Preaching with Purpose
BY REV J.S. WILLOUGHBY
1. Prayer -A minister that is not given to prayer cannot be effective in the ministry. The prayer life of a minister needs to be more than a “now I lay me down to sleep,” or a “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food” variety.
A minister needs a kind of saturation prayer that leaves him bathed in the presence of a holy God! With a dynamic prayer life, he will find himself cloaked with an anointing that breaks the yoke, undoes heavy burdens and brings a word of deliverance to those bound by sin.
A minister must be more prayerful than the people he is preaching to. It is imperative that a preacher hears from God.
A message needs a purpose and a point. These only come from prayer. Prayer will identify your purpose and from that purpose you will find your focus.
2. Principle -The dictionary defines principle as “a rule or standard of personal conduct; moral or ethical standards or judgments.”We must have some principles that we stand by and that guide us and cannot be compromised or bought. I’m not talking about things that are imposed on us, but principles that we hold ourselves to. Values for which we would lay down our lives, rather than surrender. Concepts like faith, justice, equity, discretion and honor to name a few are precious. It has been said by one wise man, “Lives and works directed by principle ALWAYS work!”
3. Purity -The old adage, “practice what you preach!” has never been more relevant than it is today. We must constantly be striving to model our message. Nothing will kill your message quicker than hitting a point that you know, or your audience knows you don’t live. Purity will tolerate no pretensions. You either are or you are not. EVANGELISTIC preaching will not make the cut in holy places. My pastor used to tell us, “What you are with the doors locked and the blinds drawn, is what you really are.”
4. Presence -by that I mean your bearing; or the quality of self-assurance and confidence with which you present yourself to your
hearers. I don’t mean cockiness or arrogance! But there is an anointing that doesn’t come from study, or what you know in your head, or even your heart. But when your spirit radiates the presence of God that only comes from the prayer closet and a life lived in relationship with Him; people can tell. And you just know. You may not even understand how you know, but you do.
Competence is another important factor in your presence. That is the demonstrated ability to get the job done. Find a place of prayer and study, and stay there until you find the key that will break the barrier, loose the flow of the Spirit and bring them to the altar! You must achieve and maintain the competence to structure your remarks in an intelligent manner. You can only go so far on wind and fire. In the end, you will have to have said something worth hearing, and have said it in a way that people can understand it, AND ACT ON IT. They need to know what you want them to do.
5. Passion- If I could only impart one understanding or quality to the hearers of my simple ministry in a lifetime of preaching and teaching, it would be PASSION. It would not be doctrine as important as that is, or theology, or holiness, or even practical Christian living. But I would give to you a passion for God and His purpose.
For without passion your doctrine becomes nothing but empty rhetoric, your theology lifeless, your holiness a practice in social elitism, and your so-called righteousness just a sham and pretense. But if you can find passion for the living God and His purpose in the earth, you will find all the rest. As surely as a mountain stream finds the ocean, nothing will keep you from your destiny. Preach the Word brethren!
THE BABOVE MATERIAL WAS REPRINTED FROM THE ALABAMA DISTRICT NEWS, AND PUBLISHED BY THE APOSTOLIC ACCENT, PAGE 5, 2004.
THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY & RESEARCH PURPOESES ONLY.
