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How to Prepare and Deliver Sermons
by Segun Olumide All rights reserved. Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in this book are from the King James Version of the Bible. KEYS TO OTHER BIBLE VERSIONS USED: AMP-The Amplified Bible NIV-New International Version TLB-The Living Bible Gideons-The Gideons International RSV-Revised Standard Version NCV-New Century Version Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation; New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Living Bible (TLB) The Living Bible copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.; Revised Standard Version (RSV) Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.; New Century Version (NCV) The Holy Bible, New Century Version. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2014 The New Apostolic Movement The New Apostolic Movement, E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] +234 8161297781; +234 - 8053053578; + 234 7085951514. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. SEVEN TYPES OF SERMONS 2. TEN THINGS TO WATCH IN SERMON DELIVERY CHAPTER ONE HOW TO PREPARE AND DELIVER SERMONS TYPES OF SERMONS There are 7 basic types of sermon, namely: 1. Testimony Sermon 2. Biographical Sermon 3. Topical Sermon 4. Textual Sermon 5. Expository Sermon 6. Parabolic Sermon 7. Semantic Sermon 1. TESTIMONY SERMON This is a testimony of the grace, mercy, love, power, faithfulness, justice or judgment of God. It may be a personal or non-personal testimony. It may focus on past or present happenings. It may be a Bible-day or post Bible-day testimony, that is, it may or may not be taken from the Bible. GUIDELINES i. Make sure it is scripturally sound so that it will promote and not hinder the gospel of Christ. ii. Make sure it elevates Christ, not man. iii. Make sure it highlights the major parts. iv. Don't make it a doctrine. v. Make sure it encourages listeners to be hungry for and seek Christ, not the experience of a man. vi. Don't exaggerate it in order to get praise from men. vii. Don't belittle it because God uses it to capture the listener's attention and make the Bible come alive to them in a new light, even if you think it is not as spectacular as you expected. viii. Tell them specifically the lessons God wants them to learn from it and show them how they can also apply such to their lives. In a personal testimony, don't tell them how strong you are, but emphasize how your weakness is becoming strength. ix. Take some time to think up and write out in a notebook the specific details of the testimony so that you can be clear and exact in your presentation. BIBLE EXAMPLES a. Paul preached a testimony sermon in Jerusalem (Acts 22: 1-21). b. Paul also preached a testimony sermon in Ceasarea (Acts 26: 1-29) c. Jesus told a delivered man, "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord that done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee" (Mk 5: 19). d. The Psalmist said, "Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me" (Ps. 66: 16, NIV) POST-BIBLE EXAMPLES a. How I Found Peace With God Segun Olumide b. I Went To Hell Kenneth E. Hagin c. Prepare To Meet Your God 1 & 2 Angelica Zambrano d. Delivered From The Power of Darkness Emmanuel Eni 2. BIOGRAPHICAL SERMON This deals with the story of a person's life, usually from beginning to end or till date. It highlights the stories of Bible characters like Abraham, Jacob, Job, David, Samuel, Solomon, Samson, Paul, Peter, Jesus and so on. It may also chronicle non-Bible characters like John Wesley, Kathryn Kulhman, Lester Sumrall, Joseph Ayo Babalola, W. F. Kumuyi, Benson Idahosa, Moses Orimolade Tunolase, and so on. EXAMPLE THE LIFE OF PAUL (Acts 9- Acts 28) i. His Birth Born to Hebrew parents. He hailed from Tarsus. ii. His Background He was trained under Gamaliel. He was Judaist who persecuted the true church with zeal without knowledge. iii. His Conversion While on a mission to persecute the saints in Damascus, Jesus knocked him down and he got saved. iv. His Calling He was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles. He received this calling before birth and it came to his knowledge at conversion, but was never commissioned to begin until years later after adequate preparation. v. His Spiritual Training He was trained in the Desert of Arabia, where he endured solitude and obscurity. vi. His Separation (into ministry) He was separated into the apostolic office after years of preparation. Then apostolic sings, wonders and miracles began to follow him. vii. His missionary Trips He had 3 missionary trips viii. His message This message was Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2). ix. His life's trials and death He suffered so much. That was why God could use him so much. He was beheaded because of Jesus. x. His Legacy inspiring example for us to follow and inspired epistles. 3. TOPICAL SERMON This centres on a particular topic. And one needs to search out the relevant Bible verses that explain the given topic. GUIDELINES 1. Choose a topic 2. Use a good concordance to search for where it occurs in the Scriptures. (Use Strong's or Cruden's Concordance). 3. Study that topic in different parts of the scriptures, using different good versions of the Bible. 4. Study good print books or ebooks as well as internet articles via Google on your topic. 5. Ask yourself vital questions. For example, looking at "THE COMING OF CHRIST," one may ask: (i) Why (must He come)? (ii) When (will He come)? (iii) How (will He come)? (iv) Whom (will He come for)? (v) What (are the signs of His coming)? (vi) How (are you sure He will come again)? (vii) How (can I prepare for His coming)? Note: This is the outline or points of a tract I wrote some years ago. 6. Consider different segments of the topic. For instance, considering PRAYER, one can look at: (i) Meaning of Prayer (ii) Types of Prayer (iii) Hindrances to Answered Prayer (iv) Hindrances to a Fervent Prayer Life (v) The Place of Fasting in Prayer. EXAMPLE OVERCOMING HINDRANCES TO SPIRITUAL MATURITY Hindrance 1: Wrong Diet This involves eating: (i) impure poison or contaminated diet (I Pet. 2:2) (ii) improper diet that is, giving baby food to an adult or adult food to a baby (Heb 5: 12-14, I Cor. 3: 1-2) (iii) Unbalanced diet that is, neglecting some truth, not giving out the whole counsel of God (Heb. 6: 1-2, Mt. 23: 23, Acts 20: 27). How To Overcome: Take the right diet Hindrance 2: Lack of Thirst or Hunger For Spiritual food (I Pt. 2: 2, Mat. 5:6, Is. 44:3 ( + Eph. 5: 25-26) How to overcome: Desire Spiritual Milk or Food Hindrance 3: Sin (Heb. 12:1, 1 Pet. 2:1) It could be internal or external (Pro. 24: 9, KJV, 2 Cor 7:1). It could be sin of omission (James 4:17) or commission. How to Overcome: Lay it aside (Heb 12:1) Hindrance 4: Besetting Weight (Heb. 12:1, 1 Cor 6:12-13, NIV, Mk 10:17-31, KJV). A weight is any good thing which has become a hindrance because it has been abused. It could be food, game, work, spouse, child, car, money, TV, handset, internet, sex between married husband and wife, and so on. How to Overcome: Lay it aside (Heb 12:1). That means use it legitimately without allowing it to be an unnecessary weight or hindrance to your life. Hindrance 5: Lack of Baptism with the Holy Spirit Jesus said that there are things we cannot cope with or bear until we are baptized with the Spirit (Jn 16: 12-3). That was why Paul asked the believers in Ephesus if they had received the Holy Spirit since they have believed (Acts 19: 1-6, see also I Cor. 2: 10-12, NIV). How to Overcome: Get baptized with the Holy Spirit. (Note: For more on this given topic of spiritual maturity get my book "Basic Bible Course" or our School of Life manual). 4. TEXTUAL SERMON As the name implies, it is based on a specific text in the Bible. In other words, it focuses on one, two or few verses of scripture. GUIDELINES 1. Select a verse or verses you can handle well. (Even if you can't handle it well, you may need to do more study and research on it.) 2. Look up the some verse(s) in different versions of the Bible. You may visit Biblegateway.com to access different versions online. 3. To get the best of out of the chosen verse(s), use Hebrew or Greek word dictionaries to obtain the literal meaning of each of the key words involved. I recommend Dr. Vine's Expository Dictionary of the New Testament. 4. Use a good English Dictionary to ease your understanding of the key words. You may use Webster's Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, and so on. 5. Prepare your outline based on that single verse or those few verses. EXAMPLE THE ATTRIBUTES OF AGAPE-LOVE (I Cor. 13: 4-8 AMP) i. Love endures long ii. Love is patient iii. Love is kind iv. Love is never envious v. Love does not boil over with jealousy vi. Love is not boastful or vainglorious vii. Love does not display itself haughtily viii. It is not conceited ix. It is not rude x. It does not act unbecomingly xi. It does not insist on its own rights or its own way xii. It is not touchy xiii. It is not fretful xiv. It is not resentful xv. It takes no account of the evil done to it xvi. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness xvii. It rejoices when right and truth prevail xviii. It bears up under anything and everything that comes xix. It is ever ready to believe the best of every person xx. Its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances xxi. It endures everything without weakening xxii. It never fails 5. EXPOSITORY SERMON This exposes, expounds or expatiates on a broader portion of Scripture. It may set out to explain in detail a whole paragraph, chapter, book or series of books in the Bible. GUIDELINES 1. Choose the portion of the Bible to do exposition on. 2. Make sure you have through KNOWLEDGE of that passage. 3. Also ensure that you have good UNDERSTANDING of it (that is, correct interpretation of knowledge). 4. Get an appropriate title that summarizes the entire passage. 5. Break the passage down into 2, 3 or more parts or divisions. 6. Give each part or division a sub-heading. 7. Develop each sub-heading with the relevant portions of Scripture under it in the chosen passage. 8. Buttress your points with other Bibles verses or portions outside the chosen one 9. Learn from the books and CDs of good Bible expositors. Go through W. F. Kumuyi's book on the expository study of the Book of Hebrews, F. B. Meyer's book titled "Expository Preacher." 10. Since practice makes perfect, practise preparing and delivering some expository sermons. Begin with a very simple passage as led by the Spirit. EXAMPLES OF AN EXPOSITORY SERMON THE GREAT TEST (Gen. 22: 1-19) 1. The Rightness of the Test - Gen 22: 1 Just as it is morally right, correct and acceptable for students to take tests in schools, so it is for everyone under God's tutelage to take tests. 2. The Reason for the Test - Gen. 22: 2-13 God was actually testing the following elements in Abraham's life: i. Substance of faith (Gen. 22: 5-8, Heb. 11: 17-19) ii. Service of patience (vs 4) iii. Sensitivity to the Spirit (vs 2, 11-13) iv. Sacrifice of obedience (vs 2-3, 18b) v. Submission of will (vs 2, 12, 16) vi. Spiritually of life (vs 12) vii. Sincerity of love (vs 2, 12, 16) viii. Separation from distractions (vs 3 , Heb. 12: 2 AMP) 3. The Result of the Test - Gen. 22: 11-19 i. Divine provision for the present Gen. 22: 11-13 ii. Divine blessing for the future (vs 17a) iii. Divine multiplication for the Heritage (vs 17b) iv. Divine victory for the Heritage (vs 17c) v. Divine influence through the Heritage (vs 18) 6. PARABOLIC SERMON This is based on a parable which is an encoded message that cannot be understood by all except only the people to whom it is given to understand the secrets or mysteries of the kingdom of heaven or such like. See Matthew 13:1-23, 24-30, 31-35, 36-43, 44-46, 47-52 contains six different parables by Jesus. 7. SEMANTIC SERMON This deals with revealing the meaning of Bible types and shadows, numbers, colours, objects and animals, places or people. It teaches us to interpret our daily dreams, visions or prophecies in a Biblical way. [Read our book "How to Interpret Dreams and Visions."] HOW TO DELIVER SERMONS A poor sermon delivery will surely and unavoidably divert the attention of the listeners from what is being said to who is saying it, how he is saying it, and so on. MODES OF DELIVERY There are 4 modes of delivery, namely: 1. Manuscript Delivery 2. Memorized Delivery 3. Impromptu Delivery 4. Extemporaneous Delivery Manuscript Delivery This type of delivery is read aloud mostly word for word from a manuscript hand written or typed. It is also called read sermon. Sometimes, part of the congregation or all of them is given a copy each so that they can follow the speaker every inch of the way as the sermon is being delivered. Memorized Delivery This involves the memorization of one's manuscript so that one can recite it almost word for word before the congregation. It is also known as recited sermon. The hand written or typed manuscript is kept away from the congregation. Impromptu Delivery This involves no advance preparation or planning. That means there are no deliberate preparations or planning on the subject or topic at any time in the past. Extemporaneous Delivery This involves writing down a brief note. The only preparation needed here must have been thoroughly and carefully made sometime in the past without the intention of delivering it right then or moments before its delivery. This is the mode of delivery I use most of the time, if not every time. CHAPTER TWO TEN THINGS TO WATCH IN TEACHING Paul clearly warned Timo: "But WATCH thou in all things" (2 Tim 4:5). The idea in this chapter was received through A. P. Gibbs' book: "The Preacher and His Preaching." 1. WATCH YOUR STYLE Style is simply the particular way a particular person does a particular thing. This is the way you do something that makes you different from every other person. Two people may have SIMILAR STYLES, but they can't have exactly the SAME STYLE. Find out your own style. It is a quality that makes you unique or peculiar. Two people cannot have the same fingerprint; the same thing goes for style. God made you original, do not die a photocopy. Discover and improve on your own style and of course, learn from others. A man once said, "I was trying to be like somebody else, until I discovered that the person I was trying to be like was actually trying to be like me!" Someone noted that your style will express your personality because the very words you use to convey your meaning say much about you to your listener. Though you could improve on yourself or master your style better by following the good examples of those with similar styles or certain characteristics. You see, the Scripture says, "As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another." (Pro 27:17, NIV). But don't become a copycat or caricature of another person. Be yourself. Be real. Be original as a wise man said, "God made you an original; don't die a photocopy." Remember that initially, Yonggi Cho copied Billy Graham memorizing a few of Graham's sermons and tried to preach like him. He might begin his sermon well but midway into it he will be burnt out and worn out. Realizing he couldn't be another Billy Graham, he forced himself to adopt Oral Roberts' style which did not work for him. In desperation, he prayed out to God for help. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to his heart: "My son, I need only one Billy Graham and one Oral Roberts in this world. I want you to be the one and only PAUL (now David) YONGGI CHO." Always remember this old saying: "One man's method is another man's confusion." 2. WATCH YOUR MANNERS It has been said that manner makes a man. The following are seven things to take note of as far as manners are concerned: i. Be condescending in disposition Don't address your listeners as if you were their creator. Don't act proudly, rudely and boastfully. Respect begets respect. If you show respect to them, they will show the same to you. ii. Be neat and decent in appearance The way you dress is the way you are addressed as someone put it. It will command either respect or disrespect. Your appearance puts a good or bad label on you! Your hair, clothes, shoes, bag, belt, and so on should be neat and presentable. Dr Norman Bartlett said: "A well-dressed message is as much to be desired as a well-dressed speaker. Careless diction is as inexcusable as dirty linen." Seven Things about Your Mode of Dress a. The way you dress is the way you are addressed. Under normal circumstances, people will respond to you the way you present yourself. b. The way you dress puts a label on you. You don't need an introducer to show you policemen, nurses or prostitutes or lawyers at their jobs. Their uniforms put a label on them except when they are in mufti. c. The way you dress reveals the state of your mind. The way you dress tells a lot about your personality. If you are in your right mind, you will dress decently or modestly. The devil's plan is to make all humanity stark naked, but unfortunately, he had made some totally naked, some others half-naked, some others 75 percent naked, some others still 5 or 10 percent naked, and so on (Please read Luke 8:27, 33, 35). d. The way you dress speaks louder than your words. Don't speak against sexual harassment if you dress in sexy clothes. e. The way you dress can affect others. Your mode of dress can influence others positively or negatively. f. The way you dress can affect you spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. If you dress normally, you will feel normal; but if you dress abnormally, then you will likely feel abnormal, talk abnormally, walk abnormally, and of course act abnormally. g. The way you dress can shift the focus of attention from the message to the messenger. Imagine a lady ministering to both male and female with her breasts or cleavage exposed or her underwears greeting the eyes of the listeners or clothes too tight on her body. My question is, "Is she presenting a message or her body to the listeners?" Such carelessness will shift the listeners' attention from the message to the messenger. iii. Be yourself and not a copycat or caricature Don't pretend to be who you are not. Be real. Remember the fellow who said, "I was trying to be like somebody else, until I discovered that the person I was trying to be like was actually trying to be like me!" iv. Be good-humoured Don't wear a long face. Don't look sad as if you had just lost a close relation. Put on a beautiful smile, though, your countenance can change depending on the type of message your delivering. More than that speak to the people from a friendly and friendly heart. Smile moderately as the need arises. Laugh decently as the occasion demands. Put a smile on your listeners' faces. But if necessary wear a frown face and make your listeners look sober and perhaps tearful. The Scripture says that there is "a time to weep and a time to laugh" (Eccl 3:4, NIV). v. Do not divert the attention of the listeners from the message to somebody or something else A public speaker will either carry the listeners along or get them distracted by what he does, what he looks at, how he walks, and so on. vi. Be careful of throwing your audience a wrong look Don't look at your listeners scornfully, suspiciously, condemningly or with the impression that you have an ulterior motive. vii. Be careful of strange gestures or mannerisms Imagine a male preacher holding his manhood every five minutes or a female preacher repacking her breasts every ten minutes! It is stupid for a preacher to be chewing his pen or biting his fingers or receiving a useless phone call or slapping one of the listeners as a way of illustration while preaching! 3. WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE A rude person will use a rude language while a kind person will use a kind language, and so on. i. Use Simple Words Jesus kept His message very simple. The same Jesus told Kenneth E. Hagin to keep his message simple. Even Paul talked about the simplicity that is in Christ (see 2 Cor 1:12, 2 Cor 11:3). A good preacher should use words that the listeners can understand with little or no racking of the brain. Why must your listeners carry dictionaries to the service before they can understand what you are saying? ii. Use Correct Grammar As a preacher, you should try your level best to construct correct sentences. It is ridiculous for a preacher representing the King of kings and Lord of lords to sentences full of grammatical flaws. As much as possible polish your grammar. Get a private tutor to help you out or get some good books on it from your local bookstore or on the internet. I wrote and self-published an ebook titled: "Speak and Write Good English" Volume 1 with volume 2 to follow soon! It may be of assistance to you, too. EXAMPLES OF RIGHT AND WRONG GRAMMATICAL EXPRESSIONS 1. WRONG: God loves you and I. RIGHT: God loves you and me. 2. WRONG: She backslided last week. RIGHT: She backslid last week. 3. WRONG: The pastor spoke fastly. RIGHT: The pastor spoke fast. 4. WRONG: He borrowed me a book. RIGHT: He lent me a book./ I borrowed a book from him. Note: "BORROW" is to "TAKE FROM" while "LEND" is to "GIVE TO". 5. WRONG: I am a choir in this church. RIGHT: I am a choir member/ chorister/ singer in this church. iii. Use Right Diction By diction, I mean the choice of words. Every preacher should endeavour to use the right words to express his thoughts. That requires being versatile through reading far and wide. Take time to read decent news papers and good novels as well as enjoy educative programmes on TV, radio or internet. Get a very good Dictionary and learn from it regularly. Consult your dictionary whenever your come across a difficult or new word or expression anywhere. EXAMPLES OF RIGHT AND WRONG DICTION 1. WRONG: The odour of the food was wonderful. RIGHT: The aroma of the food was wonderful. 2. WRONG: The barbing saloon is now open. RIGHT: The barbershop/barber's is now open. 3. WRONG: Mr John is in his poultry. RIGHT: Mr John is in his poultry farm. iv. Use Words You Understand It is foolish for one to cram big words from the dictionary whose meanings and usage one does not understand before a meeting in order to use them to excite, confuse, impress or frustrate the listeners. That is not the Spirit of God. v. Use Words You Can Pronounce Well Make sure you can pronounce well the words you use in your message, especially the key words. I recommend that you buy and install the Oxford Talking Dictionary or the latest version of Encarta on your laptop or computer to help you master the pronunciation of words, the difficult ones in particular. vi. Use Not-too-long Sentences Your listeners may be lost partially or totally in the midst of too-long sentences. vii. Use Easy-to-understand Figurative or Idiomatic Expressions Don't use figurative or idiomatic expressions that are too uncommon but rather employ simple self-explanatory ones. viii. Use Words Fluently Your words should come with fluency. You see, fluency involves speaking with ease and accuracy. ix. Use Words Eloquently Your words also should be filled with eloquence. Eloquence is different from fluency. Actually, eloquence involves speaking in a way that you persuade people to do what you are saying or you get them convinced of what you believe. So you must use strong words that are persuasive or convincing, and not weak ones that will fail to register your points in their hearts. Please understand that both eloquent and fluent words are got from God's Spirit through sweet communion and through personal study and research on words. Saint Augustine rightly said, "Eloquence will come readily through reading and hearing the eloquent, then through pursuing the rules of eloquence." 4. WATCH YOUR ARTICULATION Articulation has to do with producing each sound in a word clearly and expressing an idea, thought or feeling distinctly in words. While articulation involves clarity and distinctness of speech sounds pronunciation deals with correctness of speech sounds. It is bad practice for a preacher not to open his mouth wide enough so that he can articulate or say each word clear enough for listeners to get what he or she is saying. To SPEAK OUT is to say the words clearly whereas to SPEAK UP is to say them loudly. 5. WATCH YOUR PRONUNCIATION I remember in the Bible days when the Gileadites captured an Ephraimite whom they asked to pronounce "Shibboleth." Having publicly denied his origin, he wrongly pronounced it as: "Sibboleth." In the twinkling of an eye, he was killed because of ordinary wrong pronunciation of a word (see Judges 12:6). You see, pronunciation has to do with saying the sounds in a word correctly according to the accepted standard. Rev Gibbs gave an instance when a young fellow exhorted some people with 2 Timothy 3:16 as follows: "all scripture is given for our ABOMINATION (instead of 'ADMONITION') and INSURRECTION (instead of 'INSTRUCTION') in righteousness." You may need to take a course in phonetics under the tutelage of a seasoned tutor or phonetician. English Pronouncing Dictionary by Daniel Jones (for those already with the basic knowledge of phonetics) and video, audio or audiovisual practical training exercises on net, in CDs, on tape, and so on will help. I will recommend once again that you buy and install the Oxford Talking Dictionary or the latest version of Encarta on your laptop or computer to help you master the pronunciation of words, especially the tough ones. 6. WATCH YOUR TOPIC Make sure you focus on the topic of your message. Some preachers are either too busy or too lazy to do justice to the topic they are expected to speak on. When you have a topic to speak on, you should try and get enough revelation from God directly as you study your Bible prayerfully; and indirectly as you study good books written by proven anointed ministers of God. Also ensure that you stick to your topic. For example, don't speak on marriage when you are expected to speak on finances expect the Lord specifically leads you in that direction. 7. WATCH YOUR VOICE The Bible reveals: "He that blesseth his friend with A LOUD VOICE, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him" (Pro 27:14). To train your voice effectively, you have to: I. KNOW THE UNIQUENESS OF YOUR OWN VOICE. God wonderfully and fearfully made every individual, even with a unique voice. Appreciate your voice as a gift from God. There are three basic types of voice, namely: (a) speaking voice (b) reading voice (c) singing voice You see, there are general ways of training all these types of voice. Also there are specific different ways to train each of these voice types. For example, a preacher may be able to preach well with his speaking voice, but when you ask him to read the Bible publicly, then he may be struggling to do it well because his reading voice is not well-trained yet. II. ALTER THE REGISTER OF YOUR VOICE TO SUIT THE EMOTIONS EXPRESSED. Begin your message on a middle register and keep altering it as you go on with it. The volume or register of your voice goes up when you are excited about something whereas it goes down when you are sad. III. USE THE RIGHT PITCH OF YOUR VOICE AS THE NEED ARISE. It is important to vary one's intonation, tone or voice pitch as the need arises. Please learn when to use a rising intonation and when to use a falling intonation, and so on. IV. DON'T EXCEED THE LIMIT OF YOUR VOICE. Don't overstrain your voice through over-shouting, and so on during your message. You can shout, but don't overshout! V. STAY WITHIN THE COMPASS OF YOUR VOICE. Locate your voice compass and stay within it. Yours could be alto, tremble, contralto, vibrato, soprano, and so on. Bishop T.D. Jakes said that his music teacher told him that he would not be able to sing because he had too much vibrato in his voice. But the same bishop today is a different person for he has stayed within and mastered his voice compass at least to some extent. I believe you can learn from someone with whom you have the same voice compass because the scripture says, "AS IRON SHARPENS IRON, SO ONE MAN SHARPENS ANOTHER" (PRO 27:17, NIV). You, however, need to be very careful lest you should begin comparing and measuring your voice compass by another person's compass. VI. ADD MELODY OR SWEETNESS TO YOUR VOICE TO SHOW DIFFERENT STATES OF MIND OR EMOTION INVOLVED. Beneath every voice lies sweetness. Some have tapped into it while others have not. Explore the sweetness of your own voice. VII. ENSURE THE EVALUATION OF YOUR VOICE SO THAT YOU CAN SUBMIT IT TO PROPER CULTIVATION UNTIL THE DESIRED TASTE IS REACHED. VIII. TAKE A LOT OF WARM WATER (NOT COLD WATER, SOFT DRINKS, MILK, TEA OR BEVERAGE) BEFORE OR DURING YOUR MESSAGE DELIVERY. IX. TAKE PURE NATURAL HONEY TO SMOOTH YOUR VOICE. X. REST ADEQUATELY BEFORE A MESSAGE DELIVERY SO THAT YOUR VOCAL CORDS CAN BE IN A WELL-RELAXED STATE. XI. CONTROL THE SPEED OR TEMPO OF YOUR VOICE 8. WATCH YOUR LISTENERS You need to look at your listeners face to face and eyeball to eyeball from time to time. Don't focus your attention on only one person or one side of the auditorium. Let your eyes be directed towards the middle of the auditorium mostly. Then move your gaze from time to time from one side of the auditorium to another. Also don't fix your gaze long enough on the unfriendly or sexually seductive faces. Neither close your eyes nor look upwards into heaven nor downwards at the floor throughout your sermon because of shyness, fear, poor preparation or nervousness. God told Jeremiah: "Be not afraid of their FACES: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD" (Jer 1:8). I was in a meeting one day, and surprisingly enough, one of the people who spoke to us closed his eyes while talking to us! See, a preacher should speak to and speak with his listeners, but never speak at them. That eye contact with the listeners is important for the following reasons: i. It commands the listeners' respect. ii. It helps the speaker see the response of the audience. iii. It helps him see the comfortability of his audience. iv. It invariably helps him respond better to his listeners. v. It establishes good rapport between him and the listeners. 9. WATCH YOUR TIME Solomon revealed, "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A TIME TO BE QUIET AND A TIME TO SPEAK" (Eccl 3:1,7b, NLT). I remember the story of Dr Lester Sumrall. He preached in a particular place with Smith Wigglesworth in attendance. So after the meeting, Smith Wigglesworth told him, "Son, your sermon actually ended 15 minutes before you ended it." Don't preach to kill time, but to quicken souls. I want to encourage you to start and conclude your message on time. Also stick to the length of time allotted to the message, but if need be to exceed that assigned time, then don't drag it too long until the listeners are bored and disgusted. A man who has travelled to different nations of the world warned us in a particular meeting not to go beyond the time we are given to deliver a message abroad because some churches will never invite one back if one spends more than the time allotted him for the sermon delivery. 10. WATCH YOUR IMPACT The Lord Jesus cares so much about our impact or fruit. That was why he said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. HE CUTS OFF EVERY BRANCH IN ME THAT BEARS NO FRUIT, WHILE EVERY BRANCH THAT DOES BEAR FRUIT HE PRUNES SO THAT IT WILL BE EVEN MORE FRUITFUL" (John 15:1-2, NIV). That was the same reason why he was interested in the impact or result of the evangelistic efforts of the 12 and 70 disciples respectively (Luke 9:1-6, 10; Luke 10:1-16, 17-24). Paul wrote the Corinthians: "Are you [yourselves] not [THE PRODUCT AND PROOF OF] MY WORKMANSHIP IN THE LORD?...for you are THE SEAL (THE CERTIFICATE, THE LIVING EVIDENCE) OF MY APOSTLESHIP IN THE LORD [CONFIRMING AND AUTHENTICATING IT] You show that you are a letter from Christ, THE RESULT OF OUR MINISTRY, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but tablets of human hearts" (1 Cor 9:1-2, AMP, 2 Cor 3:3, NIV). You should watch the impact or result of your messages. If it bears little or no fruit or the fruit does not last, then find out why. It is unwise to keep on preaching year in year out, without asking why, when the lives of the listeners are getting worse and worse. At times, a preacher needs to seek the face of God in the Word with prayer and fasting to find out the missing link in his messages. I also believe that the problem sometimes may be the preacher while at other times could be the preaching or even the listeners! In the parable of the sower, the problem was neither the message nor the messenger but rather the listeners (Luke 8:11-14)! More importantly, the result of some messages may never be known or felt immediately. It may take days, weeks or months. Jesus said, "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and BRING FORTH FRUIT WITH PATIENCE" (Luke 8:15). SINNER'S CONFESSION If you are not yet born-again, say this: I choose to repent today. Also I choose to believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose up for my justification. The Scripture says, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom 10:9). Therefore, I believe in Jesus in my heart and confess Him as my Lord. Now I am born-again (Amen). SAY THIS ALOUD TO RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT Also Jesus said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). And on the day of Pentecost "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). Therefore, I receive the Holy Spirit by faith right now and I begin to speak in an unknown tongue (unlearned tongue) as He gives me the utterance. I command every foul spirit [spirit of fear, spirit of unbelief, spirit of doubt, religious spirit, unforgiving spirit] wanting to hinder me to stop in its evil operation in my life in Jesus' name. Thank you God for filling me with your Spirit in Jesus' name (Amen). Books By The Same Author How to Interpret Dreams and Visions Why Marriages Break How To Find The Right Life Partner Secrets of Financial and Material Prosperity How to Receive Your Divine Healing Unfolding the Fivefold Ministry The Ministry of an Apostle The Ministry of a Prophet The Ministry of an Evangelist The Ministry of a Pastor The Ministry of a Teacher Passion for the Lost Understanding the Call of God Basic Bible Course How to Receive the Holy Spirit Fulfilling Your Divine Destiny Day of Reckoning:God's Formula for Eternal Rewards Identifying Counterfeit Ministries Sanctification:Changing from Inside Out O Suffering, Why Really Me? Intimacy with God The Pastor's Wife Why Some Churches Won't Grow! Just Before You Start A Church How to Prepare and Deliver Sermons Finding Your Own Ministry False Doctrines Exposed! SPECIAL! SPECIAL! SPECIAL! A MUST READING/VIEW (Google the following free of charge on the Internet and God will change your life forever.) 1. "Holiness Required For Heaven by Carillo from Bolivia" 2. "Eternal Destinations: Godly Attire and Adornment" 3. "Another Warning by Kingsley Ubani" 4. "Time Is Over : Run For Your Life by Kingsley Ubani" 5. "9 Testimonies on Tithing from Heaven and Hell Visions" 6. "The Dangers of Eating God's Tithes and Offerings" 7. "The Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega" (Crosscheck these testimonies with the Scriptures and if you have questions you may send us an email.) About the Author Segun Olumide and his wife, Tosin are founding ministers in the New Apostolic Movement and the Glorious Family Church International both in Lagos, Nigeria. He has a divine mandate to align the Church with God's purpose. In a vision, the Lord showed him a Bible opened to the Acts of the Apostles with the words "APOSTOLIC CALL" on one of the pages. They reach out through School Of Ministry, School Of Life (Pre-Bible School) and Healing School. His apostolic teachings have blessed the Body of Christ across the nation. Connect with me online If God has blessed you through this book, please send me an e-mail to share your testimony, inspiration or reading experience, mail to: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/olumide.olusegun.5 All rights reserved. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |