{"id":33366,"date":"2022-09-10T20:46:03","date_gmt":"2022-09-11T01:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/exposition-in-a-changing-culture-an-interview-with-steve-gaines\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T20:46:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T01:46:03","slug":"exposition-in-a-changing-culture-an-interview-with-steve-gaines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/exposition-in-a-changing-culture-an-interview-with-steve-gaines\/","title":{"rendered":"Exposition in a Changing Culture: An Interview with Steve Gaines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steve Gaines has been the senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, since 2005. He has pastored multiple churches in Texas, Tennessee and Alabama over the last 30 years. In June 2016 he was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Editor Michael Duduit recently visited with him.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in the Winter\u00a02016 issue of Preaching magazine. Click here to subscribe and have the magazine delivered to your door!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Preaching: Steve, you\u2019re known as an expository preacher. Could you tell me how you understand exposition, and why are you drawn to expository preaching?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gaines:<\/strong> I love expository preaching because I love the Scriptures. When I fell in love with the Lord at the age of 18, I immediately immersed myself in the Bible. I had never really read the Bible for myself. George Guthrie was a good friend of mine I played high school football with, and George and I found a little thing called the topical memory system put out by the Navigators, and we started memorizing Scripture as well. Just that Bible intake changed both of our lives.<\/p>\n

When I started preaching, I didn\u2019t know anything else but to preach the Bible. I\u2019d had a great role model when I was growing up at First Baptist Dyersburg, Dr. Bob Orr. He was a good Bible preacher. Then I had heard other Bible preachers along the way, and that\u2019s just what I knew.<\/p>\n

As I went to seminary, I learned that you could take take a section of Scripture, find out the main theme that was in it, and then get some bullet points out of that, and then under each point do explanation, illustration, application. That\u2019s been my go-to for 35 years.<\/p>\n

I explain the Scripture, what it meant. I illustrate it to illumine, or give some light to it; not to distract, not to draw attention to the illustration itself, but to let the illustration reflect the truth of the Scripture. Then in application, I show how the Scripture and what it is saying applies to the person. That\u2019s been a great way to preach, and that has served me well for many years in my ministry.<\/p>\n

Preaching: Has your preaching style changed at all through the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gaines:<\/strong> When people ask me for, instance, how long it took me to prepare a sermon, I say all my life. Every experience I\u2019ve had, every previous sermon I\u2019ve preached, all the books I\u2019ve read, all the seminary classes, then all of the funerals and all the weddings and all the interactions you have with people\u2014I think that all of that goes into your preaching. At least, it does if a preacher is preaching his own sermons, which I firmly believe is the will of God; I don\u2019t think you should preach other people\u2019s sermons. I think if you\u2019re doing your own work, you should be getting better as the years go by.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been preaching now since I was 18, and I\u2019m 58, so that\u2019s pretty easy math. That\u2019s 40 years. I love preaching. I get just as excited today to preach the Word of God as I did when I was a young man. I love preaching and I enjoy preaching the Bible.<\/p>\n

Preaching: What do you find to be the most challenging thing in your preaching ministry these days?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gaines:<\/strong> I think there are several things. First of all, there\u2019s the preparation for it. You have to really block out some time. You\u2019ve got to make it a priority. In any church, it is very easy to get involved in committee meetings, ministry to individuals, and nowadays with all of the social media, you can stay on social media if you\u2019re not careful, and then the emails, and all of that. But you have to take time to study to show yourself approved unto God. You have to spend time studying for the sermon. That\u2019s been one of the challenges.<\/p>\n

I think the other thing is that we\u2019re not preaching to the same culture that I was preaching to 40 years ago. The culture today is not nearly as biblically literate. You can\u2019t assume that people even know who the Apostle Paul is. You can\u2019t say \u201cPaul said.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was talking to some preachers recently. I said, \u201cPaul said . . . . \u201c and somebody said, \u201cWho\u2019s Paul?\u201d You have to give more background for the Scripture itself, because people just don\u2019t know the Bible in our culture as well as they did a few decades ago.<\/p>\n

Then, also, you have to answer why. People nowadays don\u2019t take for granted that something is true just because it\u2019s in the Bible. You have to tell them why this is the way it should be. When you say marriage is between one man and one woman, somebody\u2019s going to say, \u201cWell, why?\u201d And you say, \u201cBecause God said . . .\u201d and then you go back to Genesis, and \u201cJesus said . . .\u201d to go to Matthew chapter 19, and you share with them that this is why it has to be this way. You have to explain more \u201cwhy\u201d nowadays. That\u2019s okay. I like that apologetic element that I think is so necessary for our preaching today\u2014defending the faith but also realizing that ultimately people have to receive Christ by faith.<\/p>\n

Those are just some of the challenges that you have. Also, the home has been splintered in so many different ways. You\u2019re preaching to a lot of families that are not families with a dad and a mom that have been married for years, and you have children and all that. There are just so many different types of families nowadays\u2014you might have a single mom, a single dad, people who\u2019ve been divorced, people who\u2019ve gone through tough times.<\/p>\n

The breakdown of the family has really affected the church, so you have to be constantly aware of the fact that you\u2019re preaching to a lot of broken people with a lot of issues, and you have to give mercy. At the same time, you have to preach the truth.<\/p>\n

Preaching: You\u2019ve just been elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. As you look around the convention today, how would you describe the state of Southern Baptist preaching today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gaines:<\/strong> Because I\u2019m so engaged where I am, I don\u2019t hear all of the preaching, obviously. I think that whenever there is a real movement of God, one of the things you can almost be guaranteed of is that there is strong preaching, and we are not in a strong movement of God across America or even in the Southern Baptist Convention. Yes, we\u2019ve got some great preachers, but I don\u2019t really know that we\u2019ve got a real revival in preaching. I think that a revival in preaching will result in revival in the church, because I believe that preaching is one of God\u2019s primary methods of sending His Spirit into the Body and enhancing the whole church.<\/p>\n

I think that we\u2019re not where we need to be, and I\u2019ll put myself there. I\u2019m not where I need to be. I need to study more. I need to pray more. I need to concentrate more on preaching. I still say that the number one thing that a pastor ought to do is to pray and then to preach. I believe that we should talk to God before we try to talk for God, and I think that if we\u2019ll pray, that God will help us in our study and in our delivery.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to be critical, but I don\u2019t see as many strong preachers as I would like to see in our day. I also am very concerned about how few people give an invitation after they preach. I don\u2019t think you have to come forward to be saved, but I feel like if you don\u2019t give people the gospel \u2026 if you don\u2019t tell them what Jesus did to save them and give them a chance to be saved right then, you may talk about the gospel, mention the gospel, but you\u2019re not preaching the gospel until you invite people to receive Christ as Lord and Savior by repenting of their sins and believing savingly in Jesus\u2014that He died for their sins, rose from the dead\u2014right then and there. If you don\u2019t give them the chance to get saved right then and there, in my opinion, you have not preached the gospel.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t see as much of that anymore and, frankly, I think that\u2019s one of the big contributors to the fact that we\u2019re so lagging in baptisms nowadays \u2026 that, and the lack of personal evangelism. I believe that we could do better, but I\u2019m talking to myself. I believe I could do better, and I do want to be a better preacher in the days to come.<\/p>\n

Preaching: Tell me about your planning and preparation process. First of all, do you typically preach in series?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gaines:<\/strong> I do. I\u2019ve preached in a lot of different kinds of series, but in recent days, I\u2019m going back to where I was when I was a younger preacher, preaching through books or preaching through large segments of Scripture. Right after Easter, for instance, I preached through JoshuaJoshua, from chapter 1 through about 10. When we got to the dividing up of the land, I just stopped there! It was time for the Southern Baptist Convention anyway, but I had a great time preaching through Joshua.<\/p>\n

Right now I am in the book of Daniel and, to me, it is one of the most appropriate, pertinent books to be preaching in our culture. You\u2019ve got these four Hebrew guys that are living as young men in a culture that was absolutely opposite of all of the beliefs that they had as Jews, yet they lovingly, respectfully took a stand. I really like their attitudes. I don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to be able to be belligerent in our day and have a hearing in America. I think that we\u2019re going to have to be loving and kind in speaking the truth.<\/p>\n

For instance, I\u2019m in Daniel 4 this week, and he\u2019s interpreting a dream of Nebuchadnezzar, this guy that is just really full of himself. He\u2019s starting to warm up to the Most High God because he\u2019s seeing some great miracles, obviously, from chapter 3 and all, but he still is very arrogant. You have Daniel saying, when he interprets his dream\u2014it\u2019s a really negative dream against Nebuchadnezzar\u2014he says, \u201cO King, I wish that this was not applicable to you, but it was against your enemies.\u201d You see in that just how polite he was. He liked Nebuchadnezzar, and Nebuchadnezzar liked him.<\/p>\n

The Bible says that sinners liked Jesus. I think that we cannot be rude. A Christian never has the luxury, if you will, of being rude. Nowadays, I know people are lambasting others, whether it\u2019s Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton or whatever it is. I\u2019ve just got news for you. If we make a stand against somebody, not just against what they believe but against somebody, and we could not share the gospel with them, we have crossed a line that God does not want us to cross.<\/p>\n

Those are some of the things that I deal with. I\u2019m preaching through Daniel. I believe it is a pertinent book. I believe that it is so good. Our people are eating it up. I\u2019m eating it up. I\u2019m 58 years old, I\u2019ve been a senior pastor for 33 years, and I\u2019m having more fun preaching today than I\u2019ve ever had. I love studying and I love preaching, and I can\u2019t wait to get in the pulpit.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been doing it a long time, but I believe if you\u2019ll preach through books, preach through texts of Scripture, it gives people a context. It also gives you the joy of not wondering, \u201cOkay, next Sunday, where am I going to be?\u201d And you preach on issues that you would never touch if you hadn\u2019t preached through a section of Scripture, so that\u2019s one of the main things I do.<\/p>\n

Preaching: What does a typical week of sermon preparation look like for you as you move toward Sunday?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gaines:<\/strong> I try to do some every day. I try to spend 10 or 12 hours a week on my Sunday morning sermon, and then I try to spend three to five hours on my Sunday night sermon. I still preach on Sunday night. That\u2019s two full days. That\u2019s about all a pastor can do and then do all the other responsibilities that go with being the senior pastor.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard people say through the years that you ought to spend an hour for every minute you\u2019re in the pulpit. That\u2019s totally unrealistic. I\u2019m not trying to put anybody down, but that\u2019s not the real world. If a pastor can get in the equivalent of a couple of days over a week, spreading that out over five days\u2026. If he can get in 14 or 15 hours for his two sermons, I think that\u2019s about all he can do.<\/p>\n

I try to do it as early as possible. I pray. I\u2019ve got a pretty aggressive prayer schedule, and I read the Bible. I\u2019ve got a pretty aggressive Bible reading schedule, but I don\u2019t count that as sermon preparation.<\/p>\n

Preaching: How long before Sunday do you try to be ready?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gaines:<\/strong> I\u2019m one of those guys that never feels like his sermon is quite ready, OK? To be frank with you, I\u2019m down there with my iPad checking the thing out when they\u2019re singing the special music right before I preach! As far as having it fully ready, I turn my sermon outline in by about Wednesday, and then I\u2019ve got most of it done, obviously, by Friday or so, but still on Saturdays I\u2019ll look at it.<\/p>\n

One of the things that I do is preach at least one time through my sermon without anybody there except me and the Lord, and it really solidifies it in my heart. When my kids were home, I used to go up to the church and do it, but I do it a lot of times at home now. There have been times I get up early in the morning on Sunday morning and do it in my office. That is one of the most helpful things I\u2019ve ever done so that I\u2019m not as bound to my notes when I get in the pulpit in the actual service.<\/p>\n

Preaching: One last question. If an angel showed up at your door today and said, \u201cSteve, this Sunday\u2019s going to be your last sermon,\u201d what message would you want to preach?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gaines:<\/strong> I do try to preach every sermon as though it were my last one. I also try to preach my sermon thinking that Jesus is on the front row monitoring everything that I say, and I try to preach thinking and knowing that there\u2019s somebody out there that this could be the last time they ever get to hear the gospel, so I need to preach with urgency and love. Then I try to think about that somebody\u2019s out there with a broken heart and needs some encouragement. Those four ideas always go with me into the pulpit: It could be my last time, Jesus is on the front row, there\u2019s somebody out there that is either going to hell or heaven before the next 24 hours, and then somebody\u2019s out there with a broken heart. It really changes the way I preach.<\/p>\n

As far as if there was one thing that I could preach, I would preach a sermon that I\u2019ve preached for years called \u201cJesus is Lord,\u201d out of Philippians 2:5\u201311. The outline is: Jesus was Lord before He came to this earth, Jesus was Lord while He was on this earth, Jesus was Lord while He was on the cross, and Jesus will be Lord when he comes again. That\u2019s what I\u2019d preach.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in the Winter\u00a02016 issue of Preaching magazine. Click here to subscribe and have the magazine delivered to your door!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Steve Gaines has been the senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, since 2005. He has pastored multiple churches in Texas, Tennessee and Alabama over the last 30 years. In June 2016 he was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Editor Michael Duduit recently visited with him. This article originally appeared in … Continue reading “Exposition in a Changing Culture: An Interview with Steve Gaines”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33366\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}