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Good Ministry Practices
Preparing Sermons for Effective Preaching |
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By Oluwole Josiah Presented at a Church of God Ministers’ Meeting Okposi, Ebonyi State, Nigeria |
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Certainly, God puts in our hearts as ministers both the desire to preach and the content of the message, and yet we have our part to play—a part that certainly challenges us.
When one feels God sharing something with him during times of study and meditation in scripture, there is often a desire to share with others through a sermon or a piece of writing. God, who desires to be known, uses our preaching to tell people about His nature, character, heart, mind, and purpose as revealed and embodied in Jesus Christ.
As Martin Luther said, “Beyond all the might and the power of the world and of all creatures, Christ proves His ability to draw the hearts of men to Himself through the Word alone.” Our preaching should deliver God’s Word, the gospel, to God’s beloved children.
In emphasizing the importance and power of that type of preaching, Martin Luther said, “The lips are the public reservoirs of the church. In them alone is kept the Word . . . . Unless the Word is preached publicly, it slips away. The more it is preached, the more firmly it is retained. Reading it, it is not as profitable as hearing it, for the live voice teaches, exhorts, defends, and resists the spirit of error. Satan does not care about the written Word of God, he flees at the speaking of the Word” (Luther’s Works, Volume 18, p. 401).
Drawing from about, we see the need to effectively deploy the gift of preaching to the benefit of the church in the harvesting of souls, as well as [to] strengthen by the same means those whose souls have been planted in Zion.
Defining Effective Preaching To be effective means in part, “having the power to produce a required effect or effects, or producing decided or decisive effect.” Preaching serves the following purposes:
1. To save souls through the declaration of God’s ultimate love (1 Cor. 1:21). It brings sinners to the point of contrition and initiates repentance (Matt. 3:1-6; John 4:28; Acts 2:37).
2. To encourage and build the church, pre-paring them for heaven (2 Tim. 4:1, 2).
3. To sustain the purity and value of the church through constant reminders (Titus 2:1-10).
4. Generally, preaching reveals God’s will and path for His people. For preaching to be effective, it must completely reveal the will of God and cause the people to understand it (Neh. 8:7, 8). It then follows that effective preaching is the preaching that is designed to achieve the above purposes. If preaching fails to achieve the above, then it is, no doubt, obviously ineffective.
Sermons Sermons are the preacher’s preaching package. It is the address we make in the capacity as the mouth pieces of God to His people. Although sermons are often spoken, a lot of preparation [is necessary] if their desired goal is to be met, or if it is to be effective. An effective sermon may be divided into three main parts: preparation, delivery, and evaluation.
Preparation. This is the key. Every successful preacher began with good preparation. To be effective does not come by chance. It is not a stage performance, nor a mere talk show. You want results—eternal results—and so you must prepare, and prepare well, whether you are preaching to one or to many.
The following steps will be helpful in preparing for the pulpit:
1. Study. The subjects of most sermons often come to us as an idea, an inspiration, and/or a thought which flows into our minds during the period of studying the Word of God. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).
While our hearts could be flowing with a number of issues, walking in the Spirit makes it easier for God to direct us on what thought is appropriate and necessary for the day.
Many are of the notion that we only study the Bible and nothing more. The broader our knowledge of issues, the better we can address them when they affect members of our congregation.
2. Prayers. Praying underscores our dependence on God. If we fail to pray, we will fail to be effective. Jesus is our example in prayer. He spent valuable time praying. We often find ourselves relishing in offering services without giving ourselves to building our personal relationship with God. The rule is: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).
3. Meditation. This is the period where we are silent before God and ponder on His Word, His church, and His work. A lot of inspiration is missed when we fail to engage in meditation. The strength of inspiration is drawn from meditation. Message topics can oftentimes be impressed on the heart by the Spirit when we make meditation a cardinal point of preparation in the task of bearing a message before the church. Meditation and study are different. While studying gleans knowledge, meditation allows the soul to feed on the spiritual knowledge to produce faith, deeper under-standing and broader vision.
4. Notes. It is important for the sermon bearer to always learn to take notes. Because our memory can be short at times, and because we may forget, it is important for us to write down what is revealed at the time of meditation or study. This will be a point of reference when delivering the message. In Revelation 1:19 John was asked to write down what he was shown in the vision.
It may be a habit of mature preachers to stick hard to notes, but the beginner preacher must learn to build his thoughts through his notes. A number of preachers are not focused and often veer off the main issue of their message, but with notes it is possible to stay close to what was revealed without deviating from the course.
5. Memorize. When you examine Peter’s preaching in Acts 2:14-36 and Acts 3:12-26, you will observe a large body of text that quotes relevant Scriptures. Without adequate memorization, the preacher may have to virtually ponder and pour through Bible pages at every single reference. Preaching can be boring in such situations. But an intermittent interjection of relevant passages from memory can inject vigor into the delivery of a message.
6. Audience analysis. Understanding the need of the congregation is important in being an effective preacher. You may bring a message because it seemed good in your mind, but if that is not the need of the congregation, you may be laboring for nothing. How many times have you heard a preacher say, “I prepared something, but when I got here, God gave me something else to preach”? This is because what we prepared won’t meet the need of the church. That is why as a watchman, we must be so spiritually involved that God will always give us the proper understanding of the need of the congregation.
Delivery. This is the actual presentation of the message to the congregation. The following points can determine an effective delivery of the message:
1. Voice. The voice mode is often a communication of how serious a message could be. “Cry aloud spare not” could depict a serious warning. A soft and a quiet speaking voice could depict calmness and [be] used as an effort to encourage. It could be conversational, like that of Jesus with the woman at the well in John 4. As a public speaker, all of this could be combined [by the preacher] to achieve the desired goals. Do not yell just for the sake of it, and do not be unnecessarily cold or you could transfer that weakness to the congregation as they listen. Mean business and be as enthusiastic as you can be.
2. Focus on the Message. In attempting to give preambles and deep backgrounds, many a preacher veers off completely from the main idea and the message. We must learn to stay on the message and ensure we do not bring in too many divergent and unconnected themes that could make listeners lose interest in the message or get more interested in the digression rather than the message. And sometimes “less is more” should be the motto. “When less is more, the content is king and the presenter is servant.” Long messages should be rare. They do occur a few times. Knowing when to stop is key to effectiveness.
3. Speak clearly. Use words easy to be understood, and use vivid examples. Some short stories and parables, as Jesus [used], could be deployed to drive the point home. Use the right words without leaving trace of ambiguity. It will be unfair to allow for too many questions after preaching. Mean what you say, and say what you mean. If you truly understand your audience, then you must speak to all.
4. Apply the sermon. Let the sermon be applied. After bringing the Scripture and explaining its content, the message rests within its application. It involves how that Scripture affects the spiritual condition of the listener. When Jesus expounded the parable of the sower, and the parable of the tares, He brought out the implications. Their application is the moral drawn from the stories, which in turn, effect an action on the listeners. Peter told his audience about the prophecies regarding Jesus, stressed that Jesus was actually the Christ, and now it was time for them to turn to God in repentance (Acts 2).
Evaluation. This is measuring the effectiveness of the message or messages. The effectiveness of the preaching, therefore, can be assessed by seeing whether our preaching has achieved or created the effect desired. We can know this through feedback. Feedback can be immediate or delayed. Feedback helps us to adjust, or correct an error, improve our work, or it could be a commendation and demand [for] us to sustain our efforts.
1. Immediate feedback. Peter’s audience was “pricked in their hearts,” leading them to ask, “What shall we do?”
2. Delayed feedback. This could be seen in the lives of the congregation with time.
3. Testimonies. People can come up to preachers to express how blessed they were by the sermon. Some may testify in a later service how they were blessed. We must be open to criticism as well.
General Tips on Preaching
1. Follow up your messages with fervent prayers. Sometimes the effect of that message may be seen as we labor further on the souls involved.
2. Walk the talk. As preachers of God’s Word, it is important that we do what we preach. People may forget what you preach, but they will never forget what you do. Character is what you do when no one is watching.
3. Do not use the pulpit to settle scores. Members of your congregation can sense your inclinations and you may lose their trust. This will make your messages ineffective, no matter how well intentioned they may be.
4. Do not be negative all the time or preach down at the congregation. You must love the flock, and you must show it in your preaching. There are times when there is a need for rebukes, yet there must be encouragement as well. You find both in Isaiah 1.
5. Preach the truth. Never twist God’s Word to support what you want to say. Always let the Scripture speak for itself and expound what the original author intended to say.
6. Be patient as you await the fruits of your preaching. Never try to force it, or be discouraged when it appears you are not making progress. Be fervent in prayer and commitment to God. “He that winneth souls is wise.”
God feeds His children through the preaching of the Word. “Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2) was the charge to Timothy, and it is still the charge to all of us today.
This paper is by no means a complete manual for effective preaching of the Word. This is only for us all to digest and work out straight paths for ourselves to ensure our service is acceptable and rewarded.
This article first appeared in The Way of Truth, April 2017, published in Hagerstown , MD. Used by permission
Martin Luther’s Advice on Preaching
Here are a few incisive comments from the great Reformer which will help and challenge every public speaker. On long Sermons
“To me a long sermon is an abomination, for the desire of the audience to listen is destroyed, and the preacher only defeats himself.” (p.188)
“Every priest must have his private sacrifices. Therefore Bugenhagen [parish priest of Wittenberg, Luther’s home town] sacrifices his hearers with his long sermons, for we are his victims. He did it finely today!” (p.193)
“A preacher should have the following qualifications:
1. An ability to teach 2. A good mind 3. Eloquence 4. A good voice 5. A good memory 6. Power to leave off! 7. Diligence 8. Whole-souled devotion to his calling 9. A willingness to be bothered by everyone 10. Patience to bear all things. In ministers nothing is seen more easily that their faults. A preacher may have a hundred virtues, yet they may all be obscured by a single defect.” (pp. 189-190)
Editor’s note: The above was taken from D. Martyn-Lloyd Jones’ classic work Preachers and Preaching published by Zondervan. The numbers in parentheses are the pages where the quotation from Luther appears.
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