If you teach the Bible, you should watch Matt Damon’s new movie, “Invictus.”  In it, Director Clint Eastwood tells the story of South African President Nelson Mandela’s championing of the national rugby team as a way of unifying a country ravaged by years of apartheid.  It’s a pretty amazing story that I can almost guarantee will inspire you in some way.  But don’t watch it for the inspiration.  Watch it to learn how to be a more effective preacher.

I’m not a film critic and I’m certainly not trying to take on men far more talented than I am, but “Invictus” suffers from two mistakes that also plague the average sermon.

1.  Don’t Assume Your Audience Knows The Basics.

I sat in the theater for 2 hours and 12 minutes last night really wishing I knew the rules of rugby.  Maybe I’m just showing my sports illiteracy here, but I had no clue what they were on the way in and not much more of a clue on the way out.  We do the same in the church.  We use words people don’t understand, refer to authors they’ve never heard of and assume that everyone can give a textbook answer of justification by faith.  Not true.  There are people sitting in our churches (at least their should be!) who are more clueless about Jesus than I am about rugby.  Don’t leave them behind.

2.  Pick one point and focus on it.

I know I said it was a story about Mandela and a rugby team.  But it was also a story about leadership, sports, Mandela’s security detail, giving back to a community, politics, race and South Africa.  By the end of the night, I found myself wishing the film had focused on one story line rather than trying to weave all of them together.  Here’s where it gets tough – they were all interesting story lines!  Ever been in the same place when you’re preaching?  So much to say.  So much great truth.  All interesting.  All carrying the power of God to change a life.  So we throw it all at the congregation.  And they end up confused. If you can’t say what your talk is about in one sentence, you aren’t ready to teach it yet.

As preachers, we tell the greatest story the world has ever known.  My prayer is that we tell it well.  The apostle Paul says it this way, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.“(2Tim.2:15)  If watching a movie helps get us there, then I say go for it!