You prayed
and searched the scriptures.
You have
your scripture.
You have
prayed and listened to what message to draw from it.
Your
thoughts are coming, and you put them in writing.
Now keep
thinking, praying, writing, rewriting, and see where that leads you. For most,
it will lead to other scriptures and pericopes. Keep the main scripture, the
main scripture, but don’t be surprised at the connections you make to the full
biblical witness.
Now you are
ready for delivery. Don’t start here. Let the message drive the delivery.
God is a God
of order not disorder. Those who exhort his word are well advised to have some
basic order (structure) to their messages. The Spirit will move where the Spirit
moves, but most of us need some structure before we share what God has placed
on our hearts.
There is not
one way. You should have a grasp of your gifts and talents, but be unafraid to
explore various means of preparation and delivery.
I found this
online. It’s a simple but effective graphic that might be useful once you move
to structure. Eventually, you will have some structure.
Once you are
confident in what you are led to preach, challenge yourself with hard questions.
Ask about the stuff that doesn’t seem to fit. This is called holy fun. Those
who receive your message may never ever think of the hard questions, but you should.
Ask what
nobody will ask you, then see where God sends you for answers. Not a single
thought might enter your message, but you will have answered the questions for yourself.
There is a fullness that comes with this. You are unafraid to see where God’s word
leads you.
In the long
run, ask if your message is true and faithful to God’s word.
Does it
contain the good news? Yes, you are preaching to the saints, but your message,
most likely focused on discipleship, needs to be connected to the gospel.
Is it
connected to the current situation (world that we navigate as believers)?
Repeat the key
points. Yes, repetition still has value.
Remember to
balance challenge and support. The goal is growing in God’s grace
(sanctification) not feeling good or feeling hopeless.
We are saved.
We are to live for Christ. Your message usually resides within those
boundaries.
Now preach
it!
