Preaching to Seekers

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Preaching to Seekers

• Source Mike Breaux, Communicating in Todays
  Reality, Willow Creek, 2003
• John.chandler_at_vbmb.org

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First of all

• Dont call them seekers
• Many think of themselves already as Christians
• whether we do or not

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What we say and what they hear

• Remember the communication wheel
• There is a usually a gap between what we intend
  to say and what spiritual seekers actually hear

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1 Corinthians 118, 21, 25 (NRSV)

• For the message about the cross is
  foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us
  who are being saved it is the power of God.
• For since, in the wisdom of God, the world
  did not know God through wisdom, God decided,
  through the foolishness of our proclamation, to
  save those who believe.
• For God's foolishness is wiser than human
  wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human
  strength.

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"Real deal, real meal."

• Deal Character of messenger
• 2. Meal Content/Context of message

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1. Character Be real

• Don't try to be like someone else.
• Great turn-offs for seekers arrogance,
  show-off, pretense, lack of obvious attribution.
  
• Leadership magazine cartoon "Wife Let's
  switch this week why don't you be charming at
  home and grumpy at church?

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The "Gawd voice."

• Quoting Greek and Hebrew
• "the real meaning of "comforter"...
• Christian code
• Being false, pretentious, or someone else is
  exhausting.

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B). Maintain a healthy sense of inadequacy.

• All gifts flourish in the soil of humility.
• It is good to be perceived as a fellow learner
  alongside your hearer.
• Throw the alley-oop for God to complete.

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C). Preach from the overflow of your personal
relationship with God.

• Do you love preaching or love God?
• Are you attending to the reservoir or simply
  going to the spigot?
• Live with the subject and text to the point that
  you can be taught before being a teacher.

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D). Work hard with your gifts.

• Release the giftedness of others in the body of
  Christ so that you have time for preaching
• do you fold the bulletin?
• "Study to show yourselves approved"
• Let the Holy Spirit work through your preaching
  on Tuesday morning, not just Sunday morning.
• Winging it shows apathy to lost people.

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"Real deal, real meal."

• Deal Character of messenger
• 2. Meal Content/Context of message

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2. Real Meal (Content/Context)  Let the Word
speak!

• For Jesus doesn't changeyesterday, today,
  tomorrow, he's always totally himself.
  (Hebrews 138, The Message)
• Sky and earth will wear out my words won't
  wear out.
• (Luke 2133 The Message)
• God's servant must not be argumentative, but a
  gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool,
  working firmly but patiently with those who
  refuse to obey. You never know how or when God
  might sober them up with a change of heart and a
  turning to the truth (2 Timothy 223-24)
• Ezra reads for hours and people are changed
  (Nehemiah 818)

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1. Trust the Gospel to do its work.

• For I am not ashamed of the gospel it is the
  power of God for salvation to everyone who has
  faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
• Romans 116 (NRSV)
• Don't rob seekers of Truth.
• Don't neglect or avoid the guard-rails sin,
  repentance, morality, hell. People want to know
  where the underground dog fence lines are.

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We don't need another motivational speaker

• they only have one story
• the eagle who was raised by chickens
• The goal is not better Americans but
  Christ-followers

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2. Crack open the door of your life with sharing
the appropriate balance of struggle and
transformation.

• But don't just share your struggles.
• Make sure no hero is more than 97 good.

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3. Build and utilize a team around you - it will
enhance your creativity and connection.

• You'll get a lot of "footprints" emails but also
  some good stuff
• especially if you will coach them

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4. Freely use the creative ideas of others.

• Freely acknowledge borrowing - it enhances your
  credibility as a thorough researcher and humble
  learner.
• Focus especially on the good series of others and
  good titles.

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5. Be in touch with contemporary culture.

• Don't use any canned preacher stories
• "on a windswept hill in 1912 ...
• Cutesy sermon websites, mags

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6. Weave transformational stories.

• Your story - their story - God's story.
• "What is most particular is most general."
• Share "yeah God!" stories.
• Buttrick phenomenological formation of people
  through moves in consciousness.
• When you share authentic stories of people who
  are being transformed, it maps for others how it
  can happen in them.

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7. Pick Five.

• Up front, write down the names of five real
  seekers who might or could be hearers.
• Ask "what would they ask?"
• Intelligibility Level the playing field so that
  they are not shut out by code words.

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8. Don't be afraid to deal with issues (seekers
care), but don't be political.

• The apostles never preached, "If we could just
  get rid of Nero ..."
• If seekers take the trouble to show up, they want
  to know what you have to say

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9. Check your 'tude.

• Do you love seekers? Do you know any? Hang out
  with any?
• Get a seeker to evaluate your message.
• Do you hold up people like Eminem as negative
  examples?
• creates "us vs.them" mentality
• plus, they matter to God,
• and that's what you want to communicate.

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A reminder about tude .

• Rock on desk reminds me of
• the rock I crawled out from under and
• not to throw stones.

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10. Make the ask.

• "Because it's true."
• Preaching like it's the last time - Life is short
  and Jesus is the way.
• The 1 characteristic of those who connect with
  seekers is that they speak with passion. Where
  there is passion, you will find a way.

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The Invitation?

• Yes, and
• Vary approach
• Time in service
• Classic 3-fold
• Open beyond service
• Beyond extroverts
• Not always?!

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A prayer before preaching (by Bob Morehead?)

• O God, dont let the pulpit call me to the
  sermon let the sermon call me to the pulpit.
• Before I break the bread of life, let it break
  me. Wash my heart and lift the iniquity there.
• I want to preach, yes, hemorrhage, under the
  divine anointing.

• Strip me of all pride, all cleverness, all
  showmanship, all salesmanship. Deliver me from
  reliance on suaveness, education, academics,
  personality, notes, canned quips and celestial
  cliches.
• Let me speak with the humility of Moses, the
  patience of Job, the wisdom of Paul, the passion
  of Peter, and the authority of Jesus Christ.

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Prayer before Preaching (continued)

• Lord, make my preaching
• clear, not clever
• passionate, not pitiful
• urgent, not usual
• meaty, not murky.
• Let me disturb the comfortable and comfort the
  disturbed.
• Let it warn the sinner,
• mature the saint,
• give hope to the discouraged, and ready for
  heaven the whole audience.

• Let self be abased,
• Christ be exalted,
• the cross be central,
• and the plea be with passion.
• May my eyes never be dry.
• Just now, Lord, take me out of myself. Usurp
  anything I plan to say when its in the way of
  your message.
• Here I am, Lord. I am your vessel. Amen.

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Preaching to Seekers

• John Chandler
• Courageous Churches
• Virginia Baptist Mission Board, BGAV
• John.chandler_at_vbmb.org