Sometime We Do Well, Sometimes We Don’t

LAST Sunday I preached one of the worst sermon in my church. What went wrong?

Was it a lack of Preparation? Prayer?

Couldn’t be. I put in the hours in both.

Was it a lack of conviction that it was God’s message for the congregation?

Couldn’t be. The text was appropriate for the theme – motherhood.


What Went Wrong?

As I recoup and regain my energy after every sermon – preaching takes a lot out of you, for it pumps up your adrenalin when during the process of preparation and speaking. Once you’re done speaking, your energy level is at its lowest, hence, most pastors will take Monday as their off-day to “recuperate.” I also take Monday off but in addition to recuperate, I spend a big part of the day reflecting on what I’ve taught, and reflecting on the feedback I’ve received from the congregation.

Sometime we do well, sometimes we don’t. This one didn’t do well indeed for me.


What Went Wrong?

I find that one of the main reason is that I failed to connect the sermon with the people. What do I mean? I am unsure exactly which group of people I’m targeting at. Those who are mothers? Or those who have mothers? It is not a question of either of but could be a question of “both and.”

What I failed to connect was the tension felt by the listeners. Because we live in a society where our mothers are traditionally held in high esteem (fathers held in healthy fear), therefore, to connect with the listeners, there must be the “aha” moments whereby the listener can “feel” the message with their emotions (heart and will) and not just the head.

Which brings me back to the basics of good preaching. There are three development questions that every preacher must ask – the 3 DQs.

Explanation – What does it mean?
Validation – Is it true? Do I believe it?
Application – So what? How then should I live?

Explanation speaks to the mind, informing it.
Validation speaks to the heart, stirring dissonance and causing disequilibrium.
Application speaks to the will, prompting action.

I trust that my episode will encourage readers, especially pastors, not to lose heart but to learn from our mistakes and grow from it. This way, the next sermon will improve.

Till next time…

Mothers Day May 13, 2007

Today I preached in my church on the topic of Motherhood – the (i) Responsibility of Motherhood conferred by God and (ii) Response of those whom God chose to fulfill his plans.

Mothers do not take a Sabbath – 24/7, 365 days, non-stop, they will dispense their love, warmth, nurture and protection upon their children. Except for dysfunctional situations at home, no mothers will forego this “duty.”

The act of motherhood is an act that is as close to creativity because it shares in the creative power of God through conceiving, carrying, and giving birth to a human being.

Voluntary or not, happy or sad, a mother would have to undergo the 9-months of pregnancy and followed by years of nurturing, training, loving, caring and protecting their children.

Is motherhood a blessing? Or is it a curse?

The answer depends on many factors – was the pregnancy easy or difficult; was it life-threatening; was the father of the child very supportive in helping the mother adjust with the physiological and sexual changes; was the family mentally, spiritually, and financially prepared.

Does that mean that if the family was unprepared, the motherhood is doomed for failure? Conversely, if the motherhood had the best of preparations, would that guarantee a blissful journey into motherhood?

I don’t think so. There are just too many variables that work against a successful motherhood. Why is that? We live in a fallen world – where we have to toil to make a living, whether in Singapore or anywhere in the world. There is really no such thing as a free lunch isn’t it?

Which brings me back to the question whether motherhood is a blessing or a curse. In one sense, it is a curse, as God cursed Eve, the first female, in the Garden of Eden for disobedience. Childbirth will be a painful process – followed by years of nurturing, caring and teaching the child.

At the same time, it is a blessing because only women are given this important responsibility to co-partner with God to bring a human being into the world. Only a woman, with her intuitive and motherly instincts can fully understand and empathize with a growing child – because a man usually leads with his head (logically – based on facts), while a woman leads with her heart (intuitively and instincts – gut feel).

But most importantly, for us Christians, motherhood is ordained and conferred by God – and he will not leave us to our own devices. He will bring people alongside, as we saw in the account in Luke 1:39-45, where we see the older mother (Elizabeth) blessing and affirming the younger mother (Mary).

God is the One who will be the source and strength of the motherhood. And for that, it doesn’t matter if motherhood is a blessing or a curse. God will walk with us and see us through those difficult moments in family life.

Happy Mothers Day to all.
Amen.

Healthy Churches

Biblical Church growth is concerned with the planting, multiplying, nurturing, and renewing of healthy churches.

However, while no one desires to be a part of a church that is unhealthy, we must ask the question, Can a church be healthy if it doesn’t grow?

In some situations, it may be possible, especially in locations where the church is highly persecuted. Yet even in countries where the church is not free to assemble publicly, an underground church often experiences numerical growth. In the great majority of church situations, it would be difficult to think a church could honestly be labeled “healthy” if it was not growing by making countable disciples. Not only did Jesus Christ categorically state that he would build his church (Matt 16:18), thereby sovereignly guaranteeing church growth, but he left us with a command to “make disciples,” thereby sovereignly giving us a part in church growth. The desire to have a healthy church is normal, but numerical growth must be seen as one indication of such health.

Church growth is the point!

Healthy churches demonstrate both numerical and spiritual growth. Leaders who desire to see biblical church growth in their church must be careful not to allow an inward focus on renewing the health of their church to become an excuse for a lack of numerical growth.

Why?
Centripetal vs Centrifugal
An overemphasis on renewing the spiritual health of a church can actually make the church “sick.” When a church focuses on spiritual renewal for too long, it becomes self-centered and loses a sense of mission. This happens because it develops a centripetal (inward) momentum that seeks to turn ever more inward. A centripetal church may maintain a vibrant life for a time, but without an outward focus, it will eventually collapse in on itself in selfish introspection.

In contrast, churches that pursue biblical church growth develop a centrifugal (outward) force that focuses on making disciples. The challenge of winning new people to Christ forces church members to pray for open doors for the gospel and to seek answers to real-life questions that non-believers wrestle with. An outward focus drives members into a closer and deeper relationship to Jesus Christ.

While it might be argued that a church could focus outwardly too much, this also would not be healthy. While this is indeed a distinct possibility, it is seen infrequently. A historical analysis of churches shows that the greatest danger is too much of an inward focus.