Learn the craft of formulating a sermon and Bible class lesson
How to create content
Steps for gathering content:
1. First ask how do I want to present the content? Do I want to present the material in Expository format, Textual format, Topical format or Narrative format?
(Note: I will be using the word, "sermon" often but this advice can also be used for creating Bible class lessons).
For those who do not know what these terms mean...
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Textual Sermon:
A textual sermon is a sermon based/focused on a chapter or part of a chapter. The sermon is centered around the theme of what that chapter is saying. The sermon can use other verses/passages from other parts of the Bible to tie in that chapters theme. This type of sermon tends to have a text or certain parts of the chapter read and at chosen points in the reading, the preacher/teacher can pause and insert his words at certain parts of the reading to explain what is being read. When explaining a text or part of a passage, the preacher may tie in other Bible passages from other areas' of the Bible, to those verses, he just read.
A textual sermon, is focused on using a Bible text or parts of a Bible passage as a theme and having other scripture passages in NT or OT reference that theme from the original text. An example of a textual sermon can be found in Matthew 5:8. This text says, "blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." When a preacher stands up and reads such a text, he can highlight that theme. After reading the passage from the sermon on the mount, he can tie the theme of purity, with other Bible passages within the Word of God.
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Expository Sermon:
The purpose of expository sermons are to get a congregation acquainted with the Bible passages centering around a chapter and it's theme. An expository sermon dissects a passage and goes into in-depth analysis of the outlines verses within a chapter.
An expository sermon focuses on a specific text, from some passages or even a chapter and stays solely on this these texts. The preacher can choose to give the history behind these texts, the Greek/Hebrew terms behind the verses, the underlying context from the culture of that time, etc. Expository sermons are best done by using a chapter or half of a chapter in the sermon, since the sermon is completely centered on just the initial passages. You can also use, historical, cultural, archaeological, (creation) sciences, etc. in your expository sermons, to connect a certain passage being read from the Bible, with such content.
Example: in using a chapter like Genesis 1:1-31, you can read each verse, talk about each verse and go into detail on what these passages in the Bible are specifically underlying in the theme God is outlining in the passages about creation. You can highlight the root/meaning Hebrew words, from this chapter. You can share the creation science that details the intelligent design proofs in connection to this chapter in Genesis. You can share commentaries, Bible dictionary thoughts, the archaeology of the animal life during that time and culture, etc. You can detail modern false doctrines about "a day being a million years," etc. and highlight how the Bible disproves that from these passages in Genesis. Brainstorm on ways you can delve into a chapter and explore its contents.
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Topic Sermon:
A topical sermon is a sermon that talks about a theme or topic. Example: if a preacher wants to talks on a topic like love, he can use his concordance or type on the internet "Bible verses on love" to find Bible passages on this topic. He can arrange the sermon accordingly.
Certain sermon topics are easier to talk about then others, talking about moral themes are easier for example, then talking about people, places and things. Putting together a sermon about love, just requires finding Bible verses on the topic and tying the passages together.
Putting together a sermon about people, places or things will require more detailed research, reading whole passages and chapters to dig into the core of a Bible character, a Bible place or a Bible thing. This requires more time investment and study. To find chapters about a Bible character, a Bible place or a Bible thing, you can again use your concordance. If you're looking for a Bible thing, example: "Ark of the Covenant" you can use your physical concordance to find this topic and the verses related to that topic. You can also go online. Many sites have virtual concordances as well as Bible dictionaries and articles. When you type a Bible verse online, these Bible study platforms will show up in your searches, (examples Biblegateway, Biblehub, etc.) In researching a person, place or thing, you can also look (online) to historical references as well. Bible dictionaries can help outline facts on OT/NT people, places and things.
I personally like using the platform, Biblehub for researching the meaning of a word in Hebrew or Greek, and for finding parallel passages that relate to each other. Such platform resources will have different Bible translations, to pick from. When composing a sermon on my Word document, I like to read Bible passages online, and copy/paste the verses I want added to my sermon document. This is just my personal preference, but I wanted to put that out there.
What I tend to do when making a sermon: if I am researching, "Ark of the Covenant" I'll type that phrase and add "Bible verse" in my search when typing that phrase into the search engine. I'll find many Bible passages that will pop up in my searches when I do this. Most themes or Bible topics can be found online if you type in the theme/topic and include with the theme/topic the phrase "Bible verse" in your the search engine.
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Warning on using secular materials in sermons:
Note: all sermon formats can use external facts. I encourage focusing chiefly on the Bible. It can become a slippery slope when a preacher strays to far from the scriptures, into sciences, psychology, archaeology, poetry, politics, secular quotes, stats, etc. It can be tempting to use, since it will be popular with people who want to hear, "something new and novel."
If you want to dumb down and weaken your congregation, (which I've seen in the past,) you can use such external facts as a entertainment device and preaching crutch. I knew of a preacher who put 80 percent of his content into secular gimmicks. When he moved away for another congregation a false teacher was hired and the church was ripe for the picking. They were weak and dumbed down enough to let the wolf easily sway the congregation.
The best sermon speakers and experienced Bible teachers, don't need to use such tools, to capture interest. Refine your speaking art. Practice, practice, practice. You'll become exceptional, without sacrificing quality Bible content to be "interesting" and "entertaining."
Don't become dependent on "secular" crutches. Examples of watering down the gospel for secular inclusion in sermon formats, can be found in such things as, pop culture, poems, secular quotes, pop psychology, secular stories, secular philosophy, jokes, etc.
I am not saying to never use such content. You can use such material, if it is relevant to the theme presented. If someone drowned in the news and your talking about hell and how short life is, then that story can be brought up. If your preaching on love, you can use a secular poem or quote on love.
What I am saying is this, your there to preach a Bible sermon. Your not there to inform the Lord's body about pop music, Emily Dickinson's poetry, the latest football game, or to share some motivational secular short stories or scary movie quotes, etc. If a sermon is largely revolving around such materials, instead of the Word of God, it is no longer a sermon, it's something else.
At least 70-80 percent of the content should be focused on the scripture. If its the other way around, where 70-80 percent is secular in nature, your doing your congregation and the truth a disservice. Again its not wrong to use other resources then the Bible, but don't let the tale wag the dog. I encourage you to not be excessive in using such content. It might be appealing to the audience, but it is the Word, God wants preached.
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Narrative Sermons:
A narratives sermon serves a purpose in bringing out a underlying theme of Biblical truth, through a Bible story. If a preacher talks on the story of Ruth, he can look at the story, verse by verse and add in his sermon what he wants to address for the verses of a passage being read. He does not need to cover each and every verse/passage or chapter of Ruth, the goal is to underline the main story themes of Ruth. In the Bible verses that are being read from Ruth, a preacher can tie in other Bible scriptures from other areas' of the Bible that connect to a theme being read. Narratives are great for conveying knowledge of Bible stories. They also serve as a way to bring to light the underlying themes of those stories.
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A well balanced preacher will bring all these formats to light in his sermons and Bible lessons. A man who only speaks on topic's, will inform others on key concepts of doctrine and moral truths, but will leave the audience ignorant on such broad concepts as the theme of redemption, the storyline themes of the coming of Jesus, the story of the miracles of God about Elijah in the OT, the Lord's intolerance of sin towards the Canaanite nations, the story of Satan and the patience of Job, the courage of young David before Goliath, etc. that can be found in narratives.
If someone only speaks narratives, the congregation will be ignorant of non storyline (doctrinal) themes, like divorce and remarriage, forsaking the assembly, Bible authority, the work of the church, the qualifications of elders and deacons, etc.
In order to preach the whole counsel of God, we need to do as Jesus did. He gave parables (spiritual stories) but he also gave frank statements on core doctrinal concepts.
1. First ask how do I want to present the content? Do I want to present the material in Expository format, Textual format, Topical format or Narrative format?
(Note: I will be using the word, "sermon" often but this advice can also be used for creating Bible class lessons).
For those who do not know what these terms mean...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Textual Sermon:
A textual sermon is a sermon based/focused on a chapter or part of a chapter. The sermon is centered around the theme of what that chapter is saying. The sermon can use other verses/passages from other parts of the Bible to tie in that chapters theme. This type of sermon tends to have a text or certain parts of the chapter read and at chosen points in the reading, the preacher/teacher can pause and insert his words at certain parts of the reading to explain what is being read. When explaining a text or part of a passage, the preacher may tie in other Bible passages from other areas' of the Bible, to those verses, he just read.
A textual sermon, is focused on using a Bible text or parts of a Bible passage as a theme and having other scripture passages in NT or OT reference that theme from the original text. An example of a textual sermon can be found in Matthew 5:8. This text says, "blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." When a preacher stands up and reads such a text, he can highlight that theme. After reading the passage from the sermon on the mount, he can tie the theme of purity, with other Bible passages within the Word of God.
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Expository Sermon:
The purpose of expository sermons are to get a congregation acquainted with the Bible passages centering around a chapter and it's theme. An expository sermon dissects a passage and goes into in-depth analysis of the outlines verses within a chapter.
An expository sermon focuses on a specific text, from some passages or even a chapter and stays solely on this these texts. The preacher can choose to give the history behind these texts, the Greek/Hebrew terms behind the verses, the underlying context from the culture of that time, etc. Expository sermons are best done by using a chapter or half of a chapter in the sermon, since the sermon is completely centered on just the initial passages. You can also use, historical, cultural, archaeological, (creation) sciences, etc. in your expository sermons, to connect a certain passage being read from the Bible, with such content.
Example: in using a chapter like Genesis 1:1-31, you can read each verse, talk about each verse and go into detail on what these passages in the Bible are specifically underlying in the theme God is outlining in the passages about creation. You can highlight the root/meaning Hebrew words, from this chapter. You can share the creation science that details the intelligent design proofs in connection to this chapter in Genesis. You can share commentaries, Bible dictionary thoughts, the archaeology of the animal life during that time and culture, etc. You can detail modern false doctrines about "a day being a million years," etc. and highlight how the Bible disproves that from these passages in Genesis. Brainstorm on ways you can delve into a chapter and explore its contents.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Topic Sermon:
A topical sermon is a sermon that talks about a theme or topic. Example: if a preacher wants to talks on a topic like love, he can use his concordance or type on the internet "Bible verses on love" to find Bible passages on this topic. He can arrange the sermon accordingly.
Certain sermon topics are easier to talk about then others, talking about moral themes are easier for example, then talking about people, places and things. Putting together a sermon about love, just requires finding Bible verses on the topic and tying the passages together.
Putting together a sermon about people, places or things will require more detailed research, reading whole passages and chapters to dig into the core of a Bible character, a Bible place or a Bible thing. This requires more time investment and study. To find chapters about a Bible character, a Bible place or a Bible thing, you can again use your concordance. If you're looking for a Bible thing, example: "Ark of the Covenant" you can use your physical concordance to find this topic and the verses related to that topic. You can also go online. Many sites have virtual concordances as well as Bible dictionaries and articles. When you type a Bible verse online, these Bible study platforms will show up in your searches, (examples Biblegateway, Biblehub, etc.) In researching a person, place or thing, you can also look (online) to historical references as well. Bible dictionaries can help outline facts on OT/NT people, places and things.
I personally like using the platform, Biblehub for researching the meaning of a word in Hebrew or Greek, and for finding parallel passages that relate to each other. Such platform resources will have different Bible translations, to pick from. When composing a sermon on my Word document, I like to read Bible passages online, and copy/paste the verses I want added to my sermon document. This is just my personal preference, but I wanted to put that out there.
What I tend to do when making a sermon: if I am researching, "Ark of the Covenant" I'll type that phrase and add "Bible verse" in my search when typing that phrase into the search engine. I'll find many Bible passages that will pop up in my searches when I do this. Most themes or Bible topics can be found online if you type in the theme/topic and include with the theme/topic the phrase "Bible verse" in your the search engine.
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Warning on using secular materials in sermons:
Note: all sermon formats can use external facts. I encourage focusing chiefly on the Bible. It can become a slippery slope when a preacher strays to far from the scriptures, into sciences, psychology, archaeology, poetry, politics, secular quotes, stats, etc. It can be tempting to use, since it will be popular with people who want to hear, "something new and novel."
If you want to dumb down and weaken your congregation, (which I've seen in the past,) you can use such external facts as a entertainment device and preaching crutch. I knew of a preacher who put 80 percent of his content into secular gimmicks. When he moved away for another congregation a false teacher was hired and the church was ripe for the picking. They were weak and dumbed down enough to let the wolf easily sway the congregation.
The best sermon speakers and experienced Bible teachers, don't need to use such tools, to capture interest. Refine your speaking art. Practice, practice, practice. You'll become exceptional, without sacrificing quality Bible content to be "interesting" and "entertaining."
Don't become dependent on "secular" crutches. Examples of watering down the gospel for secular inclusion in sermon formats, can be found in such things as, pop culture, poems, secular quotes, pop psychology, secular stories, secular philosophy, jokes, etc.
I am not saying to never use such content. You can use such material, if it is relevant to the theme presented. If someone drowned in the news and your talking about hell and how short life is, then that story can be brought up. If your preaching on love, you can use a secular poem or quote on love.
What I am saying is this, your there to preach a Bible sermon. Your not there to inform the Lord's body about pop music, Emily Dickinson's poetry, the latest football game, or to share some motivational secular short stories or scary movie quotes, etc. If a sermon is largely revolving around such materials, instead of the Word of God, it is no longer a sermon, it's something else.
At least 70-80 percent of the content should be focused on the scripture. If its the other way around, where 70-80 percent is secular in nature, your doing your congregation and the truth a disservice. Again its not wrong to use other resources then the Bible, but don't let the tale wag the dog. I encourage you to not be excessive in using such content. It might be appealing to the audience, but it is the Word, God wants preached.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_
Narrative Sermons:
A narratives sermon serves a purpose in bringing out a underlying theme of Biblical truth, through a Bible story. If a preacher talks on the story of Ruth, he can look at the story, verse by verse and add in his sermon what he wants to address for the verses of a passage being read. He does not need to cover each and every verse/passage or chapter of Ruth, the goal is to underline the main story themes of Ruth. In the Bible verses that are being read from Ruth, a preacher can tie in other Bible scriptures from other areas' of the Bible that connect to a theme being read. Narratives are great for conveying knowledge of Bible stories. They also serve as a way to bring to light the underlying themes of those stories.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A well balanced preacher will bring all these formats to light in his sermons and Bible lessons. A man who only speaks on topic's, will inform others on key concepts of doctrine and moral truths, but will leave the audience ignorant on such broad concepts as the theme of redemption, the storyline themes of the coming of Jesus, the story of the miracles of God about Elijah in the OT, the Lord's intolerance of sin towards the Canaanite nations, the story of Satan and the patience of Job, the courage of young David before Goliath, etc. that can be found in narratives.
If someone only speaks narratives, the congregation will be ignorant of non storyline (doctrinal) themes, like divorce and remarriage, forsaking the assembly, Bible authority, the work of the church, the qualifications of elders and deacons, etc.
In order to preach the whole counsel of God, we need to do as Jesus did. He gave parables (spiritual stories) but he also gave frank statements on core doctrinal concepts.
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Pick your preaching sermon style
When you want to write a sermon or Bible class lesson, pick a theme and then brain storm about what you want to accomplish. Do research online/offline to find scriptures and Bible related truths on a given theme.
Write down what you want to have in the sermon or Bible class lesson.
Before creating a sermon or Bible class lesson, it is important to first decide how you want to deliver your material.
Many years ago, I struggled with the sermon making process. I could not figure out how to do sermon "outlines." It just would not fit, for the longest time. I had to find another venue for making sermons/Bible class lessons. I have since then been able to use outlines.
But sometimes a person needs to start where they are at in the preaching process. I will be giving different formats to help you, where you are at in the speaking process and growth process. Know that each of these formats have their strengths and weaknesses.
None of these formats are superior to another. They all have their qualities. They also have different limitations.
I'd encourage you to give each format a test drive and find out what fits with your personality and ability. You can always evolve and change your style later as you grow in the preaching process.
Learn your speaking style. When doing this process you will begin to feel yourself out. You'll learn what needs to improve and what you can capitalize on in the persona you have.
The sermon/Bible class formats that will be covered in detail:
Write down what you want to have in the sermon or Bible class lesson.
Before creating a sermon or Bible class lesson, it is important to first decide how you want to deliver your material.
Many years ago, I struggled with the sermon making process. I could not figure out how to do sermon "outlines." It just would not fit, for the longest time. I had to find another venue for making sermons/Bible class lessons. I have since then been able to use outlines.
But sometimes a person needs to start where they are at in the preaching process. I will be giving different formats to help you, where you are at in the speaking process and growth process. Know that each of these formats have their strengths and weaknesses.
None of these formats are superior to another. They all have their qualities. They also have different limitations.
I'd encourage you to give each format a test drive and find out what fits with your personality and ability. You can always evolve and change your style later as you grow in the preaching process.
Learn your speaking style. When doing this process you will begin to feel yourself out. You'll learn what needs to improve and what you can capitalize on in the persona you have.
The sermon/Bible class formats that will be covered in detail:
- Article
- Outlines
- Extemporaneous outline sermons
Article Sermon:
A "article sermon" is a sermon that is article based. This format is good for introverted, detailed oriented preachers. It is also a useful venue of pursuit when making Bible class lessons. A 20+ minute sermon article on Word Doc (at wording level 10) is about 2 pages, front and back. A 40+ minute Bible class (article type) lesson is 4 pages, front and back. If you have ever wrote an essay in college or a letter, or been given a school assignment to write on a topic or theme, then writing an article should be a familiar process. For sermon/Bible lesson articles, especially those that will be shared, (with the congregation or online, etc.) I recommend using Grammarly, or some online tool to check your spelling and grammar.
When preaching, a person should not just read of the "article sermon," If he practices delivering the content at least three times, he'll be familiar with the material. The preacher who is familiar with the content, can use the "article sermon" as a reference and guide, to look at and read from. But still be interactive with the church.
For spontaneous speakers, who are used to doing "sermon outlines," this article format may, be hard to do. But the experienced preacher should still try all formats, including this one. With time and practice, he will improve in "article sermons."
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The pro's of using "article sermons"
* You can stay on point and go into detail on heavy Bible themes and topic's. If you want to talk on the line of the Caesars who persecuted the early church and stories of martyrdom, well this format will be better suited then "outline sermons." Do you want to speak on the archaeological and historical proof of Jesus in the Bible, again the "article sermon" format should be considered.
* With "article sermons" you can make detailed handouts to give your congregation. This can help them follow you better when you preach. They can also take the material home to look at later or share with friends. My grandma, would save (through the years), the sermons her preacher preached. He used the "article sermon" format.
* These formats are great for producing Bible class lessons. Outlines are less effective in showing detail and in-depth content.
* Writing "article sermons" can have the positive duel aspects of being used for other things, like blog articles, bulletins, eBooks, evangelism materials, etc.
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The con's of using "article sermons"
* It takes more work to appear extemporaneous and spontaneous in sermon delivery.
* For those who use this format, it will take more time to make a sermon or Bible class lesson.
* You will be reading of the article, from time to time, even if practiced 3 times before the actual delivery,
(reading from your material for Bible class lessons, works just fine, but for sermons, it's less appealing).
When preaching, a person should not just read of the "article sermon," If he practices delivering the content at least three times, he'll be familiar with the material. The preacher who is familiar with the content, can use the "article sermon" as a reference and guide, to look at and read from. But still be interactive with the church.
For spontaneous speakers, who are used to doing "sermon outlines," this article format may, be hard to do. But the experienced preacher should still try all formats, including this one. With time and practice, he will improve in "article sermons."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The pro's of using "article sermons"
* You can stay on point and go into detail on heavy Bible themes and topic's. If you want to talk on the line of the Caesars who persecuted the early church and stories of martyrdom, well this format will be better suited then "outline sermons." Do you want to speak on the archaeological and historical proof of Jesus in the Bible, again the "article sermon" format should be considered.
* With "article sermons" you can make detailed handouts to give your congregation. This can help them follow you better when you preach. They can also take the material home to look at later or share with friends. My grandma, would save (through the years), the sermons her preacher preached. He used the "article sermon" format.
* These formats are great for producing Bible class lessons. Outlines are less effective in showing detail and in-depth content.
* Writing "article sermons" can have the positive duel aspects of being used for other things, like blog articles, bulletins, eBooks, evangelism materials, etc.
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The con's of using "article sermons"
* It takes more work to appear extemporaneous and spontaneous in sermon delivery.
* For those who use this format, it will take more time to make a sermon or Bible class lesson.
* You will be reading of the article, from time to time, even if practiced 3 times before the actual delivery,
(reading from your material for Bible class lessons, works just fine, but for sermons, it's less appealing).
Outline Sermon:
A sermon outline has markers (numbers, like 1.2.3.4. and letters, like A. B. C. D, Roman numerals, I, II, III, IIII, V, VI, VII, or bullet points, • ) to show specific brief statements highlighted in the outline. See example to your left. They are there for you to highlight your points. They serve as guiding posts, to keep you on topic and lead you through the sermon. When you talk on your highlighted points, you'll find (in outline sermon) the need to think quickly and speak extemporaneous.
A 20+ minute sermon outline on Word, (at wording level 10-12) is about 1 page, front and back. A 40+ minute plus Bible class (outline type) lesson is 2 pages, front and back.
Remember with Bible lessons in Bible class, you still may not always get finished, due to people asking questions, giving comments, conducting opening prayer, etc.
This type of sermon requires being more nimble on your feet. Not everything will be written down. You'll have to think on your toes in adding transitions from one point to the next and a good speaker will also be somewhat extemporaneous in detailing the points given.
An outline sermon tends to have a title, intro to what the sermon is about and three points. Then a conclusion to finish/wrap up the sermon. This final section is where the invitation is usually given.
Example: in the template you will see B. (point two).
Let's say the sermon outline is about "NT examples of salvation." You can share, in point two, in this part of the outline, the importance of the, "Examples of Acts in conversion."
In the four subpoints (how many sub points is optional) of B, (1,2,3,4) you can further go into detail about main point.
In subpoint 1. you can outline different examples from Acts, you can talk about Acts 2/Pentecost in subpoint 1, in subpoint 2. you can mention the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. And in subpoint 3. you can share the example of Paul in Acts 22., Due to the format of having an outline, their will be a need to speak spontaneously/ad-lib in the dialogue. Its hard to go in-depth into a subject from a few written sentences in each point and subpoint. But with practice this gets easier. Article sermons are a good format for the beginner. They serve as "training wheels" for the beginner in sermon preparation and delivery. Article sermons serve as a helpful stepping stone to other formats like outline sermons and extemporaneous sermons. This is what I did when I first got started. Article sermons are still my favorite format to use.
Now (for outline sermons) the more comfortable you are with such speech, the less content you'll need written down. The more uncomfortable you are with this format, the more wording can be written down. You will see that different preachers have different sermon outline formats. Some have passages of writings and some a few phrases.
Neither outline style is bad. It depends on the personality of the preacher and their social interests of speaking.
See the website "executable outlines" for great outline sermon examples from church of Christ preachers.
This link will help detail, how to put together this type of sermon. http://executableoutlines.com
I like to add in my "article sermons" and in my "outline sermons" the scriptures from the Bible passages, I will speak on, I find it flows easier when the verses are written down onto my paper, with my content in my sermon format. I like using the Bible, but it's easier to have them written down in my sermon for quick access. This is a personal choice. Find out what works for you. Don't forget to give people time to turn to the Bible passages you mention in your sermon. I mention the passage I will read at least 2-3 times. I read it clearly and I don't rush the reading.
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The pro's of using "outline sermons"
* This format will give you more fluidity in your speech.
* You will spend less time making a sermon then you would in sermon article writing.
* Your more engaged with the audience and the audience is more engaged with you,
then they would be if your using a sermon article.
The con's of using "outline sermons"
* Though outlines maybe more engaging then article sermons, they are not as detailed. If you really want to inform a group on
a matter that requires intensive study and application, article sermons are the best.
* If you want to pass out material to your congregation for them to follow in Bible class or in your sermon, outlines are not as useful
as written article sermons/lessons.
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Extemporaneous outline sermons:
Note: extemporaneous sermon creation and delivery is advanced work.
You may want to review this later down the road and practice it later. The choice is yours.
Practice one: leaving certain sections blank to create/promote spontaneous speech.
For those who want to expand and test different avenues with this idea. If you want to aim for being an extemporaneous (sermon) speaker.
When you add content to your sermon outline, choose to leave a space open for spontaneous speech, that is related to the content of the sermon.
Example: An outline can have B. 1. detailing the scripture about the resurrection appearance of Jesus appearing before Mary Magdalene. And subsequent facts related to the passage, you wished written down and shared. Then, in the following outline of B. 2. you can leave it blank. You can choose to be spontaneous in speaking on the themes of the resurrection. Then in B 3. you can detail more scripture and write down more facts. In B 4. You can leave that space blank again. This forces you to think on your feet. It maybe hard doing this at first.
You may want to practice this format alone and get in sync with this activity, before giving this sermon style at church. But with time, words will come (in relation to the theme your presenting). With time you will become quicker on your feet.
For this sermon style, should (also) think about idea's you want say for the spontaneous parts of the sermon. Such idea's will ferment in your head. Example: In the thoughts your thinking about (in the spontaneous part of the sermon), you can think about speaking... about how startled Mary must have been and over joyed, to think her friend and Master was before here...etc.
As mentioned before, in B 3, you can again give your Bible passages and written content, then in B 4, you can again give spontaneous thoughts on what was read in B 3. or on things you thought about ahead of time, That is how such a sermon is given, you go back and forth from written content to extemporaneous speaking.
I know this is a less constructed format and is somewhat a disjoined process. But once mastered, this format is powerful. Such deliveries sound more passionate, spontaneous, raw. This format, once learned, can be highly engaging.
Practice two: have multiple choice statements to help keep you nimble in your delivery.
You can also use this format for delivering extemporaneous sermons.
Another thing with speech craft, when you're preparing a speech....It's good to write in certain parts of speech, optional things. Like you're saying stuff. And then you can have, like, four different things.
You can choose to say in the heat of the moment when you're speaking. You can have A this, B that, C this, or D that. And it could be, like, in different brackets in your script or in your outline. You can have that. You can choose to speak on A or B or RC or D when you have this option.
And in the heat of the moment when you're spontaneously speaking. And you have these little things written down. And you can choose which one to speak on, it makes your speech because you're doing that in the flow of the moment, you're going spontaneously to a certain source to speak on a certain topic you're not certain you're going to be speaking on. It may have been an A, but you choose instead to speak on C. It makes your speech more powerful, more spontaneous, more influx. It gives it a certain charisma power to it. Also, with public speaking now, I'll share two most powerful things.
Extemporaneous sermons may be choppy at first, but when you practice a sermon at least 3 times and let the extemporaneous thoughts sit in your head, the idea's thought out will develop and come together. You'll find with multiple deliveries that extemporaneous sermons can become polished and detailed, in it's delivery. When delivering the sermon to test it out, practice speaking the sermon at least 3 times. You will find the spontaneous parts will begin to develop, each time you deliver the sermon.
Extemporaneous sermon outlines are an advanced sermon delivery format. The more a person is comfortable with article sermons and regular sermon outlines, the more they can test these waters and see how they interact with extemporaneous sermon outlines, (in delivery).
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The pro's of using "extemporaneous outline sermons" (for those who get this mastered)
* Spontaneous sermons, with practice can become powerful in performance.
* They are more emotionally connective and motivational.
* Such sermons require less work then a "article sermon" or a regular "outline sermon."
* This format will grab the audiences attention.
The con's of using "extemporaneous outline sermons"
* You can't go into as great of detail as you could with article sermons or even regular outlines.
* I know of preachers who slip up in extemporaneous sermons, when they try to go in-depth into hard doctrinal matters.
It's easy to do, if the content and topic requires a great deal of details from the Bible and written down facts.
Such sermons are better based in article sermons or at the very least in regular outline sermons.
* Yes, this format will motivate and inspire, which if that is what your aiming for serves it's purpose. But if you want to
go into meaty subjects and serious doctrinal/grounding applications, that require alot of specific detail in delivery, this format
is not the best for those occasions. If you want to uplift and talk about heaven, this works, but if you want to go into
the fundamentals of premillennialism, this format is not the best.
A 20+ minute sermon outline on Word, (at wording level 10-12) is about 1 page, front and back. A 40+ minute plus Bible class (outline type) lesson is 2 pages, front and back.
Remember with Bible lessons in Bible class, you still may not always get finished, due to people asking questions, giving comments, conducting opening prayer, etc.
This type of sermon requires being more nimble on your feet. Not everything will be written down. You'll have to think on your toes in adding transitions from one point to the next and a good speaker will also be somewhat extemporaneous in detailing the points given.
An outline sermon tends to have a title, intro to what the sermon is about and three points. Then a conclusion to finish/wrap up the sermon. This final section is where the invitation is usually given.
Example: in the template you will see B. (point two).
Let's say the sermon outline is about "NT examples of salvation." You can share, in point two, in this part of the outline, the importance of the, "Examples of Acts in conversion."
In the four subpoints (how many sub points is optional) of B, (1,2,3,4) you can further go into detail about main point.
In subpoint 1. you can outline different examples from Acts, you can talk about Acts 2/Pentecost in subpoint 1, in subpoint 2. you can mention the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. And in subpoint 3. you can share the example of Paul in Acts 22., Due to the format of having an outline, their will be a need to speak spontaneously/ad-lib in the dialogue. Its hard to go in-depth into a subject from a few written sentences in each point and subpoint. But with practice this gets easier. Article sermons are a good format for the beginner. They serve as "training wheels" for the beginner in sermon preparation and delivery. Article sermons serve as a helpful stepping stone to other formats like outline sermons and extemporaneous sermons. This is what I did when I first got started. Article sermons are still my favorite format to use.
Now (for outline sermons) the more comfortable you are with such speech, the less content you'll need written down. The more uncomfortable you are with this format, the more wording can be written down. You will see that different preachers have different sermon outline formats. Some have passages of writings and some a few phrases.
Neither outline style is bad. It depends on the personality of the preacher and their social interests of speaking.
See the website "executable outlines" for great outline sermon examples from church of Christ preachers.
This link will help detail, how to put together this type of sermon. http://executableoutlines.com
I like to add in my "article sermons" and in my "outline sermons" the scriptures from the Bible passages, I will speak on, I find it flows easier when the verses are written down onto my paper, with my content in my sermon format. I like using the Bible, but it's easier to have them written down in my sermon for quick access. This is a personal choice. Find out what works for you. Don't forget to give people time to turn to the Bible passages you mention in your sermon. I mention the passage I will read at least 2-3 times. I read it clearly and I don't rush the reading.
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The pro's of using "outline sermons"
* This format will give you more fluidity in your speech.
* You will spend less time making a sermon then you would in sermon article writing.
* Your more engaged with the audience and the audience is more engaged with you,
then they would be if your using a sermon article.
The con's of using "outline sermons"
* Though outlines maybe more engaging then article sermons, they are not as detailed. If you really want to inform a group on
a matter that requires intensive study and application, article sermons are the best.
* If you want to pass out material to your congregation for them to follow in Bible class or in your sermon, outlines are not as useful
as written article sermons/lessons.
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Extemporaneous outline sermons:
Note: extemporaneous sermon creation and delivery is advanced work.
You may want to review this later down the road and practice it later. The choice is yours.
Practice one: leaving certain sections blank to create/promote spontaneous speech.
For those who want to expand and test different avenues with this idea. If you want to aim for being an extemporaneous (sermon) speaker.
When you add content to your sermon outline, choose to leave a space open for spontaneous speech, that is related to the content of the sermon.
Example: An outline can have B. 1. detailing the scripture about the resurrection appearance of Jesus appearing before Mary Magdalene. And subsequent facts related to the passage, you wished written down and shared. Then, in the following outline of B. 2. you can leave it blank. You can choose to be spontaneous in speaking on the themes of the resurrection. Then in B 3. you can detail more scripture and write down more facts. In B 4. You can leave that space blank again. This forces you to think on your feet. It maybe hard doing this at first.
You may want to practice this format alone and get in sync with this activity, before giving this sermon style at church. But with time, words will come (in relation to the theme your presenting). With time you will become quicker on your feet.
For this sermon style, should (also) think about idea's you want say for the spontaneous parts of the sermon. Such idea's will ferment in your head. Example: In the thoughts your thinking about (in the spontaneous part of the sermon), you can think about speaking... about how startled Mary must have been and over joyed, to think her friend and Master was before here...etc.
As mentioned before, in B 3, you can again give your Bible passages and written content, then in B 4, you can again give spontaneous thoughts on what was read in B 3. or on things you thought about ahead of time, That is how such a sermon is given, you go back and forth from written content to extemporaneous speaking.
I know this is a less constructed format and is somewhat a disjoined process. But once mastered, this format is powerful. Such deliveries sound more passionate, spontaneous, raw. This format, once learned, can be highly engaging.
Practice two: have multiple choice statements to help keep you nimble in your delivery.
You can also use this format for delivering extemporaneous sermons.
Another thing with speech craft, when you're preparing a speech....It's good to write in certain parts of speech, optional things. Like you're saying stuff. And then you can have, like, four different things.
You can choose to say in the heat of the moment when you're speaking. You can have A this, B that, C this, or D that. And it could be, like, in different brackets in your script or in your outline. You can have that. You can choose to speak on A or B or RC or D when you have this option.
And in the heat of the moment when you're spontaneously speaking. And you have these little things written down. And you can choose which one to speak on, it makes your speech because you're doing that in the flow of the moment, you're going spontaneously to a certain source to speak on a certain topic you're not certain you're going to be speaking on. It may have been an A, but you choose instead to speak on C. It makes your speech more powerful, more spontaneous, more influx. It gives it a certain charisma power to it. Also, with public speaking now, I'll share two most powerful things.
Extemporaneous sermons may be choppy at first, but when you practice a sermon at least 3 times and let the extemporaneous thoughts sit in your head, the idea's thought out will develop and come together. You'll find with multiple deliveries that extemporaneous sermons can become polished and detailed, in it's delivery. When delivering the sermon to test it out, practice speaking the sermon at least 3 times. You will find the spontaneous parts will begin to develop, each time you deliver the sermon.
Extemporaneous sermon outlines are an advanced sermon delivery format. The more a person is comfortable with article sermons and regular sermon outlines, the more they can test these waters and see how they interact with extemporaneous sermon outlines, (in delivery).
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The pro's of using "extemporaneous outline sermons" (for those who get this mastered)
* Spontaneous sermons, with practice can become powerful in performance.
* They are more emotionally connective and motivational.
* Such sermons require less work then a "article sermon" or a regular "outline sermon."
* This format will grab the audiences attention.
The con's of using "extemporaneous outline sermons"
* You can't go into as great of detail as you could with article sermons or even regular outlines.
* I know of preachers who slip up in extemporaneous sermons, when they try to go in-depth into hard doctrinal matters.
It's easy to do, if the content and topic requires a great deal of details from the Bible and written down facts.
Such sermons are better based in article sermons or at the very least in regular outline sermons.
* Yes, this format will motivate and inspire, which if that is what your aiming for serves it's purpose. But if you want to
go into meaty subjects and serious doctrinal/grounding applications, that require alot of specific detail in delivery, this format
is not the best for those occasions. If you want to uplift and talk about heaven, this works, but if you want to go into
the fundamentals of premillennialism, this format is not the best.
Before delivering a sermon before a church, it is best to practice reading/speaking the sermon at least three times and once in the morning the day of the presentation. You want to familiarize and integrate the content into your mind.
Preaching exercises to improve in oral delivery.
Keys to Delivery performance
If you want to improve in sermon making and delivery here are some exercises to do. Note: this is hard core. It is designed to make you grow in this process and grow quickly. It is not meant to be easy. It is meant to help you. I know it works. This is what I did to train myself as a preacher. I still do this work, when in between jobs. Test it out for yourself and you will see it begin to work as well. After a season, you'll not be the same. Note: these tips can also help the seasoned preacher, improve, as well. Especially if combined with the page content in "Public speaking exercises." Both novice and experienced preacher, can improve from the material in this section.
Sermon/Bible lesson exercises:
For the first month...
1. Find a day....to make a sermon each week for a month. Learn the process more thoroughly by doing the work.
A. Once you have the sermon is made, get a video camera and record yourself, delivering the content. Yes, it might be sloppy. Mine was a mess.
But you need to see yourself, to learn about your facial gestures, your vocal speech patterns, (clarity of speech, confidence, volume, etc.)
When you speak a sermon/deliver it, you may want to make corrections, afterwards, to your written script. This is part of the refining process. This is useful in enhancing the quality of the content and in cleaning up mistakes. A good preacher practices a sermon at least 3 times to refine it and get the content ingrained into his mind. Then for good measure, a preacher should practice speaking the sermon the day of, to solidify the preparation work.
When you practice speaking, record yourself on video. It can be on your cell phone, or on your laptop webcam, or on a camera, etc. Recording yourself speaking and afterwards, reviewing your recording is important. This process can speed up the learning and improvement curve of visual and audio delivery.
You will see that when you speak your not only talking with your voice, but with your body language and behavior.
Note: for delivery, I have installed a stopwatch app on my cell phone, that I can monitor to make sure I don't go over time. You can also have a silent vibrating alarm set on your cell phone. You can put your cell phone in your pocket. When it is time to wrap up the sermon the cell phone will begin to vibrate against your body. Its a discreet reminder to conclude your remarks. I tend to focus on wrapping things up/have alarm go off 5 minutes before the allotted time. This gives me time to wrap things up.
Most churches expect sermons to be around 25 minutes and Bible class lessons to be 45 minutes. This is good to have on hand to use in your content delivery. Use a phone app or a device you can easily look at, (without being obvious) while speaking. This process will come in handy when your speaking at a church. You can also put your cell phone to vibrate when the time is up and have the cell phone in your pocket. This is another great way to be notified when it is time ti wrap up the sermon. I tend to speak for 25 minutes. So I set the cell phone to go off, at 20 minutes. This gives me time to tie up what I am saying and head for the concluding remarks.
B. After you delivered the sermon once, deliver it again two more times and record it on video. When you continue to analyze (for improvement) the video presentations, will train you and help you grow. By practicing the sermon presentation many times, you will become familiar with the content and internalize the material. By going over the material multiple times, you will give the content a more polished and spontaneous delivery when presented. And your less likely to make mistakes, when speaking to an audience. To many preachers, even those who have been doing such work for years, misspeak from time to time, due to not giving the material adequate preparation time. Practice, practice, practice.
Sadly, some preachers, after 50 years are still just as dry and inarticulate as the first time they preached. The simple reason for this lack of growth, is this, such men are not trying to improve. They are not analyzing their content under a microscope. They are not seeking to change from the way they deliver their content. Make improvement your goal. Always be hungry, always want to grow. When you do this work, as time passes, you will notice a great difference between your first video and the last video you made.
C. I'd also encourage you to share what you write concerning these materials in some type of public forum. You can share your content with your wife, friends, or on a social media platform like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. This builds accountability.
D. As you progress...in connection to social media, I also exhort you to speak to an audience. You may not have a church to preach at. But to help you overcome stage freight. And help build "speaking" confidence, PUBLIC speaking is important. Practice speaking one of your sermons, (each week) on Facebook live or YouTube live. If you don't have one of these accounts, set it up. Again the more you do such PUBLIC activities, the less timid and anxious you will be. This will help prepare you for public speaking at church. You will become more acclimated to speaking with people when you speak to people. If your speaking to an audience online, it will help you become more comfortable to speaking to other audience formats, as well.
For the first month...
1. Find a day....to make a sermon each week for a month. Learn the process more thoroughly by doing the work.
A. Once you have the sermon is made, get a video camera and record yourself, delivering the content. Yes, it might be sloppy. Mine was a mess.
But you need to see yourself, to learn about your facial gestures, your vocal speech patterns, (clarity of speech, confidence, volume, etc.)
When you speak a sermon/deliver it, you may want to make corrections, afterwards, to your written script. This is part of the refining process. This is useful in enhancing the quality of the content and in cleaning up mistakes. A good preacher practices a sermon at least 3 times to refine it and get the content ingrained into his mind. Then for good measure, a preacher should practice speaking the sermon the day of, to solidify the preparation work.
When you practice speaking, record yourself on video. It can be on your cell phone, or on your laptop webcam, or on a camera, etc. Recording yourself speaking and afterwards, reviewing your recording is important. This process can speed up the learning and improvement curve of visual and audio delivery.
You will see that when you speak your not only talking with your voice, but with your body language and behavior.
Note: for delivery, I have installed a stopwatch app on my cell phone, that I can monitor to make sure I don't go over time. You can also have a silent vibrating alarm set on your cell phone. You can put your cell phone in your pocket. When it is time to wrap up the sermon the cell phone will begin to vibrate against your body. Its a discreet reminder to conclude your remarks. I tend to focus on wrapping things up/have alarm go off 5 minutes before the allotted time. This gives me time to wrap things up.
Most churches expect sermons to be around 25 minutes and Bible class lessons to be 45 minutes. This is good to have on hand to use in your content delivery. Use a phone app or a device you can easily look at, (without being obvious) while speaking. This process will come in handy when your speaking at a church. You can also put your cell phone to vibrate when the time is up and have the cell phone in your pocket. This is another great way to be notified when it is time ti wrap up the sermon. I tend to speak for 25 minutes. So I set the cell phone to go off, at 20 minutes. This gives me time to tie up what I am saying and head for the concluding remarks.
B. After you delivered the sermon once, deliver it again two more times and record it on video. When you continue to analyze (for improvement) the video presentations, will train you and help you grow. By practicing the sermon presentation many times, you will become familiar with the content and internalize the material. By going over the material multiple times, you will give the content a more polished and spontaneous delivery when presented. And your less likely to make mistakes, when speaking to an audience. To many preachers, even those who have been doing such work for years, misspeak from time to time, due to not giving the material adequate preparation time. Practice, practice, practice.
Sadly, some preachers, after 50 years are still just as dry and inarticulate as the first time they preached. The simple reason for this lack of growth, is this, such men are not trying to improve. They are not analyzing their content under a microscope. They are not seeking to change from the way they deliver their content. Make improvement your goal. Always be hungry, always want to grow. When you do this work, as time passes, you will notice a great difference between your first video and the last video you made.
C. I'd also encourage you to share what you write concerning these materials in some type of public forum. You can share your content with your wife, friends, or on a social media platform like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. This builds accountability.
D. As you progress...in connection to social media, I also exhort you to speak to an audience. You may not have a church to preach at. But to help you overcome stage freight. And help build "speaking" confidence, PUBLIC speaking is important. Practice speaking one of your sermons, (each week) on Facebook live or YouTube live. If you don't have one of these accounts, set it up. Again the more you do such PUBLIC activities, the less timid and anxious you will be. This will help prepare you for public speaking at church. You will become more acclimated to speaking with people when you speak to people. If your speaking to an audience online, it will help you become more comfortable to speaking to other audience formats, as well.
THEN ADD MORE SERMON CONTENT/BIBLE LESSON MATERIAL TO YOUR WORKLOAD...
Slowly increase your sermons and Bible lesson work.
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Slowly increase your sermons and Bible lesson work.
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Second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth months...
A. For the following month, (after first month) add another sermon to your workload. Once you get comfortable with doing one sermon a week,
begin to add more sermons to your monthly labor. Aim for two sermons a week.
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A. For the following month, (after first month) add another sermon to your workload. Once you get comfortable with doing one sermon a week,
begin to add more sermons to your monthly labor. Aim for two sermons a week.
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Seventh month and up...
B. As you progress, focus on moving in the direction of making two sermons and a Bible class lesson, regularly. Once your comfortable with doing two sermons a week, aim to do a Bible class lesson (weekly) as well. Record your Bible class lessons. I know Bible classes are interactive and recording yourself is one-sided, but this work will help hone your teaching skills. Pretend you have an audience and pretend your engaging them. For making a Bible class lesson, just think of making an "article sermon" but make the material longer.
Also, if you can practice teaching the content, to your friends, a church devotional, your kids or to your spouse, I'd encourage you to do so. Include in the material, places where you will ask questions. Also, think up ways to create interplay and interaction. This is important for the teacher to do. Remember to call on people to read scripture, if they want to pass, its no big deal, just ask someone else. This helps to get the audience involved. Asking people to give an opening prayer and closing prayer also helps people feel involved with the group and with he Bible class. This is important. You want people to emotionally invest in your class. When they are invested they are more mentally involved. INCLUSION helps with this process.
See if you can handle this work load, (doing two sermons/Bible class lesson a week). For this is a big part of being a preacher. Making sermons/Bible class lessons and delivering them is what a church expects of you. And it is what you must be able to do. A preacher makes and delivers two sermons and a Bible class lesson weekly. Try to work up to doing that. Take your time, go slow, build up to this workload.
B. As you progress, focus on moving in the direction of making two sermons and a Bible class lesson, regularly. Once your comfortable with doing two sermons a week, aim to do a Bible class lesson (weekly) as well. Record your Bible class lessons. I know Bible classes are interactive and recording yourself is one-sided, but this work will help hone your teaching skills. Pretend you have an audience and pretend your engaging them. For making a Bible class lesson, just think of making an "article sermon" but make the material longer.
Also, if you can practice teaching the content, to your friends, a church devotional, your kids or to your spouse, I'd encourage you to do so. Include in the material, places where you will ask questions. Also, think up ways to create interplay and interaction. This is important for the teacher to do. Remember to call on people to read scripture, if they want to pass, its no big deal, just ask someone else. This helps to get the audience involved. Asking people to give an opening prayer and closing prayer also helps people feel involved with the group and with he Bible class. This is important. You want people to emotionally invest in your class. When they are invested they are more mentally involved. INCLUSION helps with this process.
See if you can handle this work load, (doing two sermons/Bible class lesson a week). For this is a big part of being a preacher. Making sermons/Bible class lessons and delivering them is what a church expects of you. And it is what you must be able to do. A preacher makes and delivers two sermons and a Bible class lesson weekly. Try to work up to doing that. Take your time, go slow, build up to this workload.
Engage the audience...
Remember to ask questions of your audience to engage them in sermons and Bible class: like “what if you were?”....”how’d you feel if?”... You can tell the audience that "they can answer the question in their head," if it’s for sermons. Get people thinking. This format helps with that.
This is more impactful while telling a story or when giving a narrative sermon. Giving a descriptive, example of a storyline theme, of a person, place, thing, event, then asking the audience to participate mentally, through asking them a "what if" question is powerful. My book..."The Art of Speechcraft" has details on ways of doing descriptive speeches. The book can be accessed at the bottom of the "Public speaking" page.
This is more impactful while telling a story or when giving a narrative sermon. Giving a descriptive, example of a storyline theme, of a person, place, thing, event, then asking the audience to participate mentally, through asking them a "what if" question is powerful. My book..."The Art of Speechcraft" has details on ways of doing descriptive speeches. The book can be accessed at the bottom of the "Public speaking" page.
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Side notes for personal development: (Optional yet prudent)
4. Watch/listen to people in the motivational speaking genre. Like those who are on YouTube. Watch how they speak. Take notes. Watch/listen (online) to articulate preachers and those who give in-depth/meaty content in their presentations. Take notes.
5. Workout with weights at least 3 times a week for an hour or more times a week, for less lengthy periods. This builds testosterone. After a few months of working out like this, you will notice more primal energy, a deeper voice, a stronger presence, and a more intense delivery. If you stop working out, you will lose this testosterone and these qualities. You will also feel better, work longer, have a better mood during stress, etc. A healthy preacher can do more for the Lord, then a preacher who has health issues. So exercise my be optional, but it is still a discerning choice to make. Having energy for your body and mind, will make you a better servant for God.
6. Eat healthy, take care of self. If your tired, weak, etc. this will affect work performance and sermon delivery.
Your better to God as a healthy man, then in the hospital.
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Spiritual rituals to do:
7. Pray for God to be used in you. Always make that the first priority for the service you are doing.
8. Study daily. Pray daily. A strong spirit, makes for a strong preacher in delivery and in influence.
9. Like anything, if you don't keep this up, (studying, sermon prep/delivery, etc.) you will lose it. You'll lose your edge, your accumulated skill set in speaking, etc.
Side notes for personal development: (Optional yet prudent)
4. Watch/listen to people in the motivational speaking genre. Like those who are on YouTube. Watch how they speak. Take notes. Watch/listen (online) to articulate preachers and those who give in-depth/meaty content in their presentations. Take notes.
5. Workout with weights at least 3 times a week for an hour or more times a week, for less lengthy periods. This builds testosterone. After a few months of working out like this, you will notice more primal energy, a deeper voice, a stronger presence, and a more intense delivery. If you stop working out, you will lose this testosterone and these qualities. You will also feel better, work longer, have a better mood during stress, etc. A healthy preacher can do more for the Lord, then a preacher who has health issues. So exercise my be optional, but it is still a discerning choice to make. Having energy for your body and mind, will make you a better servant for God.
6. Eat healthy, take care of self. If your tired, weak, etc. this will affect work performance and sermon delivery.
Your better to God as a healthy man, then in the hospital.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Spiritual rituals to do:
7. Pray for God to be used in you. Always make that the first priority for the service you are doing.
8. Study daily. Pray daily. A strong spirit, makes for a strong preacher in delivery and in influence.
9. Like anything, if you don't keep this up, (studying, sermon prep/delivery, etc.) you will lose it. You'll lose your edge, your accumulated skill set in speaking, etc.
Cultivate ideas for future sermon and Bible class use
Be a gardener of creative thought. Write down quotes, poems, interesting ideas, and stories. Hunt for writers and themes you resonate with. On your cell phone, you can download a notebook app. Or you can use a computer document or a physical binder/journal. Daily tend to your garden. Hunt the rare and elusive writers of history. Seek the scholar, poet, warrior, the king, and the peasant. Look into the great heroes of the past, the revolutionary, the preacher, the martyr.
Record what resounds with your nature. Read what you record daily. Then reread the same materials. Repeat this process again and again. Introduce yourself to the old writings as well as the new. Create within yourself this practice and you'll grow inside. You'll evolve.
As you seek new seeds of thought and read your recordings, the ideas will seep into your soil. Your spirit will begin to plant these ideas into your fertile mind.
These ideas will begin to come out of you. The fruit will be shown in how you talk, write, think, and act. You will become a better speaker in public and in private settings. This method is excellent for those who want to grow in public speaking and excel in speechcraft.
The seeds you plant and water today, will germinate into sweet fruits in good season.
If you want to sup under the shelter of the Most High, wait upon the Lord. Be a faithful gardener of the seeds of His thoughts. Meditate on them.
Record, and review daily the ancient scrolls of the Creator. Your mind will grow closer to heaven. Your heart will draw nearer to His heart. Your spirit will begin to shape into its Progenitor. You'll become more attuned with your Brother and Father. Remember we do not eat bread alone, but the Words of God. Let us make a choice to eat His food as we eat the physical meals throughout the day.
A good sermon is like an old friend. Yes, a person can write a 25-30 minute script or bulletin point outline and store in on a file cabinet or computer drive for future use. But a good sermon, (in the making and in its birth), is thought about, digested, reviewed, and preached, (in the pulpit of the mind), long before it’s preached before an audience.
A good sermon is worth noting. And thus, should be planted. The ideas will germinate into future fruits. The thoughts will cement patterns for new ideas, phrases, and themes. A good sermon never leaves you. Parts of it are seen in its descendants. In the future children, you make, through the seed of God, the Word of life.
When you read something enough you get it into your system, it becomes a part of you. That’s when it becomes spontaneous. You need to immerse yourself in that theme. When you read something enough, think about it, digesting it, mentally, it will begin to ferment and develop inside of you. Then when you speak, it sounds spontaneous, for it is now a part of you. Once you do this, the content stays within you for the rest of your life.
Studious work in the study of the scriptures, and rigorous application to the written content in refining the sermon material will ingrain the writing into your soul. And private preaching, alone with the Lord, will turn a scrap of paper into a piece of inspiration for future use. A marriage of good writing with your mind will bear fruit for a lifetime.
Not all sermons can be this way. But to transform in speechcraft, as a man, it is profitable to write detailed documents and to learn to befriend them. Your words can shape your future works. If the investment is willing to be made.
When you read something enough, it seeps into you. You get it into your system, the subject matter slowly starts to become a part of you. It begins to get into your subconscious. When you have something as a part of you and you speak it, the words come alive,
Such words sound like they are coming from your core, as if you’re speaking spontaneously and from your deepest self in matters of the heart and of conviction. When you speak something that is married to your spirit, that’s when people are captivated. Because it sounds spontaneous.
Do not just read the content you wrote down, learn to immerse yourself in that theme you've wrote down.
Also...go to other places to immerse yourself in that specific theme your studying/writing about for a sermon. Read it online, listen to books about it. Watch videos about it.
When you immerse yourself into a theme, you become a part of that theme. When you do this, when you get up to speak....that's when you're projecting that theme naturally in your attitude, body expression and from your heart. You're not just speaking words, but once you've immersed yourself into the topic, you'll notice, the words are apart of you, that you're speaking who you are. And that's very powerful.
Record what resounds with your nature. Read what you record daily. Then reread the same materials. Repeat this process again and again. Introduce yourself to the old writings as well as the new. Create within yourself this practice and you'll grow inside. You'll evolve.
As you seek new seeds of thought and read your recordings, the ideas will seep into your soil. Your spirit will begin to plant these ideas into your fertile mind.
These ideas will begin to come out of you. The fruit will be shown in how you talk, write, think, and act. You will become a better speaker in public and in private settings. This method is excellent for those who want to grow in public speaking and excel in speechcraft.
The seeds you plant and water today, will germinate into sweet fruits in good season.
If you want to sup under the shelter of the Most High, wait upon the Lord. Be a faithful gardener of the seeds of His thoughts. Meditate on them.
Record, and review daily the ancient scrolls of the Creator. Your mind will grow closer to heaven. Your heart will draw nearer to His heart. Your spirit will begin to shape into its Progenitor. You'll become more attuned with your Brother and Father. Remember we do not eat bread alone, but the Words of God. Let us make a choice to eat His food as we eat the physical meals throughout the day.
A good sermon is like an old friend. Yes, a person can write a 25-30 minute script or bulletin point outline and store in on a file cabinet or computer drive for future use. But a good sermon, (in the making and in its birth), is thought about, digested, reviewed, and preached, (in the pulpit of the mind), long before it’s preached before an audience.
A good sermon is worth noting. And thus, should be planted. The ideas will germinate into future fruits. The thoughts will cement patterns for new ideas, phrases, and themes. A good sermon never leaves you. Parts of it are seen in its descendants. In the future children, you make, through the seed of God, the Word of life.
When you read something enough you get it into your system, it becomes a part of you. That’s when it becomes spontaneous. You need to immerse yourself in that theme. When you read something enough, think about it, digesting it, mentally, it will begin to ferment and develop inside of you. Then when you speak, it sounds spontaneous, for it is now a part of you. Once you do this, the content stays within you for the rest of your life.
Studious work in the study of the scriptures, and rigorous application to the written content in refining the sermon material will ingrain the writing into your soul. And private preaching, alone with the Lord, will turn a scrap of paper into a piece of inspiration for future use. A marriage of good writing with your mind will bear fruit for a lifetime.
Not all sermons can be this way. But to transform in speechcraft, as a man, it is profitable to write detailed documents and to learn to befriend them. Your words can shape your future works. If the investment is willing to be made.
When you read something enough, it seeps into you. You get it into your system, the subject matter slowly starts to become a part of you. It begins to get into your subconscious. When you have something as a part of you and you speak it, the words come alive,
Such words sound like they are coming from your core, as if you’re speaking spontaneously and from your deepest self in matters of the heart and of conviction. When you speak something that is married to your spirit, that’s when people are captivated. Because it sounds spontaneous.
Do not just read the content you wrote down, learn to immerse yourself in that theme you've wrote down.
Also...go to other places to immerse yourself in that specific theme your studying/writing about for a sermon. Read it online, listen to books about it. Watch videos about it.
When you immerse yourself into a theme, you become a part of that theme. When you do this, when you get up to speak....that's when you're projecting that theme naturally in your attitude, body expression and from your heart. You're not just speaking words, but once you've immersed yourself into the topic, you'll notice, the words are apart of you, that you're speaking who you are. And that's very powerful.