Preaching through a book of the Bible is a milestone for any preacher. It takes planning and perseverance to work through sequential passages from the same context in an engaging way. It’s a good and rewarding challenge for a pastor on any level.
I just finished presenting the Gospel of John to the church I have the privilege of serving and I wanted to share three takeaways from my time in the text. This wasn’t my first time preaching through the Gospel of John, but it was the most meaningful.
Takeaway #1: The Gospel of John is memorable. It contains quotable verses like John 1:1-4, 1:12, 2:15, 3:16, 4:34, 12;16, 14:6, 15:13-15, 19:26-27, 20:30-31, and 21:15-17, just to list a few. It also contains the seven visually striking “I Am” Statements. It’s hard to forget the images of Jesus as “the bread of life,” or “the true vine.” The book is also memorable because John uses such consistent vocabulary, using and reusing the same terms and concepts throughout the whole book. The English terms, “believe” “world,” and “know” all appear close to or more than 100 times. These factors make it easier to hold on to the teaching of this Gospel.
Takeaway #2: The Gospel of John is personal. The writer refers to himself several times as “The disciple whom Jesus loved” (19:26, 20:2, 21;7, 21:20). This wasn’t a prideful label. It was a subtle way of including himself in the story, without overshadowing Jesus. John was an eyewitness to everything that happened, but he was also profoundly impacted by his interactions with Jesus Christ. In addition, John includes Christ’s touching interactions with Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and Lazarus and his sisters, plus many more. In my view, John does a wonderful job of developing the theme found in chapter 1, verse 14: “And the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us” (NASB).
Takeaway #3: The Gospel of John is powerful. Jesus is presented as the most powerful force mankind has ever known. He turns water into wine, heals a long list of people including bringing Lazarus back from the dead, and walks on water. John inserts an editorial note in chapter 20:30 that states that Jesus did even more miraculous things than he has room to record. But the power of John’s gospel extends beyond the document’s portrayal of Jesus. The message of the Gospel is powerful too. Readers are pushed to consider their own faith and relationship with God in a powerful and undeniable way. It’s hard to walk away from the Gospel of John without thinking about how you should respond for yourself.
A seasoned preacher will experience many sermon series in their ministry. But this sermon series in the Gospel of John has been very meaningful for me. I encourage you to spend as much time as you can reading and studying it for yourself.
Albert Mohler argues that preaching God’s Word is a central, irreducible, and non-negotiable part of authentic worship. The kind of preaching he has in mind is expository preaching. He defines expository preaching as “reading the text and explaining it – reproving, rebuking, exhorting, and patiently teaching directly from the text of Scripture” (p. 52). This book has been foundational in my approach to preaching. It would help anyone who wants to make the most of their ministry.
Haddon Robbin makes a case for expository preaching and then explains in step-by-step detail how to produce an expository sermon. The thing that I like best about the approach described here is the flexibility. Messages that are based on the text of Scripture need to conform to the contours of each passage preached. This book is great for the preacher who wants to sharpen his skills or the church member who wants to get the most of the messages he or she hears.
Preaching is a privilege, but it’s also a great responsibility. Preaching expository sermons week after week can benefit from careful planning. In this book, Stephen Rummage explains how a preacher can plan his preaching up to a year in advance. I don’t usually plan that far ahead, but I have used his approach to plan out my preaching calendar for almost a decade. It works! Preachers who want to make the most of their time and resources would do well to use the techniques described in this book.
Matt Queen wants to create a culture of evangelism in churches across North America. He writes as a Southern Baptist to other Southern Baptists, but his simple strategy can be applied to any church that wants to improve her evangelistic efforts. Queen explores a number of common questions and challenges before recommending a hands-on strategy for personal evangelism. This book is great for church leaders who are looking for straightforward way to motivate others to share their faith.
One of the most difficult parts of personalism evangelism is making the transition from talking about everyday things to talking about spiritual things. Scroggins and Wright use the concept of “brokenness” to move unbelievers into a conversation about the gospel and our need to recover God’s original design for our lives. This book is will be a help to anyone who is afraid of personal evangelism
This book is a devotional book about sharing one’s faith. In it, Earley and Wheeler approach evangelism from 40 different angles – from motivations to methods. This book is thoughtful, thorough, and practical. It is great for readers who are willing to reexamine their thoughts about personal evangelism in order to become a more faithful witness. Every chapter is full of ideas on how to share Jesus with passion and confidence.
Cranberry Thanksgiving is a classic children’s tale about sharing with others and mistaken impressions. In the Devlin’s tale, Grandmother and her granddaughter Maggie invite someone poor and lonely over for Thanksgiving dinner. When one of their guests steals the receipt to Grandmother’s famous cranberry bread their meal takes a surprising turn. Share this book with your children or grandchildren as you prepare for your own Thanksgiving feast.
Seminary offers intense instruction and specialized training for those called into various leadership roles in the kingdom of God. Seminary exposes students to wide variety of Biblical, theological, and practical themes. It also inevitably involves a lot of reading. Here are three books a student should read before he or she goes to seminary.
This suggestion is not a put down. Before I went to seminary, I didn’t realize how bad I was at reading, analyzing, and interacting with written text. Alder’s and Van Doren’s book on how to read gave me the tools I needed to become a better reader, which a must in seminary. This book is especially for those who already think they are a good reader and those who would like help improving their skills in this area.
The titles of these two books alone should be enough to explain why they are this list. Too many seminary students have emerged from there first semester of study thinking they have solved a debate that has been raging in the Church for generations. These books should be read together by the student who wants to get better, humbler handle on these popular approaches to salvation.
Churches can be as creative as they want to be with their vision, strategy, and values, but not when it comes to the mission of the church. In the Great Commission, Jesus tasked the church with making disciples in His name (Mathew 28:18-20). The mission of the church is and always has been to make disciples. Here are three books I would suggest about how that can be done in today.
This book has evangelism in the title, but it’s really about discipleship. In it, Robert Coleman traces the eight guiding principles Jesus used to train His disciples and to send them out in His absence. Coleman cautions church leaders against prepackaged discipleship programs. Instead, he encourages a more relational approach. This book would be good for anyone who is thinking though the overall process of discipleship and leadership development.
New believers need lots of encouragement and instruction when the begin their walk with the Lord. Ideally, this should happen within the supportive community of a local church. In addition to the Bible, here are three books that I would suggest.
C. S. Lewis is a literary legend. In this book, Lewis helps believers (and unbelievers as well) come to grips with a Christian view of the world. He unpacks a Biblical view of morality and explains how it applies to difficult issues of like human sexuality and personal forgiveness. He cautions against “the greatest sin” of pride and encourages the virtues of faith, hope, and charity (love). This book would especially helpful for new believers who are wrestling with big questions in their life.
