“Pastor, I’m a preacher, but I can’t really tell if my messages are impacting my congregation like yours is. What do I do?”
Oh wow! The fact that you asked this question clearly means that you have a passion for your people – to see that they experience transformation in their lives. Let me share a few tips that I believe will add that inspirational spark to your messages.
– MEDITATION
We’re told in scriptures that the word of God is spirit and life; which means each of those texts you see in the bible has capacity to both influence your spirit man and ultimately your life. Also, the letter kills, which means it can kill readers with boredom. It is the Spirit that makes the text alive.
So, if all you’re preaching is the text, you won’t be able to communicate the spirit that the scripture carries, and that also means that your messages won’t compel any change in the life of your listeners.
The cure to this is meditation. When we meditate on scriptures, our understanding becomes enlightened; and once that happens, our spirit man is fired up to share what we understand. Moses understood the power of meditation when he instructed Joshua to do it day and night. Let’s see how scriptures put it:
Joshua 1:
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Did you see that? It’s only when you meditate on the word that you can observe how to do what is written. Just because you read what is written doesn’t mean you’d be able to do what is written. That’s why we have many preachers who preach good sermons yet don’t have a proof of what they preach.
If you want to have a successful sermon, then you must meditate till the text has been spiritualized in your heart. One of the ways to know that you’ve not received understanding from a scripture is the burden or fear to preach it, if you’ve received understanding, you’d be eager to share it.
– AUTHORITY
As a preacher, if your message is not backed up by an authority, it would be obvious. You may preach or write a fine message, but it would be incapable of instigating a change. While meditation can give you an automatic authority to preach a sermon, you’d sometimes need God’s approval to preach certain messages. Just because you got the revelation doesn’t mean it will be received by your audience, especially if the Holy Spirit does not convict them.
This is why you must focus on the message that God approves for you. He’d only authorize what He has given you. Any day I write what God didn’t authorize, you’d know, because the message would only appear as head knowledge, not an inspiration. The mysterious thing is, if someone else who has the approval preaches the same message, you’d feel inspired.
There are many messages that I had to archive after writing. Powerful write-ups, but God didn’t authorize me to share them. It’s been many years now, He still hasn’t authorized me.
Let me conclude with this, as a preacher, try not to do anything in the energy of the flesh. Impact in ministry begins and ends with spirituality. If you leave spirituality, you’d become frustrated with time.
I hope this has brought enlightenment to someone.
Remain ever blessed, in Jesus precious name!
#EmekaAnslem
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