I just received a question via text from a brother who is about to share a short word at an upcoming event. He wanted to know how I prepare when I'm sharing a word. There are many more details to talk about, but for those 5-minute times, here are my notes:
1) Pray for the people
The "burden of the word" (Mal 1:1) or the specific main word I get often comes through this. If I have no clue what to share on and I'm asking the Lord about it, the answer doesn't always come until I begin to pray for the people. More often than not, I'll be praying for the souls, and some Scripture or topic will come through that. Sometimes I already have the word, and I cannot tell when it came, but I know what I should share on. In your case, you may have a word already in your heart that has worked in you to get you to this point. Even still, you take the word and bring it to the Lord and pray for the people that will be listening.
2) Meditate and receive the word
The largest part of "the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4) is that the word first ministers to you—sometimes more thoroughly. I contemplate the burden of the word, and I'm open to the word dealing with me. I let the word work and cut "like a double-edged sword" (Heb 4:12). This can be especially painful and wonderful because we gain more of Christ this way. The word will flow out of us if the word is in us. As we have dealings with God, we become a bearer of the word. As we receive the word thoroughly, we can share the word abundantly. Sometimes my wife asks me, "Are you working on your message?" and I answer, "Not really, my message is working on me right now."
3) Follow the Spirit's leading
I'll eventually begin to go through what I'll share. I usually do this in my mind, sometimes while pacing or walking, but it can be while on a hammock, couch, chair, etc. I go through the word as if I'm speaking. I may type this out if I'm in a place full of noise, since it helps me concentrate. But I'm not trying to get every word down right the first time. I'm trying to follow the Holy Spirit as He guides me through the sharing of the word.
I'd not recommend crafting an outline from your mind. Instead, discover the outline by following the flow of the word that comes from your burden. After going through the message a few times, I usually can tell what the main basic outline is as well as some regular materials that seem to always be there. But it's flexible because the Spirit is creating more materials that may or may not be used when sharing. So by practicing, we learn both to follow the leading of the Spirit as a habit and to have some concept of what the general outline or points are that we'll be sharing. We somewhat memorize the message while holding the memory in a flexible way.
Let's say I have two big pieces to share that keep coming up: One is explaining the verse, and the other is an illustration of how it works in someone's life. As I go through this in my mind, word by word, I may spend more time explaining the verse at first, but another time I have more to share about the illustration. Then another time, I may elaborate on an exhortation at the end. When I actually get up to the mic to share, I've got 30 minutes of materials that will only become 5 or 10 minutes of sharing. As I follow the current leading with the current crowd, it seems right to elaborate more on the illustration. I may even feel shocked at how fast the teaching of the verse went, but I've been learning to be led by the Spirit and follow the flow of the word, so it works out.
4. Share with boldness (see Eph 6:19)
Be conscious of the Lord, His word, and the souls—not yourself, your message, or the approval of the people
Before going up to share, I spend some time praising and beholding the Lord. I remember the main verse that I'll be sharing from. I may quickly remember the general skeleton outline of what I'll be sharing. I may pray for the souls in the room.
I won't allow myself any thoughts of how well I'll do or what people will think. That self-consciousness will destroy the word of God. So I deny myself. I may even say, "I don't know you," like Peter did when he "denied" the Lord. Whatever I do, I send those self-thoughts to the cross, and I focus on the Lord.
As I praise Him, the boldness comes from Him. I keep my heart open to the Lord and allow Him to fill me with the burden of His word. Then I share His word with His people and look for His "well done" in the end.
5. Learning from our experiences
If there's something to learn after sharing (and there usually is), I first ask the Lord to teach me. Even if you seem to hear the Lord's "well done" after a message, there may be some small things to learn. Maybe I said "um" too many times, or didn't look anyone in the eye, or should have had that verse memorized that I was going to quote, or I kept my hands nervously in my pockets, etc. If there's someone in the room who I respect as a preacher, I may ask them for any suggestions.
I always asked Stephen Kaung, even if I had only shared for 5 minutes at a bible study. It was so helpful. He would share one thing with me at a time, typically. Sometimes he wouldn't have anything. But before I asked him, I had already asked the Lord. Brother Kaung sometimes asked me what I thought, and I would first share with him what I felt the Lord had already shown me. A few times, those were the very things he was going to point out.
What is especially needed is to look to the Lord for approval and training, even if we turn aside to a brother (or sister) for extra help. It keeps us from looking to please man.
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