Life + Faith

Tag: Preaching

  • King Jesus: The Authority Behind The Words

    King Jesus: The Authority Behind The Words

    Have you ever been in a room when someone speaks and the atmosphere simply changes?

    Not because they were loud or theatrical, but because there was something behind the words. Weight. Clarity. An authority you couldn’t quite put your finger on but couldn’t ignore either.

    Jesus the Teacher

    In one of his early ministry moments Jesus is given the opportunity to teach in the local synagogue (Mark 1:21-39). And while we’re not told what he taught, we’re told how it landed on his audience.

    “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” (Mark 1:22)

    Now these teachers of the law were learned men. They had spent their lives studying the scriptures and traditions of Israel. Their teaching method, however, was to essentially quote authorities, past rabbis and respected interpretations. They may have dealt with the text of scripture a little, but they grounded their own authority on the teaching of others. It’s built on the stilts of others.

    Jesus doesn’t do this when he teaches. He doesn’t borrow authority from others. Instead, he teaches as someone who had firsthand experience, he teaches as someone who knew what he was teaching.

    Preaching with Power

    There is something recognisable for those of us who have sat under preaching that carries a particular anointing of the Spirit. The message lands right where you are. It speaks exactly to what you need this week. It reveals more of the scriptures to you in a compelling way. It is a sermon that grabs your attention more than usual. This is the Word of God speaking through a person as they preach. This is the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God.

    Like an archer with an arrow, the Word of God pierces the heart and soul. And it is Jesus who teaches with this kind of presence and authority.

    King Jesus: A Series in Mark’s Gospel
    Part 1: King Jesus: The Beginning of The Good News
    Part 2: King Jesus: The Messenger
    Part 3: King Jesus: The Love of God the Father
    Part 4: King Jesus: The Kingdom of God
    Part 5: King Jesus: The Calling of The Ordinary
    Part 6: King Jesus: Place and Purpose
    Part 7: King Jesus: The Authority Behind The Words

  • AI, Ministry, and the Shape of Discipleship

    AI, Ministry, and the Shape of Discipleship

    There’s something particularly human about opening the Bible and seeking to make sense of it for others. For pastors, that moment of sermon preparation isn’t just about information or knowledge transfer, it’s about formation, for the preacher and the people who hear it. Now, however, we need to deal with AI. It’s fast. It’s helpful. And, it’s kind of fun too! 

    But, it also raises deeper questions about our pastoral and ministerial calling, especially when it comes to the slow and patient work of preaching and shepherding others in the way of Jesus. 

    Recently, I’ve listened to two podcast episodes (here and here) from the team at the Expositors Collective (who I’d recommend you follow) and been reflecting on AI, sermon preparation, and its wider use in church ministry. 

    Tools or Crutches

    Tools abound for pastors and ministry leaders of churches. Whether it’s Bible software, commentaries, whiteboards, Canva, or various books and study guides, there’s plenty out there. AI fits into this category. A tool. It can structure meetings, summarise transcripts, brainstorm sermon series, and tidy up emails. It’s like a digital intern who doesn’t need smoke-o. 

    But there is a tipping point. And for some that might be further down the track than others. Nevertheless, the tipping point is when the tool becomes a crutch, something that ends up doing the deep work that is part of the calling of gospel ministry–the exegesis, illustration, sermon outlining, the writing, even. This tipping point comes when we trade formation for efficiency. And it is a poor trade. We may well save time, but what we risk is the personal formation of our soul and a disservice to our people.

    Sermons are lived, they are to be ‘in’ us, they are to be lifted up in prayer, and spoken through the Spirit by a person, not a prompt. 

    Presence Over Productivity

    Of course, AI promises productivity. And it’s a performance trap for us too. In some areas, like admin, research, and note-making, it’s certainly very helpful. But ministry isn’t measured by these things, nor is it measured by performance and efficiency. It’s measured in faithfulness, presence, and love for others. Those in the church who are dealing with challenge, hardship, grief, health concerns, financial difficulty, or a dark night of the soul don’t need a TED Talk crafted message, they need a pastor who has sat with the text, prayed through the text, and then communicates through the work of the Spirit. 

    And don’t get me wrong, I’m not some Luddite with anti-tech sensibilities. I’m engaging with AI tools in many areas of life, including church ministry. But we’ve got to remind ourselves that our calling is to shepherd not to massage content in ChatGPT. 

    I suppose, the danger isn’t really AI itself, it’s what it might slowly be doing to our hearts as we build faster content but remain less formed and wise in the process. 

    Discernment In Discipleship

    My point is that we’re not here to create fear or hype about AI. Every generation is already using it to some degree, and those digital natives among us are well beyond this being ‘new’. Our job is more about wisdom and discernment than it is to give some moral judgement on these technologies. It’s to help people realise that following Jesus may not be the road of shortcuts and speed.

    We need to help our churches, our people, see the difference between information and wisdom. To be able to sit in the deep with God, and let him do the work within us over a long period of time. Outsourcing formation won’t get us very far, but embracing slow discipleship, the unhurried way of Jesus will. 

    So, yes, we use these tools. But we realise that this is what they are. The question of challenge is whether I am shaping this tool or is it shaping me?

    AI and Ministry
    AI, Ministry, and the Shape of Discipleship
    Related: The Ethics of AI: A Pastoral Reflection

  • The Pastor’s Role in Preaching

    The Pastor’s Role in Preaching

    Christopher Ash’s The Priority of Preaching outlines a vision for pastoral ministry that puts preaching front and centre. According to Ash, a pastor’s main responsibility is to feed the congregation through diligent and faithful preaching. This is not an add-on or bit part to ministry but at the core of it. In this little gem of a book, as I’ve already written about, Ash understands the priority, graciousness, urgency, and community aspects of preaching. Here I’m focussing on how, like a good meal, the pastors views preaching, using it to nourish and shape the hearers. 

    Ash uses the image of the pastor as a shepherd who feeds the flock through the Word. Drawing on the example of John 21, where Jesus commissions Peter to “feed my sheep” (John 21:17), Ash suggests that pastoral ministry centres on delivering God’s Word in a way that sustains and strengthens the church. Preaching is not just one task among many; it is the primary way a pastor fulfils the call to shepherd God’s people. The words of Paul to Timothy echo this focus: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). For Ash, preaching is the pastor’s highest responsibility, and it’s a role that calls for dedication, preparation, and humility.

    The shepherd’s role is also one of “borrowed authority,” as Ash puts it. This authority doesn’t rest in the pastor’s own wisdom or personal charisma but is grounded in the Word of God. Ash warns that preaching is “costly,” because it requires the pastor to set aside personal ambition and serve as a messenger. This humility is vital, as James 3:1 reminds us: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” The authority that comes with preaching is given from God, and it calls pastors to treat the pulpit with a sense of reverence, understanding that they are accountable to God for how they handle His Word.

    One of Ash’s strongest points is that pastoral ministry, centred on preaching, is about leading people to grace. Preaching  isn’t primarily about moral instruction or behaviour change; it’s about continually pointing people back to the grace of God, bringing them back to the gospel. This is what sustains. This is what transforms. This emphasis on grace aligns Titus 2:11-12, which teaches that “the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions.” For Ash, the pastor’s call is to regularly remind the congregation that grace is at the heart of the Christian life. This is the true “food” of the flock, helping them grow in faith and godliness.

    Ash’s perspective on preaching as a form of shepherding challenges us to think about ministry not as a collection of tasks but as a singular calling to nurture and sustain God’s people through the Word. This vision pushes back against the idea that a pastor’s role is primarily administrative or focused on personal connections. While those are important aspects, Ash argues that the heart of the role is to be a steward of grace through preaching. This focus calls pastors to prioritise their study, prayer, and preparation for the pulpit above other activities. It echoes the approach of the apostles in Acts 6:4, who, despite the demands of church leadership, committed themselves “to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

    This view also has practical implications for how pastors approach their work. Effective pastoral ministry requires a commitment to feed the church regularly and intentionally through the Word. This means more than just delivering a message each week; it involves shepherding the church toward spiritual maturity, addressing encouragement and correction where needed. It’s in line with Paul’s charge to the Ephesian church to “equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:12-13). Preaching is a means in which God uses to guide the church toward unity and maturity. 

    However, this isn’t all about the congregation either. This perspective encourages pastors to approach their calling with humility, and also with the need of grace. It’s one thing to deliver a sermon, having spent time in God’s Word during the week, but it’s another to make sure it is in you. It is shaping and nourishing me as the preacher. I, more than anyone else, know the grace I need each and every week. And with the responsibility, the care, and the excitement of getting up there on a Sunday morning I know more than anyone else in front of me how much of that grace God has given during the week. To preach with conviction and to authentically will mean the need to be walking closely with God throughout. 

    To finish this series of reflections on this book by Ash it is a reminder that pastors are not just communicators or leaders, but that we are people who dispense grace. To keep the gospel central to our own lives and the lives of those we shepherd. 

    The Priority of Preaching: Reflections on Christopher Ash’s Book
    Review: The Priority of Preaching by Christopher Ash
    Part 1: Preaching Grace
    Part 2: Preaching With Urgency
    Part 3: Preaching as Community Building
    Related: The Pastor’s Role in Preaching

  • Preaching as Community Building

    Preaching as Community Building

    In this book, The Priority of Preaching, Christopher Ash highlights how preaching isn’t just about personal or individual growth but it is for shaping and growing community. He pushes back against the idea of faith as an individual journey, suggesting instead that preaching is a communal act that draws the church together under God’s Word. He’s already made the point that preaching is to have a sense of urgency. Here Ash argues that preaching isn’t to be a private conversation between the preacher and the individual listener; it’s an act that gathers and unites believers who are strengthened and encouraged together by His grace. 

    At one point Ash writes, “The church is not a collection of individuals who sometimes assemble; it is an assembly whose members may sometimes be dispersed.” This reflects his belief that the church isn’t defined by the scattering of believers during the week but by their gathering regally together to hear the Word preached. Therefore, preaching builds up the church as a whole. It is the reminder that all parts of the body make up the body, when one part is missing then it’s not the whole. This is similar to 1 Corinthians 12:12, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”

    The communal nature of preaching can be traced back to the Israelites’ gatherings in the Old Testament. Ash points out that in Deuteronomy, the people didn’t gather as isolated individuals; they assembled as a covenant people, standing together to hear God’s Word (Deuteronomy 31:11-13). This gathering wasn’t just a formality; it was a formative experience where they were reminded of their identity and purpose as God’s people. Preaching today carries the same purpose: it’s an act that brings people together, grounding them in God’s promises and shaping their collective identity as a church.

    What are the implications for today, then? 

    First, it challenges the modern day consumer mentality that can (or has) crept into churches, where people approach a service or gathering as a personal experience. While personal application may well be the outcome of the preaching of the Word, it goes beyond that toward fostering a communal identity and purpose grounded in the gospel. Similarly to Ephesians 4:12-13, where Paul describes the goal of ministry as “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith.” preaching isn’t just about a message delivered; it’s about building up the church as the body in Christ.

    Second, this focus on the communal aspect of preaching is a reminder that the church is firstly a gathering of people who are united in Christ. It’s not merely a place for individual self help but a community built on God’s Word. Preaching, then, serves as a regular reminder of who we are together as a church, connecting each believer’s personal faith to a larger identity and greater story of God’s people. This, hopefully, helps us reflect Christ’s love to the world, not as a scattered group but as a community.

    Third, the reminder that preaching is communal highlights the role it has in culture. Ash suggests that preaching, when done with the gathered church in mind, becomes a point of difference between church and the world. This is not to say that preaching is an exercise in cultural critique, rather it should be for the whole of the church to respond to the whole world from a biblical worldview and gospel understanding. When preaching for community, instead of the individual, it enables gospel response and gospel conviction.

    Fourth, this angle on preaching makes us think about the church as something a little more fluid because of the group aspect, rather than simple Sunday services, or select individuals with large voices or passions. It means making application points toward the group as a whole, not just individual self-help messages. For example, when preaching on forgiveness, this is not just about how individuals can forgive, but how we do that collectively in the church and as a church toward others. 

    In some ways, preaching as building community means the preacher needs to recognise the team or the body aspect of the church. In shaping the church culture the calling for action there becomes a clear ‘we’, rather than ‘you’ posture. It is to do what the people under Ezra and Nehemiah do, hear the Word of God, be attentive to the Word of God, and then turn to worship God under the Word of God (Nehemiah 8). 

    Christopher Ash’s vision of preaching as a communal building act causes us to move beyond thinking about the individual and realise its power in the collective gathering of God’s people. In doing so we are strengthened and bound more deeply together as followers of Jesus.

    The Priority of Preaching: Reflections on Christopher Ash’s Book
    Review: The Priority of Preaching by Christopher Ash
    Part 1: Preaching Grace
    Part 2: Preaching With Urgency
    Part 3: Preaching as Community Building
    Related: The Pastor’s Role in Preaching

  • Preaching With Urgency

    Preaching With Urgency

    In The Priority of Preaching, Christopher Ash challenges those of us who preach with the call to urgency. Last time, I highlighted the idea of preaching grace, this time I want to explore how the pulpit isn’t just a platform for explaining scripture, but a place to bring a sense of urgency to the gospel. Ash argues that preaching isn’t simply giving over information, it’s a call to action that seeks a response. 

    Ash tells a story or illustration about “three apprentice devils” training under Satan. The first suggests they convince people there’s no God, but Satan isn’t impressed, noting that even in a secular world, many still feel a pull toward belief. The second proposes they argue there’s no judgment. Again, Satan says this won’t work, as people often sense that actions have consequences. Finally, the third apprentice suggests whispering, “There’s no hurry.” This plan, Satan says, will work because it plants a subtle complacency, pushing people to put off responding to the Word, assuming they’ll get to it someday.

    The point made here is connected to the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation”. Responding to the Good News is not something to delay. Preaching, then, needs a sense of urgency to combat the tendency to postpone faith or repentance. Without it, people may listen without ever responding, pushing away a decision that requires action today, not tomorrow.

    This urgency can shape the way we approach sermon content and tone as well. Ash writes, “The urgency of faith means we need to preach with urgent passionate clarity.” In other words, urgency doesn’t mean delivering an emotional message or stirring up an anxious response. It’s about bringing clarity and conviction, preaching with a confidence that God’s message requires immediate attention. 

    A look at biblical preaching shows this same urgency. John the Baptist’s message, for instance, was clear and direct: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2). Jesus Himself speaks with a sense of immediacy, calling people to follow Him without delay (Matthew 4:19-22). The apostles in Acts don’t simply preach for knowledge; they’re actively calling people to repent and believe, with Peter in Acts 2 urging his listeners, “Repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). In each of these cases, the call is immediate and direct, a reminder that responding to God’s Word is essential.

    Ash’s perspective on urgency challenges us to recognise that we have a responsibility not only to explain the Word but to call people to respond. There is a place for teaching and a place for exhorting, and urgent preaching holds both together, pointing people in the right direction but also giving a “shove,” as Ash puts it, to get them started. This approach challenges the idea of “neutral” preaching—an invitation to consider a message without pressing toward response. For Ash, that kind of preaching risks becoming little more than a lecture, missing the power and purpose of the pulpit.

    The urgency in preaching is not about creating panic or fear but about presenting the gospel in a way that recognises its eternal weight. Ash writes that preaching is never simply information transfer; it’s always aimed at transformation. This brings to mind the warning in Hebrews 3:15, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” 

    For those of us who preach regularly, this means preparing sermons with the challenge of urgent decision-making, rather than assuming listeners will naturally follow through. Ash’s approach encourages preachers to explicitly call for a response, trusting that God will use the preached Word to reach those who hear. Our role as preachers, then, isn’t just to explain; it’s to invite and challenge people toward an active faith that starts today.

    In the end, Ash’s perspective on urgency in preaching reminds us that the Word of God calls us to act now, not “someday.” This approach is a counterbalance to our tendency to wait, putting off faith decisions until they seem more convenient. Ash’s point is that, as preachers, we are watchmen—our role is to sound the alarm, not to let people stay in spiritual comfort or complacency.

    The Priority of Preaching: Reflections on Christopher Ash’s Book
    Review: The Priority of Preaching by Christopher Ash
    Part 1: Preaching Grace
    Part 2: Preaching With Urgency
    Part 3: Preaching as Community Building
    Related: The Pastor’s Role in Preaching