 |
|
|
This weekend my family visited a spot near our home that was once the site of a Civil War fort. A group of Civil War re-enactors was spending the weekend there camped out, doing some repair work to a wall of the fort, and living the experience of being a Civil War soldier. I spent some time talking to one re-enactor (originally from England, now living in Georgia) who talked about doing this twice a month at some Civil War site. And he wasn't alone -- many of these guys travel hours from their homes once or twice a month to wear hot wool uniforms, sleep in open-ended tents, and work at various tasks common to 19th-century soldiers. My wife asked, "What possesses them to do this?" I think it's more than a love of history, or even of a hobby. I think the men who participate in these events gain a sense of community and camaraderie from their time together. It's the same kind of thing that makes military veterans want to gather for reunions years after their time of service has ended; they build bonds that last forever. There should be no bond greater than the bond of fellow believers with one another. One of our challenges as church leaders is to encourage and seek opportunities for believers -- and especially our men -- to gain that sense of community with one another. It will make a difference in their lives -- and in the life of our churches. Michael
Duduit, Editor Click here to visit "I Was Just Thinking" (Michael’s blog) for insights and observations about faith and culture issues. Recent topics: When government is afraid to listen There will be no issue of PreachingNow next week because of the Memorial Day holiday. The next issue will be dated June 6.
Biblical text gives form to sermon In a recent interview with PreachingTodaySermons.com, Haddon Robinson notes, "One thing a thoughtful preacher wants to do is understand the text. You can talk about exegesis, and it can sound cold. Sometimes when people think of exegesis, they think of analyzing words and phrases. But basically what you're trying to do when you exegete a text is to really understand it -- understand its flow of thought, how the author is developing that thought. "So when I come to didactic literature, such as Romans or Galatians, I analyze how the thought develops because there tends to be a logical flow. I get to a parable and I can't do that. The danger is to go to an epistle and see that Paul has three moves in a particular paragraph in which I can trace that development, then move over to a parable and try to say there are three things we learn from this parable. One thing you have to say is, Couldn't Jesus have said that? Why did he tell a story when he could have just as easily said, 'There are three things I want you to know about God's grace?' "Part of exegesis is to recognize that the form of literature ought to have some influence on the form of the sermon. A sermon developed from didactic literature, the literature of the epistles, will be different than a sermon developed from the parables or from the Psalms or from the narrative literature of the Old Testament, because the writers are using a different form. . . . "We all carry this hermeneutical grid around with us. So if I start out by saying, 'The party of the first part owes to the party of the second part,' and I'm trying to establish a legal contract, but you take it as poetry, we're going to have trouble in court. "So one of the things I have to do is look at a passage and say exegetically: What's going on here? What is the genre? What is the writer doing? You have to assume the author didn't just choose this genre because any old genre would work. If Jesus tells a parable, then I have to be aware when I preach the sermon that I can't treat it as if it's didactic literature. To be true to the Bible, I have to understand the genre; that's part of exegesis. And different genres, different kinds of literature, have different rules." (Click here to read the full interview.) http://store.yahoo.com/pttranscripts/howtecanstse.html
Preacher is an 'exegetical escort' During a recent preaching conference at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Robert Smith (of Beeson Divinity School) said preachers serve as exegetical escorts for their congregations by presenting God's Word in an understandable way. "The exegetical escort is an individual who serves in the Lord's service by taking this Word of God and exegeting it, expounding upon it, dissecting it and saying what it says," Smith said. "The exegetical escort is designed to embrace the text of Scripture in order to usher the hearers into the presence of God for the purpose of transformation." Preaching will always elicit a response, Smith said, noting that the Gospel herald can expect one of two responses. "God's Word will not go out and come back void; it will accomplish that for which it was sent. Sometimes people will respond in rebellion and sometimes in reception. The Word will draw people or it will drive people away." (Baptist Press, 4-26-06. Click here to read the full article.) http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23100
Why we don't preach OT law In the May 2006 issue of Ministry Magazine (www.ministrymagazine.org), Daniel Block of Wheaton College talks about why we should continue to preach Old Testament law to New Testament Christians. He begins by talking about why such preaching is increasingly rare, citing five myths about OT law: "First, the ritualistic myth that OT law is preoccupied with boring ritualistic trivia declared to be obsolete with Christ's final sacrifice on the cross. Second, the historical myth that OT law concerns the times and cultural context of nations so far removed from our own that . . . what it has to say about the human condition is hopelessly out of date. Third, the ethical myth that the OT Law reflects a standard of ethics that is rejected as grossly inferior to the law of love announced by Jesus and the high stock placed on tolerance in our enlightened age. "Fourth, the literary myth that the OT laws are written in literary forms that are so different from modern literature that we cannot understand them. Fifth, the theological myth that OT Law presents a view of God that is utterly objectionable to modern sensitivities. So long as these myth conceptions determine the disposition of preachers and pastors toward OT Law, there is little hope that they will pay much attention to those parts of the OT that we refer to as Israel's constitutional literature. . . . "But how Christians can tolerate this anti-Law stance remains a mystery to me, especially in the light of Jesus' own statements that He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, and His own declarations of its permanent validity (Mat. 5:17-20); in the light of His declaration that love for Him is demonstrated first and foremost by keeping His commandments (John 14:15; cf. 15:10); and Paul's assertion that 'it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified' (Rom. 1:13)."
ILLUSTRATION: God's love In the Easter 2006 edition of Key Life magazine, Steve Brown shares the story of one of his students who deeply loved his father, a pastor. "My student told me why. When he was in third grade or so, his father became quite angry with him. His father didn't strike him, but held him and yelled at him. As a result, he thought that his father hated him. "Later that same day, the school principal came into his class to tell him that his father was outside waiting to speak with him. He thought to himself, Did I do something else bad? He went downstairs where his father was waiting. To his great surprise and shock, his father got down on his knees in front of his son and asked for forgiveness. His father is a great preacher . . . because he is a great man. The son expected anger . . . yet received love. "That is true with us, too. God isn't angry at his people. God isn't a policeman. God is your Father. That is the promise."
ILLUSTRATION: Productivity There
are three ways to get something done:
ILLUSTRATION: Spiritual Health Tom Barnard writes: For nearly a hundred years a beech tree stood in the center of a college campus in Massachusetts. It was a sapling when Henry Ford marketed his first "motorcar" to the American public -- the Model T. When the Wright Brothers experimented successfully with their motorized bicycle with wings, the tree was barely tall enough to be seen among other trees growing on that campus green. For most of the twentieth century it grew and grew, until the tips of its upper branches were seven stories high! At ground level its trunk was massive, more than six feet across. Generations of college students carved their initials into the trunk of that tree. Lovers gathered there on moonlit evenings. Marriage proposals were given and received under its wide branches. For years it defined the Campus Mall. Concrete walkways were created to surround it. From all appearances it looked like it would last forever. Hurricanes blew by it; snowfalls caused its lower branches to dip to the ground. But still it stood -- tall, serene, almost eternal. Then one day a few years ago professional tree surgeons were called to examine the tree. Although it looked healthy, it was dying. A large cavity was discovered in one of the main trunks. Lightning may have caused a split to occur -- fifty or so years earlier. Moisture, bugs, birds, and even raccoons found their way into the cavity. The infrastructure of the tree had disintegrated to the point that the tree was a safety hazard and had to be removed. When the tree surgeons cut into one of the huge trunks, they discovered that the tree was being held together at points by only an inch or so of growing wood around the circumference of the trunk, and the rest of the interior of the trunk was just a vacant cavity. Had the damage been discovered and treated a generation earlier, the tree might have been saved. Nations like ours are like the giant trees -- strong and tall, for all to see and admire. They can stand against nearly any foe. Wars cannot destroy them, and terrorists cannot bring them down. But they can experience decay from within and suffer the same fate as the old beech tree. Families can deteriorate in the same way. Even churches can die from within. (Tuesday Mornings, May 16,2006)
ILLUSTRATION: Life, Death, Judgment In the recently-released movie Last Holiday, Georgia Byrd is a department store cookware sales associate with big dreams that never come true. When a bump on the head turns into a trip to the doctor's office, a CAT scan reveals a terminal illness. Georgia only has three weeks to live so she decides to fulfill one of her dreams and heads to Europe. With the freedom that impending death provides, Georgia changes the lives of all who come in contact with her. In one scene, Georgia has come to help Chef Didier in the kitchen because other cooks could not get to the resort when an avalanche blocked the road. What Georgia does not know is that Didier has been told about her terminal condition. She enters the clearly understaffed kitchen and offers help to Chef Didier. He is sautéing some vegetables in a pan. Georgia takes one, has a bite, and asks, "What is this?" Didier says, "It's a turnip." But Georgia can't believe it. She says, "That can't be no turnip!" Chef Didier explains, "The poor baby turnips. Nobody likes them, you know? Of course, life is easy if you are a truffle, or a shiitake mushroom. But the turnip is to be loved because she's a self-made woman of vegetables. All the others you can only destroy with cooking, but the turnip, she gets better. So you see, it's not how you start, but how you finish." This interesting cooking metaphor contains a couple of great lessons. Application One: The turnip is unlovely compared to the prizes of the culinary world. In other words, it appears worthless in the eyes of those who seek only fashionable delicacies. Yet looks can be deceiving. When it is cooked it becomes delicious, yet when the delicacies pass through the heat they are destroyed. The flames of adversity reveal true character. Often people appear to have it together and become the envy of all who know them -- but when the heat comes along, they melt away. Strong character is revealed in trials. What matters most is not how you start, but what you are at the finish. Application Two: Most of us are turnips, not truffles. The Apostle Paul told the church in Corinth to examine itself. He said that most of them were not wise, or mighty, or noble. But God can take the discarded things of the world and make something beautiful from them. (This illustration provided courtesy of MovieMinistry.com. To learn about more movie-based illustrations and resources, visit www.preaching.com/movies)
ILLUSTRATION: Communication The Mafia was looking for a new man to make weekly collections from all the private businesses that they were "protecting." Feeling the heat from the police force, they decided to use a deaf person for this job. If he were to get caught, he wouldn't be able to communicate to the police what he was doing. On his first week, the deaf collector picks up over $50,000. He gets greedy, decides to keep the money and stashes it in a safe place. The Mafia soon realizes that their collection is late, and sends some of their hoods after the deaf collector. The hoods find the deaf collector and ask him where the money is. The deaf collector can't communicate with them, so the Mafia drags the guy to an interpreter. The Mafia hood says to the interpreter, "Ask him where the money is." The interpreter signs, "Where's the money?" The deaf signs in reply, "I don't know what you're talking about." The interpreter tells the hood, "He says he doesn't know what you're talking about." The hood pulls out a large gun and places it in the face of the deaf collector. "NOW ask him where the money is." The interpreter signs, "Where is the money?" The deaf man signs in reply, "The $50,000 is in Central Park, hidden in the third tree stump on the left from the West 78th Street gate." The interpreter says to the hood, "He says he still doesn't know what you're talking about, and doesn't think you have the guts to pull the trigger." (Mikey's Funnies)
Two more 'Preaching Truth' conferences planned Two
more of our Preaching Truth in a Whatever World seminars
are coming up. These one-day preaching conferences explore strategies
for effective biblical preaching in a postmodern world. Led by Preaching
editor Michael Duduit and a variety of guest speakers, these conferences
offer a valuable time of insight and refreshment for those who proclaim
the Word. Preaching Truth conferences will be held in the following
cities:
For more information or to register, call (800) 288-9673, or visit the website at www.preaching.com/truth Coming up this fall: A new series of Preaching Truth conferences will be held this fall. If you'd like information on hosting such an event in your area, drop us a note (truth@preaching.com) and we'll send more information.
"As you go through life you are going to have many opportunities to keep your mouth shut. Take advantage of all of them." (James Dent)
Who needs an alarm when you can use a sign? The following are a few simple ways to keep burglars out of the house by putting a few signs in well-placed locations. Dear Mr. Butcher, starting tomorrow, please leave eight pounds of meat for Brutus. Six pounds only makes him angry and vicious! Dear Mr. Mailman, we found bloodstains all over our mail. They must be yours. The next time you put mail into our slot, please be sure to keep all parts of your body well clear of all openings. P.S. -- Any sign of that book we sent for, "The Care and Feeding of Wild Jungle Cats"? Dear Mr. Exterminator, be very careful when you go inside! The termites have eaten through most of the floorboards and you will fall into the basement where all of the rats are! To whom it may concern: Some of the items in this house have been engraved with Federal Identification Numbers. Others have merely been wired to explode when touched. Good luck . . . Selma, don't come in! The boa constrictor got loose again . . . (Cybersalt Digest)
And finally . . . Where was this guy when I was in middle school? A former gym teacher in Pensacola, FL, has pleaded guilty to taking $1-a-day bribes from middle school students who didn't want to change their clothes for class. Under his plea deal, Terence Braxton, 28, was sentenced to three years probation for felony bribery, ordered to pay back the students at Ernest Ward Middle School, and ordered to perform 300 hours of community service, according to a May 18 Associated Press story. His Florida teaching certificate was permanently revoked, though the judge's ruling means Braxton could teach in another state. Reports are that middle school students across America are recommending him for physical education faculty openings in their own schools.
Not a current subscriber to Preaching magazine? Why not share PreachingNow with a friend? Missing
an issue of PreachingNow? Problems
with links? Received
this by mistake? |
|
PreachingNow
is a publication of American Ministry Resources. Editor: Dr. Michael
Duduit. |