Message 2 of “Elijah” Series This Sunday: “Which God Do You Serve?”

Expository vs. Topical Preaching

As a young preacher, I have worked through my processes of homiletical styles, approaches, preparatory processes, and delivery over the last six years.  With this, a choice of what approach to preaching I would choose: expository, topical, or a combination thereof (depending upon the respective series being preached).

 

At the outset of this blog post, please allow me to define, in my own words, along with a brief explanation of what “expository” and “topical” approaches to homiletics actually are.

 

• EXPOSITORY PREACHING is an approach that begins with the Lord leading the preacher to a text that needs to be taught to a congregation.  By text, I mean a verse, passage, chapter, or book that will be taught.  It involves taking the text and exposing it to the audience.  With the exposing of this text, it is then illustrated with stories (both biblical and non-biblical anecdotes), applied to the lives of the context of the audience, and it concludes by always pointing people to the cross of Jesus Christ.
• TOPICAL PREACHING is an approach that begins with the Lord leading the preacher to a topic that needs to be taught to a congregation.  By topic, I’m referring to an issue with which people must cope, and finding verses throughout the Bible to explain how to cope with the respective issue(s).  A common approach to topical preaching is from Andy Stanley’s book, “Communicating for Change,” where Stanley describes his approach of “Me–We–God–You–Us.”  Click here to read an interesting interview with Andy Stanley on Dr. Ed Stetzer’s blog.  Examples of topics preached include: Sadness, Hope, Love, Parenting, etc.

 

I was raised listening to pastors whom preached with both styles, but from what I remember, it was predominantly more topical than it was expository.  Over the last (nearly) two years I have served as Pleasant Hill Baptist Church’s Senior Pastor, I have developed a strong inclination toward preaching predominantly-expository messages.  My reasoning behind this is that apart from God’s Word, I have very little to say in front of a congregation.

 

I recently heard Dr. Johnny Hunt explain the reason why he expositorally preaches when he explained the idea of reading a letter.  Imagine you just read one paragraph from the third page of a letter, then a paragraph from the second page, then read one sentence from the last page, and tried to tell me what the letter said.  You would be explaining the letter out-of-context.  This reminds me of how a news reporter may interview someone for thirty minutes, edit the video down to two minutes, and make it look like the interviewee is saying whatever is desired to be reported.

 

My job is not to teach people “how to” do anything.  My job is to serve as a mouthpiece for God’s Word and it naturally teaches “how to” live your life.

 

As I preach, my approach is to give contextual background historically, linguistically, and geographically.  As an aside, my father-in-law, Dr. Tony Crisp, leads a ministry, TLC Ministries, Inc., that has a sole purpose of teaching people the Bible historically, linguistically, and geographically.  After giving a background, I read the text, and outline the natural flow of the passage based upon its grammatical makeup.  Sometimes, that is one point, sometimes three, and sometimes six.  Throughout each point I glean from the text, I creatively illustrate it and apply it.  Throughout the sermon, I attempt to summarize at the beginning of every new point to keep the audience on-track with that which is being proclaimed.  At the conclusion, I usually attempt to tell a story to draw the audience back into my attention, and re-state the points once more in order to hammer home that which I am trying to teach.  So, I guess you could call my typical structure “BACKGROUND–TEXT–OUTLINE–STORY.”

 

I am not saying that others whom use completely different approaches are ungodly or unbiblical preachers, I am just seeking to explain my approach to preaching, and why I have chosen this approach.  May God’s people be equipped more effectively through the preaching of His sacred Word.

Elijah Message Series Kicks Off Tomorrow

Simple Ways to Invite People to “Friend Day”

I thought I’d share with you about some simple ways to invite people to “Friend Day” at Pleasant Hill this Sunday:

(1) Facebook: I’ve created an event invitation for you to use to invite your friends to “Friend Day” via Facebook.  Click here to check it out.

(2) Telephone: Whether its through an old-school phone call or a new-school text message, invite people via the telephone.

(3) Straight Up Ask’em: Just walk up to a friend and say, “Will you please come to church with me this Sunday?  We’re having a Friend Day, and I need to bring a friend.  I’d love for you to come!”

 

Don’t forget to tell people you invite that they will get an extra hour of sleep this Sunday, so there is no better time to check out church than on a day when they get an extra hour of sleep.  Telling them about the time change eliminates an excuse for people to not come.

 

Also, check out day 30 of the My Friendship Connection devotional here.  It’s awesome!

 

Get out there and invite people to Friend Day!

Reaching East TN, America, & the World for Christ,

Dr. Jeremy P. Roberts, Pastor

Bubble Boy Christianity

If you’re a fan of Seinfeld, which I definitely am, you may remember the “Bubble Boy” episode.  I think this episode is hilarious!  As I reflect upon this episode, I think of how many Christians get stuck inside “the Christian bubble.”  George played games with the bubble boy, and conversed with him sporadically, he was ultimately uncomfortable speaking with the boy in the bubble because he was separated from him.  Just as George had a hard time relating to and conversing with the bubble boy, so do many Christians have a hard time relating to and conversing with non-Christians.

Christians find comfort in being around other Christians.  Jesus is Savior, and there is comfort in the fellowship of other believers.  A person’s closest friends should be Christians so as to sharpen one another (Prov. 27:17) and be equally yoked in close relationships (2 Cor. 6:14), but Christians also need to beware of only being friends with Christians.  Followers of Jesus need to be around non-followers in order to have opportunities to share their faith with others.  The balance of this should not involve only being friend with non-Christians, but there should be a balance.

In order to be friends with non-Christians, one does not have to act like non-Christians.  As a follower of Jesus Christ, God wants us to be in the world, not of the world (Luke 9:23-26).

As we look at the life of George Costanza and reflect upon him conversing with the bubble boy, may we think about how to get outside the bubble in order to communicate the love of Christ most effectively in order to reach this world for Christ.

Check out a clip of the bubble boy Seinfeld episode below.

Blessings,

Pastor Jeremy

No One Left Behind

Yesterday, here at Pleasant Hill, I had the opportunity to deliver the message from God’s Word with a sermon entitled, “No One Left Behind” from 2 Kings 6-7.  I find it so interesting to examine the way the four lepers in 2 Kings 7 chose to get out of their seats, take a risk of entering the enemy’s camp, and they found a multitude of blessings from the Lord, including food, gold & silver, and water.  The went from leprosy to luxury in a matter of moments.

As I think about the three questions the lepers had to face, and you & I have to face, I feel a sense of urgency to reach the dying culture in which I live to see that no one is left behind.  The four lepers found all of these wonderful things while their own people within the city walls whom abandoned them and ostracised them were starving and thirsting to death.  As a matter of fact, in 2 Kings 6, we learn they were buying the heads of donkeys and dove dung for mass amounts of money in order to have something to eat.  The four lepers discovered the camp of the Syrian army, the very army that cut off all food and water supplies and surrounded the city walls, but the Lord scared the evil army away from their camp abruptly as they left all of their supplies.

The four lepers were gorging themselves with food, wearing fine jewelry and clothing they found in the abandoned Syrian camp, then realized their own people were on the verge of death.  Here are the three questions they faced, and you & I face with people who do not know Christ:

(1) Am I aware of those who are left behind?

(2) Do I care about those who are left behind?

(3) Will I share with those who are left behind?

November 1st is the Pleasant Hill FRIEND DAY.  Invite someone to Friend Day at Pleasant Hill, or if you aren’t an attendee of PHBC, invite someone to your church, and do your part to ensure that not one lost person you come across will be left behind the pearly gates of Heaven.

May we work together to Reach East TN, America, and the World for Jesus Christ!

Blessings,

Pastor Jeremy

Pastors & Stress

A few weeks ago, Charity and I attended what was, by far, the greatest conference we’ve ever experienced: the Timothy Barnabas Conference for pastors and their wives. This conference, led by the Southern Baptist Convention’s President, Dr. Johnny Hunt, was developed to provide for pastors and their wives a time of respite, relaxation, and renewal.

As we entered the conference, I was feeling a lot of stress on my shoulders with just the day-in and day-out grind of the pastorate. I learned some interesting statistics about the stress of the pastorate from an article in Honolulu newspaper. Click here to read this interesting article. Now, check out these statistics:

80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with spouse and that ministry has a negative effect on their family.
40% report a serious conflict with a parishioner once a month.
33% say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
75% report they’ve had a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.
58% of pastors indicate that their spouse needs to work either part time or full time to supplement the family income.
56% of pastors’ wives say they have no close friends.
45% of pastors’ wives say the greatest danger to them and family is physical, emotional, mental and spiritual burnout.
21% of pastors’ wives want more privacy.
Pastors who work fewer than 50 hours a week are 35% more likely to be terminated.
40% of pastors considered leaving the pastorate in the past three months.

Source: “Pastors At Greater Risk” by H.B London Jr. and Neil Wiseman, Regal Books, 2003

When Charity and I left the conference, we left with an amazing lack of stress on our shoulders.  I left with Colossians 3:23 resting upon my heart: Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Check out this one paragraph from the aforementioned article I recently read:

Forty-eight percent of them think their work is hazardous to their family well-being. Another 45.5 percent will experience a burnout or a depression that will make them leave their jobs. And 70 percent say their self-esteem is lower now than when they started their position. They have the second-highest divorce rate among professions.  They are pastors.

What is amazing as I left the conference, which I entered with a lot of stress, was the release I sensed from the stress.  I told my church the following Sunday that I no longer was going to carry the burdens of pleasing people because it is impossible.  Ultimately, I know it is COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE EVERYONE, and Colossians 3:23 reminds me I’m here to work heartily for the Lord and not for men.

I can’t believe how much better I feel physically, spiritually, emotionally, and familially since attending this conference.  If you are a person who has a lot of stress on your shoulders, just release it and relax.

Are you looking for sources of encouragement to assist you with your difficulty with stress?  Check out this sermon (Click here to read the sermon manuscript) I preached a few months ago, entitled “How A Christian Should Handle Stress,”

Also, read the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Release the stress.  Relax.  Be renewed.  I hope you’re encouraged today.

Pleasant Hill Remodeling Celebration Video

Remodeling Celebration @ Pleasant Hill from Pleasant Hill on Vimeo.

What happens to those who have never heard the Gospel?

Here are some verses that answer the question.  In order to succinctly answer it: They perish, and are destined for eternity in Hell.  I hate having to type these words, but I believe my stance is accurate, according to the Bible.  Listen to John Piper’s description of why the answer to this question is the same as my stance (click here to listen to Dr. Piper).

We must reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

*And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. (Psalm 9:8)

*Before the LORD; for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98:9)

*But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; (Romans 2:5-7)

*Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)

*Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (John 14:6)

*For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

My Thoughts On Education in America

Last month, I had the opportunity to achieve a life-long goal, to earn a doctoral degree.  It felt so good when my professors called me “Dr. Roberts” at the conclusion of my oral defense.  I feel it is necessary for you to have a brief background of my academic background in order for you to know where I’m coming from as I will be explaining my thoughts on education in America within this blog post.

Growing up, I predominantly attended public schools, while also having been homeschooled in 6th grade, and privately schooled 7th-9th grade.  So, I have experienced all three realms of education: public, private, and homeschool.  As I concluded my DMin last month, I added up the credit hours I’ve earned from undergraduate-postgraduate work: 296 credit hours.

Recently, talk has intensified from President Obama about extending school hours in America and making the academic year longer.  I agree with President Obama that kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with other people their age around the globe.  Read the entire article about it by clicking here.

There is a documentary that was released last year entitled, “Two Million Minutes.”  There are two million minutes over a span of four years.  This documentary follows students from America, India, and China.  It compares how high school students from the three most powerful countries in the world spend their four years of high school.  One of the most eye-opening quotes from this documentary is, “China and India are academically set-up to excel in the 21st Century; America is academically set-up to excel in the 20th Century.”  View the video about it below:

On the flip side of extending hours and/or weeks in the American education system, there are major concerns about the effects of Obama’s plan on the economy.  Read this Fox News article (click here) about the economic ramifications of such a change.

After having examined both sides of the equation, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I take President Obama’s side over Fox News’ opinion.  The negative effects of a major shift in allocated academic time on the American economy by will only be temporal.  However, not making such a shift will result in long-term economic decline.  Naysayers to this plan are being myopic and shortsighted.

In conclusion, I think some major changes are needed within the structure of our American academic system:

(1) We need to force limitations on extracurricular activities in order to not water-down students’ time.

(2) We need to transition to year-round school.  U.S. Academic Secretary, Arne Duncan, stated, “Our school calendar is based on the agrarian economy, and not too many of our kids are working the fields today.”

(3) Admissions committees at universities need to place a lower amount of importance on standardized tests and a higher level of importance on GPA in relation to the difficulty of the school district.

(4) Unhealthy food should be significantly decreased in public school cafeterias.

(5) This is the most minor change that needs to be made, but students need to be taught more about personal finance and debt reduction through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University program geared toward high schoolers, or something similar to it.