Preaching is the art of communicating divine truth through human personality. A preacher is essentially a communicator. He receives truth from God and communicates it effectively to others.
God gives the revelation; man provides the presentation.
In order to do this effectively, you as a preacher
should consider the following:
1. Communion with God. The preacher must learn
how to be still in the presence of God. It is good to make
a habit of spending time in God’s presence. Set aside a
portion of each day to enter the presence of God and wait
patiently on Him. You will soon learn how to recognize the
voice of God speaking quietly to you.
Rushing into His presence with an urgency which
“needs a sermon for tomorrow” is certainly not an attitude
of a heart that can receive the wonderful
truths of God. We should allow truth
an opportunity to have its effect on us
before we endeavor to share it with
others.
2. Bible in hand. Make time to sit
quietly and patiently before God and
His Word. Ask for illumination on His
Word. Prayerfully seek out the counsel,
wisdom, and instructions of the
Lord in His Word. Spread out the
Bible before you and read it in
God’s presence.
Sometimes it is good to
follow a regular pattern of
reading, beginning where
you left off the previous day. This helps you to go consistently through the Bible
instead of reading here and there and neglecting large
portions of the Scriptures. At other times, you may seek
some prompting of the Spirit as to where you should
read. In this way, you do not get in a rut.
3. Feed your soul. Try to avoid the attitude that seeks
a word from God so that you can preach about it on Sabbath
morning. Avoid looking for spiritual bullets that you
can fire at someone. Recognize the primary need of your
own heart. Let God deal with your heart first through His
Word and by His Spirit. Let the Word wash and cleanse
you first.
It is important for you to feed your own soul. One of
the traps that a preacher can fall into is to be so intent on
finding food for the congregation that his or her spiritual
welfare is neglected. Let the Word of God take root in your
heart and spirit. Let it grow strong in your personal life
and experience. Then, when you preach, you will minister
out of experience. You will not be speaking as one with a
theory; rather, you will be sharing things which you yourself
fully comprehend and have experienced.
The Bible says, “The hard-working farmer must be
first to partake of the crops” (2 Tim. 2:6, NKJV). From
this verse, we learn that what you plant and harvest (in a
spiritual sense), you must partake of (experience) before
feeding others. You should never feed others what you
have not first eaten. You should not try to guide others
down paths and trails you have not first walked yourself.
As the Word of God becomes incarnate, you will then
become a messenger from God. You will not be one who
merely recites sermons; you will be one whose life and
lifestyle ministers, blesses, and strengthens those who
know and hear you.
