”

“Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?”

One of the goals of preaching is to change the way people think because we behave the way we do because we think the way we do.

Change the way people SEE & THINK and you can change the way people behave.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. — Romans 12:2

 

The Big Idea:

That is why the Big Idea needs to be a clear and concise statement which captures the truth of what is being taught in the passage.

That is the underlying value of preaching the Big Idea of a passage.

Illustrated:

In the world of advertising, the goal is to have us see and think differently. New information, facts, visuals, examples, pictures, experts, statistics, explanations, and the like are all seeking to affect and/or change our minds as to how we see and think.

For instance — consider this advertisement . . . (30-second clip)

The product is Reddi-Whip. In their commercial, a bright, smiling young lady is seated at the counter of a classic diner. A waitress quickly moves down the counter, towards her, and then says . . . .

Waitress: What can I get ya? — [Now it is set up in ‘twos”]

Customer: I’d like one of those desserts and some coffee.

Waitress: Sure . . . Decaf or Regular

Customer: Regular

Waitress: Cake or Pie?

Customer: Pie

Waitress: Apple or Cherry?

Customer: Cherry

Waitress: Oil or Cream?

Now there is a puzzled look on the young ladies face . . . The expression implies, “What do you mean oil or cream?”

The waitress responds to the puzzled face by reaching from behind and below the counter.

She retrieves two products and holds up . . .

— a colorful Reddi-Wip spray container in her right hand, and

— a plain blue flat container of some brand of “cool-whip” in her left hand

and again says . . .

Waitress: “Oil (hand gestures with cool whip product) or Cream (hand gestures with Reddi-Wip Can)?”

Customer: Cream . . . Please

The commercial then says . . .

“When other toppings are made with hydrogenated oil, the real dairy cream is in ready whip – a sure an easy choice. Nothing is more real than Reddi-wip.”

The waitress puts on a nice daub of Reddi-Wip onto the Cherry Pie, turns around to put the can away. . .

As the customer dips her finger into the Reddi-Wip topping and then licking it off of her finger . . .

Waitress: (the waitress – turning back around) — “fork or ……………….. spoon?”

(too late, she has already tasted it with her finger and is licking the whipped cream off of her fingers)

 

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What is the goal of such an advertisement?

Is it not to change the thinking of the viewer by giving them a different way to see the two products?  They want the watcher to see a product such as “Cool Whip” as whipped oil, and to think “cream” when it comes to Reddi-Wip, SO THAT they make decisions differently when in the supermarket!

There are few who are better than Andy Stanley in setting up and driving the Big Idea of a biblical passage.  Listen to him do that in this message . . . .

Link:  http://northpoint.org/messages/my-bad-church-experience