peace with God serves as underlying harmony as the Lord builds His church through His church by His Spirit. Urgency and a peaceful calm find no discord, then, in this beautiful and paradoxical concoction of Christian ministry. But how are church leaders to be both urgent and calm? How do we live acknowledging that the time is short and yet slow ourselves for God to work in and through our churches in His time? I see the answer in the gospel-informed patience modeled in those who have many years of faithfulness behind them.

Gospel-informed patience is one of the most common exhortations I have heard experienced pastors emphasize with new pastors or pastors-in-training. And gospel-informed patience is both calm and urgent. This patience is expressed as a characteristic of long-lasting, faithful ministry.

A Patient Pursuit of Pastoring

First, let’s acknowledge that for those who are called to ministry leadership, whether pastoral or otherwise, it can be easy to want to fast-track your way to the title you desire. Seminary students sometimes cannot help but arrive with some kind of timeline in their minds. Three or four years, get the MDiv, get hired at a church in some sort of associate role, then be lead pastor somewhere else within a few years. That’s how this is supposed to go. They may not ever say that out loud, but it plays out that way often enough to encourage them to think that’s the normal, right way for everyone. So it’s not surprising that when I ask a 23-year-old male seminary student if he could be okay not becoming the lead preaching pastor of a church until he is 40 or older, it isn’t necessarily a question he enjoys entertaining. I ask that question not because I think only those over 40 should be shepherding (not at all!), but to allow the student to test his own internal plans or entitlements in case God brings him to his calling over an extended time.

As we can all acknowledge, God’s timeline often looks quite different from our plans. Even when it comes to something as good and pure as desiring to shepherd a local flock, there may be a better route for us than the route we plot out, along which God does necessary work on us.

Think about it: if you’re going to be a lead, preaching pastor for 40 years—from age 40 to age 80, for argument’s sake—that is a lot of years. And serving under the leadership of a more experienced pastor from age 25 to 40 may be the instrument God uses to make that last 40 years possible. It may be the instrument He uses to make that last 40 years more joyful, fruitful, and consistent. These are arbitrary numbers, of course, but you get the point. One personal hope is to see pastors-in-training pursue opportunities to learn to lead under loving oversight. Another is to help pastors-in-training purge impulses for self-glory, isolation, or people-pleasing when they arise. Extended, Spirit-filled mentorship is an effective remedy for such poisons. This mentorship need not be for a set time, and it need not end when roles change.

Loving People Takes Time

Now let’s come to the most common piece of advice regarding patience for young pastors. I’ll say it this way: don’t go into any ministry role “guns blazing.” You don’t need to blow up the deacon cartel before you’ve had each one over for dinner. Giving in to the impulse to blow up every wrong thing right away is just a sign that you may not be ready to be a pastor.

There are only a few situations in which a major thing should change on day one. For instance, if the church hasn’t had biblical preaching in ten years, then your first Sunday is a great time to change that. However, there will be a ton of times you’ll be tempted to try changing things (including important ones!) as a brand-new pastor. And there will be a ton of times you need to quiet yourself down and wait. As a seasoned pastor friend told a young H. B. Charles, if you make changes too quickly, your congregation is going to “put you out.”[3]

So before you break up the cartel and establish a team of elders to shepherd the church, before you remove a budget line, before you cull the hundreds of unsubstantiated names from the membership directory, what should you do?

Learn to love the people. Learn to love them like a good shepherd.

With prayer and patience, get to know them. And let them get to know you! Know their families, and let them know yours. Know their histories. Know their hurts, their desires, their wins, their losses. Know their godly traits and gifts. Know their shortcomings and sinful tendencies. And know God and His Word, that you may lead them in following after Him in Christ. Let them hear His voice through your voice.

The time is too short for you to rush a church into chaos. Instead, with the mission urgent, calmly and lovingly shepherd these people “with complete patience and teaching.” Jason Helopoulos says it well in The New Pastor’s Handbook:

Dear pastor, start slow. Exercise self-control in what you seek to implement. Get to know your people, and learn the dynamics in the church. See yourself as a student rather than as a teacher, and take your time; don’t launch new initiatives in the first six months. This approach will pay dividends in the long run. Invite families over for dinner and ask important questions…Use those early weeks to invest in the elders and deacons. Discover the next generation of leadership waiting in the wings…Above all, allow the church time to get to know you. They want to follow you as a leader or they wouldn’t have called you. That being said, relationships need time and opportunity to develop trust.[4]

One more note here: If you are already married when you become a pastor or when you assume a new leadership role, you will find it of prime importance to consider the patience required of your spouse. Whatever time it is taking you to learn to love the people, your spouse is in process with it too. Forming new relationships may be hard for one or both of you, or it may be easy. But it’s a good idea to pay attention and communicate well with each other as you plant some roots.

Surviving Drought, Despondency, and Death

I love seeing our students become pastors, become ministry leaders. But my goal is not to help students simply become pastors or ministry leaders. My hope is to see them invest in a church, and then stay. I hope to see them stay in spite of difficulty because the truth of the gospel sustains them. But it’s the staying that proves most difficult, particularly for the impatient.

Young pastors need to learn patience from seasoned pastors. Times of pronounced stagnancy, or drought, may come. The evangelism may be happening, the preaching may be happening, but the new life and evident growth may seem elusive. Church members may become disillusioned or overwhelmed. Some may depart without notice or in discouraging fashion, leaving you or the church with feelings of despondency. Members in the church will experience tragedy, and members will die. In the midst of all of the beautiful threads spinning throughout gospel ministry, there are those aspects of the shepherd’s task that weather his hands, harden his skin, and burden his mind. When such things arise, it can be tempting to abandon the sheep.

The pastor needs daily renewing strength himself, and that from the Lord. The pastor’s wife and family need strength from the Lord. This is a calling in which to be faithful over the long haul, and patience will need resilience. What type of patience is necessary to continue on through the drought, despondency, and death? It is one filled with the Word and Spirit of God, of this I’m sure. And the best way I know to learn this is to find someone in whom you can watch this patience in action over time. See it modeled in those with already-weathered hands, those with already-hardened skin, those filled with years of love for the flock God has given them.

Conclusion

The pastor is called above all else to feed the sheep, William Still once said, “even if the sheep do not want to be fed.”[5] This is a day-by-day, week-by-week kind of work. It’s slow and steady, though urgent and necessary. Sheep aren’t quick to learn, to move. It’s further complicated when their immediate (under)shepherd must also be shepherded himself.

Calmness helps the patient shepherd avoid knee-jerk, emotion-filled reactiveness. Urgency helps the patient shepherd see the importance of his task, and that it’s worth staying in it for the long haul. This is not a vocation for the self-centered, the quarrelsome, the easily offended, the adulterous. Pastoring is also not for the impatient. Young pastors-in-training, learn to know, love, and protect the flock of God in whatever time it takes. Pray for wisdom and ask for help, that you may be patient in the training and patient in the pastoring.

[1] Ref. Proverbs 27:1; Luke 13:3, 5; John 8:22–24; James 4:13–14

[2] Ref. Eph. 2:13–16; Col. 1:19–22; Phil. 4:4–7

[3] H.B. Charles, On Pastoring (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2016), 89.

[4] Jason Helopoulous, The New Pastor’s Handbook: Help and Encouragement for the First Years of Ministry (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), 144.

[5] William Still, The Work of the Pastor, revised ed., (Fearn, UK: Christian Focus, 2010), 23.



Preaching with Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat

By / Apr 27

The popular cook book and Netflix series “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” explores key elements in developing flavorful dishes.

Rather than mass producing fast food lacking in nourishment, a skilled and experienced chef focuses on crafting meals which are an experience unto themselves. In the same way, pulpit ministry ought not be filled with pre-wrapped outlines and stale, predictable elements intended to tickle ears. Qualified men rightly dividing Scripture should deliver quality sermons which showcase the meaning and significance of the text, present an edifying experience for the congregation, and bring glory to God.

Salt

The first element of flavorful cooking is salt. By now many of us are all too familiar with the purposes of salt in New Testament times. In addition to seasoning and enhancing flavors, it was used as a preservative. Pastor, exposition in preaching is like using salt: it should preserve the meaning of the text, and enhance the flavor of the sermon as a whole. Your linguistic and historical details should not be the entire sermon, just like you should not taste only salt when eating a meal. Certain people have different flavor preferences, so certainly salt your sermons to taste with exposition, but your exposition should not be the only element used. Rather, your congregation should understand the flavor of the passage more clearly. Avoid salting with details just because you think you should put them in. Make sure the amount of seasoning you use complements and enhances the overall flavor of the meal rather than overpowering the point of the text.

Fat

The second element of flavorful cooking is fat. Fat brings a filling richness to a meal which would otherwise be bland and dry. In preaching, fat is illustration and humor which anchors the truth in a more palatable way. A lean steak is usually tougher and drier, and it isn’t always enjoyable. Having a steak that is mostly fat with a few scraps of meat attached is also not appetizing. But an evenly marbled ribeye contains wonderful flavor and is easy to sink your teeth into. Pastor, make sure you include just the right amount of humor and illustrations to make your sermons enjoyable. Do not cut all of the fat out of your preaching and make it dry; keep a joke or two, and do not shy away from relevant stories. On the other hand, do not build your preaching on illustrations and jokes alone; your sermons should provide nourishment and truth to your congregation, not just empty calories and cheap entertainment. Do not let your audience choke on the fat or spit out the meal because of it; rather, let it be a flavor enhancer that serves to enrich the meal and allow them to enjoy it.

Acid

The third element of flavorful cooking is acid, which breaks down and tenderizes food, and introduces a sharpness to the palate. In preaching, acid is anticipating and rebutting any opposition to your points within your sermon. Knowing your congregation well will help you understand what they will wrestle with, and what excuses they may find to disregard the Spirit’s leading. Pastor, be wise in using acidic elements, but do put them to good use in tenderizing your congregation’s hearts and gaining their attention. Every sermon should not be smooth, buttery, and sweet to your congregation; you must use your time in the pulpit to motivate to action and provoke a response. Let your rhetorical questions and boldness lead your congregation to sit up and take notice of the sharp, bright flavor as it complements the other aspects of your sermons.

Heat

The fourth element of flavorful cooking is heat, which seals in flavor and transforms food chemically. It can be low and slow, like smoking a brisket to develop full flavor, or it can be fast and high as in searing a steak. Heat in preaching is vocal inflection and passion. You do not use the same temperature to cook everything. There are times when preaching Lamentations or psalms of lament when you want a somber, smoky, lower heat to seal in the smoky flavor of the text. But when preaching the resurrection of Christ or the fiery rebuke in the last few chapters of Job, your voice ought to be loud and bright to convey the joy and the fiery passion in the text. Pastor, use the voice God has given you to proclaim his truth clearly and with good flavor. Learn to vary your tone, volume, inflection, and passion in your preaching such that you seal in the flavor and texture of the sermon and deliver an expertly cooked meal to your congregation.

A Word on Sugar

I inherited my grandmother’s sweet tooth, and thought it curious that sugar was downplayed as an influential flavor in cooking. But I find that to be an appropriate bridge to preaching as well. Sugar is popular. Iced cinnamon rolls and chocolate brownies are graces from God. My wife even uses a bit of sugar in her chili. But sugar is not nutritious; it is empty calories. Pastor, feed your sheep. Steer clear of the dessert tray filled with cheap carbs when you are laboring in the text. Do not let your congregation develop a sweet tooth, and do not give in to their demands that you entertain them or tickle their ears. Face down your own insecurities and simply preach the Word. They need truth grounded in Scripture, not movie quotes and pop culture references. Be relevant and accessible, but do not produce sugary hype that only stirs up emotion and does not speak to the motivations of the heart.

Finally, the elements of flavorful cooking will vary depending on the type of dish or meal. They are not of equal importance, so you must use wisdom in applying them in your context and with your gifts. Your preaching will grow and mature, just like a chef’s skills in the kitchen, so do not expect to master the art quickly or easily. Pastor, remain anchored to the text, prepare the meal, and dedicate yourself to feeding Jesus’ sheep with the Word of God for their good, and for his glory.



Links For The Church (4/26)

By / Apr 26

Sin Wants You to Itself

“The wedge sin drives between us and the local church usually entail two aspects, resentment and shame.”

How Hyperbole Dulls Our Spiritual Discernment

Thomas Schreiner provides a challenging word on avoiding hyperbole and being careful with our rhetoric.

Don’t Underestimate The Value of Rest

In this article, Daniel Seabaugh shares three ways to practice rest. He also provides the biblical reasoning for needing rest and why it is good for us.

Praying for the Weary Pastor

Lisa LaGeorge writes a prayer for pastors who are beaten down and tired, and she provides encouragement through this prayer as well.



Guarding Your Heart in the Pulpit

By / Apr 23

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned his followers not to practice spiritual devotion with ulterior motives (Matthew 6:1-18). Do not give to the needy to be celebrated for your generosity. Do not pray to be heard by men. Do not fast so people will consider you spiritual. How do you avoid practicing Godward acts with man-centered motives? Jesus teaches that acts of devotion should be done in private, before God, not man.

Preachers also struggle with the temptation to make their charge from God a performance before men. But we cannot overcome this temptation by moving the pulpit to our secret closets. Preaching is a public act of spiritual devotion. We may pray that God would hide us behind the cross as we preach. But there is no place to hide in the pulpit.

Let’s face it. The pulpit is a dangerous place. It can fill the preacher with pride that leads to his downfall. It can fill the preacher with discouragement that causes him to give up. It can fill the preacher with fear that prostitutes his divine message for human approval.

The old story is told about the young preacher who strutted to the pulpit, expecting to wow the congregation. He humbly walked out of the pulpit after the sermon bombed. “What happened?” he asked a senior minister. The wise, seasoned preacher counseled, “Son, if you would have gone up to the pulpit the way you came down, you would have been able to come down the way you went up.”

How can you guard your heart in the pulpit? Consider these given recommendations…

Come to the pulpit prayed up

Sermon preparation is an exercise in believing prayer. We should thank God for the privilege of speaking for him. We should pray for illumination of the revealed scriptures. We should ask God to yield the wisdom of the writers we consult to us. We should confess our sins to God when the text convicts us. We should pray for help to personally obey teachings of God’s word. We should pray the Lord would enable us to speak faithfully and clearly. We should pray for a spiritual burden for those who will hear the message. We should pray that Christ would be exalted as the word is explained. We should even pray as we preach! Coming to the pulpit prayed up will help guard your heart as you preach.

Come to the pulpit fully prepared

Sermon preparation is a humbling process. Studying the text can be like Jacob wrestling with the angel. You leave the study with a limp! Going from text to sermon is hard work. Preparing the message for Sunday will soften the heart, if done prayerfully. The finished product may cause some preachers to be lifted up. But when you know it was the Lord that helped you prepare the message, you tend to also look to the Lord to help you present the message. This is why you should do your own homework, rather than cheating off another preacher’s work. Take advantage of the sanctifying effects of sermon preparation. Then Ask the God who has guided the preparation of the message in the study to govern the presentation of the message in the pulpit.

Come to the pulpit as an act of worship

It is serious error to associate worship with music. The entire service is worship. The gathered congregation is to worship God during scripture readings, corporate prayer, and the observance of the ordinances. Listening to and responding to the preached word of God is arguably the highest act of worship. The congregation is to worship as the preacher preaches. And the preacher is to worship as he preaches to the congregation. We preach to people. But, ultimately, what is for people is not about people. God is the subject and object of Christian worship. It is for him and about him. So we should preach to an audience of one. We should remember that bottom-line of worship is that God is pleased. Paul instructs, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Come to the pulpit with pastoral concern

Pastor-Teachers are not life coaches, motivational speakers, or self-help gurus. We are shepherds who feed the flock of God with knowledge and understanding. Matthew reports, “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:35-36). Jesus was moved with compassion with he saw the spiritual needs of the people. We should come to the pulpit with the same sense of pastoral concern. Don’t worry about how big the room is. Don’t worry about how many people are in the room. Don’t worry about what the people in the room can do for or to you. Be a shepherd the assembled flock of sheep that leads them to the green pastures of the word of God.

Come to the pulpit with an eye on eternity.

I agree with Charles Spurgeon, who said, “Life and death and eternity and worlds unknown may hang on the preaching and hearing of one sermon.” As a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you should come to the pulpit with great expectations. The word of God works. But it does not work according to our schedule. This is why Paul charged Timothy to preach the word with “complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). So don’t panic if nothing seems to happen as you preach. Just keep preaching. The harvest is at the end of the age, not the end of the sermon. Guard your heart by looking past what the members when say to you after service and look to what Lord will say when you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Editor’s Note: This originally published at HBCharlesJr.com