How To Preach and Teach to Reach

When messages are delivered from the pulpit, there are certain criteria that must be noted to insure a positive effect. The speaker must be aware of the present truth. If the people you are ministering to are exposed to that truth, then they are expecting to hear it in more detail from their teachers and pastors. Thus, whomever is placed before the people must be confidently knowledgeable of the truth coming forth at the present time.

STUDYING THE STUDY GUIDES

It is the general consensus that the study guides are epistles of the revelations given to us by the Father. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we study them thoroughly. Some do not take this need to study seriously. But allow me to be candid here. The study guides are just what the name implies; they are guides which aid you in studying the Word. Some ministers are not comfortable using the study guides to study or teach from. In their zeal, they jump directly into the scriptures looking for revelation. Oftentimes, this translates to a search for something unique. I am not implying that you are not to ever go directly to the Bible for study; but what I am saying is that the study guides do the same things the epistles did for the early church. They guide you in spiritual understanding and development. They also make sure you know and understand the heart and mind of God. They keep you aware of His perspective.

Nonetheless, the study guides provide you with the word God is speaking at the present time. They are essential on the spiritual growth path for the Body of Christ. Therefore, it is most feasible to include them in your study time. Use them as the base or starting point of your study. Study Guides keep you inside the boundaries of the faith. This is important because some individuals are up and coming ministers who are now being placed on platforms of ministry. Study Guides help to channel focus. They keep you inside the parameters of the subject matter. Study Guides set and maintain perspective. They will always keep God’s heart and mind in the forefront. Study Guides lead you to the many doors of increase. Because the scriptures are broken down line upon line and precept upon precept, you can obtain greater insight into other scriptures that were not included in the study guide.

TYPES OF DELIVERY

KNOWLEDGE GATHERED-KNOWLEDGE DELIVERED

The minister has thoroughly studied the subject matter, organized his notes and meditated on his delivery. His preparation is magnificent. However, it is important to note the kind of mindset that is taken to the pulpit or other forum in which the lesson is delivered. I speak of the mental disposition of the minister. Sometimes, one can be consumed with delivering all that is gathered, without assessing the need of the congregation. Young ministers can be nervously enthusiastic about making sure they site every scripture and make every point contained in their notes. The problem with this is that they are so pre-occupied with delivering the knowledge they gather, they never consider the who, what and when factors.

1. Who are the people you are teaching? First and foremost, are they saved, unsaved, or is it a mixed crowd?

1. What do they know? Are they members of your ministry having been exposed to the same teachings you have? If not, then your obsession to deliver your knowledge will cause you to miss an opportunity to save or add to spiritual development.

1. When is enough, enough? When is it time to stop? It might not be necessary to render every one of the scriptures you gathered. Maybe some points are better left for another time. (When people refer to a minister as long-winded, it is usually because they are becoming bored or wearied with listening to him or her).

This type of delivery is what I call academic delivery. It is without a discerning of the people in the setting. Its focus is to deliver the knowledge, not the life. The life of the message gets lost amid scripture overload, which could cause confusion or perplexity. Sometimes, the intentions of the speaker are very good, but he or she lacks skill in their delivery.

TALKING POINTS

As stated earlier, it is important for the ministers to remain abreast of the present truth. If this is not the case, he or she can become vulnerable to ministerial error. One such error is a delivery that boils down to nothing but talking points.

1. The minister has a list of points he desires to make, but they are not related to the subject matter; or they are not submerged into the subject matter. This usually happens when a minster has not availed himself to the message or present truth but has some things in his heart that he wants to talk about.

1. The minister is not prepared and begins to minister off the top of his head, or minister what he thinks he sees in the congregation.

1. Talking points are boundless. They have no regard for spiritual location or spiritual development. This type of ministering is not pure. It is not inclusive of apostolic order. It is not able to promote spiritual development and serves only as an opportunity to tell someone how he or she feels about what they are doing in the name of the Lord.

Ministry is supposed to promote God’s heart and mind. It cannot do that if it is not delivered in the context of scripture and the Spirit of Christ. A speaker must be skillful at massaging the truth about spiritual locations and situations among the people. This must be done without personalizing or attacking individuals as people already know where they are spiritually. Allow the truth to rebuke. Stay away from talking points and simply minister the Word. Truth is sufficient.

PREACHING TO REACH

You cannot minister an effective message without discerning the people you are ministering to. You must understand that you may not be ministering to people who have been raised in Bible Teachers International. These people have never heard some of the BT jargon we speak daily; such as CSR’s, etc.. They may be saved but do not understand the mystery of Christ performed at salvation. It is alright to start at an elementary point for the benefit of the unlearned, before going into a more advanced teaching that can only be understood by those who were raised up in that level of knowledge. Furthermore, there are times when a more simplistic message is needed altogether.

Sunday morning, for instance, is a good time and opportunity to do church building and soul-winning. This is a time when most visitors come to a church. You must discern the audience, to see if there are visitors who are either unsaved and need to be pursued for the Kingdom, or there are those who are saved but ignorant about salvation. Sometimes you may have both in attendance. Either way, your message must able to reach both sets, as well as the BT veterans. If you are ministering from the study guide, “Ye Are gods” or “Faith is the Holy Ghost,” then you must learn how to minister the basic principles of salvation into the message. In doing so, you will have ministered to the veterans and visitors by…

• Isolating a truth from the study guide to expound on.
• Breaking down truth to a discipleship level will undoubtedly enlighten the unlearned.
• Extracting a word, or phrase, that will allow you to minister the principles of salvation.
• Giving hope to the lost. TIME There is another element that must be considered here and that is the element of time.

Doing all the above may seem impossible to perform in the time frame of one hour. But it can be done.

1. The key is to allow the Holy Spirit to control the delivery. He knows where He wants to go and whom He wants to zero in on.

1. If you truly relinquish all aspects of your delivery to the Holy Ghost, you will have an unction in your spirit as to what areas of the message are to be the focal point.

1. You will miss this unction if you are focused solely on delivering all your notes, or the things in your heart you want to say.

1. Though the lesson may be inclusive of all the necessary elements of delivery, it is sure to be top heavy regarding elements for the unlearned and the lost. God brought them there to hear, to warn and to save.

1. It is necessary for you to be very confident in your knowledge of salvation as well as the present truth. You don’t know what situations or people God will prepare for your gift to operate. When you study to deliver a truth from the study guide, in such a way as to reach all factions present, then you automatically expand your understanding and application of the present truth.

CONCLUSION

Never put a novice up to minister on Sunday morning or on major service nights. They must only be allowed to minister on protected training platforms under the oversight of a veteran minister. When saints come to church, they want to hear from a minister who is sure of what he is ministering. Maintain a pure heart. Do not become resentful of those who surpass you in knowledge and delivery. Instead it might be a blessing for you to discern their spiritual progress instead of envying it. It is a truth that there are those who move quickly to the forefront of ministry, surpassing the spiritual knowledge and delivery of some who might have been around for years. But the fact that other veterans continue to grow in knowledge and delivery, proves that it is not the fault of God or others that you are spiritually stunted in knowledge or delivery.

Stunted spiritual growth and delivery is better described as restricted. Only the pure in heart can see God or a revelation of His Word; for the Word is God. God restricts their ministry. There are those who have mindsets contrary to the mind of God; which they have successfully maintained for years. This way of thinking is not Christ. In other words, it is easy for them to maintain a spiritual disposition they know to be contrary to the way of godliness, simply because it is the way they feel about something. These ministers will never reach their full potential in ministry because their hearts are not pure regarding the things pertaining to righteousness. They will have to rely on academic knowledge and deficient delivery and call it “my ministry.” The most crucial part is the fact that the anointing is not working with the minister. It does not mean that what the minister preached will not be understood or received. Some points will resonate with the audience, but most will be lost in their lack of ‘life’ in the message. You don’t have to be as one who is restricted by God. Don’t be offended by anything the Word demands of you. Keep your heart pure and follow the instructions in this lesson; and you too, will become the minister who reaches his full measure.