What do people really think of me?
Feb 9, 2010 • By David Murray • 1 Comment
Wouldn’t you like to know what people really thought of you? Well, trust the web to supply the answer. A new website failin.gs will allow others to tell you what they really think about you without revealing their identity. You can restrict answers to those who really know you by requiring them to answer a question about you before they submit their opinion anonymously. You can then respond to the comments with “I knew this about me,” “I had no idea,” or “I totally disagree.” Others can vote up or down the individual critiques.
What do you think? Would you sign up for this? And would this be helpful for a Pastor? I won’t be signing up myself. Partly out of fear! But mainly because I have a loving and honest wife who keeps my feet on the ground and my eyes on the Lord. And surely every Pastor has cultivated such an honest and open relationship with at least one of his elders, that he is able to get trustworthy feedback from him/them. But above all, the Pastor must aim to please God not people. In fact Paul goes so far as to say that if he started pleasing people, from that moment he has stopped being a servant of Christ (Gal.1:10). Every Pastor is doing one or the other.How Sermons Work
Feb 8, 2010 • By David Murray • 9 CommentsNew book from Evangelical Press: How Sermons Work.
Spluttering or sprinting over the finish line?
Feb 6, 2010 • By David Murray • 0 Comments
For me, the hardest work in sermon preparation is writing the conclusion. Usually I’ve used up so much mental and spiritual energy in exegesis, organization, application, etc., that there is little gas left to power me over the finishing line. And if my sermons splutter over the finishing line in the study then they usually do so also in the pulpit.
That wouldn’t matter so much if the sermon conclusion was not so important. In Christ-centered Preaching Bryan Chapell writes:
The last sixty seconds are typically the most dynamic moments in excellent sermons. With these final words, a preacher marshals the thought and emotion of an entire message into an exhortation that makes all that has preceded clear and compelling. A conclusion is a sermon’s destination. Ending contents are alive-packed with tension, drama, energy, and emotion.
I agree with Chapell, even although it makes me feel as if I’ve never preached! So how can I get closer to Chapell’s ideal?
This quote from a recent Harvard Business Essentials publication helped me at least to clarify the purpose of a conclusion:
The conclusion [in a presentation] should not summarize your arguments; rather, it should appeal to the audience for its understanding, its action, and its approval — whatever it is you want the audience to do or think.
So don’t fall into the trap of telling your audience what you’ve already said. Summing it up is a surefire way to kill any enthusiasm your presentation may have generated. So forget about a summary; instead, tell your audience what it should think or do.
That’s a good start in getting to a good end.
Picture: 2008 © Marcel Mooij. Image from BigStockPhoto.comHow to stop people idolizing you
Feb 4, 2010 • By David Murray • 0 Comments
What do you do if people start idolizing you or your preaching? “I wouldn’t mind some of that!” you retort. Well, okay, maybe it won’t happen to many of us on a large scale. And most of us have the opposite problem. But, if even one person starts to “follow” you or your sermons excessively (and that can happen in the smallest of congregations), how should you respond. The Apostle Paul’s answer to preacher-idolatry was, “All things are yours” (1 Cor. 3:21).
I was first stunned by this verse 17 years ago when Don Carson lectured on 1 Corinthians 1-3 at the Free Church College in Edinburgh. It began a revolution in my worldview that continues to expand and develop to this day. All things are mine! It’s almost unbelievable, isn’t it? I think Paul knew that too. That’s why in the next verse he expands and underlines it. “Whether Paul or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours.” No wriggle room there is there. He covers everything.
But why does Paul introduce this huge truth here? He is primarily addressing the Corinthian problem of idolizing preachers. He begins, “Let no one glory in man, for all things are yours.” The Corinthians had turned godly servants - Paul, Cephas, Apollos - into ungodly masters. By giving exclusive attention and loyalty to one gifted and godly preacher, they were not only enslaving themselves to a man, they were also robbing themselves of the great riches God had distributed throughout His Church and His servants.
Imagine entering your newly-built home for the first time. The builder wants to show you all he has done for you. But you go straight to the kitchen, put your head under the sink, and say again and again, “I love this pipework.” “OK….But….eh…do you not want to see the rest of the house?” “Oh no, I just want to stay here and admire the way this washer fits.”
“All things are yours,” says Paul. In effect he’s saying, “Don’t cut yourself off from God’s riches by only listening to, reading, or following me. Honor me as your pastor, of course, but use all faithful preachers for your spiritual enrichment, because God has scattered his gifts and knowledge throughout the church. Don’t get stuck under the sink when God has given you a whole house to enjoy!”
But Paul doesn’t stop with just “all preachers are yours.” “All things” means “all things.” It includes the church and the world, life and death, present things and future things. But in what sense are all these things ours?
First, all things are for our profit – Every thing, every person, every place, every time, every event is for our benefit and promotes our ultimate interests.
Second, all things are for our pleasure. The Christian can enjoy the little that he owns in a way that the non-Christian millionaire cannot, because the Christian tastes mercy and grace in the smallest crumb and drop that God gives him. But the Christian can even enjoy things that others own in a way the owners themselves cannot! I can wander through the mall and admire the beauty and creativity of the clothes and gadgets even if I will never own them. I can see and enjoy the speed of fast cars, the elegance of sleek yachts, and the architecture of expensive houses in a way that those who own them cannot. I can see God’s wise, beautiful and powerful creativity behind every good thing.
Third, all things will be our possession. People like to say things belong to them. They put their names on buildings and parks and pieces of land. But, ultimately, the meek shall inherit the earth. The land registrar in the new heavens and earth will say, “All things are yours.” Now, all things are mine by promise. Then it shall be possession.
“All things are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3:22-23).
Picture: 2008 © Marzky Ramka Jr.. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
In the hot seat
Feb 4, 2010 • By David Murray • 0 Comments
President Barack Obama gathered many plaudits last week for his face-to-face Q&A with Republican leaders last week. In the Harvard Business Review, John Baldoni argues that by doing this “the President, whether you like or dislike him, provided a template for leaders to use when they need to face critics.” He draws seven lessons for leaders facing criticism.
- Show up
- Be open
- Be cool
- Acknowledge your shortcomings
- Criticize gently
- Smile frequently
- Leave them wanting more
What can Pastors facing criticism learn from this advice? What would you add/subtract? I would add: Take pre-emptive action. Don’t wait until a disaster (e.g. Massachusetts) strikes that leaves you with no choice but to face your critics.
