Introduction to the QBA Sermon, Part 1: Theory of Homiletics || John Pesebre

The Question Based Approach (QBA) is an expository homiletical schema developed by the late great Rev. Dr. Cornelio "Doy" Castillo, ThD (henceforth, Pastor Doy or affectionatlely "n/yung Matanda")

To understand what Pastor Doy means by QBA, kailangan nating maunawaan how he understands the concepts of homiletics and schema. Please take note that this is an attempt on my part. If any of you are fellow students nung Matanda or a member of Bread form Heaven (where he pastored for a good part of his life) and you have a firmer grasp how he understood "homiletics" or "schema" kindly inform me.

Homiletics and its conversational, rhetorical nature

Ang diwa ng homiletics sa tingin ko ay galing sa --

Greek verb that appears in the New Testament. In Luke 24:14 two dejected post-crucifixion disciples are getting out of Jerusalem on the way to Emmaus while they “converse” with one another about “all that had happened.” The word converse here comes from the Greek word homileō (David Schnasa Jacobsen, 16)

The Bauer-Danker Lexicon indeed defines homileō as "to be in a group and speak, speak, converse, address." Another Greek Lexicon states similarly. This is not just a New Testament meaning, for this nuance is "frequent in Greek writings from Homer down; to be in company with; to associate with; to stay with; hence, to converse with, talk with." (Thayer's Greek Lexicon, 3765)

So in homileō you can see a very explicit conversational notion. This might surprise the pastor especially if the pastor has been accustomed to use preaching as a means of egoistic self-validation.

For the young preacher, such demand might be burdensome since it is the young blood's concern to show he is erudite also, and not just a sweet talker.

In addition to homileō's conversational notion, quite obviously mapapansin mo din na sa Road to Emmaus story sa Luke 24, Jesus was persuading them sa conversation (homileō) na ito. This is how we will think of "rhetorical" here -- that it is a persuasion hindi lang ng words. Hindi siya eloquence lang but also a demonstration dahil ika nga ni Aristotle, "we are most fully persuaded when we consider a thing to have been demonstrated." (We will talk about this Aristotelian notion of the rhetorical in future blogs.)

In summary, this is how Pastor Doy sees homiletics. It is the crafting of a sermon  meant para kausapin ang tao (conversational) at kumbinsihin sila (rhetorical).

Ano ang implication neto?

Dahil "conversational, rhetorical," may reflexivity yung sermon/ preacher at yung tagapakinig

 Ang gustong sabihin ng reflexivity is --

circular relationships between cause and effect. A reflexive relationship is bidirectional with both the cause and the effect affecting one another in a relationship in which neither can be assigned as causes or effects. (wiki, sv Reflexivity)

It is important that the preacher not lose sight of this reflexivity

Malimit kasi, a preacher would have the pulpit for himself. Kumbaga ang sermon ay para sa kanya o kaya may unhealthy desire for validation through the praise of people.

Sabi ni Jacobsen,

A preacher engages rhetorically and conversationally with some sort of end in view. The terms [conversational, rhetorical] . . .  are merely designed to describe the mode of homiletical theological reflection: it is done with hearers and conversation partners in mind. [footnote 5]

Ang punto lang naman sa totoo lang is ipa-emphasize sa preacher na may kausap ka kaya naman yung pinag aralan mo at paghahanda mo must have that as the "end in view."

Hindi natin sinasabi dito na i-adjust mo ang katotohanan ng mensahe at gawin itong heresy para maunawaan ng mga tao. That is actually ridiculous kasi ang function mo nga ay magturo ng katotohanan ng salita ng Diyos. What we mean here by "conversational, rhetorical" is the recognition that you as a preacher are doing pastoral work. Malimit itong i-emphasize nung Matanda.

Put in another way, pag kakausap ka ng tao iku-consider mo ang kanilang reception nito. You will have to aim for the functioning of their intellectual virtues at yang mga virtues na yan form an important part sa pag develop mo ng sermon.

Ang goal at least is to create an understandable na theologically-grounded, God-glorifying, Gospel-oriented na sermon (theory), to provide instructions for practical Christian situations (practical) and then to inspire the believer to pursue godly habit in daily life as an outworking of Christian identity (productive).

One important factor sa paggawa (homiletics) at delivery (preaching) ng sermon is yun talagang "rhetorical." Para dun sa Matanda preaching is a methodological challenge, hindi lang structural. When we say structural kasi it is merely arranging something to form a structure. Kasama pa rin naman ang structure, ang methodology is a system, oftentimes an integrated system of methods. Ang sermon-making kasi is a highly integrated discipline. What I mean by that is gagamit ka ng mga disciplines ng exegesis, theology, anthropology, psychology, literary criticism, history, atbp. Dahil ang sermon-making is a methodology you will have to integrate numerous disciplines. Don't worry, dahil ikaw naman ay may karanasan na sa buhay at gumugol din ng maraming taon sa paaralan, pamilyar ka na rin naman sa mga disiplina na maski hindi mo siya ma identify as field of knowledge.

Pano ka makakaiwas na hindi siya gumulo?

Ang sagot diyan ay yung schema.

Click here for Introduction to the QBA Sermon, Part 1: Schema

Why the Christian's soul melts in tears of godly sorrow || JPP

We do not sorrow for our sin and repent just because we detest the consequences of sin or that we have been exposed of sin. Godly sorrow is for trespass against God. It is to God na ang godly sorrow ay naka direkta -- yung isang Diyos na lahat ng actions towards His children are gracious. This is the ultimate reason why you have godly sorrow.

When you say sorry sa mahal mo sa buhay, ang apology mo is not directed sa'yo o kaya ay gusto mo lang maalis ang feeling mo ng guilt, your apology is directed sa kanya. It is person to person.

There will be dismay over its consequences or yung kahihiyan na nangyari. But the main affair of the sorrow if it is to be godly is that it is for trespass against God.

The Puritan Thomas Watson explains our falsehood this way,

A man may be sorry, yet not repent, as a thief is sorry when he is taken, not because he stole, but because he has to pay the penalty. Hypocrites grieve only for the bitter consequence of sin.*

It is a grievous shame that we grieve God with our sin knowing what he has done for us.

Polycarp of Smyrna was executed in AD155 an old man. Before the execution, the Roman governor who was attending to the proceeding told him to swear and revile Christ so that he will be dismissed of charges. To which the old saint replied,

Eighty and six years have I been his servant, and he hath wronged me in nothing, and how can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour.†

They burned him and drove a sword to his chest.

Godly sorrow happens when a believer's soul is embittered for what he/she has done to a good and gracious God. Watson said, "Martyrs shed blood for Christ, and penitents shed tears for sin."

Hindi kaaya-aya sa marami malamang ang godly sorrow, kasi pag may godly sorrow ka, kapag dumating yung panahon na medyo malayo na ang pangil ng kaparusahan sa'yo (ibilang mo na ang impyerno), yet you still grieve "for sinning against that Free Grace which has pardoned" you. But it is in this ingenuous notion of grief that our lives are protected, healed and remedied from the danger of sin that sadly grieves the very God who, in the words of Polycarp "hath wronged [us] in nothing."

------

* Thomas Watson, Doctrine of Repentance

† The Martyrdom of Polycarp, 6

Why do we forget? Reflection on Jeremy Lin and Marcos' burial at LNMB || JPP

When you look at Jeremy Lin now, you will not see traces of the craziness of 2012's LINSANITY. It was a glitch in the normalcy of the NBA. No, it was a glitch in reality. Words cannot describe that strange thing.

But that is the past. We move on to the next. Lebron moved to the Heat. Kanye married Kim. Psy had Gangnam Style. Neri and Chito had a sex tape. And life goes on.

People forget the intensity of Linsanity. The commerce it generated. The Knicks website that shutdown because of traffic. The facts speak for itself.

"As the unheralded, undrafted point guard from Harvard electrified the crowd." - Ernie Johnson on Jeremy Lin's 38-pt performance as Knicks beat Lakers on Feb 10, 2012.

I don't want to belabor the point of the correlation but let me just show you one of the many reasons why there was a thing called EDSA People Power Revolution. Here http://star.worldbank.org/corruption-cases/node/18497

And before I end this, please look at this pic  and probably help me understand how another glitch in reality has happened again now.

Apologetics and its ministry to the doubting || JPP

We all doubt. Even the great ones doubt.

G. Campbell Morgan had already enjoyed some success as a preacher by the time he was 19 years old. But then he was attacked by doubts about the Bible. The writings of various scientists and agnostics disturbed him (e.g., Charles Darwin, John Tyndall, Thomas Huxley, and Herbert Spencer). As he read their books and listened to debates, Morgan became more and more perplexed.

What did he do? He cancelled all preaching engagements, put all the books in a cupboard and locked the door, and went to the bookstore and bought a new Bible. He said to himself, "I am no longer sure that this is what my father claims it to be--the Word of God. But of this I am sure. If it be the Word of God, and if I come to it with an unprejudiced and open mind, it will bring assurance to my soul of itself."

The result? "That Bible found me!" said Morgan. The new assurance in 1883 gave him the motivation for his preaching and teaching ministry. He devoted himself to the study and preaching of God's Word.*

Today my wife and I talked of picking Nathanael Christian Apologetics Ministry as the name of the apologetics ministry we want to start. We like the name as it references to the calling of the apostle Nathanael in John 1:44-51. Yung calling kasi ni Nathanael ay medyo unique among the apostles kasi siya yung parang tamang duda (immediate cynicism). Pero later on tulad nung nangyari din kay G. Campbell Morgan naturn-around yung doubt into a motivation to devote himself to God. Sabi ni Nathanael in the brief encounter nya with Jesus, "“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” From doubt to doxology.

From Doubt To Doxology

This captures yung slogan na lagi kong binabanggit sa radio apologetics teaching ministry ko sa DZAS - "from doubt to doxology." Heto yung part ng spiel ko,

Ako din po ang inyong tagapagturo sa apologetics dito sa Tanglaw sa Landas ng Buhay every Tuesday and Thursday upang mabigyan ng kaliwanagan ang ating pananampalataya under the pressure of objections and doubts. Gusto nating kunin ang mga pagdududa at gawin itong pagpupuri o yung tinatawag natin dito na from doubt to doxology. Sa ganitong paraan patuloy pang masumpungan ng mga believers ang pag-asa at katotohanan ng salita ng Diyos though the believer walks through the valley of the shadow of doubt.

I told my wife that this ministry would welcome the doubts of people seriously and be willing to walk with them. It was a refreshing thought for me to read that Jesus spoke highly of Nathanael, despite his cynicism, that he was "an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Jesus demonstrated that he was indeed the Messiah by giving Nathanael what Pentecostals call a miraculous word of knowledge. Out of this interaction Jesus revealed to him the marvelous revelation of the future,

“Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man. (v51)

I wanted a ministry that does not only recognize doubt as a way to the intellectual virtues of wisdom and understanding but one that considers doubt as a spiritual problem. William Lane Craig explains,

doubt is never simply an intellectual problem. There is always a spiritual dimension to doubt as well. There is an enemy of your souls, Satan, who hates you intensely, and who is bent on your destruction, and who will do everything in his power to see that your faith is destroyed. And therefore, when we have these intellectual doubts and problems, we should never look at them as something that is spiritually neutral, or divorce them from the spiritual conflict that we’re involved in. Rather, we need to take these doubts to God in prayer, to admit them honestly, to talk to our Christian friends about them, to not stuff them or hide them. We need to deal with them openly and honestly and talk to people about them and seek God’s help in dealing with them.†

The other day I wrote about "Adding apologetics to increase your faith" and in there I quoted the Puritan John Owen in his admonition for the increase of our faith, which is to "make it strong against its assaults." Kumbaga palakasin mo siya habang inaatake siya. This is what I hope will be an important notion ng apologetics ministry that my wife and I are setting up to start.



Here's John 1:44-51 --

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

==========
* Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, Moody, 1984, p. 211.

† http://www.reasonablefaith.org/media/dealing-with-doubt#ixzz4QL3ywGV6

Adding apologetics to increase our faith || JPP

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!"

Luke 17:5

A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck.

"Where's Harry?" he was asked.

"Harry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail."

"You left Harry laying there, and carried the deer back?"

"Well," said the hunter, "I figured no one was going to steal Harry."

May mga biblical truths na ina-abandon o dini-disregard  nating mga Christians kasi sa isip natin may minimal importance ang mga ito -- naging tulad tayo netong kapartner ni Harry. Isa sa mga truths na yan ang Christian duty ng apologetics.

As a person involved sa apologetics ministry dito sa Pilipinas, I had recently added a teaching focus to combat the idea coming from well-meaning, and well-intentioned na mga Christians, na ang apologetics daw is peripheral o dapat nasa tabi-tabi lang ng Christian faith.

Contrary to it being peripheral, I think the role of apologetics is even crucial to the Christian faith. Kailangan ng faith ang apologetics na mindset.

Commenting on the passage above, Luke 17:5, the great Puritan theologian John Owen instructed his readers what they must do with the faith that they have --

Add unto its light, confirm it in its assent, multiply its acts, and make it strong against its assaults, that it might work more effectually in difficult duties of obedience.

Ang apologetics settles itself well sa mga assault ng faith kasi ang apologetics nga ay "defense of the faith."

The key apologetics passage 1 Peter 3:15 --

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

indicates that that the scope of "to give an answer" (ἀπολογίαν) covers the entire human experience of the present and the future of the Christian life.

Hindi peripheral ang apologetics.

===========
Reference
The Works of John Owen, Volume 3: Holy Spirit, 388.

Grace to the Highest Pitch

Mercy and pardon are designed for, and bestowed upon, the greatest and vilest of sinners to enhance and raise the glory of free grace to the highest pitch. God picks out such sinners as you are, on purpose to illustrate the glory of his grace in and upon you: he knows that you, to whom so much is forgiven, will love much (Luke 7:47).

John Flavel, England's Duty, IV:154-5

Often some of us think that our faith serves just for the positive validation of who we are. We romanticize ourselves and ask God to affirm that. This is faith on a cul-de-sac. The graces we receive from God are graces we nurture in action to our loved ones, friends, even the guy on the street.

These graces do not orbit in heaven alone but in the life of the believer as well. This is the seed that grows in the barren soil of your heart. It agonizes to grow, almost prone to die for every break of dawn. But a skilled hand in God will make it grow and on the day of its fruit-bearing the Hand that nurtured it in its pain and adversity is the same Grace that will pluck the sweet fruit and give that grace to others.

God's Wonderful Deeds

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 9:1, NIV)

Question 1: How do you engage in prayer with the excellencies of God?
Answer: By starting with the Gospel.

Question 2: But how do you start with the Gospel?
Answer: By considering the "wonderful deeds" (Psalm 9:1) already DONE by Christ.

A central thought that serves as an anchor for an active faith and growing prayer life can be exemplified in the thought of the great Puritan teacher John Owen:

"For a man to gather up his experiences of God, to call them to mind, to collect them, consider, try, improve them, is an excellent thing, — a duty practised by all the saints, commended in the Old Testament and the New. This was David’s work when he “communed with his own heart,” and called to remembrance the former loving-kindness of the Lord." (Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers, IX.3.2.1. accessed at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/owen/mort.i.xii.html)

In short, Owen is saying to make "gathering up your experiences with God" an interpretive activity of your life towards the "the former loving-kindness of the Lord" to you. Such duty springs from a person who understands the Gospel. That's how you grow your prayer life. That's how you grow your faith. That's how you grow in the knowledge of God. That's how you "hold firmly" (1Cor 15:2; Heb 4:14) to the Gospel.

It is fair to say that many people today do not engage in this type of faith-building, grace-growing reflection because their life of reflection is anchored on a disconnect of what they can do and what God has done in their lives -- so much so that whenever they start to act on their belief, they do not have the "Gospel tools" (Owen) that is rooted in the confidence of the excellencies of God. Rather, they connect to the excellencies of their will and self-determination. A disconnect happens on our faith and deeds because we are just deeds-focused.

Old saints reflect on what God has done as the springboard of what God is to do in them. Commonplace as it may look like, the word "done" is actually a very powerful word when it is attached to the work of Christ. The word "done" helps us to understand the Gospel and how to utilize it in the growth of our faith or the "do's" of our faith. Prof. Michael Horton of Westminster Theological Seminary and author of numerous Christian books confirms this when he said, "You cannot experience God without knowing who he is, what he has done, and who you are in relation to him." Horton actually offers a pattern of reflection: from God to myself. From the excellencies of the reflection of who God is and what He has done (in the redemptive narrative of all of Scripture) I then begin to reflect on my experiences with this truth. What am I in relationship to this divine being and the work He has done? You want to be used by God? You have to begin with how He made you useful.

It is important that we have certain measures to "hold firmly" (1 Corinthians 15:2) to the Gospel because as Paul said, "Otherwise, we have believed in vain" (1Cor 15:2). Owen exhorts us "to gather up ... experiences of God, to call them to mind, to collect them, consider, try, improve them." In short he is saying, always reflect and consequently make faith actions related to it. It is supposed to consume our life.

How do you go about your prayer? If you follow the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication) as a prayer pattern do you intentionally put the theme of "done" both in adoration (His deeds seen in Scripture) and thanksgiving (His deeds as seen in your life)? If not, then probably this is the reason why your prayer life is monotonously boring and your faith not increasing in satisfying measures.

Hold firmly to the Gospel

(Law, Gospel and Rest on Sunday Worship Series) "Preaching and the Tired Soul"

 "Ano bang saloobin mo tuwing sumasapit ang araw ng linggo? Katulad din ba ito ng sa trabaho na marapat mong gampanan upang ang gantimpala ay makamtan? Anong pagkakaiba nito mga ibang araw na dapat ikaw ay nagtatrabaho? Kung ang Araw ng Panginoon ng pagpapahinga, saan nakapagpahinga ang kalooban mo? Kung puro utos lang ang naririnig mo lingo-lingo, di bat natural lang na magalala ka at maligalig tungkol sa mga bagay na dapat mong abutin o tapusin? Nasaan ang kapahingahang dulot ni Kristo sa mga napapagal at nabibigatang-lubha?" -- Rev. Lance Filio​ 

 I think it must be in the mind of every Sunday preacher that the congregation who will come to church is a congregation of tired, weary souls -- like a cavalry battered by the lance in jousting. 

You need rest after that battle, as any member of the congregation who experiences the battles of daily life at work, school or at home -- or at the commute or MRT!!! 

But I'm not talking about physical tiredness. I'm talking about soul tiredness. The Bible calls this as a downcast soul.   Symptoms of a tired soul can be felt in our thoughts, heard in our word and seen in our deeds. And then we punish ourselves for being too sinful -- as if lancing ourselves in a one-man joust. Confronting ourselves is a good Christian activity but what if our mind is just filled with pain and our soul is just tired? Either we condemn ourselves further pinning ourselves to the ground or . . . go to an idol of the heart like lust, greed, anger, etc. to overpower the feeling of despondency. At times we try to repair ourselves by creating more things to do, never meeting them, and then fall to greater despondency. 

The thing is, our soul at this point wants rest, not additional things to do. We need rest so we can return to those things we want to do with zeal, strength and affections for God.

Man knows how to rest their bodies by retreat, sleep, relaxation etc. But how do our souls find rest? We know physical rest, but what about our souls?

While physical rest has a lot of means like the ones I mentioned above, the rest of souls according to the Bible seems to have a solitary means: Christ.

Solus Christus in another light right there.

Yes, in Christ alone. Say that again: in Christ alone. You write that in marble and vow never to forget by God's grace for Satan would want to take that thought away from you. 





So back to the minister. The pastoral duty for ministers is to help the congregation remember Christ who said, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28). Christ is the rest of the believer.However, this is in and of itself a difficult task for the preacher; for what does finding rest in Christ means? Baka ang lumabas utus-utusan mo lang na naka append ang pangalan ni Kristo like, "Maglingkod ka kay Kristo!" Actually, because the pastor's goal is to help in the maturity of the congregation, a preaching on "Maglingkod ka kay Kristo!" is a necessity, but such law would have to be attained by a people whose souls are rested in Christ. A tired laborer would continue to create low-grade results, if not no-grade. 

It has to do with what the Puritans call as "considering" or "remembering" -- considering what Christ has done both in Scripture and in your life [I'll talk about this in the next blogs]. This is the Christian's chocolate. The Christian's dopamine kick. This the preacher's ministry to his congregation every Sunday. 

Personally, by the time it is weekend, I feel like this:

As the deer pants for streams of water,    so my soul pants for you, my God.My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.    When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42:1-2)

So remember, every church member that enters those church doors is a tired soul. They just want to get a glimpse of the glory of Christ who promised to them "you will find rest for your souls."

UPCOMING BLOGS:

1. Disordered Love and the Idols That Rob Us of Rest
2. Preaching and the Gospel that Naturally Flows from It 
3. The Special Role of the Law(s) on Sunday Preaching
4. The Gospel as an Indelible Feature of Preaching
5. Gospel and Law Distinction for Sunday Preaching
6. The Ugliness of Moral Therapeutic Deism in Sunday Preaching
7. Biblical Theology of the Tired Soul
8. The Downcast Soul of Psalm 42 and Psalm 43

Mapapaisip Ka Talaga!

Ang galing naman ng video na to -- mapapaisip ka talaga.

Why Christianity Syllabus

Paalala sa mga Mafias ng Kristianismo

Article by Carl Trueman, "Areopagitica"

Via "Silencing of the Lambs" || R. Scott Clark || Heidelblog

Where the situation becomes sinister is when one group attempts to police the activities of another, or where one Christian organization or leader uses their personal power or share of the market to prevent others, with whom they are not formally connected, from speaking freely and asking the hard questions. At that point, things take a very sinister turn indeed. 

Some years ago (another time, another webpage), someone I know made thinly veiled criticisms of a powerful evangelical organization. The response was swift: First, he received a series of personal pleas from people at the organization, telling him to stop; then he later discovered that his boss had come under direct pressure from head office at the other organization to remove him. The truth of what he had said was not (as far as I am aware) challenged at any point. It was simply that his comments were very inconvenient from a public relations perspective. Thankfully, the boss sided with his writer, not with the external critics. 

That is why the health of the Christian subcultures in our society depends to an important extent upon the freedom of the Christian press; and that in turn depends upon having plenty of public voices and different groups presenting their different perspectives without the threat of being silenced by those with power and money. I need voices that criticize me and so does everyone else who operates in the public Christian sphere. Of course, I do not like being criticized; but it is necessary for the health of public life that it be so. It would be a disaster for us all if one or two organizations or individuals came to wield such influence that dissenting voices were eliminated. If that were to happen, there would less accountability for public figures, the news would be very carefully stage-managed, and we would all be impoverished. . . 

As John Milton said regarding truth: “Let her and Falsehood grapple; who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter? Her confuting is the best and surest suppressing.” I am with Milton here: [the more public the conversation], the less the innocent have to fear and the more the guilty need to be worried.