As a small boy in Sunday School in Quincy, Illinois, where I grew up, we used to sing a song: “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus.” With lyrics by William H. Parker and music by Frederick A. Challinor, singing this song always made me feel as if I had been transported to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. In case this memory from my childhood prompts a similar memory for you, then you will likely appreciate these lyrics from the first two verses of this song:

Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear;
Things I would ask Him to tell me if He were here;
Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.

First let me hear how the children stood round His knee,
And I shall fancy His blessing resting on me;
Words full of kindness, deeds full of grace,
All in the love light of Jesus’ face.

Do you remember ever singing that song? It certainly brings a smile to my face and floods my mind with many pleasant memories from those days of growing up along the western border of central Illinois.

Almost everyone likes a story. But, children particularly like stories. That’s why I’m suggesting in this Preaching Tip that when crafting their sermons, preachers would do well to use more illustrations with which children can identify.

In fact, I believe in this recommendation so much that when I went to craft my sermons for Advent this year, I used stories from the Tales of the Kingdom, the Gold Medallion Award-winning book that my wife Karen and I wrote 30 years ago and which we have just significantly updated and republished with stunning new artwork and a completely new design. We did this as a tribute to our son, Jeremy, who lost his battle with lymphoma a little more than a year ago at the age of 41.

In my latest Podcast No. 190, I talk at length about how pastors can choose more illustrations that will capture the attention of the children in a congregation. By capturing the attention of the children, a pastor will discover that he or she has simultaneously captured the attention of all the adults present, as well.

If you would like to hear how I develop and support my recommendation, I encourage you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website and listen to Podcast No. 190.

Jesus set a wise pattern when He told His disciples, as recorded in Matthew 19:14:

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

We pastors can learn from Jesus. If we use more illustrations with which children can identify, we will help all the people understand the message God wants to share with them through us.

 

 

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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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Most pastors have the opportunity to hone their preaching skills because they preach at least 45 or more times every year. In some cases, that number doubles or even triples if a particular church has multiple services.

But what if you happen to be an Associate or Assistant Pastor who only has the opportunity to preach occasionally? How can you develop the kind of excellence in preaching that you may desire?

That’s the topic of my Podcast No. 189. I encourage you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach.com website and listen to this Podcast. In the meantime, let me share with you here just a few of the comments that I made on this particular Podcast.

You see, I can actually identify with what an Associate or Assistant Pastor may feel. In my current situation—after having spent many years pastoring a church and then hosting a national radio and television broadcast—I now very seldom have the opportunity to preach. I know full well that developing and maintaining the kind of skills that will prove effective in the pulpit represents a significant challenge to those who only have the opportunity to preach occasionally.

Obviously, when you preach only occasionally, you cannot hope to change the world through your one-and-off sermon. So, you must limit your expectations. This does not mean that you don’t work as hard as you can to develop a well-thought-through Subject and an equally well-thought-through expected Response. You also must invest in creating some practical How-Tos that will help those listening to your sermon make the kind of Response you hope to have them pursue.

You also must consider How Long it will take for those hearing your sermon to begin to enflesh the truth you’ve presented and see some positive effect on their lives. And, you must also make certain to construct a Key Sentence—we sometimes call this the “Key Biblical Truth Statement”—that summarizes your chosen Subject and expected Response.

I urge those of you reading this Preaching Tip to consider that even if you only speak occasionally, God can still use you to powerfully proclaim the truth of His Word and to help the people listening to you develop proper spiritual formation. Do not minimize your role as a forth-teller of God’s truth.

Pour yourself into the task of preparing your sermon. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to the exact truth He wants you to share. Do everything you can to develop your skills as a communicator. Take full advantage of the Sermon-Coach Method of Sermon Development.

When the time comes to share what you’ve prepared, do so prayerfully, carefully, and with enthusiasm. Don’t be discouraged by the fact that you only get to preach on occasion. Rather, pursue every opportunity with the same kind of dedication you would give if you had the task of preaching every week.

I do encourage you to listen to Podcast No. 189 to hear the other suggestions that I offer. And know for certain that God will use you in a special way every time you faithfully share with His people whatever He has laid on your heart.

 

 

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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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I attended a banquet one time where the organizers had brought in a famous pastor from a well-known evangelical church to speak about the need for humility in serving Christ. It was a topic that I cared deeply about because I felt that many ministers at that time were caught up in a cult of personality that detracted from their effectiveness as servants of the Kingdom of God.

Just before the visiting pastor was to speak, one of the sponsors of the event stood up and began a rather long introduction of the guest speaker. This well-meaning individual droned on and on, sharing in great detail what the speaker had accomplished. I glanced at my watch a couple of times and noted that three, four, five, six minutes had passed.

Finally, the sponsor of the event reached a somewhat bombastic conclusion and welcomed the guest speaker to the podium. It was hard to tell whether the applause was celebrating the anticipation of what the guest speaker was going to say, or relief that the overlong introduction had finally ended.

After the applause died down, the guest speaker began in a somewhat subdued voice, “After an introduction like that, I can hardly wait to hear what I’m going to say.” As laughter swept across the room, you could feel the tension lift and the minds of the people present begin to refocus on what the speaker would share.

Introductions—introductory remarks—can suck the life out of a banquet speech and, quite sadly, can also suck the life out of a worship service. As pastors, we need to remain aware of how tedious and tasteless such introductory remarks can become. Whether the remarks occur at the beginning of a worship service, or as you begin your sermon, you must very carefully craft every introductory remark to maintain brevity and to pack truly relevant content into whatever you intend to say.

Relevance, relevance, relevance—especially when it comes to remarks before a sermon—you must not detract from the message God has given you by trying to make some tenuous connection with your listeners by way of your introductory remarks.

I have some helpful hints on how pastors should handle introductory remarks that I have shared in a recent Podcast. If you would like to hear my suggestions, I invite you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach website. Then, on the Sermon-Coach Podcast webpage, click on the link and listen to Podcast No. 188.

We pastors must pay attention to this critical part of our presentations. We must remember that it is not really our job to endear ourselves to the members of our congregation. We are Christ’s ambassadors. Whatever we do must reflect well on Jesus. The spotlight must always remain solely on Him.

 

 

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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 most important roles a minister plays in the life of his or her congregation is helping those dear people along the pathway of spiritual formation. There is no “magical solution” that will instantly take a “baby” Christian and propel him or her to the heights of spiritual maturity. So, the task facing pastors sometimes seems daunting.

Interestingly, this is no less true in our own lives as ministers. Even as one who has walked with the Lord Jesus Christ for almost all of my 78 years, I can still point to areas in my life where I must constantly look for ways to till my spiritual soil, plant new seed, watch out for those pesky encroaching weeds, and make certain I both fertilize and water the soil of my soul.

Spiritual growth is a continual, unrelenting process. It is a process in which all believers must engage if they hope to please their King. There are some strategies that can accelerate spiritual growth. We often talk about those strategies, particularly in regard to our “50-Day Spiritual Adventures.” But no “magical solution” can take someone and push him or her to the height of spiritual growth without a major investment in the kinds of spiritual disciplines that take time to develop and perfect.

Therefore, ministers cannot hope to provide proper spiritual formation for their congregations if they do not commit themselves to a constant and rigorous program of personal spiritual growth. I have quite a bit more to share with you about this important subject. To hear my remarks, I invite you to click the link on this page that will take you to my Sermon-Coach website. Then, on the Sermon-Coach Podcast webpage, click on the link and listen to Podcast No. 187.

I truly believe you will find the conversation I have with Podcast host, Dean Wilson, helpful to you, as you continue to strive to fulfill the calling God has placed on your life as one of His choice servants. And, thank you for being a part of the Sermon-Coach.com ministerial family.

 

 

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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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