Renowned pastor, theologian and author John Piper recently discussed how he decides what to preach about, especially for standalone events like speaking at a prison.
In an episode of the “Ask Pastor John” podcast, posted online on Monday, Piper, a Baptist preacher and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, addressed a question that many listeners had asked over the years.
Piper began by noting that his basis for crafting a sermon was built on “the will of God,” defined as including “a spiritually discerned application of the mind of Christ to a particular situation.”
“It’s not just rational; it’s more than rational,” Piper, who pastored at Bethlehem Baptist Church for 33 years, explained. “It may really matter for spiritual reasons what shirt you wear today (not usually, but it might), and it may matter, for all things considered, where you park your bike today. There’s a thousand things that might go into that decision that would make one decision better than another.”
Piper cited Colossians 1:9, which reads in part, “we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
“There’s no command in the Bible to tell me what text to choose or what illustrations to use or what to emphasize or what tone to have,” Piper said. “None of that was in the Bible.”
Instead, Piper cited wisdom and experience, noting that “wisdom, as I try to experience it and apply biblical truth, is shot through with the subjective influences of my heart, not just the mind figuring out how to apply a text.”
“It would be presumptuous of me to say that I make my choices in such situations simply because I am wise. … Too much of the process is simply out of my control,” he added.
As an example of this, Piper recounted a time he preached at a Minnesota-based prison before around 120 inmates, with his preparations being made the morning before the afternoon service.
In choosing the Bible passage and what to focus on, Piper said that “hugely subjective inclinations mingled with rational thought” and “sheer practicality figured into the spiritual dynamics of the moment.”
While his crafting of the message came over the course of a few hours before he headed off to the prison, Piper explained that there was also an “all-important” preparatory factor.
“For days, I had been praying, pleading, pleading with the Lord to guide me, show me, show me what Scripture and what approach would be most effective for salvation,” he said.
“What would be most effective for strengthening faith? And I am very, very thankful that I think He answered that prayer.”
