SOME THOUGHTS ON PREACHING
Authority
All messages delivered come under the authority of the senior pastor of Oasis Church.
Prayer
A prayer-less sermon is a powerless sermon / Prayer brings the power of God / Pray yourself on fire.
Description
Preaching is not a talk, it’s different / The message is going to last forever because Gods word lasts forever / The Word is alive / Because it transforms lives the enemy wants to stop the message being delivered.
Content
It’s not just information / Have solid biblical content - the word changes the heart / Ground your message in truth not opinion.
Focus
Preaching is all about Jesus / The main thing is Jesus / Point people to Jesus / All scripture leads to Jesus / Preaching touches hearts / Preach for a verdict.
Delivery
Above all, be relational / Be yourself / Be authentic / Project confident humility / Be encouraging / Be positive, the world is negative enough / Preaching should be emotional / Use humour but remember that it’s a tool not the goal / Use memorable phrases / Vary your speaking pace / Have eye contact / Stick to the time limit / Be you, not someone else / Preach with passion.
Alter Call
Be prepared to do an alter call and transition your message towards this end / Prepare to land the plane at the end.
Cameras / Other Rooms
Be aware of the camera at the back of the room so that you can communicate with other rooms and people online / Be aware that your message may go to an audience outside of the “church family.”
Structure
Build around a single point / Have a killer bottom line / Say one thing many ways / Work at the introduction, transitions and conclusion / Keep it simple.
Preparation
Spend more time with Holy Spirit than in your notes / Preach through your message a few times before you preach it / Understand what you are trying to say / Be prepared / Your message has to be felt in your bones before it comes out your mouth.
Gospel
Include the gospel in your message / The only way to God is through Jesus - that’s the line in the sand.
Preach to the Heart
Preaching required God to turn up and fill our weakness / Holy Spirit works on the heart.
Preach for Transformation
Preach to cut to the heart / God has to touch your heart first / Challenge them to be activated / Move them to do something / It’s the only message that transforms the human heart / Preach for a decision / Preach the Good News / Bring revelation to normal parts of the bible.
Motivation
Don’t look for accolades / Accolades are an Earthly reward / It is not about you….people will see through a self-focused message / Don’t position yourself above others.
Make Space for Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is the first preacher and you are the second / He speaks to people before you do / He illuminates what you say.
Get Feedback
Ask for feedback on your message from your up-line / Get a recorded copy of your message for self-reflection, growth and development. This will help you to identify habits and other distractions that you can fix.
Other Thoughts
Preaching is a sacred call / Remember, you are anointed to preach / We are told to go into the world and “preach” / Preaching is Gods idea - it’s biblical / Your message won’t please everybody / Be a God pleaser before being a people pleaser / Stories in your message are good but stories don’t save people, the gospel does / Question: When you finish, will people be thinking you are a great preacher or thinking about how awesome Jesus is?
What Do You Want Them to Know / What Do You Want Them To Do?
This clip will be useful to your preparation.