Scoring a Touchdown with Your Preaching Tim Fisher
S
everal years ago, an incomprehensible phenomenon began occurring in football games. Several players who made fantastic plays that allowed them wide open spaces to run in for the score began dropping the football in celebration just before they crossed into the end zone. As a result, what should have been easy touchdowns were overturned, and these players were mercilessly ridiculed for not following through in their big moments. When it comes to preaching, we have to avoid making the same mistake—we have to get the ball into the end zone! In football, the whole point of the offense is to score. The purpose of every practice, every play, and every minute of preparation is to help the offense score as many touchdowns as possible. Similarly, we pastors cannot let ourselves drift away from the purpose of preaching. We preach for a response. We preach so that people will surrender their lives to Jesus. We preach so that people will have an opportunity to take a next step in their faith. We preach so that God will meet people where they are and help them become more like Him. We preach to create moments that will change peoples’ lives forever! Nonetheless, pastors have to bear in mind that these moments of transformation can happen only in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the spirit of a classic sermon outline, let’s look at three important aspects of preaching for a moment of response. A Personal Response
First, the response moment is deeply personal. Do not underestimate how God will speak to the people in your congregation through your words. One of the most humbling things you can experience is to realize that
30 / GRACE & PEACE MAGAZINE WINTER 2020
God is speaking to people through you. God is moving in their hearts. God is calling them to surrender. God is drawing them to take steps of obedience that will forever change their lives—and you get to be a part of this! This moment is sacred. This moment is terrifying. This moment is deeply personal. This moment is one pastors get to share with people as they make some of the most meaningful decisions in their lives. This moment can overwhelm us if we handle it in our own strength. Consequently, every Sunday, I do a couple of things as I walk to the stage for worship service. Honestly, I count the steps as I climb to the stage so I won’t miss one, fall down, and look like an idiot. More importantly, I pray that the words I am about to speak will be God’s words. I pray they will bring glory to God and not to me. Why is this prayer so important? Because I believe when pride walks on the stage, God walks off the stage. If I am counting on God to speak through me, then I need Him to be with me every step of the way. Better yet, I need to be with Him every step of the way. I cannot do this on my own, but when I have surrendered that time to God, I am exactly where He wants me to be and doing exactly what He wants me to do. This way, when that moment of response arrives, I have the courage and the clarity to lean into that sacred space and challenge people to respond and be the person God is calling them to be. P r e pa r at i o n
for the
Moment
Second, the response moment takes preparation. When it comes to planning a good sermon, you need to begin with the end in mind. Why am I preaching this sermon?
