Preaching, Planning, Discipling

In Preaching with a Plan: Sermon Strategies for Growing Mature Believers (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2012), Scott M. Gibson argues that preaching plays a vital role for maturing disciples. Taking preaching seriously is to take discipleship seriously. Nowadays, the ministry of preaching has no place in the life of Christians. The first reason is that preachers usually don’t plan their preaching purposefully. In other words, there is no continuity from one sermon to another, from one Sunday to another. When Sunday sermons are filled with fragmentation, the Word of God is not being understood systematically and exegetically and the people of God is not being nurtured progressively.

The second reason is that preachers usually don’t practice expository preaching. Haddon Robinson’s definition of expository preaching is as follows: “Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher, then through the preacher, applies to the hearers” (Quoted by Gibson, p. 98). Expository preaching helps preachers and Christians start with the text, then moving from the text to the context in which our contexts are situated. “Expository preaching is grounded in the biblical text. It exposes to the listeners the content and intent of the Word and applies it to the listeners” (p. 99).

It is a challenge for all preachers/pastors to plan their sermons strategically. Christians don’t grow naturally. It is unnatural for Christians to grow toward maturity. Talking about discipleship without taking the pulpit seriously creates a big hole in Christian discipleship. This hole can only be filled by the preached Word Sunday after Sunday. It is a daunting, demanding and discipling task.

In my previous pastorate, I preached on the entirety of Mark’s gospel and Matthew’s gospel. Then, I focused on the idea of discipleship, mainly based on the models of Jesus and Paul. Here and there, I also preached on the Pentateuch. Now I am currently involved with a local church in Indianapolis. My attention is caught by the Book of Acts. I would like to preach on this book to help the congregation understand what the church is and does and how the church embodies the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ through the mediation of the Holy Spirit in the early church.

Scott Gibson says, “Remember, we’re moving believers through the stages of growth, and that means from milk to meat, which isn’t always easy for them to swallow but is necessary for their maturity—and we never stop growing. A purposeful preaching plan takes into consideration what type of nourishment is appropriate to push our listeners, not just to please them. We preach the truth of the Word with boldness mixed with grace and love” (116).

Our preaching task is discipleship. The ministry of the Word is the ministry of helping Christians to grow toward maturity in Christ so that they can participate in the missio Dei (the mission of God).