Maybe we should cut down on telling people to love Jesus... Do they really have to?

Jesus asks Peter, at the end of the gospel of John, if he loves Jesus. Clearly, in this case, the question mattered.

But I can’t think of to many other parts of the New Testament that we are explicitly told to love Jesus.

Sure, lots of places in the bible tell us to love God throughout the entirety of the bible - with the incarnation obviously pointing this to including Jesus, but “loving Jesus” isn’t stressed to the degree that we do within the modern church.

We tell everyone to love Jesus.

This is what you need to do.

This is what will inspire you.

This is what will strengthen you.

This is what you aim for.

But, does it need to be?

Could we just follow Jesus, but not love Him?

Couldn’t you just obey Jesus, but not love Him?

Isn’t this what you do when you first convert? 

Sure, obeying and following may result in loving Jesus...

Appreciation for what God has done, through Christ, can result in loving Him...

But... do you HAVE to love Jesus?

Is this a nonnegotiable?

Does this make you a Christian?

Frankly, I don’t think so.

And yet... we stress it soo much.

And I wonder what effect this has upon those - especially men and younger people - who struggle with our primacy to “love Jesus.”

How much angst would be reduced if we withdrew the dependency on “loving Jesus”? (Plenty of people have Googled the question “I don’t know if I love Jesus enough”)

Should a preacher wade into the waters of controversy?

A few weeks ago I wrote something on Tiny Bible Bits about doing the right thing while I was stuck in a fortnight of COVID isolation.

It’s not the first time I’ve mentioned COVID over the last year-and-a-half. Usually I escape unscathed.

As I do periodically, I boosted the post, resulting in it being seen by over 1100 people (which is around ten times the usual).

If you’ve ever posted anything online, you know that you’re potentially setting yourself up for an internet grilling. Expectedly, I copped a small dose of pushback. 

Frankly, it wasn’t a lot and it wasn’t too bad. 

I got accused of spreading blackmail...

Using the bible to spread propaganda...

Using the bible to support lockdown extensions...

And... one “Oh ffs”

All in all, not too bad for over a thousand sets of eyes.

Any heat was well and truely cancelled out by the 80 likes and 12 shares.

But I did hesitate in mentioning my release from isolation and firmly avoided linking it to a passage about freedom.

Rightly so, this would have been pilloried.

In that case, I would have been “drawing a long bow” and applying my situation into a place in the bible it didn’t belong.

But I wonder, how many preachers are currently walking a tightrope like never before?

Will they avoid speaking anything into the current pandemic? How about vaccinations?

How about the government last year? Or voting? Or... Trump?

Really, there are dozens of hot button issues which might make a preacher hesitate to wade into - Same sex marriage, homosexual ordination, abuse by clergy, racial reconciliation, BLM, class or gender equality...

To what degree does the political makeup of your audience make a preacher hesitate?

Should it ever?

Do the current circumstances a preacher finds themselves in create increased anxiety that they may be more readily misinterpreted?

Should it matter?

Should any controversy be totally avoided?

Is this responsible? Aren’t these the exact situations that those in the pews want to - nay, need to - hear about? Shouldn’t they hear what the Bible says about the controversies unfolding around them?

Or, does wadding into areas of controversy just force the speaker to be clearer and even better in both their theology and exegesis?

The not-always-risky percentages behind “there’s somebody here tonight”

There’s always a risk behind boldly saying that your point will apply “to somebody here tonight.”

There’s always a risk in stopping to boldly state - “inspired” - that what you’re saying directly applies to a certain person.

But, your odds rise with the amount of people hearing you.

And they will rise the more generic your statement.

And they will continue to rise the more disclaimers you stack up.

To a crowd of three hundred, someone will definitely be struggling with habitual sin. Or feel distant from God.

To a group of fifteen, it will be a far greater risk to say that someone present is identifying directly with the conditions laid out in a passage.

I don’t think that I’ve ever “felt led” to make my points directly applicable to “someone” but I am increasingly wary once the odds improve and the amount of “inspiration” is reduced.

For, in a crowd, simple percentages say that “someone” will be struggling with watching porn.

And they will be liars.

And a fair slice of the crowd will have a trauma in the past that they are still wrestling with.

Or they have been hurt by the church in the past.

To pick them out requires little “inspiration.”

How expanding your strengths can shift a drifting church

There’s an old saying that says if you’re not moving forward then you’re going backward.

It’s probably one of those “quotes” by Waldo Emerson that are in Quote-A-Day Calendars.

Nonetheless, if this quote is accurate, I wonder how many churches are, by default, going backwards.

The pessimist inside me thinks that there a lot of - at minimal - drifting churches.

But, when it comes to looking for ways to advance, there are two avenues which churches usually explore.

Old and New.

Do the familiar or try something new.

Either can work.

Either can flop.

But, I suspect that the former option is looked down upon.

Who wants to do the old thing?

But, if the other option is decision paralysis because the options are too daunting, then why not double down on what you know? 

Why not investigate your strengths and seek to expand them?

Do them better.

Share your knowledge.

Join with others.

Your strength can be a new shoot of growth elsewhere.

If the other option is to do nothing... stay stagnant... go backwards... then why not use what you already have/already know/already do to remain active?

Who knows, when you link your strengths with others, then they may reveal areas where you yourselves could grow in fresh ways...

Why you should pay attention to the questions which set the platform

Last semester I went on my first six-week teaching prac for the year.

While I was on prac I marked my first set of assignments.

In doing so I quickly found out why teachers mark students work accompanied with a hearty dose of wine.

The buzz of marking quickly wore away.

But one important thing was exposed.

Always start with multiple choice questions.

Why?

Because they quickly reveal the level of knowledge of the student.

Of course, multiple choice questions are easier to mark, but once they are completed and ranked, then you have a fairly clear order of the best-through-worst students.

This helps further marking because, as you subsequently mark from the best-to-worst, then you’ll quickly be able to discern what a quality answer (at least for that class/year) looks like.

We should do a similar thing when it comes to bible studies.

It is tempting to dive right into the “deep” questions, but this can be problematic if we overlook the questions which lay the platform.

No only do introduction and comprehension questions warm the group up by opening up avenues to talk and actually delve into the nuts-and-bolts of a passage, but they expose the depth that the group may be willing or capable of going.

These are the equivalent of the multiple choice questions in a school exam.

They give a foretaste of what to expect.

So, if you have a group that struggles to share or is having trouble grasping the details of a passage, then you’d be amiss to dive into deeper topic prematurely.

We need the God of bush chapels and cathedrals

A few weeks ago I was sharing the story of the worst, and most influential, time of my life and faith - 2010 - the year my dad died and my ex and I had two miscarriages.

It was a rough year.

But, my then wife handled things far better than I did.

I saw God as a cosmic sadist. He has omnipotent. He has in control. He was distant.

My partner saw God is a heartbroken friend. He was close. He was sympathetic.

I saw God as transcendent - big, holy, far above.

She saw God is immanent - intimate, close, incarnate.

He is both.

Gods is both transcendent and immanent. 

He is both the God of the awe inspiring, overpowering cathedrals and the gentle, quiet bush chapels.

We need both.

We learn from both aspects.

It is when we get the balance between the two askew that we can harmfully respond to situations and negativity impact the relationships around us.

My inspired thoughts are the equivalent of my kids paintings

Having two children, with my youngest being five years old, I’ve seen a lot of kiddy artwork.

I’ve delighted in every drawing, painting and scribble.

But they won’t be hanging in an art gallery. Anywhere.

Why?

Because, frankly, they are of dubious quality.

Lots of stick figures.

Variable perspectives.

The colour palettes have been less than accurate.

But, again, I’ve shown delight in each one.

I guess this is how God views my “wise” thoughts.

For, I tend to think that I’m pretty clever.

I write things and think that I’m clever.

I speak in bible studies and think that I’m clever.

I look over the things I’ve pondered in the past and think that I’m clever.

In reality, I’m not.

But, when my Heavenly Father sees the “discoveries” that I’ve uncovered, He is glad for the progress and pride His child has made.

Not that I’ve a genius or biblical scholar. 

You have to be close enough to see the bones

Every church has skeletons.

Every. Church..

Having worked in four churches, every one of them had skeletons that most members of the congregation were unaware of.

I heard of many other skeletons elsewhere which never saw the light of day.

Now, most skeletons rattling around a church are not fit for the front page. Or barely a tweet.

But they are there.

Past hurts.

Past splits.

Past blunders.

Past mistakes.

Unless you get knee-deep in the church, you’ll never hear about them.

You’ll never stumble over the details.

You’ll never trip over the wreckage left behind.

This is the danger of becoming a member of a church.

This is the reality of getting involved in a ministry.

You will be close enough to see the skeletons.

And you will find skeletons.

But they are everywhere.

The most important question adult converts can answer

The vast majority of Christians were converted - if they recall a date at all - in their teenage years.

With this being the case, adult converts are like unicorns.

Valuable unicorns.

One of the most important questions a mature believer can be asked is this... What almost drove you away?

For we all know that church is odd.

So are Christians.

And many of the things we tend to do.

So... for those who have joint our communities - and stayed - what were the things which made this the most difficult?

If a church wants to genuinely investigate the way it does church and the manner in which they accommodate visitors, then they must honestly listen to the answer to this vital question...

How > Does God speak

I believe in God.

I believe that God is a living God.

I believe that God is still communicating.

For many Christians, if we asked them if God speaks to them then they may get a tad flustered.

This can be based upon the belief that God communicating is weird. Or must be supernatural. Or audible. Or miraculous.

More often, it isn’t.

It’s through reading the bible...

It’s through wise advise...

It’s through the words of a sermon...

It’s a thought while praying...

It’s a persistent thought that nags away at them...

It’s an opportunity to get involved at church...

It’s through seeing the creation around them...

I could give plenty more examples.

So, I wonder if we changed the question to “How do you best hear God speaking?” would the response be different?

For, this question assumes that God does communicate and, for each of us, there will be ways which we see and hear Him more than others. 

Yes... but how long are you willing to wait?

Patience.

I’ve asked for it.

Last week I was at church and someone asked for it.

If you’ve been waiting for a new blog post while I was on my latest teaching prac, you’d have needed it.

But, whenever someone is speaking about their desire for patience (usually having to do with a revelation of a next step) there should always be a probing follow-up question.

How long are you willing to wait?

Unfortunately, when it comes to patience... we want it now!

In order to reveal our heart behind the request for patience, we should probe for the expected timeline of the petitioner.

Do they want an answer on their timeline or on God’s?

The secret hack of meeting new people at church

 I’m pretty decent at small talk.

When I can be bothered, after years of forcing myself to meet new people at the churches I worked for, I can make oodles of chit-chat.

But... everyone is worried about the most awkward part of meeting someone new.

Silence.

After you’ve exhausted all your queries and niceties, you’re just left with silence.

What do you do then?

For some... most even... their strategy is to avoid getting themselves into this situation in the first place.

Don’t meet new people.

Don’t extend your hand.

Don’t introduce yourself.

How about if I told you that there’s a hack to cure your welcoming troubles?

What if there was a secret for avoiding the awkward silence?

Now, this advice begins by still walking across the room and introducing yourself. That part’s unavoidable.

But, once you’ve met the newcomer and are a nice human being, then you’re equipped to employ my meeting hack.

It’s simple.

Find something out about the person - a job, a hobby, an age range, a family status - and then use this information to introduce them to someone else who has the same thing in common.

This works for four reasons.

First, it introduces the visitor to more people.

Second, it opens an easy conversation for the two people to make.

Third, it shows the newbie that they won’t stand out.

Finally, while you can and should stick around once your conversation pair becomes a triplet, you’re able to - relatively guilt free - excuse yourself and not leave the newcomer on their lonesome.

Don’t ruin the story with your questions

The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourite movies. Since it was on the other night I had to sit down and watch.

Then I saw something. Something the internet had mentioned, but I’d never deeply thought about.

The shoes.

Andy escapes wearing the warden’s shoes.

It makes less sense the more you think about it.

Despite what the narrator of the film - Red - says, you do actually notice the footwear someone is wearing! Try wearing a pair of slippers to work or school. People will catch on!

Nonetheless, the details of Andy’s escape are throughly confusing. 

If Andy leaves the warden’s office wearing shiny shoes - swapping them for his own crappy shoes - then we must assume that either a) Andy had a second pair which he actually escaped in, or b) Andy escaped through the sewer and the flooded countryside in the warden’s shoes, but these remained pristine enough to walk into the bank the next day.

Frankly, I find both scenarios unlikely.

Now, this patch of cinematic trouble doesn’t ruin the film for me. It’s still a great story. Well told. Superbly acted.

But, once you scratch below the surface into areas the filmmakers don’t intend for you to probe, then you can unearth further questions.

I think we can do a similar thing with the parables in the bible.

At the core, they are intended to be simple stories - earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.

They are designed to make you think and wonder about the point they are trying to make.

The danger is in probing too far below this context.

We can get distracted by our questions about the characters or setting.

Why were the men walking down the road past the Samaritan?

How old was the brother who stayed home with the Loving Father?

Who took care of the 99 sheep while the shepherd searched?

These, and a hundred questions more, can be interesting thought exercises. 

But nothing more.

For we will never know their answers.

Because there were no men taking a walk.

There was no disgruntled brother.

The flock of sheep are just an image.

We must fight the urge to bombard the text with questions it is never intending to answer.

Instead, we should enjoy the parables for what they are and wrestle with the points they do make. 

These are probing enough.

Is the height of your sacramental theology balanced?

Currently, I’m attending a baptist church (actually I’m attached to two since I also go to a different one with my daughters every alternate Sunday).

Unsurprisingly, they make a big deal out of baptism. It is kinda their thing.

But, I do wonder about the way churches can vary in the way they handle the fundamental Protestant sacraments - baptism & communion.

In theory, a church will fall somewhere within the range of high to low sacramental theology.

A high sacramental theology will deeply value the structure, meaning and tradition of the ritual.

A low sacramental theology will be more pragmatic and flexible in regards to structure, meaning and the tradition.

I find it interesting when churches mix their sacramental theology across the sacraments, for example, being quite high on baptism, but low on communion (or vice-versa).

Is this a result of churches seeing the central sacraments as completely distinct?

Is this a result of the minister or congregation’s preference?

Ideally, the sacramental theology of a church should align.

Why?

Because the height of a church’s practice will contribute to the appeal of the church.

For those who value liturgy, structure, predictability and tradition, varying the degree that this is employed through two important rituals may cause discontent or disconnect.

Those who are drawn in by the casual nature baptisms are performed may find the way communion is conducted jarring.

Those who are drawn in by the formal nature communion is performed may find themselves placing less significance upon baptism if they are too unstructured.

The secret which lets your points breathe

Introduction. Point one. Point two. Point three. Application. Conclusion.

When a sermon feels like a flood of words, the structure of the sermon mimics the one above.

But, it doesn’t have to be this way.

In fact, a sermon should never resemble a quality essay response.

The reason is simple, a sermon is not a thought monologue. A sermon should be thought provoking. A sermon should give you space to ponder.

The way this is achieved is by creating space in your sermon.

And, if you look closely at the following flow of a sermon, then you’ll spot the secret which will allow your points to breathe.

Introduction. Point one. Question. Point two. Question. Point three. Question. Application. Question. Conclusion.

Questions allow your points to land in the minds of the congregation. 

If you ask how your point will affect them at work tomorrow...

If you ask where they have seen your point play our in the lives of those around them...

If you ask the congregation to consider what the Holy Spirit may be saying to them currently...

Then you break up the deluge of words from the pulpit.

Then you make your points more applicable.

Then your points will be more memorable.

You just need to allow space and time to let your points breathe...

The two dimensions of a sermon

Sermons have both width and depth.

Sermons have a scope of the biblical text which they tread - width - and a degree in which they delve into a topic or passage - depth.

Congregations need to hear both.

Great sermons strike a healthy balance between both.

After a sermon I gave, something which should rightly be called two-sermons-in-one-dose, my ministry coworker asked me a significant question about the dimensions of the sermon.

The mechanics of the sermon broke down something like this... I preached for around 30 minutes. With fours points.

He asked, if I had a third less time, and only did half my points, would it have made for a better sermon?

My original sermon gave each point around 7 minutes.

But, if I only delivered my strongest, most relevant, two points, would they have been improved with 10 or 12 minutes each?

I highly suspect so.

The result would have been more pleasant to hear, easier to follow, more memorable and more applicable.

These are the results of a good balance between width and depth.

How long until our habits become unhealthy again?

If you’re lucky, like we are in Australia, then you’re church currently gets to meet in person.

But, things are still far from normal.

Only last week were congregation members allowed to sing aloud, before that, worship felt very concert-like.

Due to social distancing, even though people can now physically attend, they are scatted across the worship space.

This feels weird when you glacé around the sanctuary.

Pre-COVID-19, if you saw a congregation which consisted of isolated members, this would be a source of concern.

You would wonder about their sense of community.

You may question their welcoming or sense of inclusiveness.

Now, the pandemic makes us thankful that we can attend at all.

But, eventually, we need to consider how socially-distant-church is shaping our future.

Are we sowing habits which we will struggle to break?

Will church attendance be increasingly selective?

Will worship involve less participation?

Will congregations continue to gather at an arm’s distance?

Importantly, how long should we wait until, again, we identify the above habits as unhealthy?

How to set out your bible notebook

So, let’s say that you have a notebook of 100 pages and you want to use it for bible note taking - sermons, bible studies, whatever. 

How should you chop up your notebook?

Below is the system I just devised for my wife.

I know, it’s not world-changing, but as a bible nerd I am kinda proud.

If you want 200 pages, or 100 double-sided pages, then you give each book a single page, double all the single page books below and double everything else, aside from Genesis, Psalms and Revelation which go up to 5. That will give you the rough number you need.

Total 100 pages

Old Testament - 41 pages

Genesis 4

Exodus 1

Leviticus-Numbers 1

Deuteronomy 1

Joshua 1

Judges 1

Ruth 1

1 Samuel 1

2 Samuel 1

1 Kings 1

2 Kings 1

1 Chronicles-2 Chronicles 1

Ezra 1

Nehemiah 1

Esther 1

Job 1

Psalms 4

Proverbs 2

Ecclesiastes 1

Song of Songs 1

Isaiah 2

Jeremiah 2

Lamentations 1

Ezekiel 1

Daniel 1

Hosea 1

Joel 1

Amos 1

Obadiah-Jonah 1

Micah-Nahum 1

Habbukuk-Zephaniah-Haggai 1

Zechariah-Malachi 1

New Testament - 59 pages

Matthew 5

Mark 4

Luke 5

John 5

Acts 5

Romans 5

1 Corinthians 3

2 Corinthians 2

Galatians 2

Ephesians 2

Philippians 2

Colossians 1

1 Thessalonians 1

2 Thessalonians 1

1 Timothy 1

2 Timothy 1

Titus-Philemon 1

Hebrews 2

James 2

1 Peter 2

2 Peter 1

1 John 1

2 John-3 John 1

Jude 1

Revelation 2

The danger of having to hit a sermon-time-limit

I’ve previously written that most sermons, due to the effectiveness of the preacher, shouldn’t exceed 30 minutes. Frankly, for most, 30 minutes is overly generous. 

20 minutes would be a better offering from the mouthpiece and a better fit for the congregation.

But, what happens if there is an expectation, written or unwritten, that the sermon must go for, say, 40 minutes?

Honestly, if you encounter a time expectation - and this isn’t your comfortable length - then you’ll, most probably, underperform and, at worst, totally bomb.

Why?

Because you’ll stretch. You’ll add more than is required. You’ll combine what should really be two sermons. 

Furthermore, your preparation will be impaired. You’ll be more concerned about the number of words you use than you should be and this will take the focus away from where it should be... a message faithful to what the bible says and an appropriate message to those you’re speaking to.

And these two pitfalls will, most directly, affect those who are inexperienced.

They will feel the time pressure.

But, they won’t have the tools or confidence to pull off a polished 40 minute sermon.

To do this takes years of practice. 

And hampering them with a lengthy time expectation will only add an unfair albatross around their neck.

The secret that results in married people listening to your singleness sermon

Singleness.

Dating.

Marriage.

Parenting.

Churches should teach on all of these topics.

But, these topics will not speak to everyone in the same way. For some, they will not be in that life-stage.

The worst case scenario is that those outside of the advertised demographic will skip church on a week that doesn’t directly apply to them.

But, this exodus can be avoided by a simple expectation...

You will be told how this applies to you, no matter what life-stage you are in.

You will be told, upfront, that you can and will learn things from the sermon that you can pass onto others.

You will expect that the gospel principles shared will still apply to your circumstances.

In short, you will be told that listening to a sermon outside of your direct experience will still matter for you.