How to Preach Like John Chrysostom, “the Golden-Mouthed”

Within the historic world—as for many time since—the gospel of Christ was primarily unfold by verbal proclamation, i.e., preaching, and in these days there was no scarcity of gifted preachers.

Among the many pre-modern sermons of which we’ve got document, John Chrysostom’s (AD 349–407) stand out among the many fathers of the church, partly as a result of so many have survived. We can’t say precisely what portion of his sermons have been preserved, and though there have definitely been losses over time, sufficient stay to permit us to grasp his strategy, his model, and his value for the ongoing life of the church.

The standard of his preaching was appreciated throughout his lifetime, and his sermons survived his demise. The identify “Chrysostom” means “golden-mouthed”: This identify was given to him as a tribute to his eloquence, nevertheless it was not used till a couple of century after his demise. (Till then, he was referred to easily as John of Antioch.) This exhibits simply how influential his preaching remained lengthy after he had handed away.

I can consider six notable parts of his preaching that stay insightful for us even right this moment.

1. Chrysostom preached exegetically

Chrysostom preached exegetically on the Gospels of Matthew and John, in addition to on all of the letters of Paul, who was for him the mannequin exegete. He has additionally left us different collections of sermons—notably on the creation narrative in Genesis—which have additionally been preserved of their entirety.

From these extant supplies, we will inform that Chrysostom believed not solely that preaching needs to be based mostly on the Bible, however that it should be undertaken systematically. He didn’t have chapters and verses as we do; even so, his primary technique of preaching was word-by-word exposition, which he believed was the easiest way to get to the center of the scriptural message. He usually started with a basic overview of the e-book that he needed to evangelise on after which went by it intimately, ensuring that every part in it was lined in his sermons.

Right here is the primary and maybe most essential lesson we will study from Chrysostom. To evangelise exegetically and systematically requires huge self-discipline and can problem even essentially the most skilled preacher. Nobody particular person can grasp every part that the Bible comprises, and Chrysostom had to think twice about how he was going to interpret explicit passages.

John was painstaking in his strategy as a result of he believed that every one Scripture is given by God and is beneficial for the upbuilding of the church (2 Tim 3:16–17). In his thoughts, to omit one thing as a result of it was troublesome, uncongenial, or apparently insignificant was to disregard the desire of the divine writer, who by no means wasted his phrases. To chop corners and skip over issues was to neglect his responsibility, which was to convey what the Apostle Paul known as “the entire counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) to his congregations. He knew that what might need appeared to be of little significance to him would possibly properly register with not less than a few of his hearers, who can be edified and develop in Christ accordingly. As a preacher, Chrysostom was not a dictator nor a censor, however a minister—a servant of the Phrase, not its grasp. That is one other lesson that every one preachers must study.

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2. Chrysostom preached pastorally

John had a agency, orthodox religion which he didn’t hesitate to expound and defend when the textual content demanded it, however he didn’t strategy his job as a scientific theologian, searching for doctrinal themes that he would possibly draw out and expound kind of independently of the context through which he discovered them. As an example, when he learn the Apostle Paul, the person he encountered was not a lot Paul the theologian as Paul the pastor, writing to instruct, to encourage, and to self-discipline congregations, lots of which he had planted himself.

Even the letter to the church of Rome, with all its systematic doctrinal explication, Chrysostom understood on this manner. Considerably surprisingly to us, he regarded chapter 16 as the important thing to the entire epistle as a result of it’s there that we meet particular person members of the congregation. John didn’t know who they have been any greater than we do right this moment, however he realized that Paul knew them, and he interpreted Romans as addressed particularly to them—to flesh-and-blood individuals who wanted to listen to the message of salvation in Christ. That the epistle to the Romans can be one of many best theological tracts ever written was secondary in Chrysostom’s eyes, as a result of as he noticed it, it was at first the phrase of the pastor talking to his flock, regardless that Paul had by no means set foot in Rome!

3. Chrysostom preached evangelistically

Chrysostom noticed this form of private engagement between the preacher and his congregation as reflecting the essence of the Scriptures: God talking to you and me within the place the place we’re and with a message designed to guide us to everlasting life in Christ. The Bible comprises many different items of data, to make certain, however that is its primary theme, and its human authors by no means forgot it. Hearken to what he needed to say concerning the Apostle John:

Allow us to see what he utters, and on what issues he converses with us. Is it of issues within the discipline? Is it of issues in rivers? On the commerce in fish? For these items, maybe, one expects to listen to from a fisherman. However concern ye not; we will hear nought of those; however we will hear of issues in heaven, and what nobody ever realized earlier than this man. … Do these items belong to a fisherman? Inform me. Do they belong to a rhetorician in any respect? To a sophist or thinker? To each one educated within the knowledge of the Gentiles? Under no circumstances.

“The issues in heaven”! That is what the Apostle John was involved about, and what Chrysostom made his precedence.

How typically can we hear preachers who’ve an excellent deal to say about social justice, the setting, or up to date politics, however who appear to be unusually silent when it comes to matters of salvation? Are they actually extra occupied with how their congregations are going to vote on the subsequent election than how they put together themselves for all times in eternity with Christ? The person within the pulpit is, because the saying goes, privileged to face six toes above contradiction and thus can get away with rather a lot. However ought to he not be extra involved about these in his care who will quickly be mendacity six toes below the bottom, awaiting the final resurrection within the final day?

Chrysostom had a really clear reply to that query, and it ruled his complete preaching ministry. It’s certainly one of many primary causes that his sermons have survived: Chrysostom was talking at a selected time, to make certain, however he was speaking about eternity, and what he needed to say about that’s as related right this moment because it was then.

4. Chrysostom preached plainly

Chrysostom knew that if his preaching have been to be efficient, he needed to talk it successfully to his hearers, and the one manner to try this was to talk in a language that they might perceive.

Greek was his mom tongue, in fact. He didn’t want commentaries to inform him what the New Testomony meant. Neither did his viewers. A contemporary preacher isn’t so lucky, however the need for translation is not as serious an obstacle as some commentators wish to make out.

Chrysostom knew that the Persons of the Trinity didn’t communicate Greek to one another—it was not the language of heaven. Nor was Hebrew. What God has accomplished within the Bible, stated Chrysostom, is accommodate himself to the constraints of human understanding. He has expressed in phrases what will be put into any language—one thing that in essence is a thriller in his personal divine thoughts. We can’t fathom the depths of his knowledge, as Paul reminded his hearers in Romans 11:33, however we all know sufficient to have the ability to get on with the job of calling sinners to repentance and main them to the gates of heaven.

5. Chrysostom preached contextually

When God communicated to and thru prophets and apostles, he did so in ways in which his recipients might perceive. We dwell in a distinct time and place, however it’s as much as us to determine what the rules of the divine message are and to “translate” them into our personal context.

For Chrysostom, that context was the road lifetime of the traditional metropolis—in his case Antioch, and later Constantinople (now Istanbul)—and the mirror of historic avenue life was the theatre, the place the drama of human existence was performed out. Chrysostom took that picture and proclaimed that God’s purposes have been a form of divine play whose many characters illustrated the entire vary of human life. He noticed it as his job to carry that play to life by partaking his hearers with it, in order that they too noticed themselves as a part of the cosmic drama.

How did he do that? A method was by making himself a stage character. Preaching and appearing are intently associated, and fashionable preachers would enhance their methods dramatically (actually!) in the event that they took elocution classes from speech trainers in the way in which that actors do and that Chrysostom additionally did. By placing himself in that function (once more, actually), Chrysostom engaged with Paul, Jesus, and God the Father as fellow characters within the drama. He solid himself because the ignorant sinner who wanted steerage as to the way in which of salvation and challenged his dialogue companions to provide you with the solutions to his questions.

This will likely appear unusual to many individuals right this moment. However by doing this, Chrysostom made himself an everyman: the consultant of the folks he was known as to serve. They may determine with him. His questions have been their questions, and the solutions he obtained have been supposed for your entire congregation. He didn’t place himself because the unapproachable chief of the flock, however introduced himself as a fellow beggar searching for the bread he wanted to feed them.

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6. Chrysostom preached relatably

One other approach Chrysostom employed was to determine with the sins and follies of his folks. He didn’t faux that both he or his congregation have been faultless. He freely ribbed on their many foibles. He preached that the love of money, for instance, didn’t solely afflict these within the congregation, but additionally amongst these within the pulpit—together with himself.

By approaching sin on this manner he was capable of show the vainness of this world and lead his congregations into settlement that there was no future in happening its path. It was a manner of creating them really feel contrition for his or her sins with out attacking them straight—one other intelligent strategy that received them on his facet and made them keen to observe his lead as an alternative of attempting to run him out of city. How a lot we might all study from him!

Chrysostom’s legacy

Chrysostom had his enemies, to make certain, and we should not overlook that. They weren’t a lot members of his church as fellow clergy who have been jealous of his recognition, and members of the imperial courtroom in Constantinople who noticed him as a risk to their energy. Political leaders have by no means taken kindly to outspoken preachers, and Chrysostom was no exception. He was ultimately exiled, and he died on the transfer from one distant place to a different.

For some time, it will need to have appeared that his pastoral work was misplaced and forgotten. But it was to not be. The preacher was silenced for a time, however as Jesus foretold, the stones cried out, and inside a technology his stays have been introduced again to Constantinople. They have been interred there within the presence of the emperor, the son of the person who had despatched him into exile, who was pressured to do public penance for the sins of his mother and father.

God won’t be mocked, and we will make certain that a trustworthy preacher will go away a legacy behind him, even when he doesn’t dwell to see it himself. That’s the parting lesson of John Chrysostom, who stays, all these centuries later, a role model for the faithful minister of God’s Word in each technology.

Beneficial assets for additional research on Chrysostom and the church fathers

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