Preaching The Headlines Effectively

Ruins of Philippi

There are a couple of generally accepted guidelines for effectively applying Scripture to today. These are guidelines that are very helpful to understand if you are going to be preaching the headlines effectively in your church. Here they are:

Study to determine what the Scripture meant to the original readers/hearers. This will involve the history of the book where the Scripture is found, as well as the culture of the time.
Prayerfully and carefully make the jump to what does this particular passage mean for people today.

Remember that we are seeking to learn how to preach the headlines of the day in a responsible, effective way. Preaching the headlines effectively is the goal. Failure to make any reference to the news of the day can make Christianity seem disconnected from life. The first post in this series is here.

So, how do we do this? Here’s one way to do it wrong.

An Example

Failure to follow those two guidelines can lead to a great deal of misinterpretation. Let me give you a for instance.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

This is a marvelous promise, one that could be part of a rallying cry to “reach for the stars”, or “you can do it” speech. But that’s not what the apostle Paul meant when he said this. Let’s look at the context.

Paul has warm memories of the people in Philippi. We read about his coming to that city to preach in the book of Acts, chapter 16. We know several things about that city at that time.

1. It was the center for Roman government in that area.

2. It had a large contingent of former Roman soldiers. They were given land in return for their service.

3. Philippi had a thriving business community, which included businesswomen like Lydia, the first convert in Europe.

4. There weren’t enough Jews in the city for form a synagogue. Paul’s usual approach to a new area of ministry was to go first to the synagogue and tell them about Jesus. But in Philippi, there was no such place of worship, which is why he and his team went to the river outside the city to a “place of prayer”.

5. We also know that the Enemy was active in that area. Paul and Silas were beaten for setting a slave girl free from demon oppression, and put in prison.

Basically, we learn from our study of the background of Philippians that Philippi was hostile to Christianity. And yet, a church began there. When preaching the headlines effectively, you’ll take into account what the news meant for the first readers. They were likely experiencing some persecution. Paul gives them hope in this pithy line. We can do even the tough times because Christ is at work in us.

So How Do We Preach This Headline Effectively?

Brennan Manning

Paul isn’t saying that he can do anything. He says that he can stay on an even keel, even when things in life become difficult. It is not a pep talk. It’s not a positive thinking statement. It’s a belief that Jesus can give him strength even when things are tough.

Someone who helped me in this many years ago when I was at a low point was Brennan Manning. Manning wrote a book title, Ruthless Trust. A friend suggested I read it, because my life was in turmoil, and I wasn’t sure how things would play out. At first I didn’t like the book at all. I read until page 7, and put it away. On page 7 Manning says these things about trust:

“Trust is the winsome wedding of faith and hope.”
“To trust is to surrender ourselves to God.”
“Unwavering trust is a rare and precious thing.”

In other words, trust in God is not based on everything coming out the way we want it to. Rather, trust is believing that God can transform what is happening in our lives.

Effectively Preaching the Headlines

In the next post we are going to consider some principles for looking at the old, old, story and relating it to the here and now. In the meantime, handle the Word of God with care.

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December 2, 2025/by Bruce Ballast