“Listen closely; I don’t want to have to repeat this!”

Have you ever said that to someone? Has someone ever said words like that to you? The truth is that most of us need to be told certain things any number of times before we actually start to make the concepts our own.

My belief is that in the spiritual-learning process, repetition is quite important. Said differently, one sermon on a basic topic, such as learning to love in a Christ-like fashion, isn’t picked up by all your people just because you once said it forcefully several months ago in a sermon.

How many times did Jesus have to repeat lessons, like learning servanthood, to His Twelve?

As basic a Christian truth as doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, isn’t generally mastered after hearing it for the first time … or the tenth time … or even the hundredth time.

All this is to say that many elementary Christian truths need to be repeated over and over before they’re caught.

So, if as a pastor you feel like you have “nothing new” to say to your people this coming weekend, maybe it’s time to repeat something you’ve said before.

I mean, in the spiritual-learning process, repetition is important!

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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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Will what you preach this Sunday make a difference in anyone’s life? If so, who might that someone be? Here’s another way of me asking that same question. What kind of person will you have in mind when you prepare your upcoming sermon?

• A visitor to the church
• A jr-high student
• A widow whose husband was killed in the Middle East
• A senior citizen
• Someone just served divorce papers
• A middle-aged businessperson

I understand that you don’t always know who will be listening to you. But my belief is that instead of “just preparing another sermon for the congregation,” it helps to picture the kind of individual(s) you prayerfully hope will be hearing what you have to say on Jesus’ behalf.

So who do you want to be there listening to Jesus speak through you, and what does your Lord want that person to hear?

Personalizing the preaching-preparation process can breathe new life into a task that can sometimes get too repetitious.

Recently I attended church with a gentleman with several advanced degrees who had been out of work for several months. Though the minister didn’t know he would be there, I felt like his sermon had been prepared precisely for him.

Amazing! I trust that someone will feel that way about your message this coming weekend.

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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.

Share and Enjoy