One of the first rules for preachers is to teach your people what the Bible says. Every author has an intent and we want to get as close as we can to discovering it.

But I am learning to pay more attention to HOW the authors told the story. An easy example: Paul’s presentation on Mars Hill in Athens in Acts 17. This sermon is so instructive not just because of what Paul said, but the way he said it. He started his talk on terms the people of Athens could understand and then proceeded to introduce Jesus.

And that is one of the keys to bridging the divide between connecting with people and rich, biblical content. If we just explain what the Bible says without consideration for how we are presenting it, then we haven’t been fully helpful. On the other side, if we just are contextual, but don’t introduce the biblical content, then we probably just want to fit in.

Telling stories, using secular material like songs and poems, challenging assumptions, are all material that Biblical authors used to get across the message from God. They used this content because it connected.

And, of course, Jesus was the master of this. Think how he started with people’s assumptions as a launching pad for a richer truth. When he begins a sermon, “You have heard that it was said…” that is exactly what he is doing. Should we not also imitate this style of speaking and engagement? In this example, we should not just teach that contempt equates murder, but we should learn the rhetorical devices of Jesus so we can drive those truths home with the same kind of power.

For the word of God certainly is the “sword” of the Spirit, but we need to learn how to strike.