Joe Pursch

Virtually every graduate of any leading evangelical seminary over the last thirty years has benefited from the “go to” textbook on preaching entitled Biblical Preaching, written by Haddon Robinson. Dr. Robinson put the meat on the bones of the idea of expository preaching for many pastors, and made it possible for us to build a form for teaching a passage that hopefully, over the years, we made our own.

I had the joy of spending an evening with Haddon last year during his latest visit to my city, and it was memorable. I asked him everything I could about the challenge of preaching expositionally to modern ears, got some great insights, and came away with some priceless stories too (Ask me sometime about Haddon’s first “paid” sermon. It’s a hoot!).

Recently I came upon this interview of Haddon by preaching guru Michael Duduit in which Robinson’s ideas on reaching the Postmodern listener are brought out. Below are a few of what I would call the “money quotes” from the interview. The entire piece is linked for you here.

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I’ve come clearer to seeing that when you talk about expository preaching, you’re not primarily talking about the form of the sermon. You are really talking about a philosophy. Do you bend your thought to the text or do you bend the text to fit your thought? How a person in all honesty answers that would say a lot about whether or not that person really is an expository preacher.

I don’t think you really understand truth unless you can experience it. I think truth in the Bible is never like mathematical theory — something that you can put up on a blackboard and analyze. I think that truth in the Bible always intersects life. Therefore, while I have to think in order to understand, I also have to experience in order for that truth to really make a difference. I’m not saying that I have got to move people’s emotions by some tricks, but I am convinced that the Bible is never given in order to simply satisfy our curiosity.

I think that it can be a great satisfaction in having a curiosity met. I think that there are people who enjoy Bible study the same way that other people enjoy filling out crossword puzzles. Get all the parts and get the thing completed — they find satisfaction. I think there are people that study the Bible that way. They can see how it relates to its context and how its details work to get across the concept. But if it never gets into your life, if it never really touches your experience, I doubt seriously that you can call it a study of biblical truth, because I think God’s truth is always designed to challenge us and change us.

I think a second thing that’s going on in preaching is that there is more self-revelation. We don’t, I hope, preach our experiences, but we have to experience what we preach, or at least see how this truth intersects with our lives. It doesn’t necessarily mean at all that I have a catharsis experience with the congregation to talk about my deepest strivings. But there is in the audience today — especially the younger audiences — a desire to know who you are personally.

In fact I’d put it the other way: I don’t think you can connect with audiences under 50 unless they relate to you. I don’t think today you can listen to an effective preacher six weeks and not know quite a bit about him. I think in the past — in my growing up years — you could listen to somebody for six years and not necessarily know anything about him. I think it’s healthy, provided the preacher does not use himself as the best example or even the worst example. I want to sense that he or she has struggled with life. I also want to believe that they have won some victories.

People have occasionally asked me how I enjoyed the years I spent on the air as a talk show host, and what benefits they delivered to my broader preaching and pastoral ministry. Well, recently Dr. Albert Mohler,a fellow long time broadcaster at Salem Radio whom I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing, ended his own run as a daily show host. In his farewell piece , he eloquently conveys the powerful impact that Christian  talk radio can have as a ministry, and the deep impressions that serving in this role can make upon a host in his or her own development.

In his comments below, Dr. Mohler expresses much of what I too experienced in the years behind the mic. ( I’ve excerpted below the top six of his ten reflections)

Last Friday marked the final live broadcast of The Albert Mohler Program. Delivering that program was one of the great privileges of my life, and one for which I will always be thankful. Day by day, coast to coast, individuals and families welcomed me into their lives and joined in what we sincerely hoped was “Intelligent Christian Conversation About the Issues That Matter.” For years, I eagerly awaited the experience of sitting behind that microphone and talking to America and friends around the world.

And yet, the time came to bring the live broadcast to an end — not because we had run out of issues that demand attention, but because life is finite and ever changing. As I brought the program to an end, I wanted to share some lessons I learned in the process. I did my best on Friday’s program to distill these into “Ten Lessons Learned Behind the Microphone.”

1. Christians Are Starved for Intelligent Christian Conversation

There is no shortage of talk in this world, and that includes the Christian world. Nevertheless, much of this talk, on and off the air, is unintelligent even in its aspiration. The cable news networks have become platforms for ideological show fights, with little room for an honest and intelligent debate of the crucial issues at stake. The public space for reasoned conversation is growing more and more constricted, and this extends to virtually every sector of the culture.

Among Christians, much of the talk is superficial, sensationalistic, and unbiblical. Rod Dreher, formerly of The Dallas Morning News, recently remarked that Americans “prefer their religion news to be soft and self-helpy.” Frankly, many Christians want their religion to be soft and self-helpy — a religion that has little to do with biblical Christianity.

But I am glad to report that many Christians are actually starved for intelligent Christian conversation. They want more, not less, substance. They want a reasoned and thoughtful conversation about the issues they know are facing their families, their children, their churches, and their culture. They want to stand upon the full authority and truthfulness of the Bible and think as faithful Christians.

My fervent hope is that Christian churches, families, and organizations will foster intelligent Christian conversation as a matter of Christian responsibility. I can assure you that there is a hungry audience eager to join such a conversation.

2. Time Passes Quickly — On and Off the Air

One of the most important lessons of live radio is the mandate of the clock. The microphone goes live whether you are ready or not, and the breaks will come without regard to whether the host is about to make a crucial point. I learned quickly that time on the air passes more quickly than any other experience of chronology. I would start the conversation and then see, to my utter amazement, that time was running out.

In that sense, radio is a metaphor for life itself. The years on the air passed so quickly as week rolled into week, month passed into month, and year followed year. I am so thankful for those years, but I am also aware that the passage of time can catch us all unawares.

For the radio host, pacing becomes second nature. The music was all I needed to know exactly where I was in terms of the clock. I trusted the music in my ears more than the clock I saw running down with my eyes. Oddly enough, I think that skill made me a better preacher.  I learned how to end on time . . . most of the time.

Actually, the communication skills that make for good radio are invaluable to every aspect of my life, and for these I will always be thankful.

3. Words Matter — All of Them

In the movie Amadeus, the Austrian Emperor responds with incredulity to Mozart’s musical abundance with the infamous quip: “Too many notes!” Perhaps this world is filled with too many words, but God made us to be creatures who live and die by words. I was constantly reminded of how words matter as I did radio.  The right word works, the wrong word fails. Too many words inundate, but too few frustrate the listener. A well-constructed sentence flies over the airwaves. A convoluted sentence leaves listeners scratching their heads or turning the dial.

I am thankful for the lessons learned with regard to the power and stewardship of words. I was often humbled by words, sometimes tripped up by words, amazed by the words I heard from callers, and made to laugh by the words I was surprised and chagrined to hear come unexpectedly out of my own mouth. Trust me, words matter. When I misspoke, I heard quickly from listeners (starting with those at home). In ways both profound and fundamental, words really do matter.

4. Issues Come and Go, but the Gospel of Christ Remains

There is no shortage of issues Christians face in this confusing and fast-changing world. Controversies about politics, economics, the arts, education, and the direction of the culture come with incredible velocity. Moral issues emerge with explosive power, ranging from human sexuality and the nature of marriage to questions of justice, the stewardship of the earth, medical ethics, and the sanctity of human life.

Added to these are the issues confronting the Christian church — right down to questions of orthodoxy versus heresy, truth versus error, and the very nature of the Church and its message.

But above all these one truth remains constant — the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No other message means the difference between heaven and hell. There is only one Savior, and only one Gospel. Getting the Gospel right is more important than getting any other question or issue right. The Christian church is called to give an answer on countless questions and issues raised by a fallen world, but its main responsibility and irreducible message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

5. The Church in this Generation is Confronted with Tremendous Challenges

This is not just a matter of generational perception. Previous generations have dealt with their own daunting questions and challenges, but this generation faces unprecedented challenges that will demand the full wealth of Christian conviction. It would be hubris to suggest that the challenges faced by this generation are greater than those faced by generations in the past, but it is plainly true that the generation of Christians now living faces its own set of pressing challenges.

These include issues of theology, questions about the nature of the church and the shape of Christian ministry and mission in this age, questions about Christian morality and Gospel witness, and challenges to the very nature of truth. The challenges are huge . . . and insistent.

6. The Church Has Ample Reason for Hope

The most important ground of the Church’s hope is Christ — who assures that the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church. Over and over again, I was reminded that Christ has his people in the most unexpected places. I was so encouraged as I heard from Christian moms, young people, pastors, and laypeople. Christ gives his church all it needs to make its way in this fallen world until He comes, and we have the Bible, the Word of God, as our guide. The church faces daunting challenges, but it lives in confident hope, I was always reassured to hear that hope in our conversations over the airwaves.

Hello, I’m Joe Pursch, and this is a Transforming Moment. Have you ever had God take something away from you and later learned He did it to grow you up a little, to concentrate your vision on something more important? Emily Cavanaugh was bright, beautiful, and, after months of being pursued by a young man in her college, she had finally agreed to marry him. But something still wasn’t right. One night she sat with the young man on the porch at a party, and in tears gave him back his ring with the words “I just can’t marry you. You don’t seem to have any purpose in your life. No goals, no plans, no responsibility. “The young man was devastated, and later wrote “That night all the stars fell out of my sky.” But God shook him up through the experience, and the young man began to seek God’s face intensely about finding the purpose for his life that Emily had said he lacked. Soon after, he realized he was called to the ministry, and he prayed Lord, if You want me, you’ve got me.” I’m so glad he did, because that young man’s name was Billy Graham. I’m Joe Pursch, and this has been a Transforming Moment.

Listen to the audio of the broadcast here: Transforming Moments Graham

I really benefited from Ed Stetzer’s latest work on Transformational Preaching. You can enjoy the entire article here, but I’ve included a portion below because it spoke so clearly to the increased effort I am making to understand the “blockages to belief in Biblical change” that inhabit the inner lives of my hearers when I preach.

If nothing else, any preacher can use the principles he lists below as a prayer list for the Spirit’s probing during his next preaching message. I plan to also use it as a tip sheet to myself before I go onto the platform. I’ll use it to ask myself, “Have I built into this message some “hand-holds” for people who are trapped, stubborn, comfortable or afraid when it comes to life change.”

In regard to Transformational Preaching, Stetzer writes:

“We are called to put off the “old man” and take hold of the “new man.” But we all know that letting go of the familiar is difficult, even when the new that is offered is better. For some reason, it seems part of our psyche to resist change, even when it will help. Here are some of the reasons that change is difficult for people:

a. Because people are stubborn

Have you ever tried to take something out of a two-year-old’s hand? Much to the dismay of every parent, two-year-olds are amazingly strong and nimble. When they want to hold onto a toy, it takes ninja-like reflexes to get it from them.

But we are all just like them. We gain a laser-focus on what we hope to keep. Many people simply need to realize that it is time to unclench our fist and allow the Christ to embrace us.

b. Because people are trapped

Perhaps you’ve heard the illustration of how to trap a monkey. All you need is a rock and a coconut. Drill a hole in the coconut large enough to put the rock inside, but not large enough for anything else. A monkey will reach inside to take hold of the rock, but its clenched fist around the rock will not fit back through the hole. The monkey will, in effect, trap itself because of a refusal to let go of the rock.

Many Christians trap themselves with a clenched fist. Holding onto pride, hobbies, preferences, or any other thing can keep a person from the new life Christ wishes to form in them.

c. Because people are comfortable

Did you know that some people still use a rotary-dial phone? I don’t know why they are still in existence. But if you have one, it still works—at least in some parts of the country. Why would someone continue to use a piece of technology that is inferior? Because they are comfortable with it. It is familiar, and they have mastered it.

Are there places like that in the spiritual lives of your listeners? Absolutely. We get comfortable with sins that keep us from knowing Christ better. We get comfortable with irrelevant practices at church that keep others from understanding the gospel. We get comfortable with our standard of living, and it keeps us from the mission of God’s kingdom. We need to take hold of something better: God’s agenda for a missionary people.

d. Because we are afraid

Fear of the unknown is a primary reason people don’t change. Some think following Jesus will make them a fanatic or, at the very least, socially awkward. Not knowing what God will ask of them causes many to shy away from the new life offered by Jesus. It can even paralyze Christians from fully embracing the new life they have inherited.

e. Because change hurts

It is hard to change. Even good change costs some of a person’s security. Leaving the proverbial “comfort zone” will cause a ripple effect that carries a price. But for what God wants to give us and wants of us, change is required.

When talking about this, I often remind churches and individuals that people never change until the pain of staying the same grows greater than the pain of change. From a minor adjustment to a complete overhaul, change has a price-tag. It hurts to reorganize an office, lose weight, or correct a sinful behavior. But the change is necessary even when it hurts. The only question remaining for most people is what hurts worse: staying where they are or getting where they want to be?

The extent of the change God wants is worth facing the stubbornness and fear.”

Hello, I’m Joe Pursch, and this is a Transforming Moment. I often tell you stories here on the broadcast of great missionaries of the past and their huge sacrifices for the lost. But such courage is not limited to centuries past. I have a friend from a nice suburb right here in Sacramento who had great financial success by his early thirties and a wonderful family. But when he went on a short-term mission trip to Cambodia and saw the suffering of little girls trapped in the sex trade, he couldn’t shake the call of God to do something. So he and a pastor friend both left their careers, raised some funds, and moved their families to Cambodia as missionaries, using their business skill to build an orphanage to rescue these little girls. My friend lived out the words of missionary Amy Carmichael, who wrote, “You can’t just pitchfork souls into heaven, because souls are more or less attached to bodies. You can’t save the one without serving the other.” My friend saw the bodies of children shamefully abused, and took action both to rescue their bodies and redeem their souls. I’m Joe Pursch, and this has been a Transforming Moment.

1. Be different. “Begin an unexpected series, have a unique worship experience, or do something (good) that gets people talking,” says Morgan.
2. Activate your church in the community. Getting outside the church walls to directly impact the lives of people in your community will increase your church’s visibility and improve their reputation to your potential visitors.
3. Eliminate noise. Eliminate competing messages from your church by minimizing what is communicated. Morgan advises, “The fewer messages the church delivers, the more likely the important messages will be heard.”
4. Encourage word-of-mouth. Morgan says the number one reason people show up to your church in the first place is because someone invited them. “If your church has stopped growing, ask yourself, Why have people stopped inviting their friends, and what would have to happen for that to change?”
5. Lead by example. Leaders must find a way to cultivate personal relationships with non-believers, says Morgan. “I know of a student who refused to walk through the doors of a church until a youth pastor, who got to know her at an outreach event, wrote her a two-line note thanking her for attending.”

Adapted from tonymorgan.com

Pastor and author Tony Morgan, in a recent blog post on TonyMorganLive.com, lamented on the financial constraints under which churches now operate, particularly in the areas of church visibility and communications for outreach in the community.

I could not agree more with him about the frustration I see many pastors experiencing. So many ministries have taken advantage of the tech boom to drive their ministry visibility  through expensive avenues like direct mail and local cable ads, but now their budgets are slammed, with expensive publicity costs slashed to the bone.

How do you keep the message out to your target community on not just a “low” budget, but maybe close to “no” budget for media?Morgan’s answer is to go back to the low tech and low cost actions that really ought to power any church in it’s energy and outreach: excited people empowered by an insightful leadership environment. This combination invariably generates what I would term “word of mouth about the Word of Life.” Below are the first of ten great ideas he shared in this regard. I’ll post the final five tomorrow.

Morgan offers ten easy, cost-free solutions for churches of any shape and size for improving communications and the image of their church to those they are reaching for Christ:

1. Improve Sunday morning guest services. Morgan says “the number one reason people will come back to your church is if they find the church to be friendly.” He stresses that, on Sunday mornings, the church’s hospitality team should prioritize visitors to your church.
2. Follow-through with your promises. Morgan says following up with volunteers when they offer to participate in a service opportunity, a group, or an event is vital to your church’s image. Allowing those who want to serve to remain unacknowledged sends a message that the volunteer doesn’t really matter, that the need wasn’t that significant, or even that service isn’t a high value in your church.
3. Make it easy for people to ask questions. Provide an easy, one-stop option for visitors to obtain information about your church, and make sure all members can direct visitors to it when they ask.
4. Create a culture of excitement and life-change. Offer endless opportunities for life-change in your worship, preaching, children’s ministry—in every environment in your church. It creates a culture of excitement and spiritual growth to which, as Morgan says, “you won’t be able to stop people from inviting their friends.”
5. Embrace social media. Facebook, Twitter and blogs, Morgan says, easily engage people in conversation and relationship development. These provide a low-pressure way to “earn credibility and encourage people to take next steps.”

The final five ideas coming tomorrow…

Hello, I’m Joe Pursch, and this is a Transforming Moment. Although there is a lot of emerging religious freedom in the former Soviet Union today, the believers of previous generations suffered deeply for the sake of the Bible. I have met some of them, including more than one that was jailed for just having a copy of the Scriptures. In those days, the Bible was worth that much. Here’s one of their stories: A house church in a city in Russia had miraculously received a single copy of the Gospel according to Luke. It was a precious gift as the Bible was forbidden in their province. It was the only written copy of the Scripture that many of these Christians had ever even seen, but the first thing they did with it was to tear it up. They tore it into small sections of pages and distributed them among their body of believers. The plan was to memorize the portion that each had been given and then on the next Sunday they would meet secretly and redistribute the Scripture pages so that others could memorize more. And that’s what they did Sunday after Sunday, trading pages of inspiration and writing a modern story of great faith. What have you sacrificed in your daily life for the sake of learning the Bible? I’m Joe Pursch, and this has been a Transforming Moment.

Hello, I’m Joe Pursch, and this is a Transforming Moment.  Reggie White was a football player with the Philadelphia Eagles and later the Green Bay Packers. If you’re a football fan, you will fondly remember the great defensive player, who was called “The Minister of Defense”, both because he charged quarterbacks  like no one ever has, and because he preached the Gospel wherever he went. Reggie died unexpectedly on December 28, 2003 from a lung disease. I remember that day. The impact of his loss was felt deeply, not only by his teammates but by everyone but admired the test of character that pro football can be, because when it came to character, Reggie White, the Minister of Defense, won every down. Gilbert Brown anchored the middle of the line as a nose tackle when Reggie played with the Packers. He said this:  “On the field, Reggie White led physically like no one I’ve ever seen. But off the field, the kindest thing Reggie ever did for me was to tell me how to be a man.” Who are you mentoring in life’s lineup today? Could they say the same thing about you? I’m Joe Pursch, and this has been a Transforming Moment.

Listen to the audio here: Transforming Moments White