Preaching – Part 4
by Anthony Clarke, Tutor in Pastoral Studies and Community Learning, Regent’s Park College, Oxford
Understand the Bible for Themselves
One of the questions I want to explore in preaching seminars and classes is what preaching is really all about – not just the practical details of good sermons, but the whole purpose behind what we do. For example, are we trying to tell people what the Bible is about or help people understand the Bible for themselves? It seems to me that these are quite different ideas and connect with a number of underlying issues. One is about power. If I preach powerful biblical sermons that help the congregation live out their Christian lives then that is good thing… except it can create a sense of dependency. What should people believe or think or how should they act? Well, my sermons will explain the Bible to them and tell them. So people keep coming back. As preachers we must not pretend that we are immune from this. It boosts our ego and reinforces our sense of importance. We must be constantly on our guard.
The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 4, offers us a vision of the church which has become mature and reached the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. But the hint he seems to give is that at this point the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers become redundant. They have worked themselves out of a job, because the church is fully mature. The fact that, in
practice, new people are joining should not obscure this aim to empower others. One key way is to help our congregations to read and understand the Bible for themselves, so they can wrestle with Scripture, ask the right questions and put it into practice. Our sermons can help this process, both by encouraging it, but also by consciously teaching people how to handle the Bible faithfully,
giving them some of the knowledge and tools that we have. So start doing yourself out of a job!
The Series
- Preaching – Part 1 – Anthony Clarke
- Preaching – Part 2 – Anthony Clarke
- Preaching – Part 3 – Anthony Clarke
- Preaching – Part 4 – Anthony Clarke
- Preaching – Part 5 – Anthony Clarke
- Preaching – Part 6 – Anthony Clarke
Related resources
The Art of Teaching Course
The Art of Teaching – Seminar MP3s and CDs – John Ortberg
Anatomy of a Message – John Ortberg DVD/CD
Don’t Write a Talk, Craft an Experience – Rob Bell CD
Leading, Teaching and Having a Life – Bill Hybels DVD/CD
Team Teaching – Bill Hybels
Teaching the Heart of the Old Testament – John Ortberg
