All throughout my many years as a minister, I have had a deep longing in my heart to experience another great outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit. I have read countless accounts of such great movements of God in our nation and around the world. Authors such as the late J. Edwin Orr have chronicled how God’s mighty power has swept across a land in a great spiritual revival.

On more than one occasion, I have been accused of being a “Johnny-One-Note.” By persistently calling for people to pray that God would send a revival, some have sincerely urged me to change my “tune” to something that requires less intensity and less commitment on the part of those listening to my message. But, I simply can’t do that.

Perhaps you are one who joins me in longing to see that power of God manifested in and through His people in a great, sweeping revival. If so, then, like me, you long for the people hearing your sermons to be motivated to join with you in praying for such a revival to occur.

The question you and I face: “How can we help the people listening to us capture the vision of a revival?” What is the best way to help our listeners see the overwhelming benefit that revival brings to a people and even to a nation?

I think I know the answer. As ministers, we need to give our listeners a clear picture of what a revival looks like and what happens before, during, and after a revival occurs.

What I’m suggesting can be stated in this sentence: “Parishioners can better identify with a minister’s burden for revival when they are helped to picture what it would look like.”

In order to do this, you must first have a clear understanding of what takes place when a revival sweeps through a church, a region, or a nation. I have summarized some very concrete suggestions that I believe will help you create this picture for your listeners. You can listen to these suggestions by clicking the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website and then choose to listen to Podcast No. 185.

I sincerely believe that my suggestions will prove quite valuable in helping you fulfill your pastoral role of “motivator”—the one who plants the seed of revival in the hearts and minds of your people.

 

 

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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Unless you are an extraordinarily laid back individual—one who seldom feels any pressure—you likely find yourself caught in a constant struggle being pulled this way and that during virtually every day of your pastoral ministry.

On the one hand, you feel challenged to continually provide your parishioners with a new and fresh sermon each week. You want your people to hear from God in a way that will motivate them to follow Him with more intentional devotion.

On the other hand, you also want to make certain that the focus of your ministry properly offers your congregants the opportunity to build a solid foundation of spiritual formation, one that will see them through both the really good times and the really bad times of life.

Many times you feel almost exhausted by the demands on your time and the amount of pressure placed on your God-given talents and abilities. You may wish that you had some trusted people on whom you could rely for fresh ideas and support.

Actually, such a group of “Aarons” and “Hurs” exist. Do you remember that story from Exodus 17:10-13:

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

The truth is that there are people in your congregation who will gladly partner with you to find new and creative ways of proclaiming God’s truth. These same people can also give you insight into the kinds of problems they must face in their everyday world—a world that is very likely quite different from your world as a minister of the Gospel.

I urge you to tap into that resource. Overcome your hesitancy and even fear about seeking help from those to whom you minster. You will find them open and willing, even eager, to help you.

If you would like to hear me talk more about this ministry-changing concept, I invite you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website and listen to Podcast No. 184. I have some very practical solutions that will help you reach out to your people and draw them into a mutually encouraging relationship.

 

 

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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We pastors tend to fall into a distinct pattern in our spoken ministry. We seek the leading of the Holy Spirit to determine what God would like us to share with the people He has placed under our care. Then, we study diligently the Scriptural text that supports the message God has laid on our hearts. We try to find the right illustrations to breathe life into our sermons.

Once we’ve done our best to craft a sermon that will hold the attention of our congregations and communicate God’s truth in as effective a way as possible, we practice delivering that sermon so that we can marshal all the skills God has given us to share His message in a life-transforming way.

Finally, at the appropriate time in the worship service, we take our place and deliver our sermon. Maybe we use some visual aids. But mostly, we essentially lecture. We may occasionally try to elicit some verbal response from the congregation, but mostly we lecture.

Have you ever thought about the fact that it might be helpful to consider using some other forms of verbal communication than strictly lecture? Over the years of my ministry, both in the pastorate and on radio and television, I have learned that I can hold people’s attention much more readily if I use something other than a strict lecture.

For example, by having someone present with me and engaging that person in a dialogue, I can often create a learning environment that draws those watching or listening into the very heart of what I want to communicate. My wife, Karen, and I have used this technique frequently. The change in voices, the differences in our approach to the same subject, the liveliness that often springs from our exchanges—all of these factors help connect the particular “audience” to the centrality of God’s message we want to share.

As you continue to minster to your congregation week by week, think about exploring the use of other ways to communicate the truth of God’s Word apart from strictly lecturing. Not only will you find that variety does, indeed, add some spice to your presentation, those listening to you will feel more energized by what you intend to communicate and, thus, more willing to accept your suggestions for a deeper spiritual formation.

If you would like to hear more about this subject and, particularly, hear me talk about some alternatives to lecture, I invite you to click on the link on this page that will take you to our Sermon-Coach website where you will be able to listen to Sermon-Coach Podcast No. 183.

After all, God has called us to minister to His people. He wants us to use every gift He has given us to share in an effective way the message He has for those He loves.

 

 

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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One of the biggest daily challenges facing pastors is how to set priorities for each day. Oh yes, I know that some lay people think their pastor has a fairly easy job—after all, he or she really only has to work for one hour on Sunday, right?

We who labor in ministry know better. Every day seems filled with an ever-rotating set of demands on our time. While a person outside the ministry might think we have lots of time to study God’s Word, to pray, and to think about ways to encourage those in our congregations to grow in their walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, the truth is we often have to fight hard to find time to do even rudimentary Bible study and prayer.

Years ago, someone gave me a cartoon that shows a business man sitting at a large oak desk. In front of him is about one hundred small pieces of equal-sized paper arranged in very neat rows and columns. The caption reads, “I just can’t seem to get anything done if I don’t make a little note.” I often thought that one stiff breeze would turn this man’s world upside down. I wonder, as he looks at all those little notes, if he even knows where to begin in order to prioritize his day.

It’s important for pastors to learn how to set priorities. It’s equally important to understand that the very method used to set priorities will vary greatly from pastor to pastor. God has uniquely gifted each one of us. He has given us particular styles of problem solving. What may work very well for me, might just tie you up in knots.

The best I can do for you in this regard is to urge you to find a way that works for you to set priorities for each of your days. I would suggest you do this first thing in the morning by allowing God to give you specific guidance for the day that lies ahead. Take the time to make a brief, written map for your day. Recognize that at any time God might bring something new into your day that will totally disrupt your plan. But by making an effort to set a plan for your day, you will at least know the tasks that you should tackle first. This kind of planning will reap the reward of giving you more control over the time in each of your days.

If you would like to listen to me share more about this subject of “Setting Priorities,” I invite you to listen to the Sermon-Coach.com Podcast for this week. It’s Podcast No. 182. You may listen by clicking on the link you will find on this page.

God has a unique plan for each of our days. He will certainly honor our attempts to do our best to use the time He has given us as wisely as possible.

 

 

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Please click here to visit David Mains’ Sermon-Coach.com website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Please click here.

 

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