Application - My Take on Preaching # 2

 

" As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9

The scriptures are clear. What we hear, learn, and study should be applied to everyday life. The task of preaching requires the speaker to connect the scripture to everyday life. For many pastors, studying the passage is not the difficult part. The challenge comes in delivering a life-transforming message based on the truth of God's word. In this brief essay, I will provide an analysis of why integrating applications into your message can be challenging, why we often fail to apply the scriptures effectively, and how to craft a message that has a greater impact on the listener. 

Why is application integration difficult?

Little Training Much of my time in seminary was spent on learning how to interpret the Bible. This involves breaking down the passage to understand its meaning. I am so thankful for that training and would regret not having it. Many men who enter ministry naturally enjoy reading and studying. It's a great starting point, but it isn't the makings of a great sermon. My homeletics courses focused on extracting the main idea of the passage and explaining it to a modern audience. The application was difficult for most of my professors to teach and for students to grasp. 

Hard Work Preparing a sermon is hard work. Developing an application is even harder. Pressing timelines, administrative duties, multiple preparations per week, and simply running out of time make the application process tough. Often, speakers save the application for last. Last in preparation and last in presentation. 

The audience. Have you ever asked your congregation what you preached the week before? Often, I have, and it came with a spattering of general answers. The audience needs assistance in bridging the gap between the text's meaning and its practical application. As pastors, we study, meditate, and prepare all week. They have thirty to forty minutes to catch up. The more time that passes, the larger the gap becomes in understanding and applying a passage of scripture. 

Isolation. When you disconnect from the local culture, it is more difficult to apply scripture. It is easy to remain within the confines of church culture and overlook the broader community.

What application is NOT

Application is not just relevant illustrations. Illustrations give us insight into how others have navigated similar situations. Illustrations shed light, but they might not bridge into the life of the listener. 

Application is not mere understanding. Just because a person can intellectually understand something does not mean they will apply it. My doctor explains the effects of sugar and salt in my diet in a clear and straightforward manner. This does not mean that I will stop incorporating it into my diet. 

Application is not just motivation or inspiration. I have coached college soccer for many years. Just because I give an inspirational speech does not mean my players will apply it to the game plan. We all have left Sunday services feeling like we were about to turn things around, only to get into the car and forget what we were inspired to do. 

What application IS

Application answers questions. The first question is, what is the importance of this text to my spiritual journey? The application extends beyond the explanation of the text and delves into how the listener receives the message and puts it into practice. Other questions that need to be answered are: 

• Do they understand what was said? 
• How can the message change their life? 
• What should they do about it? 
• What should they do first? 
• What is one step the listener can put into action to make a move forward?       

Keeping these questions in mind will help craft a well-prepared sermon with plenty of points for application. 

Tips for Preaching for application

• Provide tools for application. I like to provide printed notes with application exercises for each sermon that I preach. This gives the audience another way to connect. They see concepts, questions, and examples of how the scriptures work in everyday life. 

Slow down. Recently, I spent two weeks preaching on a single passage. In the first week, I primarily explained the passage. The second week, I worked through the personal applications for the congregation. In a day of podcasts, radio, and live streams, many congregants listen to as many as four or five sermons per week. While hearing the Word of God preached daily is a wonderful thing, we need to make sure we are taking the time to apply the abundance of information.

Read the Room. For me, this has been incredibly helpful. Being in the same place for over twenty years has afforded me the opportunity to capture the spiritual vitality of the congregation. Allowing the message to marinate throughout the week has provided many points of application based on areas of application facing the congregation. Here are some key categories to remember as you consider your sermon's application: relationships, conflicts, burdens, opportunities, and responsibilities.

• Work to arrange your outline in an application-oriented manner.

In summary, do not miss one of the most important parts of preaching! We are merely tasked with exchanging information. Application is a vital tool that helps our people change and grow. 

You Gotta Be You - My take on Preaching # 1

 

The late, Pastor Warren Wiersbe once said of preachers, "The experiences we preachers go through are not accidents; they are appointments." He confirmed what I have experienced as a preacher for over thirty-two years. It is amazing how many times the week's circumstances, events, and lessons personally fell into place as practical illustrations for the Bible passage I was addressing. 

People connect with stories. Applying what I was learning through the week has often connected me with my audience. The longer I have served in one place, the more meaningful the illustrations have become. I have often wondered why things work out the way they do. My sermon have taken shape at the last moment. Early on, I assumed I was not very good at preparing. But over time, I realized it would take all six days after my last sermon to prepare for the next one. 

I embrace the process now. God uses my personality, experiences, and difficulties to connect with my audience. Philips Brooks said it best: "Preaching is the communicating of divine truth through human personality. The divine truth never changes; the human personality constantly changes and this is what makes the message new and unique." This truth has helped me think about preaching in an entirely different way. I enjoy hearing others preach. It is not necessarily about just the content but rather the delivery. 

The best preachers are themselves in the pulpit. They have embraced who God has made them to be. Once a person realizes that God has put them in front of the right group of people at the right time, he can speak freely. There is a never-ending quest for men to follow men. I have seen people who attempt to talk like someone else. They use other guys' stuff; some even attempt to mimic another's tone, rate, and expressions. 

There is so much more to preaching than exegesis, hermeneutics, and scholarship. Those things are essential, no doubt! But, preaching is also about God preparing you. There is a big difference between a recipe and a meal. Every household has books filled with recipes. The best cooks don't get caught up in recipes because they are more concerned about the chief end of delivering a meal. Similarly, I  recommend that all those who prepare sermons prioritize evaluating the meals they deliver rather than following the recipes. 

Martin Luther once said three things that make a preacher: prayer, meditation, and temptation. If he is correct, it will take attentiveness during the week of preparation to identify what God is teaching you about the text you will deliver on Sunday. There are no accidents. Even the apostles spoke about what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:20, 22:15). 

Discovering who you are is critical to become an effective preacher. I am an introvert. Most people are surprised to discover this. I need time to recharge and usually, I do it alone. I need time to sort my thoughts and revive my spirit. 

I can become very distracted, so working on a sermon in one setting is nearly impossible. I need a whole week to produce a finished sermon. I've also learned I work best in the late hours of the day. (I am writing this at 12:32 a.m.). These discoveries have helped me. I now lean into them instead of attempting to change because someone else does it differently. 

II Corinthians 10:12-13 says, For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God appointed to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. 

Comparing yourself with others is a dead- in street. It will feed your insecurities and cripple you from being able to use your personality, experiences, and circumstances while preaching the word of God. Don't do it! 

We have to strike a balance. Some might think this is a permission slip for cutting corners. I strongly believe the preacher is to interact, study, and meditate on the biblical passage(s). Do all the behind-the-scenes hard work but do not forget to be yourself. We must never forget to bring our personalities, shortcomings, stories, experiences, and challenges to our people.  You gotta be you.