It’s Easter weekend! This weekend you will probably be preaching some of your most significant sermons of the year. Easter weekend is a tremendous opportunity to preach about the power of the resurrection to guests and those already part of the church. Paul believed that the resurrection is the foundation of our faith (1 Corinthians 15) and he wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:4 that he preached, not with eloquent words, but with POWER! We have the opportunity to preach the resurrection with POWER this weekend! With the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of clear communication. The Holy Spirit can anoint our words when we’re speaking and our minds when we’re preparing.
If you’re reading this blog there’s a good chance that preaching and teaching is a big part of your life. I know that it is definitely a big part of my life. In fact, preaching is something that I feel called to. When I’m preaching or teaching I feel as though I come alive…as if I was created to do this! Like you, I think that communicating God’s truth is part of my calling…BUT that doesn’t mean that I always do it well. In fact sometimes I get stuck on “eloquent words” and I don’t preach with the power of the Holy Spirit…or even the simple power of clear communication.
Preaching and teaching God’s Word is a HUGE privilege and responsibility to me and I want to be sure that I am communicating God’s truth in a way that leads to transformation and spiritual growth! Over the years I have sought to listen to other speakers to try to learn how to communicate more effectively out of a desire to grow in that calling. You are probably just as passionate, if not more passionate, about sharing God’s Word in powerful and practical ways that lead to transformation and spiritual growth. I would like to share with you some of the resources that have helped me keep growing as a speaker. I know I definitely haven’t arrived, as I don’t think any of us have, but here are some resources to help us along the way.
One of the best things I’ve read so far is a book by Andy Stanley called Communicating for a Change. In it Andy proposes a plan for communicating that makes so much sense it’s ridiculous. I had done preaching classes and had sat under amazing teachers and preachers, but this book gave me a simple way thinking through the process of communicating from introduction, to development, to application, to conclusion. Or another even simpler way of thinking about it: beginning, middle, end (rocket science, I know). I won’t summarize the book here, but I would DEFINITELY suggest this book to anyone doing public speaking, even if you’ve been speaking for a long time already.
One of the first resources that helped me when I began ministry was Ken Davis’ Dynamic Communicators Workshop. It helped me realize that there’s more than one way to preach a powerful sermon! He did a great job talking about things that we do as speakers during the actual sermon that can help or hurt it. Don’t get me wrong. I believe that the word comes from God, but I also recognize that there are things we can do when we deliver that word that can either help it stick or make it flop. Carey Neiuwhof recently wrote about 7 Ways Communicators Kill Their Messages:
- Inadequate preparation
- Poorly constructed introductions
- Stories that go nowhere or everywhere
- Too many points
- No clear call to action
- Crash landings
- Resistance to feedback
Boy, as I read through that list I recognize that I’ve done some of those things! I’m sure you have too. If we’re honest we recognize that there are times we get a clear word from God but when we go to deliver that word it doesn’t come out as clearly as we had received it…or with the power of the Holy Spirit we thought it would have. Many times I’ve found that it’s because one of those seven points Carey made. Which basically have to do with the fact that we tend to spend a lot of time thinking about WHAT to say and not enough time thinking about HOW to say it. Things as simple as knowing how to use normal, quiet, and loud volume and how to use images, videos, sticky statements (check out Brian Dodd’s infographic for more on this), or stories to more clearly and powerfully communicate the message. I know that many times I tend to be so busy thinking through WHAT to say that I forget to stop and think through HOW to say it! But I know there are other reasons too, like relying on our own strength or preparation instead of spending time actually hearing from God. I want to encourage you to take the time to think and pray about WHAT you’re going to preach this weekend and HOW you’re going to preach it. I believe that God will meet you with HIS power that goes far beyond any of our ideas and preparations.
As we head into this powerful weekend I pray that we would all be able to preach God’s Word with clearly and with POWER!
How about you, what resources or experiences have helped you grow in your ability to preach God’s truth with clarity and power???
