Further thoughts about narrative preaching

After preaching narratively on 1 Thes 2, here are some reflections and feedback from my trainer for next time

• you still need to exegete the passage as you would normally
• be true to the genre of the passage...its more natural to preach narratively if its a narrative genre to begin with
• you can realistically only express one idea throughout
• never ever take the persona of Jesus
• application is harder - there are more barriers and obstacles to overcome for them to understand the big idea
  
• milk the emotional aspect of the narrative
• illustration - avoid pointless ones (just like any other sermon)
• you'll need to work hard at keeping the listener's attention
  

What do we want? Instant gratification! When do we want it?

Thanks to Phil Wilding who sent this into the SMH recently.....

It reminded me of a sermon i heard a few weeks ago where we were looking at Genesis and how just like Jacob did, we ought to be wrestling, contenting with God. We're too used to having everything done for us NOW - instant noodles (which i had for lunch today), instant internet, instant messaging etc.

Here's some choice comments from Mr Wilding (who maybe i suspect is a Christian......dunno)

'Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can. Seldom in a woman, never in a man.'

In the world of the noughties, this adage really has added bite. There is less room for patience than ever more. Even worse, there is little room for expectation, or the joy of anticipation.

I took a photo of my granddaughter on my now outmoded, got-to-have-film-in-it camera. She immediately said "Can I see it?". Obviously her dad's got a digital. There's no need to wait.

In the noughties we want instant gratification. The price we pay is loss of the joy of anticipation.

Communication is now instant. You can join chat rooms on the net; text on the mobile; call people from wherever you may be. On the train? No problem! Just call them and yell out your secrets

During the time of the dinosaurs, my then fiancee and I were teaching in different locations in the bush.......we communicated by writing letters (what's that?). It took time, and thought, to compose a letter. You thought about the person, you thought about what you wanted to say; and you waited with excitement and anticipation for the reply. The waiting, the thinking, deepened the feelings and developed a relationship based on more than physical closeness and pleasure.

In his book Surprised By Joy C.S Lewis wrote of joy as 'an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any satisfaction'. He said, 'It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still 'about to be'.

We have lost this joy, even in little things. Think about showbags. For months before the Show we would dream of what exciting things we might get. Now kids get on the net before the Show, suss out what's in each bag and its done and dusted before they leave the house.

As an aside......the impact of all this on work and family is documented here

Children's ministry conference

The conference opened by looking at how God deals with families and what he requires of family. Namely, how God's grace overrules the folly of families; God's law directs the instruction of families; God's judgement overtakes the permissiveness of families and God's apostle addresses the responsibilities of families.


We then moved on to looking at developing a children's program that builds family life.

Here the aim of children's ministry is as follows: its to serve in partnership with parents, encouraging them in their God given role and responsibility and working with them to facilitate the Christian growth and nurture of children within the church family.


If it doesn't start early (ie. pre kids), then it won't happen when you do end up having kids!

We also need to think of how we view the child. So, we explored the child as created. The child as sinner, as saved, as immortal and as immature

In terms of practically meeting the needs of families there were some fantastic ideas:

Resourcing families:
- teach parents how they ought to conduct their ministry
- run parenting courses, put books/CDs into ppl's hands
- teach kids their roles and responsibilities
- help them make the most of their planned family times. Do the research, suggest materials
- match the preaching program with the kids program so that you can send home Bible bites and devotions to the family
- suggest creative ways for the kids to get into the Bible
- encourage prayer time - diary, photos
- planned teaching time as part of church activities (eg. teachers, parents AND kids); combined youth group with parents
- send craft or a question home so they'll dialogue over the week

Resourcing church:
- in terms of creche, what toys do we have, what do we do, what are we teaching?
- run all age services - family time learning as a church from the oldest to the youngest
- families reading the Bible and praying publicly together
- make sure there's family teaching time - songs, kids spot, children's talk by the Snr Minister, language from the front is inclusive of kids, structurally/architecturally fit in

Resourcing children:
- something they can take home over the week
- make time to connect Christian and non-Christian parents - eg. presentation, or BBQs
- send home Bibles, books, notes
- connect them with significant ppl who'll nurture them and pray for them.

Confessions of a Reformission Rev

I've only ever heard of Mark Driscoll by name

I've never heard him speak. Nor read any of his stuff before.

However, it seems like over the past few months, its Mark Driscoll this. Mark Driscoll that.

So I finally picked up a book of his (although i had no intention of actually searching for it)

This book by Mark Driscoll (pastor of this church) is 'the story of the birth and growth of Seattle's innovative Mars Hill Church - one of America's fastest growing churches in one of America's toughest mission fields. It's also the story of the growth of a pastor, the mistakes he's made along the way, and God's grace and work in spite of those mistakes.'

In his opening chapter he asks these questions:

1. Will your Rev. require reformission

Reformission according to Driscoll 'begins with a simple return to Jesus, who, by grace saves us and sends us into reformission. Jesus has called us to:

1. the gospel (loving our Lord)

2. the culture (loving our neighbour)

3. the church (loving our Christian brothers and sisters

He argues that we need all of these aspects - leaving one out poses great dangers

It results in the following:

Gospel + Culture - Church = Parachurch

Culture + Church - Gospel = Liberalism

Church + Gospel - Culture = Fundamentalism

Whereas Gospel + Culture + Church = Reformission

2. Will your church be traditional and institutional, contemporary and evangelical, or emerging and missional?

Here, Driscoll argues that society's view of church and Christendom as we move into post-Christian viewpoints has changed as time's progressed. We're now in a phase where emerging and missional churches are whats needed in order to survive.

Some of the features of such a church include:
- missions is every Christian being a missionary to their local culture (not one that sends people to foreign countries exclusively)
- church gains its influence in society by serving the common good rather than having its assumed position
- the primary culture to reach is postmodern and pluralistic
- churches are the people who love Jesus and serve his mission in a local culture rather than existing to meet the felt needs of spiritual consumers
- pastors are missiologists who train Christians to be effective missionaries, not CEOs who lead and manage their staff.
- churches grow as Christians bring Jesus to lost people through hospitality (not through church events)



3. Will you proclaim a gospel of forgiveness, fulfillment or freedom?

As we live more and more in a biblically-illiterate and post-Christian culture, the gospel of forgiveness (people don't think their sinners straight away. it takes months/years to understand sin) and fulfillment (like Maslow's hierarchy of needs) are not necessarily the hallmarks of an emerging church.

The gospel of freedom says we live in community with God and with each other without the pains of sins and death. But because of our sin, we have wrecked God's good creation and brought death and havoc into all of life. And though we are self-destructive, God in his loving kindness has chosen to save us from ourselves. Our God, Jesus came to live without sin as our example, die for our sin as our substitute, and rise from death as our Lord who liberates us from Satan, sin and death.

The gospel of freedom says that only through Jesus can we be brought back into friendship with God and with each other, because he takes away the sin that separates us.

4. Will your church be attractional, missional, or both?

5. Will your church have a mission of community, or be a community of mission?

Here, distinctions are drawn between Babel and Pentecost. In the Babylonian community, godless affinity was ever-present. the Pentecost community existed for mission - it held together because they were on the same mission for the same Lord.

We can so often strive to achieve community in our churches that we can neglect to focus on the fact that they must first be repentant and filled with the Spirit. Our unity lies not in the fact that we enjoy hanging around together and enjoy one another's company, but rather we're united in purpose and goals of serving God together inwardly AND outwardly.

6. Will your leaders work from guilt or conviction?

One of the inhibitors of keeping a church on mission is the erroneous spoken and unspoken expectations they have of its leaders and their families. Leaders must decide between offending Christ, or other Christians.

7. Do you have guts to shoot your dogs?

Dogs are those ministries that are holding your church back. Don't lack the courage to shoot them and make it count so it doesn't come back to bite you

8. Can you wield a sword and trowel?

When the Israelites rebuilt the wall, Nehemiah had his people carry a trowel in one hand to build and a sword in the other to defend their work.

___________________________________

What proceeds from these questions is an honest, roller coaster story of the Mars Hill church. Although i thought this was just a 'numbers' game, as I read through the rest of the book, I could really see these questions coming to the surface and Driscoll making decisions which has lead him to where they are today.

Its a great read. Easy, funny, amazing and at times you think 'I'd never do that'.

Its full of excellent quotes ("the upstairs room of our church was so hot, everyone was sweating like Mike Tyson in a spelling bee") and one liners which are just so spot on.

The behind the scenes look into his church I think really supports the big theme that runs through his book - getting people on a mission for Jesus, reaching the city, reaching the culture.

This starts with working with the right people, not being afraid to part ways, having what's called 'Gospel Class' which is the membership process for anyone to be involved in any ministry, performance reviews for elders, pruning for fruit. There's also stories of church plants and how these need to be accompanied by fresh ways of doing evangelism.

He also provides this assessment of people that exist within a church:

HORSES - vibrant leaders who pull a lot of weight and run fast. They've got sound doctrine, character and agree with the vision of the church

COLTS - emerging leaders who need training, testing and opportunities to lead. If properly broken in, they can become horses

FISH - non Christians who are spiritually lost and not actively looking for God. They need a Christian friend to lovingly introduce them to Jesus

EAGLES - skilled leaders who are being developed with the expressing kingdom purpose of leaving the proverbial nest and leading a ministry elsewhere

MULES - faithful workers who are dependable and do what ever is asked of them. They need to be continually thanked and prevented from burnout

COWS - selfish ppl who wander from church to church, chewing up the resources without ever giving back. A fence needs to be built around the church to keep the cows out

SQUIRRELS - people who are generally liked coz they're nice but rarely do anything meaningful. Squirrels need to be put to work

STRAY CATS - socially peculiar loners who linger around the church. They need a friend to help bring them into the church and an opportunity to serve the other peopel so that they can be meaningfully connected.

RATS - appear to have potential but lack dependability, humility or maturity. Need to be rebuked, and if they don't repent, they must be strategically ignored until they commit to no longer being a waste of time and effort

SHEEP - have legitimate needs that require patient and loving support.Need to be loved and served (eg. widows, orphans)

WOLVES - false teachers whom Satan sends into the church to devour Jesus' sheep. Remove them

SNAKES - evil people sent by the Serpent to destroy the church from anything from sexual sin to starting rumours. Heads must be stomped on.



In the end, as he says 'We need to stop playing church and start owning the mission to reach the city and see Jesus transform our culture'

Can't wait to hear him next year when he's speaking here in Sydney

BTW - thanks for 'lending' it to me Ying