I was blessed yesterday to preach at a great church... twice! That great church is Canaan Missionary Baptist Church in Mesa Arizona. It's the church where The Lord Jesus Christ has allowed me to serve as senior minister, as pastor for nineteen years now.
The reason I call it a "great church" is because it has a great God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord Jesus Christ makes His church great.
Two Sundays ago I started a new sermon series for our Sunday morning time together. On Sunday morning's I'm attempting to preach through the book of Philippians. Two Tuesday nights ago I started a new Bible Study series for our adult class. I'm attempting to teach through the book of Esther. This Wednesday afternoon I will prayerfully begin a new Bible Study series in the epistle of James.
All of these are great books.
The benefits of series preaching and teaching are far too many to mention here. But let me say to any pastor or Bible Study leader that series sharing ... for me at least- is the way to go. I know we live in a day where many people are talking about a "right now word". We hear language that almost sounds "spooky" to the hearer. Language that suggests the preacher/pastor is going to get up each Sunday to share The Word of God, and somehow be supernaturally endowed- on the spot- with this right now word for you. It's almost a seance spirit, a kind of "power of prophecy" hour in ministry.
But on a more stable, stout and sturdy level, let me suggest that series preaching and teaching is a better way to go. Some of the reasons that make it better include: 1) Both you and the people you're preaching or teaching to, know where they're going from week to week. 2) It builds christians in a more dedicated and dynamic way than sharing a new thought, idea or conviction from week to week. 3) It allows the hearer and student to study ahead. 4) It makes the preacher and teacher deal with whatever subject the text speaks of- that is if you're approaching the preaching and teaching from a verse by verse exposition of The Scripture. Etc., Etc., Etceteras
That said, the other thing I've really been trying to practice lately in my preaching it brevity. By brevity I mean, not trying to tackle too many verses of Scripture in a single sermon. For me, there's just too much in every verse, sentence, phrase, etc. And, through the years, as I've made vain attempts to preach large sections of Scripture I inevitably rush it and fail to give justice to the passage I'm attempting to share.
But not only brevity in my preaching in terms of text preached, but also brevity in my preaching in terms of time spent preaching the message. Now at this point let me say that I am not placing emphasis on being short- in terms of time for short sake. Rather, I refer to not going so long in the sermon that the people lose interest-because their attention span is only so long.
Finally, by brevity I also refer to announcements and my musing from the pulpit. I've discovered something over the years. I like church, I like serving as a pastor. And, I really like preaching. Sometimes this fact, combined with a few key announcements on Sunday morning make me long in the tooth with respect to talking. Yesterday, I asked our new Church Administrator, Deacon Emerson Turner, to please handle Sunday morning announcements for me going forward.
I did have another opportunity to preach yesterday for the great Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Mesa Arizona. The event was the twelfth appreciation service for Pastor Ottley and Sis. Wanda Holmes. My, my, my, what a great pastor and first lady. They honored me with an invitation to come and preach.
I hope the message was helpful to both pastor and people.
I believe Pastor Holmes is a good person. He's a solid, Bible preacher and teacher. Sis. Holmes was beautiful and gracious. In addition to his duties as pastor of Shiloh MBC, Pastor Holmes also has a weekly radio show on one of our local Christian radio stations where he teaches The Word of God. Sis. Holmes owns her own hat business. And the hat she had on yesterday was beautiful and elegant.
Lastly, I was really blessed yesterday to have my pastor in church at our 10:20 worship service. Reverend Fred Campbell, pastor of the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Redwood City, California. I didn't see him until I was walking out of the sanctuary to go in my office for a brief moment during the offering period. And there he was seated in the back (in the lobby in fact). When I saw him, I greeted him, went back into the sanctuary and then asked him to come up and say a word to our church. With reluctance he did. Now, he was brief and classy at the same time.
I'm grateful for Pastor Campbell and other men who have helped shape my thinking, my heart and my ministry.
It's Monday morning. I have two appointments this morning at the church. I'm going to try and leave after that. We'll see what happens.
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