Jesus said, “You experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry … ” (Luke 11:46). How can preachers keep themselves from doing this?
One of the most significant challenges to my preaching came when a colleague said, “Randy, I want you to do something that someone did for me. Listen to a couple of your sermon tapes. Diagnose the percentage of time you spend preaching against things versus preaching for things.” I consider myself a positive person. But I was appalled that the majority of my time I spent preaching against something. It’s simply easier. Instead, we need to tell people what we live for.
What effect does this kind of preaching have?
Preaching is similar to raising children. One strategy for correcting an overweight child is to pick on them about their weight. But it doesn’t work. Instead, whenever there’s a small success, stand up and brag on them. Preaching should celebrate more than scold.
Recently I was encouraged by my congregation’s response to community needs. I simply said, “I’m overwhelmed by what you have been doing. I just want to say how proud I am of you.” I didn’t add, “But let’s do more.”
If you simply brag on them, that really motivates.
How can you help a congregation want to change?
Sermons allow us to be passionate about change by being vulnerable about our struggles. I find tremendous impact when people know that I’ve made mistakes, but that I am passionate about what Christ can do to change me.
Recently my daughter lost my wife’s cell phone at the mall. I was having a really bad day. I told her, “You need to go back. Look at every store. I don’t care what it’s going to take.” I was really hard on both my wife and my daughter.
Later that day I wasn’t paying attention while driving and hit the curb. It destroyed the wheel. When I saw my daughter, I said, “The cell phone you lost is going to cost about $20 to replace, and that was irresponsible. But I was irresponsible, too, and it’s going to cost me $500. I’ll tell you what. I will cut you some slack, if you will cut me some slack.”
Sharing that story gave people a sense of my vulnerability and my real passion to be more grace-filled and forgiving. That kind of preaching and that kind of example encourage life change.
Randy Frazee is pastor of Pantego Bible Church in Ft. Worth, Texas.
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