Expository Preaching

I recently faced a stunning reality - I am now the "other generation". Let me explain.

I had invested an entire afternoon reading, studying and writing on the topic of Expository Preaching. I enjoy a very significant library. The material I examined relfected the perspective that I know as foundational to this discipline. This includes knowing the original languages, diagramming the text, doing word studies, and consulting lexicons and commentaries as well as praying for the illumination of the Holy Spirit. In short, immersing myself in the message so that when people hear me speak it is "Truth through personality" (Phillips Brooks). They have no doubt that the message is God's and I am merely giving voice to Truth. They see me live it and what I declare is matched by the way I live (cf. 1 Cor. 4:16-17).

That evening I read an article in a popular "Christian" journal. The focus of the article was upon a gathering identified as a church plant. The "message" was impromptou drama, made up on the spot. There was no mention of Scripture. There was no mention of sin, confession, repentance, grace, forgiveness, justification or any of the other terms associated with the vicarious suffering of the Messiah, the Son of the True and Living God who propitiated our sin. There was no connection with history. There was no text and no proclamation of the Truth sealed in the text of Scripture with the blood of the prophets and the saints who died declaring the timeless message. There was no clear gospel. In the words of the hymn writer - - There is A Redeemer, Jesus God's own Son! Tell the listener this in clear and compelling terms using terms that God chose to shape this message.

I prayed that night with a particular passion. I asked God to cause me to speak with grace and kindness. I ask God to make me (and IgniteUS) a relentless champion of preaching that brings clarity, light and Applied Theology to the lives of those who hear. The objective is the transformation of redeemed sinners into the fulness of the image of Christ (Col. 1:28). Time marches on. Truth does not change. Every great movement of God thorughout church history has been charaterized by - - not drama, not programmatic extravaganza, not slef-help seminars, but Expository Preaching. Sound exegesis opens the meaning of the text and humble, passionate proclamation seals it to the lives of those listening. They are Transformed and God is glorified. May it ever be so.

This is your invitation to immerse yourself in mastering the message God has given us. Then, as Jeremiah found this message burning within his bones, declare it with compassion, weeping and great expectations as to how God will honor His word. YOU may be the spark that God uses to bring renewal to Expository Preaching in your commuinity. That my friend transcends all generations, past, present and future! I am as the 'flower that fades', my time will end, but Truth is the same through all generations. Give it voice thorugh proclamation.

An Outside Voice

Why do most attempts at genuine Transformation in the church fail? Lack of effort - No. Lack of desire - No. Lack of energy expended - No. Lack of authenticity - No.

They fail because the message is not delivered by an Outside Voice. In the OT this individual wore the mantle of Prophet. He came from a perspective that was not beholden to the system. He spoke for God and was undeterred by the usual arguments designed to preserve 'status quo'. He was in the system but in a very real way not 'of the system'. He was truly an Outside Voice. His message was exactly what was needed even though it was clearly not popular and most assuredly not well received (Acts 7:51-52).

He was God's spokesman. His message was from God. This is confirmed in the NT - -

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2Peter 1:19-21).

There are no Prophets today who are the equivalent of the OT Prophet. Having offered that caveat, let me provide some observations concerning the message of the OT Prophet and the message necessary to bring genuine Reformation to the church in America today.

The Prophet's message was supported in every facet by the Word of the LORD.
The Prophet's message was primarily Theological not Methodological.
The Prophet did not attend an episodic event, a conference at which he received a notebook.
The Prophet did not call for a 'vote of confidence' to 'approve' his message.
The Prophet was spiritually and emotionally immersed in the lives of those to whom he spoke. They were his people and he loved them as did the LORD for whom he spoke. His message was not just a 'process to be checked off'. It was not the most recent popular fad to sweep across Israel. It was the very substance of God's prescription for blessing His people. Jeremiah said the message was a virtual 'fire in his bones' (Jer. 20:9).
The Prophet spoke with persistence and weeping that covered decades. There are no quick fixes.

Pastor, lay leader, does your church need that "Outside Voice?" Are you being that man like the prophet of old? Do you need help? IgniteUS is here to help you.