Number seven is you don't change people's minds; God's Word does. So we bring people into contact with God’s Word. I can't force people to change their mind. I like I Cor. 2:13; in the New Living version it says, “We speak words given to us by the Spirit using the Spirit’s word to  explain spiritual truth.” There is both a Word and a Spirit element in preaching, and often we leave out the spiritual element. A lot of preaching today has the Word element, but it doesn't have the Spirit element.

We talk about spiritual warfare. I don't think spiritual warfare is like demons. I think the Bible says spiritual warfare is tearing down mental strongholds. Our weapons have power —  pulling down every argument, every pretension — that passage in 2 Cor. 10. By the way, that’s why you're exhausted after preaching. If you are trying to pull down strongholds, you're in a mental and spiritual battle that is going to leave you exhausted. After I do five services every weekend, I’m a puddle — there’s nothing left!

Number eight, changing the way I act is the result, or fruit, of repentance. Changing the way I act is the fruit of repentance. Technically, repentance is not a behavioral change; it results in behavioral change. Repentance is what happens in your mind. So it doesn't mean forsaking your sin. That is why John the Baptist said, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." Why would you need to produce fruit? Because the fruit is the action. The fruit is the behavior. Paul said in Act 26:20, “I preach that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” OK, so deeds are not repentance, but is that going to change your mind?

I believe, number nine, that the deepest kind of preaching, bar none, is preaching for repentance. The deepest kind of preaching. Life application, on the contrary, instead of being shallow preaching, I believe is the deepest kind of preaching. Shallow preaching, to me, is doctrinal application or interpretation with no application —  biblical background with no application. For 21 years now, the secret of Saddleback is every week I get up and try to take the Word and apply it so it changes the way listeners think about life, about God, about the devil, about the future, about the past, about themselves, about their mission in life.

If you go through the New Testament you will find repentance is the central theme in the New Testament. When I teach a seminar, I read them all these verses: Matthew 3:2, John the Baptist, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Jesus, “Jesus began to preach repentance" (Matthew 4:17). The disciples went out and preached that people should repent. Peter, “Repent and be baptized every one of you.” Paul, “Now He commands all men to repent everywhere.” John in Revelation, “Repent.” You just go through the New Testament.

To produce lasting emotional life change, you have to enlighten the mind, you have to engage the emotions, and you have to challenge the will. Those three things have to be present in life application of preaching. There is a knowing element, there is a feeling element, and there is a doing element. This takes a lot of just being sensitive to the people because sometimes they have to be comforted, and sometimes they’ve got to be challenged. I can often get that wrong, you know.

This is one of the big weaknesses in our preaching. I think one of the greatest weaknesses is people who are unwilling to humbly stand before people and challenge their will. A lot of guys are great at interpretation. They are pretty good at application, but they are not really willing to stand there and call for repentance. Now I preach on repentance on every single Sunday without using the word because the word is misused today; it is misunderstood. So I talk about changing your mind, and I talk about paradigm shifts. But really, every message comes down to two words: Will you? Will you change from this to this in the way you are thinking?

Our culture is falling apart. If you are not preaching repentance in your message, you’re not preaching. No matter what we cover, it has got to come back to change your mind, because your mind controls your life.

Here’s how you can let the Holy Spirit to lead your church:

Focus on God’s plans rather than your own. Recognize that your church should be a vital part of God’s ongoing work in the world. Don’t waste time or energy pursuing activities that, while good, aren’t clearly what God is leading your church to do. Always start with an awareness of God’s redemptive work in the world; then consider how He might want your church to be a part of that. Ask two key questions: “What is God doing?” and “What does God want to do?”. Never let your church’s functions become ends in themselves. Remember that congregations are ultimately created by the Spirit, and their purpose is to engage the world in bringing God’s redemptive work in Christ to bear on every dimension of life.

Understand the Spirit’s ministry. Get to know the different ways the Holy Spirit works in the Bible, such as: demonstrating God’s creative power, affirming God’s intention for His creation that all life might flourish, confronting principalities and powers and restraining evil, reconnecting people and restoring community by helping them clearly understand their identity as God’s people, empowering people with gifts and abilities, empowering leadership to guide faith communities into redemptive action, extending mercy and establishing justice, and engaging the world.

Embrace change. Realize that the contexts in which your church performs its ministry is constantly changing. Rather than resisting change, accept and expect it. Regularly seek the Spirit’s guidance to adapt well to the changes your church encounters. Know that a healthy church will always be reforming. Anticipate new insights into the Gospel, and expect that the people you reach with the Gospel will change your church after they join, making the congregation constantly dynamic.  Expect surprises, interruptions, and disruptions as the Spirit works in your midst, but remember that the ultimate result will always be good – lives transformed for the better.

Learn how to read your church’s current context well. Obtain information about the community in which your church ministers, such as: population trends, demographic profiles, transportation patterns, where members live, other organizations that serve the community, and business development and employment. As you consider this information, ask what God is currently doing and what He may want to do in these situations.

Give up any one-size-fits all approach to ministry. Know that there’s no one type of program, confession, or organization that will work well for all churches. Instead of trying to do what’s worked for other churches, ask what approach God wants your individual church to take, and don’t be afraid of being different.

Seek the discernment you need to make wise decisions. When facing decisions, consider: The Bible and other texts such as your denomination’s devotional writing, the cultural context of each situation, the community within your church, and the practices your congregation shares. Encourage open, fair, engaging, and deliberative discussions among the people in your church. Respect the different perspectives and gifts of each person, and unmask sin such as hidden agendas and power plays. Pray for the Spirit to help you all come to a common understanding of God’s will in each situation, so you can make strategic choices to implement that will. Keep people clearly and regularly informed of what’s happening, support the implementation process in prayer, and ask for feedback so you’ll know when adjustments are necessary. Afterward, assess what did and didn’t work and learn from the experience.

Organize your church according to how the Spirit leads. Design your church building and the way you use your space to reflect the ways the Spirit is guiding you to minister. Look back at your religious heritage and your particular congregation’s history to understand where you’ve been as you pray about where you are now and where the Spirit may want you to go in the future. Clarify your church’s core values and ask how congruent your ministry practices are with the values you hold about ministry. Shape your congregation’s culture so it more faithfully and fully represents God’s purposes in the world. Regularly take inventory of the people and resources flowing into your church and the ministry that’s flowing out. Ask how, in light of this information, your church can better impact it’s community. When deciding on how to design your core missional practices (worship, education and discipleship, care and fellowship, service, and witness), go with what the Spirit is leading you to do rather than just with what style is most popular. Ask the Spirit to keep your congregation’s vision fresh and develop its leadership and infrastructure (such as communication, facilities, and finances). Help all your church’s members understand their vocation in the world and deploy their gifts to participate in God’s mission in the world.

Pursue growth and development. Invite the Holy Spirit to use a variety of things to develop and grow your congregation: conflict, adverse circumstances, ministry to people on the margins of society, intentional strategy, divine intervention, and new insights into the Gospel and your culture. Account for the reality of sin as you assess your church’s growth, and expect your congregation to sometimes be misunderstood or even mistreated as it follows the Spirit’s leading. Be willing to forgive, be humble, and work together with grace. Expect resistance to changes; commit plenty of time and invest plenty of energy into implementing them. Be graceful as you make changes – ranging from minor improvements to major re-creations – trusting the Spirit to guide you every step of the way.

It was over 5 years ago that we enjoyed a brand new kitchen at our old home of 10 years.

I remember the freshness of moving in, unpacking from the garage, having brand new things -- and feeling on top of the world.

Then life became ... reality. The once sparkling new kitchen didn't seem that new any more. The glitter of  it all started to fade as I still had to do dishes.  Just when you think you have the kitchen clean, all the kids come home, food is left out, and dishes are left in the sink.

My stacks of "stuff" piled up on the counters... mail to be opened, reminders to put on the calendar. The kids make huge messes, the cupboards need wiping down because of the spaghetti sauce that ran over. My busy life left my new kitchen looking not so pretty anymore.

My happiness began to wane.

Those of you who have followed my blog know that we're on the cusp of enjoying another new kitchen in our current home. It's been a long process to get it done, doing much of the work ourselves and working with a tight budget. We've had to make decisions to cut things that we wanted, to add in things that were important to us, to make it a place of comfort, rest, healing, and satisfaction to many bodies who will be congregating in our kitchen in the years to come. I've been getting that taste of "newness" and "freshness" and thinking my life will be happier when ... my new kitchen is done.

I want to remember the lesson I learned with the old. My happiness doesn't lie in perfect or new. Because perfect and new wears off. In fact, it becomes old rather quickly, and as life settles in again, I know I must keep my priorities straight.

As the newness fades, I need to stop and remind myself that it's what goes on in our kitchen that really matters. It's about the love that transpires, the bonding with friends and family, the nourishment that will be provided and shared together. Bringing our kids and their friends back into the "center of the home," last minute get-togethers, planned holiday events, my Balcony Girls group, and sit-down dinners with our friends. It's sitting back and relaxing; what I call sharing "the common life."

Even though it might take some time for us to complete our flooring, God blesses us with exactly what we have each day. It's perfect for the day, whether old or new, and he meets our needs down to the finest details.

I want to daily create a place of love in the heart of my home called "the kitchen," where food is served and real sharing takes place. 

"What I'm trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns met." Luke 12:29-31, The Message

A little boy went over to a pastor's house, where the pastor was doing some carpentry in his garage. The boy simply stood there and watched him for quite a long time. After a while, the preacher wondered why this boy was watching him and was finally so curious that he stopped and said, "Son, are you trying to pick up some pointers on how to build something?"

The little boy replied, "No. I am just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer."

Often, we will find out what we are made of by what comes out of our mouths in both good and bad circumstances. When we have a change in conduct and character in our lives, it is a type of spiritual fruit.

Galatians 5:22 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control . . . " (NKJV). A Christian's life should be characterized by these things.

Are you producing fruit? Or is the opposite true?

Instead of love, is there hatred, bitterness, or even prejudice in your life? Instead of joy, is there constant gloom? Instead of peace, is there turmoil? Instead of gentleness, is there a short temper? Instead of faith, is there endless worry? Instead of meekness, is there pride and arrogance? Instead of self-control, are you a victim of your own passions?

If so, then either you don't know God at all or a recommitment to Christ would be in order.

If you are a Christian, then people should be able to look for-and find-fruit in your life. Why? Because a disciple of Jesus Christ will produce spiritual fruit.

Jesus said, " 'My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father' " (John 15:8 NLT). Jesus also said, " 'By their fruits you will know them' " (Matthew 7:20 NKJV).

The metaphor of bearing fruit is used quite often in the Bible. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus spoke of seed that falls on different types of ground, representing different reactions to the truth of the gospel message. The final category He mentioned in Mark 4:20 was good ground: "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred" (NKJV).

In other words, those who have spiritual longevity are those who embrace this truth and produce fruit. The Bible tells us that we should bear fruit worthy of repentance (see Matthew 3:8).

The Bible gives us different pictures as to what "bearing fruit" means. For example, praising and thanking God is a way of bearing fruit in our lives. Hebrews 13:15 says, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (NKJV). When you praise God, that is bearing fruit.

At one of our church services, I noticed a young woman in the front row who was in a wheelchair. Her legs were gone, and she had only one arm, which was a partial one.

As we were worshiping, this young woman lifted what she had of her arm to the Lord. I thought about how this must have pleased God. She didn't have hands to lift, but what she had, she lifted to the Lord.

Did she have troubles in her life? Did she have difficulty? Of course she did. But she offered a sacrifice of praise to God.

We don't praise God only when we are in the mood. Rather, we praise God because He is worthy of our praise. Our word, "worship," comes from the old English form, worth ship. We praise that which is worthy.

Therefore, we don't praise God because we feel like it. We praise God because He deserves our praise. When we do this, we are bearing fruit.

What we say is also a type of fruit in our lives. Jesus said, " 'A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say' " (Luke 6:45 NLT).

When you are a true Christian, it will be reflected by what you say. This is bearing fruit as well.

Can others identify spiritual fruit in your life? Remember, people are watching you. They are listening to you. I hope that you are pointing them to Jesus.