“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7 (New International Version)

I feel like all Christian leaders would agree with this statement. Throughout my life, since my conversion at age 9, if you had asked me if I feared/respected the Lord, I would undoubtedly have answered ‘yes.’ However, now that I am 64 and am looking back on 55 years of walking with the Lord and 53 years of Christian leadership, I have to say that I failed to truly fear the Lord and make Him the foundation of all my knowledge all of the time. And looking at how people lead, I would have to say that for many, even leaders who proclaim Christianity, and leaders in the church, the Lord is not their foundation, but a large amount of their ego is.

Jesus must be #1.

“You must not just discipline yourself to spend time with Him and his written word; you must want to.”

If you don’t want to, you’re not in love. What kind of man loves a woman but never wants to spend time with her? It’s not a love relationship if you don’t want to be together and miss it terribly when you cannot. When my wife and I first started dating, she was a resident at a college some 90 miles away. We missed each other terribly and looked forward to every weekend we could be together. We even wrote “snail mail” letters during the week, and hers always smelled of Ciara—her favorite perfume! We were sickeningly in love!

Jesus wants that kind of relationship with you. Love is what the church at Ephesus lacked (Rev. 2: 1-7). In this passage, we read about a church that seemed to be doing all the right things: they worked, labored, couldn’t tolerate evil, challenged apostasy, and endured and tolerated many things for the name of Christ and did not grow weary. From these acts alone, we would consider the church at Ephesus to be highly successful. Yet Jesus told them he had this against them: they had “abandoned the love [they] had at first” (v4). He told them to repent and do their first works, or He would come and remove their lampstand. He made it clear that He was not interested in a works relationship; He wanted love.

I’m deployed; where is Jesus?

I remember well when I first discovered I lacked this love relationship with Jesus. You see, I grew up in the church, not just going every time the doors were open, but learning to do God’s work from the age of 12; I was very busy in the church. Then, after I entered the Air Force and left on my first deployment and there was no church available, I found myself lost spiritually. And, that’s when I had to face some difficult truths. I realized that I had a great relationship with the church but not much of one with Jesus. But it was through this realization that He lovingly helped me to build it with Him, and from there I began to develop a deep love for His word and spending time with Him.

Solomon’s fear=New Testament love.

I believe this relationship is the New Testament equivalent of Solomon’s “fear of the Lord.” In his day, Solomon could only go to the temple for sacrifice and corporate worship. God was behind the veil. Jesus tore the veil in two and let God out of the box—now He desires daily communion once again with His children.

The fear of the Lord—that love relationship with Him is truly the beginning of all knowledge. Leaders, take the time to develop it.

Pastoral leadership is a delicate balance of the calling “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ” as stated in Ephesians 4:12, while at the same time dealing with the everyday “operations” of leading and attending to the needs of the church. In managing this balance, I have found that different leadership theories present strategies that can be applied within this context for pastors and all Christian leaders. Some of the most common leadership theories are the Situational Leadership theory, Transformational/Transactional Leadership theory, and the Servant Leadership theory-perhaps the most associated with pastoral ministry.

I believe that all three of these theories can be applied successfully to pastoral ministry. However, in this blog, I want to focus specifically on the Leadership Grid theory developed by Blake & Mouton in the 1960’s. What sets this theory apart from others is its focus on two variables:

• concern for people (relationships) oriented leadership

• concern for production (task) oriented leadership

If you are interested in finding out which of the two variables you lean more towards, to access a Leadership Grid theory questionnaire from Boston University.

Based on your results, you will find that you will fall within one of five different categories of leadership styles. The five styles include authoritarian, country club, middle of the road, impoverished, and team leader.

So, what does this mean? Let me explain.

Five Leadership Styles

1. Authoritarian

A leader with High concern for production and Low concern for people.
I think this is self-explanatory and none of us want to be here.

2. Country Club

A leader with High concern for people and low concern for production. Everyone will have a good time, but nothing productive will get done.

3. Middle of the Road

A leader with medium concern for both, people and production. This may seem ideal at first glance, but comes down to being mediocre.

4. Impoverished

A leader with low concern for people and production. It may be time to see your counselor.

5. Team Leader

A leader with High concern for people and high concern for production. There’s nothing like being excited about your people and your mission!

So, where do you see yourself? As you are self-evaluating, I think there are two critical questions to ask yourself.

Questions to Ask

As a pastor or leader, you can gauge your relationship with your staff and those you work close with.

1. Are you concerned with them as a person as much as what they have to offer in production?

You can apply this from a ministry perspective. Whether it is your main service, youth, children’s ministry, or media, I think you need to ask:

2. Is your ministry team focused on serving the people and developing relationships? Or, are they more concerned with the “production” side of their ministry?

Ultimately, it comes down to being genuinely concerned for the people we serve and work with, and not just about how well we can produce. Proverbs 27:23 reminds us to, “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, and give careful attention to your herds.” Although this refers to shepherds with their sheep, I believe it can also apply to our role as pastors and spiritual leaders.

Jesus demonstrated genuine concern for people, while also meeting their earthly needs. Our primary goal as pastors and leaders continues to be the making of disciples and seeing changed lives! There is nothing like seeing peoples’ lives transformed by the message of the gospel! Perhaps you can find areas of ministry that can be improved in both, relationships (people) and quality of service (production).

I don’t know if you’re a sports fan or not, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say you aren’t likely a diehard follower of the Montgomery Biscuits. (Why can’t all sports teams be named after delicious breakfast foods?) The Biscuits are a minor league baseball team in Montgomery, Alabama, and they made news this summer by offering a promotion called Millennial Night. Here’s what their promotional tweet said: “Want free things without doing much work? Well, you’re in luck! Riverwalk Stadium will be Millennial ready on Saturday, July 21st with a participation ribbon giveaway just for showing up, napping and selfie stations, along with lots of avocados.”

Minor league baseball teams have long been known for their creative promotional events to try to entice people to come out to the ballpark. But the Biscuits took some flak over Millennial Night. Not everyone appreciated their humor. It’s become a trendy thing to poke fun at millennials. A church produced a popular video called “You’ve Gotta Love Millennials” that made the rounds on social media. And in the end, I guess that song title is sort of the point. You do gotta love millennials. We have to love them. The church must love millennials because millennials are people. Every generation has had its own set of challenges and characteristics. That uniqueness can challenge us to change our methods, but the fundamental message is still the same. God calls us to make disciples of all generations. So, how do we disciple millennials? The goal of this article is to help answer that question.

What is a Millennial?

Millennials are often defined as people born in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Some extend that to the early 2000’s. That means that today millennials can range from teenagers through those in their mid-30’s. Though every generation has its own unique characteristics that help to distinguish it from previous generations, it’s impossible and unhelpful to limit people or stereotype them based on their generation. Not every Millennial is going to think the same way or have the same tendencies. Our discipleship methods change over time to fit those we’ve been called to reach and must adjust person to person as we get to know the individual. Now that we’ve clarified that, let me share with you several tips for discipling millennials.

8 Tips for Discipling Millennials

1. Develop strategies for connecting millennials with one another and with other age groups.

Millennials are interested in relationships yet often struggle developing them.

The need for relationships isn’t unique to millennials, but they face some extra challenges. In a stroke of irony, it appears that in many cases social media is making us less social. It’s easy for millennials to be acquainted with hundreds or even thousands of people, but not genuinely connected to anyone. There really isn’t such a thing as non-relational discipleship. When God does something in our lives, he most often does it through other people. Because millennials have a great likelihood to desire close relationships but actually struggle finding them, it’s important for us to connect our discipleship processes to more than just teaching information.

“We aren’t imparting facts. We’re connecting people. Millennials want (and need) relationships with caring people, spiritual mentors, and other Christians who can engage them mentally and simply live life with them.”

2. Show millennials what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus out in the “real world”.

Millennials want their spiritual life to impact their daily life in practical ways.

Our tendency is to see life in various boxes. We compartmentalize things quite nicely. We have our work box, family box, fun box, and our God box. This is one reason why so many Christians don’t see the need for discipleship. They’re quite content to serve God by attending church on Sundays but fail to integrate their faith in practical ways throughout the week. God doesn’t see our life in various boxes, and neither do many millennials. As a whole, millennials are a “what have you done for me lately” generation. Our grandparents used the same toothpaste for decades, bought the same model of car, and attended the same church for a lifetime. That’s not how millennials typically think. They want to see how something is relevant to them and helps them in their daily life. Millennials aren’t looking for a Sunday Jesus. They want a Seven Day Jesus (to steal the name of an old Christian rock band). We must show millennials how their work, school, free time, and all aspects of daily life are impacted by our desire to be disciples of Jesus. There is no sacred/secular divide for millennials. Everything is sacred because Jesus is involved in all of life. We must help millennials understand that. This leads us to our next tip


3. Develop a holistic definition of what it means to be a disciple.

Millennials are not as church-centric as previous generations.

I became a Christian on April 18, 1993, at the age of 14. (Well, that was about the thousandth time I had become a Christian, but that’s when it finally stuck.) So, I grew up in a Pentecostal Christian culture of the 90’s. At that time, we judged whether or not you really loved God by how often you came to church. It didn’t mean anything special to come on a Sunday morning. We were more interested in whether you came on Sunday night and Wednesday night. We’d pay special attention to who was and wasn’t there. This was often our way of justifying our own spiritual self-worth. I’m more committed to God than this person because I attend church more often. That generation saw the Christian life as being completely connected to a person’s involvement in a local church. We can debate the merits of that approach, but that’s not how millennials think. They don’t view the church as the centerpiece of their faith.

I have been a pastor. I believe in the local church. However, I’ve personally learned the necessity of extending my understanding of discipleship beyond the reaches of the local church. We must develop a more holistic approach to discipleship. For example, much of what we’ve preached as discipleship is simply behavior modification. We’ve judged discipleship by how often someone attends church, how few curse words they say, etc. As long as you are doing all the right things and not doing all the bad things, then you’re good. The problem with that approach is the goal of discipleship is not behavior modification but heart transformation. Millennials have figured this out better than some of us long-timers. Being a disciple of Jesus affects every area of our life. Jesus helps me to be a better husband, father, employee, and friend. Not just a better church member.

4. Build a discipleship based social media presence.

Millennials enjoy learning and digesting information in small bites often through social media.

Money is not good or bad. Music is not good or bad. Food is not good or bad. Social media is not good or bad. No “thing” is good or bad. They’re all just tools. If millennials are using social media and spending excessive amounts of time on their phone, it only makes sense to use that tool for the task of making disciples. If you are involved in discipling millennials, then it’s important to take advantage of the opportunity that social media offers.

When it comes to social media, you have to play the long game. For example, I have purposefully and strategically attempted to tweet encouraging, thought-provoking,gospel-centered, Christ-focused, grace filled (and occasionally humorous) messages 140-280 characters at a time day after day after day for years. I’d get some favorites, likes, and retweets. But then something happened. I started getting messages from millennials letting me know how much my posts meant to them and that when they’ve had a hard day they will go to my account to read and think about the things I’ve said. I am trying to make disciples one tweet at a time, and millennials have often responded in a positive way.

In Conclusion

These have been our first 4 tips regarding how to disciple millennials. Make sure to look out for Part 2 of this blog series where we will discuss the final 4 tips. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit gives you new insight and fresh opportunities to disciple millennials as they can grow to become everything God has called them to be and take on important leadership roles within the church and community.

Maps

The maps in your Bible are to real places on earth! Jesus came here! The kings and prophets and the people of God actually lived out their interaction with their creator on the middle-eastern real estate. Knowing the basics of the Fertile Crescent provide a rich backdrop to the suspense, intrigue, and adventure among God’s people. The faithfulness of their God is recorded history. Egypt is the backdrop for the Exodus. Palestine is the setting for most of the Old Testament and the Ministry of Jesus. Mesopotamia is the setting for the journey of Abraham and the drama of the exiles. Find your way around the Bible by noticing the maps.

Exodus and Exile

The two most significant events across the 4000 year period in the Old Testament help to orient the reader to the historical context. The law of the Lord in the first 5 books are characterized by God’s great deliverance of His people. The prophets must be identified by whether they are before, during or after the exile so that their message makes sense. The Exodus and the Exile help to orient that context.

The Law

The Law is a gift from God. The people of Israel wrote and respected the first 5 books of the Old Testament as an expression of His love. The writers of the New Testament and the teaching of Jesus refer to the law as distinguished from the prophets. Noticing the distinction between the law, the prophets, and the poetic books help the reader position himself within the 4000-year history of the Old Testament.

Value the Prophecy

Jesus, Matthew, Paul, Peter as well as John and the writer of Hebrews depended on the Old Testament as they wrote their Spirit-inspired works. Consider the grand foundation of God’s promises revealed among His people for the redemptive act in the New Testament. This predictive prophecy is what distinguishes the word of God from texts of world religions.

Hope is in the Future

One of the most thrilling discoveries of the Old Testament is that it looks forward to the coming Messiah. From the prophecy of Jesus in the Garden of Eden to Jeremiah’s call for a Righteous Branch, the reader is drawn to look for a Savior. This awareness of what God is doing and will do propels the reader to the wonder and victory of the New Testament.

In part one of this vlog series, Dr. Bruce Rosdahl shares how modern society has neglected the fundamental dignity that belongs to every human being. Rosdahl breaks down the cascading consequences of a changing worldview-a worldview that has redefined personhood and quality of life based on personal opinion as opposed to a Biblical worldview. This change in view and declination of a Biblical worldview has crumbled the foundation on which human dignity stands.

TRANSCRIPT

Well, students, we’re going to get right into it today on an area that is pretty challenging, for sure. I’ll begin just– before I do, I should mention that today I am definitely indebted to two books that have been an influence on my thought. And I thought they would be important for you to kind of recognize them before we begin. And one is called Why People Matter that is edited by John Kilner, Dr. John Kilner, who is really addressing how this concept of the image of God interacts with unbiblical worldviews, and what does that mean. He also is author of a book called Dignity and Destiny. You will definitely see the influence of both those books on my presentation today. And so we want to make sure due honor is appropriately there.

Students, today my heart really is broken. And that’s where I want to begin. I’m broken today as I watch a nation, our nation, and our world deny the fundamental dignity of humanity. Now, I recognize this is not a new problem. I’m not naive. We’re not naive. We recognize this really reaches back to the roots in Genesis 3 and the fall. But nevertheless, all around us we see the cascading consequences of a changing worldview. We’ve either forgotten the foundational principle, or we just have chosen not to live it out. And that is that all people, at all times, everywhere have dignity. Can I say that again? That all people, at all times, everywhere have dignity. And I’d like you to say that with me, because that is the heart of our message of my presentation today. Would you say it with me? All people, at all times, everywhere have dignity. I’d like to have you walk with me just for a moment through the pages of our news recently where this does not seem to be the case.

I mean, we just could talk about the resurgence of white nationalist movements within our nation and the world. Our nation watched as several hundred white supremacists, nationalists, neo-Nazis, and Klansmen marched chanting “White Lives Matter,” “you will not replace us, the Jews will not replace us.” Poland saw 60,000 people march in defense of nationalism, each march, every movement denying the fundamental dignity and value of African-Americans and Jews. We could talk about human trafficking. My goodness, over 20 million people are victims of human trafficking around the world. Now, the United Nations reports that 79% is sex trafficking. The majority, somewhere in the 90s, is comprised of men– I’m sorry, of women and girls forced into sexual slavery. And students, this is not just foreign countries around the world, but it’s here in the US, and in Texas, as well.

You may be surprised to know that Texas is second in the nation in regards to sex trafficking, with only California in front of us. Just in October 2017, right here in our DFW area, a sex ring was discovered that were enslaving seven women that was busted in Fort Worth. Women, girls, men, boys treated as a commodity, exploited for selfish pleasure. This is not how we treat people who are created with dignity, people who have intrinsic worth. We could talk about the Me Too movement. Over 17 million women reported some type of sexual abuse since 1990– listen to that. 17 million. Now, I know and I recognize that there’s a huge debate that exists whether the– on the accuracy of all the claims. But let’s be clear, one woman who’s been abused, one woman who has been sexually exploited is too many. I want to say that again. One woman exploited, that is way too many. And the fact that 17 million women would report such a thing is just shocking. The mistreatment of women is a denial of their fundamental dignity as people. And we’re not going to excuse it as locker room talk. We’re not going to call it boys just being boys, this is just kind of the way it is. No, women have dignity. They have rights. They have value. And they must be treated accordingly. This is true in the halls of government, in the boardrooms of our businesses, and the sanctuary of our churches.

It’s also true– and let’s be clear about this– in the privacy of our bedrooms. And this is what I mean. Let us not acknowledge and feign disgust at the mistreatment of women while all the time gazing at pornography in private. I recognize it is not just of women. I recognize it goes both ways. But let’s be clear, pornography degrades women. It makes them into mere objects, and robs them of value. And it goes against the fundamental idea that all people, everywhere have dignity. We could talk about eugenics in Iceland. And I recognize this is not easy stuff. I mean, we got right into it right away this morning. Last year, Iceland made news for the virtual elimination of Down syndrome children. Well, how was this accomplished? Through prenatal testing and abortion. Around 80% of the women who discover their baby has Down syndrome will abort the baby in Iceland. 80%. But Iceland is not the only one. You see– you reckon in France, 77% do the same thing. In the United States, 68% do the same thing. And 98% will abort Down syndrome children in Denmark. You see, the reality is this, that we have determined that people with Down syndrome do not have a life worth living. And it’s defended by a worldview that has redefined personhood and quality of life. It grants human dignity only to those who we deem have value. That is an undermining of the biblical worldview.

Now, we could also talk about abortion and sex-selective abortions. You know, I know for this generation today a lot of times we feel like, well, that’s so passe. But let’s be clear, there are still 40 to 50 million abortions around the world. 40 to 50 million a year around the world. And in some countries, sex-selective abortion is still an issue. You go, well, what is that? That’s where families have decided that they prefer a boy over a girl. And it never goes the other way. You see, the answers– I mean, the issue is this, that a baby girl is just not wanted in some of these countries or granted the same dignity as a boy. So what’s the answer? You abort her. And you know, let’s just try again till we get the boy that we want. And what does that say about the intrinsic dignity of women? But you know, it’s not only the unborn children who suffer. How many stories have we heard and how many stories do we have to hear about parents abusing their children? Of course, recently we have the couple in California, as you know, chaining their kids to their beds, starvation, beatings, and horrors beyond imagination. We watched– the story captured the news for so long about Sherin Mathews, who was left dead by their family at a culvert just here in Dallas area. It’s estimated– and of course, the statistics are hard to demonstrate in every area, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 700,000 children were abused last year in the US. 700,000. Students, children are people, too. Children were created in the image of God. They are valuable. They have dignity. And we’ve lost sight of that.

So where do I stop? My goodness. We could talk about euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, cloning. We could add to the mix genocide. We heard about that recently. What about the use of torture techniques, religious persecution around the world? We could discuss poverty and politics and refugees. And do I even dare add the fact that the 20th century has been called the most bloodiest century of all times because of our modern war techniques. Students, all around us what we see is a world struggling to find a reason for dignity in people. Now, what has led to this demise? I think you recognize that I would not be intellectually honest if I tried to suggest there’s just one answer. It is just far too complicated for that, and I recognize that. But what is certain is that the decline of a biblical worldview is part of the problem. It has crumbled the very foundation on which human dignity stands. Let me say that again. A biblical worldview is going to provide a very foundation from which we find human dignity and value. Every justice movement, every social agency, Christian or not, religious or not, all of them defend human rights. And what do they appeal to? They appeal to human dignity, that there is a uniqueness in humanity that should be protected and cared for in some fashion.

Even our own Declaration of Independence assumes that people are– you know the words– endowed by their creator with inalienable rights. But that dignity, the uniqueness of humanity is in peril in a world that no longer affirms a creator. I mean, think with me just for a moment. What does it mean for humanity if the image of God does not exist? Then who are we? What becomes of human rights if people have no intrinsic value? If value is something that is given by the state or we confer as a society or it’s developed somehow naturally, then can it be taken away? How do you defend gender equality or race equality from a naturalistic perspective? And who says the weak shouldn’t be oppressed? Who said they should be protected? Maybe they should be eliminated. The fact is, students, our world is struggling today at the most fundamental levels to defend an objective value of all people.

To be sure– and I don’t want to overstate the case, but not everybody agrees with Nietzsche. He was convinced that the death of God meant that life is now meaningless and purposeless. Not everybody agrees. But I will tell you this. When you read the literature– and we’re talking about the sophisticated literature, not just popular literature. We’re talking about philosophers and ethicists wrestling with this question. They do have answers. They have ideas that they propose. But the more they seek to find human dignity apart from God, the more it’s like nailing Jell-O to a wall. It’s getting nowhere. I mean, let me just use as an example naturalism. If you’re not familiar with the term, naturalism basically posits that there is no ultimate reality beyond the material world. Hence, naturalism. What’s nature, what’s here. So it rejects the existence of a creator who endows humanity with dignity. So it searches to find human dignity in a world that is devoid of any transcendent design or purpose. And that’s the struggle. You see, Darwinian evolution has forced many to conclude, even of its artist supporters, and I quote, that humanity has no unique special value. Put in other words, there’s nothing special about us. We’ve just evolved just like everybody else has. And yes, we’re different, but we’re not unique. There’s not special dignity to us.

In fact, in short, humanity is no different, no more special than any other animal. I think you may be overstating it there. I encourage you to look and read the arguments of Peter Singer and others, who will actually give more credence and value to certain animals of higher cognitive ability than they will of humanity. And it’s one of the reasons why Singer will defend that you’re not even a human till at least about 30 to 45 days after birth. So infanticide is no big deal. It’s not a problem ethically. Now I know this sounds a little alarmist, but I remind you what CS Lewis said. The abolition of God leads to the abolition of humanity. When you take away the very foundation that gives you and I and every other person in this world dignity, then where do we end up? In fact, Kilner warns us this. And I’d like you to look at this on the screen because this is really kind of my heart today, my concern. Kilner warns us that the problem today is that many people have a life outlook that is incapable of supporting their conviction that people matter. They’re not even aware that there’s a contradiction in the way that they believe. Certainly, they want to defend their individual rights and value, but they don’t want to extend it to other people– we will march for my rights, but forget anybody else– not recognizing that that worldview is actually undermining human dignity and value for all of us.

And again, I recognize this sounds so alarmist and Chicken Little, the sky is falling, my goodness, but history has taught us what can happen when we don’t acknowledge human dignity. If all people, at all times, everywhere don’t have dignity, well, just consider for a few moments what we can do. My goodness, we could spend days and weeks talking about examples, but let me just give you a few here for a moment. What about the eugenics of a case called Buck versus Bell, 1927? You may not be familiar with it, but in 1927 our Supreme Court actually approved eight to one the forced sterilization of individuals deemed– and I quote– feeble-minded and imbeciles. Now, think about it. This is a legal case. The court is deciding that certain individuals are imbecilic and feeble-minded. And Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr– and some of you will recognize that name if you know your history, because he has certainly supported the eugenics movement– he actually wrote in defense of this practice, saying, you know what? We have an obligation to eliminate the defectives from society. See, rather than allowing these individuals the right to procreate and to negatively impact society– and again, I quote– society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind. Oh my goodness. That we would have a court that would decide who has dignity and value and worthy of procreating and those who do not. Now, I don’t want you to miss the rationale that they are definitely saying that these people do not have the image of God and are of equal value. Over 70,000 people have been subjected to forced sterilization simply because they were deemed defective.

Well, what about people who were considered, you know, less civilized than us? Certainly not as evolved. It’s an unfortunate reality in our own history that we declared Native Americans as not bearing the full image of God. And you may not be aware of that. See, we said Native Americans do not bear the image of God like white Americans do. And this is not just a white/African-American, white/Native American issue, we’re talking about all people, everywhere with dignity. But in this case, we decided that Native Americans do not bear the image of God. And they said that directly. Once again, Oliver Wendell Holmes, arguing in the New England Society Orations, said that there is an inferior race that deserves– and I’m almost embarrassed to use these words– they deserve to be, in his words, rubbed out. How do you just rub out people? We’re not talking about some word on a page that you just erase, we’re talking about people. You go, well, my goodness, Rosdahl, maybe you misunderstood him. Well, listen to what he says. “And so the red crayon sketch is rubbed out, and the canvas is then ready for a picture of manhood a little like God’s image.” Of course, he meant his image. Not Native American image. I don’t think it’s going to come as a surprise to you that the same arguments were used that enslaved and mistreated so many African-Americans because we denied that they also carried the image of God. And I recognize that some of this is offensive, and I apologize in advance. But you need to hear it directly that some justified slavery by arguing that black men and women did not bear the image of God equal to white Americans.

In a book which I was shocked the first time I ever saw it, in a biblical defense of slavery, you see, one of the problems, if you can defend that the Bible does not believe that all people– Hispanic, Asian, African-American, Native American, Middle Eastern, Indian whoever you want to put– that all people have the image of God, if you’re going to deny that, then what do you do with the Noah account? Oh, but he had a solution. And this is where I apologize how offensive this is. It’s not a joke to me, students. He actually argued that if you want to see and know where African-Americans came from, where black people came from, they were part of the animals on the ark. So go ahead, domesticate them, beat them, enslave them. They’re not really made in the image of God. And Charles Carroll’s book, which has been popular for over 100 years, called The Image of God, first published in 1900, argued that, if white was created in the image of God, then the Negro was made after some other image.

Now, if you understand why this is so important in terms of the image of God, you recognize that a key issue for the abolition of slavery and the mistreatment of any people and the issue of civil rights was founded on the issue of the image of God. And you know this. I mean, listen to the Gettysburg Address as Lincoln appealed to the proposition that all men are created equal. It was a commitment that every person has the image of God in them. We could listen to Martin Luther King Jr, who called the nation to put away hatred and injustice and live out the true meaning of these words. What words? “That we hold these truths to be self-evident.” Come on, you know it. “That all people, all men are created equal.” And he argued, if you look at his address on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he argued for the image of God in every person. And I love this part. He didn’t argue just for one race or one group of people, he said, because he understood directly, that if we deny the dignity in anybody, we deny it in ourselves, as well. And he said that our destinies are intertwined, our freedoms are intertwined. To deny dignity to anybody is to deny it for us all. And he wouldn’t let us do that. So we could talk about– we’ve talked about maybe denying it based on race or intelligence or inferiority or some other issue, but you might be surprised to know we also denied this based on gender. (Continued in Part 2)

I whole heartedly believe that discipleship was intended to start in the home. I remember distinctly going on a morning walk in my neighborhood and praying about who the Lord would want me to disciple. I heard the Spirit drop this response into my mind: “Well, you have 5 kids. Start there.” I was challenged to be more intentional with how I disciple my kids. But that sounds a lot easier in theory than it does in real life. How do I actually make that happen? A lot of parents feel guilty that they don’t have regular devotions with their kids. Let go of that guilt. Guilt is a lousy motivator anyway. There’s grace for you as you struggle through this journey we called parenthood. (I’m writing this to myself because I struggle in this area.)

Below are 6 tips to help you be able to write your own devotions for children. These tips are intended to help parents, small group leaders, coaches, or other children’s ministry staff. Also, check out the sample devotions for kids that I’ve provided you at the end of this article.

How do I write devos for kids? Let’s look at 6 suggestions.

1. Stick with one big idea.

We aren’t trying to teach a chronological timeline of the Old Testament here. Pick one big idea. One thought. What’s one lesson, one truth, one principle, one theme that I want these kids to understand? Once you have that, make sure that every question, scripture, and discussion tie into that big idea. Come up with one simple principle like “God loves me,” and then repeat that phrase over and over throughout the discussion. When the devo is over, your only initial short term goal is for them to remember the big idea. Of course, long term you want them to live it out, but they have to remember it before they can live it.

But, this leaves us with another question. How do you know what big idea to pick? I’m glad you asked.

2.Pick big ideas and themes that fit the overall storyline of the Bible.

It’s really important that we teach our kids the Bible, but the reason for that is not so that they can pass a scripture knowledge test or so we can show them off at Christmas parties by having them quote memory verses. We want kids to understand the meaning behind the scriptures. What big ideas is the Bible trying to communicate? What themes are found throughout the storyline of scripture?

Here’s some I would suggest


• God loves me. (He showed me his love by sending Jesus.)
• God is powerful. (He showed me his power by raising Jesus from the dead.)
• Jesus is the most important thing in my life.
• I exist to know, love, and serve God.
• I can’t do anything to earn God’s love or acceptance. (God loves and accepts me just as I am.)
• God wants to help me to grow. (The way to know if I’m growing is if I’m becoming more like Jesus.)
• I show my love for God by loving others.

In addition, you can focus around various character traits. We know that the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives, but we aren’t just taught to have love, joy and peace in Galatians 5 when Paul gives a list of the fruit of the Spirit. These character traits are emphasized throughout scripture. God gives us the big ideas in his word.

Some big ideas built around character traits could be


• God wants me to love others.
• I please God when I’m honest.
• Giving to others makes a difference.
• I can love others by being kind.
• I can learn how to be patient.
• Anything worth doing is worth doing my best.
• I forgive others because God forgives me.
• I can bring peace to difficult situations.

Finally, you might consider having discussions that are devoted to important spiritual practices. Many adult Christians don’t know how to pray, study their Bible, share their faith with others, etc. One reason some adults don’t know these things is because they didn’t learn as kids. You and I can change that.

Some big ideas related to spiritual practices could be


• God listens to me when I pray.
• I can hear God talk to me when I listen.
• Learning the Bible helps me to know God.
• Christian friendships are important.
• God wants me to talk to my family and friends about Jesus
• I can love others through serving and kindness.

One benefit of picking themes and big ideas that fit the overall storyline of the Bible is that you protect yourself from taking scripture out of context. For example, if we know all of the Bible points to loving God and loving others, then you can be confident that just about any area of Scripture you turn to will end up helping you do one of those things.

3.Ask lots of questions, and be okay with lots of answers.

Sometimes there’s a fear in children’s ministry to not let kids talk too much. After all, we don’t want them to distract from what I have to say! Well, in actuality, it’s often more important for you to hear what the kids have to say. The best way to get children to talk is to ask them a question. When we do that, we have to be okay with getting lots of answers, and this includes answers that don’t have anything to do with the original question we asked! Is it possible for one child to sidetrack an entire discussion? Yes. Do we need to be sensitive to that? Of course. But a lot of kids really enjoy getting to talk with adults. Did you know that sometimes we grown-ups aren’t real good at listening? I can do better at listening to my kids, and maybe you can do better at listening to yours. The point here is simply that you want to let the kids do the talking and help lead the discussion. In the end, you’ll know how to emphasize the point you’re trying to make. It’s okay if it takes a while to get there. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t be afraid to let the kids answer. In fact, these devotional settings are a great time to let the kids ask questions. If they know you are open to hearing from them and that you’ve provided a safe place to ask questions, then you can be sure they’ll ask them.

4.Share personal stories.

Did I ever tell you about the time this kid threatened to beat me up in the boy’s school bathroom when I was in third grade? Tell that story and see if you have the kids’ attention. They’ll be engaged for sure.

Can I tell you about the night that I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins?
Did I ever tell you about the time I snuck out of the house and got caught?
Let me tell you what I learned from the most embarrassing thing I ever did.
You know what the nicest thing someone ever did for me was?

Personal stories connect to all of us, but this is especially true for kids. Anytime you ask the kids to share a story be prepared to share your own on the same topic. Help them to understand through your personal example that they can get through and overcome the challenges they are facing in life. You got through it. They will too. God helped you when you trusted him. God will help them too.

Every time you write a devo make sure to think about a personal story you can share to help make the eternal principle you are teaching come alive in their hearts.

5.Include at least one practical application.

This probably should go without saying, but so many times we teach the Bible without ever getting practical. If adults struggle to find ways to live out their faith, kids are going to have a hard time too. Don’t just tell your kids that they should be loving. Show them how to do that by giving them one practical example of how to do it. Don’t just tell them that Jesus is most important. Give them one way they can live that out. Here’s some examples of what I’m talking about


6.Use real life to illustrate your devotions.

Moses gives the law to the Israelites and tells them in Deuteronomy 6:6-9:

“6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

We often focus a lot of attention on the importance of setting aside 15 minutes to have a devotion with our kids. Those can be life changing moments, and this article is intended to help you develop those times. However, the point doesn’t seem to be about teaching our children only in that setting. Moses said to teach your kids about God, but then we include that teaching throughout every part of life. The normal everyday details of life can be used to teach about God. When you are sitting at home, walking through the grocery store, before bedtime and as you get ready in the morning. When your child is bullied, you can recall back to a lesson you discussed. When your child is disappointed, you can use that as a teaching moment.

I still vividly remember the day another parent from my child’s soccer team rushed the field in anger to confront a referee in the middle of a game. That dad yelled, pushed the ref, and threatened him. The ref was only a teenager doing his best to earn a little money at a soccer game for 10 year olds. You can bet that I had a conversation with my kids on the way home about how to control anger and also how to show grace to someone that lost their temper. (And for those wondering
no, that dad was not me!)

Conclusion

You can write devotions for your kids. You really can. You’ll want them to be biblical (grounded in one big idea from scripture), practical (always including one specific way to live out your one eternal principle), and relational (discussion based with lots of questions and interaction). If you do this, I think your kids will like it a lot and have fun too. And so will you.

One of the things I do in my spare time is serve as the chaplain for . In this role, I write weekly devotions for the club’s coaches to do with their teams at practices.

Here’s the general outline of what my devotions usually look like:

1. ENGAGE : Ask opening questions that tie into the one big idea and get kids engaged.
2. FOCUS : Introduce the one big idea/thought/theme for that devo. You want them to be able to focus in on and clearly understand what the big idea is.
3. BIBLE : Read the scripture and briefly explain what that scripture means and how it supports the one big idea.
4. APPLY : Ask questions about and discuss at least one practical and specific application of how to live out the big idea.
5. PRAY : Take time to pray that God would help them to live out what you have discussed.

Devotional Examples:

I wanted to also include some examples of the devotions I’ve written for South City Athletic Club. You can use this same template to write devotions for your kids. I would love to hear your questions, comments, or ideas.

7. THE BIG IDEA: Every sermon must have one key objective that is the big idea for the entire message.

You ever ask your kids, “What’d they talk about in kid’s church today?” I’m sure you have. And have your kids ever said, “Uh
I don’t know?” But have your kids ever asked you that same question? Sometimes we forget what the sermon we just heard was about. But even if we do remember the topic when asked, that’s not really the point. The point is are we remembering and thinking about the sermon without having to be asked?

Most sermons could actually be a sermon series (see point 9 below). We have to build sermons around one idea. You know how you hear a preacher say, “If you only remember one thing today, remember this
” Every time I hear that, I think to myself, “Why didn’t he/she just tell us that???” That “one thing” is the only thing the preacher should have been talking about the whole time.

People are only going to remember one big idea (if that). It’s the law of diminishing returns. We end up sharing so much information that people end up not getting anything. When people are thirsty, they need a glass of water. They don’t need a bucket of water dumped on their head. They end up getting wet, but they’re still thirsty. I think this happens a lot in our preaching. We’re more effective when we give one small thing (a glass of water) than unloading on them everything we know or think about a topic (bucket of water).

It’s also important to give them a way to remember and think about the main theme throughout the next week. Sometimes they can sound cheesy, but clichĂ©s and slogans really can help with this. Try to come up with one phrase that summarizes what you want them to remember and work it throughout the entire sermon. Repeat it over and over. Then, you encourage them to think about that phrase throughout the week. You include it in the weekly newsletter, post it on the church’s Facebook page, etc. If done correctly, that one phrase brings to mind all the truths you presented in the sermon.

Questions to ask

• What is the big idea (central theme) of this sermon?
• What are things in this sermon that could distract from that?
• When a person from my church is asked, “What was the sermon about today,” how would I want them to answer that question?
• Does everything in my message point to the big idea of what I want my people to grasp?
• Have I given my listeners a practical way to remember, think about, and apply this one big idea throughout the next week?

8. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Every sermon must have a clear, specific and practical call to action.

Okay, I need to warn you. We’ve reached a personal soapbox of mine. Every time we preach, the audience needs to be able to walk away with a specific application to the message. I have asked preachers to give me what they want the audience to do as a result of the sermon they are preaching, and I’ve heard things like “become more holy,” “trust God,” or “love others.” Those are wonderful goals, but how are the people exactly supposed to do that? What are three specific ways that I can become holy? What does trusting God look like on a Tuesday afternoon at work or at home with my family? Who is it specifically that I am supposed to love, when am I going to do it, and how am I going to show that love?

Instead of telling people to love others, we must give them practical ways to do it. For example, we could say something like, “I want you to think of someone right now that you know is discouraged. Can you think of someone like that? Someone that could use encouragement? I want you to spend 10 minutes praying for them before you go to bed tonight. Spend 5-7 minutes praying for them and the other 3-5 minutes listening to the Holy Spirit tell you how you could encourage them. If you aren’t sure exactly what to do, but they are on your heart, then try this. Before the end of the day tomorrow, send them a text, email or Facebook message to encourage them. Let them know you have prayed for them and just want them to know how much they are loved by you and God.” That is an extremely specific way to live out the message of loving other people, but we often fail to get specific like this. We tell people to pray but don’t teach them how.

We tell people to walk in the Spirit but don’t teach them what this looks like in everyday life. People need the eternal truth of Scripture to be applied to the routine nitty-gritty details of their lives.

Another crucial aspect that can greatly impact future sermons is giving people an opportunity to share how they have lived out the message. “I want you to try this and then email me this week to let me know how it went.” Using the example above, someone might email you saying they tried to encourage a friend and it turns out that friend was depressed, but this encouraging word let them know that someone does care and that God does care for them. When you get an email like that, you can include it as a testimony in your next sermon. You are celebrating the wins that people are experiencing. You are celebrating obedience to the message, and people learn to do what gets celebrated. Another added benefit is that you also get personal stories to share in future messages (which helps with point 10 below).

Questions to ask

• Have I made it clear how my listeners can live out this message this week?
• Have I given specific and practical steps for applying this sermon to their life?
• Have I given an opportunity for them to share with me how they are applying the message?
• In what specific ways have I been living out this message or need to starting living out this message?

9. PREACH IN A SERIES: If a message is important enough to preach once, it’s important enough to preach more than once.

Preachers spend a week (or longer) preparing a message. Even if the preparation time isn’t as long as it should have been, the things we preach about are often things we’ve been thinking about for quite some time. The listeners don’t have the benefit of that. They need time to think through, understand, and respond to the message. This is why a sermon series that focuses on one big concept is often the most effective way for sermons to actually change the way people live.

In addition to preaching in a series, it is important to continually reinforce the most important themes in every message. Whether you preach on trusting God, loving others or how to handle money, you can tie all of them back to the idea that these issues help them to become better disciples of Jesus. Every sermon is discipleship-based, but the congregation often needs that pointed out. If it is just implied, the church misses it. This doesn’t mean that we cannot or should not preach stand-alone sermons. There’s definitely a time and place for that, but the truth is that people have often forgotten most of what we say within a few hours of the sermon. We must find ways to engage people in the big ideas of our sermons throughout the week and over an extended period of time.

Questions to ask

• Is this sermon laser-focused in its theme and content?
• Should it be spread out over several sermons and made into a series?
• If this sermon isn’t important enough to talk about for several weeks, why do I feel it is important enough to talk about for one week?
• If this sermon is already a part of a series, does it tie in well with the other messages and stay on track with my big idea?
• How can I reinforce the theme of this message in future sermons?

10. ENGAGING: Every sermon should catch and keep the listener’s attention.

This is the part that many preaching conferences, articles, and newsletters will often focus on. You could make the case that it is “unspiritual” or the least important in the list, but even so, it is still incredibly important. It’s possible to preach truth but our listeners miss it because our listeners aren’t listening. In my mind, there’s 5 key things here.

First, you have to catch their attention early. If the first words out of your mouth were something like, “Today, I want to tell you about the worst day of my life,” then you’ve caught their attention. People make decisions on whether they will listen based on the first few minutes so the introduction is crucial.

Second, you have to talk about issues that people are actually dealing with. And it’s not so much that our sermons must be topical or deal with issues as the primary focus, we just need to be clear how the Bible is relevant to the issues they face in real life. If they feel it’s not relevant, they will tune you out. That’s true even if the message is actually relevant. We have to help them see that the gospel is relevant to the struggles and issues they face each day.

Third, people are engaged when the message is clear and concise. I’m convinced most preachers preach twice as long as they should. The goal of a sermon isn’t to be short but to be engaging. As an exercise, take a manuscript of your sermon. Take out all headings, spacing, etc. and just look at the actual text of what you plan to say. Then read through it slowly asking yourself, “Is this word, phrase or paragraph necessary to make my point? Take out the phrases, sentences and paragraphs that aren’t absolutely crucial and then see how long the sermon is. Whatever time you do preach it should be full of material that is absolutely necessary to the sermon.

Fourth, nothing engages people like personal stories. You have to find ways to make your point through personal and creative stories. Talk to people what you are going to preach about and see what stories they tell you about that subject. There’s lots of resources available that can help you become a better storyteller. One of Jesus’s primary methods of communication was stories (parables). He’s a pretty good example to follow.

Fifth, you want to come across as likable. I don’t mean this in a fake, slick politician sort of way, but likability is one of the most underrated aspects of public communication. You are more likely to listen to someone that you like. There’s a guy I listened to recently that was not a great communicator, but he was such a nice guy that I found myself rooting for him. A way to come across as likable is to be humble, transparent and self-effacing. Just be real.

Questions to ask

• Does my introduction immediately connect with my audience and draw them in?
• Are there any parts of my sermon where I ramble and get off track from the main point?
• Have I said too much? Could I be more clear and concise?
• Have I told engaging and personal stories that help my listeners grasp my main point?
• Do I come across as an authentic and humble person who is in the struggle with the listeners or as a know it all that everyone else just needs to listen to?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series on how to evaluate your sermons prior to ever delivering them. Use each of these steps and the questions that go along with them to help you evaluate your next sermon before you preach it. I’d love to hear your feedback.

How do you think considering these areas could impact your sermons in a positive way before you ever preach them?

4. HOLY SPIRIT’S POWER: Every sermon must speak the very words of God to his people & make clear that we cannot obey the message without the help of the Spirit.

We cannot accomplish anything we’re preaching in our sermons and the people cannot do anything we’re asking them to do without the help of the Spirit. Not only do you need to be empowered as a preacher, but we all need God’s empowerment as a spouse, parent, mechanic, teacher, etc. Are we giving opportunities to receive this empowerment and reminding them of their dependence on it?

I’m convinced most Pentecostal churches don’t really believe the baptism of the Holy Spirit is that big of a deal. If we did, we’d give people an opportunity to receive this gift on a consistent basis and not just a couple of times a year. I believe every sermon should say something like, “You know, what we’ve been talking about here sounds good, right? But it’s a lot harder to live out. I want you to know that if you are trying to do this on your own you aren’t going to make it. It’ll never happen. Jesus promised that his Spirit would be with us and help us to do what he’s called us to do. How are you relying on his Spirit to live this out in your life?”

This doesn’t mean you have to give a mini baptism of the Holy Spirit sermon every week. It simply means that we must let people know they aren’t going to be able to do anything we ask of them in our sermons simply because they tried really hard.

If Jesus needed the help of the Spirit, so do we.

Questions to ask

• Have I made it clear that the only way to live out this message is with the help of the Spirit?
• Have I given them an opportunity to seek the Spirit for his help?
• Have I prayed that God would help my people hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to them?
• Have I prayed asking God’s Spirit to empower me and my preaching?
• How do I sense the work and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in my daily life?

5. GRACE: Every sermon must make clear that our obedience to God is in response to his love and grace (and not to earn it).

As mentioned in Part 1, we encourage, instruct, command, push, pull and beg people to grow. But, we have to let them know there is abundant grace available. Our motivation for growth is not to earn God’s favor but because we already have his favor. I believe every message should say something like, “What I’m asking us to commit to today is hard. Really hard. We’re going to make mistakes. I want you to know that it’s okay. God offers us his grace through this growth process. What motivates us to do what God is calling us to do here is because of how much he loves us.”

If we’re not careful, our preaching can become bipolar. We tell sinners that they can’t earn their way to heaven and that they need God’s grace, but then we give believers a list of things they are supposed to do. We give unbelievers a message of grace and believers a message of law. The goal of our preaching is not behavior modification. We are not trying to create better, more productive citizens. We’re trying to help people understand how much God loves them. And in response to that love, we help them learn how to love God back. But our obedience to God is in response to his love, not so that we can earn it.

Questions to ask

• Is it clear in this message that God offers grace when we sin and fail?
• Have I motivated people to obey the message in response to God’s love and not to earn it?
• Have I offered hope to those that are struggling?
• Have I been transparent in the message so people understand I am in the struggle with them and also in need of God’s grace?
• Does this message fill me with hope as I consider God’s grace in my life?

6. A LOVING PREACHER: Every sermon needs a preacher that loves people.

This is of course not so much about the content of the message but the messenger. I don’t need to tell you how important this is. Most preachers love preaching. Not as many love people. That’s really unfortunate. When preaching becomes the basis for our ministry, we get entirely off track. It’s about people. The reason I believe the other 9 principles listed in this series are so important is because these sermons are being preached to real people with real issues and real struggles.

Preachers often pray right before their sermons. We pray things like, “God, help me to speak well and remember my message. Help me to preach the gospel. Let the words that come out of my mouth be from you. I pray that people will be saved and healed. May they respond to this message.” That’s all wonderful. But, how often do you pray, “God, when this sermon is over, may these people know how much I love them.”

Questions to ask

• Have I spent time praying for my people this week outside of preaching? or just for my preaching?
• By the words I say and the way I say them, will my people understand how much I love them?
• Will this message make it clear how much God loves them?
• In what ways have I shown love for my people?
• Am I spending time with people and building relationships outside of church?

Does the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, grace, and love describe you and your preaching? It can as you consider these steps in the preparation of each of your sermons. Check out Part 3 of our series where we’ll discuss our last 4 areas.

Digitized cross-references.

Bible study has been revolutionized by hyperlinked cross-references. The columns of Scripture references on the pages of your favorite study Bible do not have to be looked up one by one anymore (presuming you ever did). Using today’s technology, they can simply pop-up the reference or with a simple click or hover, list them all at once and copy into a word-processor for use in a sermon, lesson, or sharing with a friend.

Original languages for everyone.

What used to take a Strong’s exhaustive concordance and hours of reference and study is now tagged behind each word of the biblical text. Using Accordance, (the software recommended by SAGU) A click and hold on a word on a phone can now just show you the original word and its phonetic pronunciation, but how many places its form shows up in the biblical text.

Study Bible note liberation.

Do you have a favorite study Bible? That paper Bible is tied to the version you bought it with. Consider the fact that you could have the study notes from the Life Application Study Bible or ESV Study Bible side by side with the NIV, NKJV, and ESV.

Notes that last forever.

Current strides in Bible software enable the user to create a note alongside the text that can be attached to a verse. That note can be seen no matter what version the user prefers. Those notes, built through classroom, personal study, and sermon preparation persist year after year. They can be printed off and shared with friends and family.

Highlighting for a heritage.

When a user highlights the text, those highlights can be turned on or off, associated across the versions, or not, and printed off. Consider the underlining and highlights in a cherished Bible. Digital Bible study over time enables the user to print off the highlights, share files with friends and family and perpetuate a heritage of faith decades into the future.

In Conclusion

In Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Moses urged the people of Israel to teach their children about the truth of God’s love from one generation to another. Using the latest tools in Bible study, the lifelong task of discipleship has become not only easier but a potential blessing so all can hear.

There’s a lot of talk about evaluating a sermon after it is preached, but often the best time to evaluate a sermon is before you preach it. It’s my belief that every sermon should include at least 10 specific things. These things aren’t exactly the 10 commandments of preaching, but I do believe they are what every sermon needs. They are things every preacher should be thinking about and strive to incorporate when preparing for the delivery of his/her sermon.

These three preaching necessities listed must be the foundation for any sermon and should act as a rubric when evaluating your message. The series of questions following each one can be used as a grid to filter through your content and see what areas need improvement prior to preaching the message.

What does every sermon need? Check out Part 1 of my list and see what you think.

1.BIBLICAL: Every sermon must be Bible-based & consistent with the author’s original meaning.

Of course, this is non-negotiable. Everyone wholeheartedly agrees 100% on this point, but I often hear sermons that aren’t entirely true to the Bible. There are times when we’ll preach things that are actually wrong (unbiblical), but most often we preach a biblical theme, but from a passage that doesn’t actually teach it. Doing this means we’ve twisted the meaning of a passage to make a point, which then becomes false-teaching. When I make the Bible say something it wasn’t intended to say, it’s no longer the word of God, It’s the word of humans. And those words don’t have power and authority.

We are modeling for the congregation how they can study the Scripture. They will approach the Bible the same way we approach it in our sermons.

Building sermons on a biblical foundation will allow people to walk away from every message seeing the Bible as their authoritative guide for faith and living, not just the words of the Pastor.

Questions to ask

• Is the Bible the foundation of this sermon?
• What is the author’s original meaning of the passage I’m preaching from?
• Am I being true to that meaning in this message?
• What is the eternal principle(s) from this passage that is true for all Christians in all times?
• Have I felt pressured at all to make a Bible verse or passage say something that it may not really say?
• Will people understand how to study the Bible better by the way I present the Word of God in this message?

2.JESUS: Jesus must be the centerpiece of every sermon, and each sermon must help people see how the gospel impacts their life.

Just like any good story, a good sermon needs a problem to resolve and a resolution to the problem. Whatever problem you are preaching on, the resolution can be found in Jesus. When preaching on the Old Testament, we have to preach through the grid of the New Testament. Though the mention of Jesus can’t be found in every Bible passage, the scriptures and content in our sermon should bring people back to the idea that if I obey what’s being taught then I am going to be more like Jesus as a result. After his resurrection, the disciples don’t even realize Jesus is walking with them on the road to Emmaus, but Luke writes, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27) Do people see Jesus in our preaching? Does our preaching overwhelm them with how great and glorious Jesus is?

We must teach our people to ask this question about any topic or problem in life: “What does the gospel have to say about this issue?” The gospel is not just good news for the sinner. It’s good news for the believer. People must walk away from every sermon with an idea of how great Jesus is and how the gospel impacts their life every day.

Questions to ask

• Will people see how great Jesus is through this message?
• Is it clear to people that they should be more like Jesus and that obeying this message will help them do that?
• Have I presented the gospel in this message?
• Is this sermon full of “good news” or is it more focused on presenting bad news?
• How does this sermon help me to personally make Jesus the center of my life?

3.DISCIPLESHIP: Every sermon must call people to be and to make disciples of Jesus.

We could preach 100 different sermons on 100 different passages dealing with 100 different topics, but every one of them has the same goal in mind. We preach to help people become more like Jesus so that they can help others become more like Jesus. We must challenge, exhort and encourage people to grow. This means we have to tie everything we preach and teach back to the goal of making disciples and growing spiritually. That is after all what we’ve been called to do. (See Matthew 28:18-20.)

In my current role, I often speak to groups of college age students on the subject of discipleship and what it means to be a disciple. This is at an Assemblies of God institution and many are kids coming from a church background. However, most of these students don’t have a good understanding of what discipleship is or what defines a disciple. I’ll ask, “What does it mean to be a disciple?” They don’t know. And I’ve yet to talk to someone that had a clear understanding of how to make disciples. Our people must hear this on a consistent basis throughout every sermon so they can begin to live it out.

There’s dozens of definitions of what it means to be a disciple. In my opinion, a disciple of Jesus is someone that is reorienting (restructuring) their entire life around Jesus. It’s not that we live our lives and he goes with us. It’s that he lives his life through us. Jesus is the center. Our preaching must challenge people to be growing disciples of Jesus, help them understand what it means to be a disciple in everyday life, and explain the logical steps in how to apply it.

Questions to ask

• Does this sermon clearly communicate that living this message will lead my listeners to grow more like Jesus?
• Have I clearly communicated the specific ways in which this message challenges people to grow?
• Have I encouraged people to take what I am talking about and share it with others?
• Have I shown them practical ways in which they can share this with others in their family, work, etc.?
• In what ways does this message challenge me to grow personally?

These are just the first 3 areas where you can evaluate before you preach. There are 7 others that we’ll cover in our next 2 parts. Think through how you can use each of these steps and the questions that go along with them to help you evaluate your next sermon before you preach it.