A healthy growing church has good leadership and good teaching. It is well-led and well-fed. There is clear vision and change is occurring in people's lives. Teaching heats up the church’s values. It is like a rudder that steers the church in the right direction. What do you want to see happen in your church? Teach it into existence. Teaching is an important factor in church health and growth.
Preaching and communicating the message of Christ is to be a vital part of every church and ministry (see Luke 4:18. Mark 16:15. Acts 2:42. Romans 1:15. 1 Corinthians 9:16. 1 Timothy 4:13. 2 Timothy 4:1-5). Evangelist D.L. Moody once said, “The best way to revive a church is to build a fire in the pulpit!”
Our desire as ministers is to be clear communicators anointed by the Holy Spirit to impart truth that will bring godly change to people's lives. People come to church with a desire to hear a message that is both practical and relevant to their life situation. Learning to communicate better will pay off in every area of church life. Good preaching enhances your leadership skills, gains respect and credibility, and enables you to help bring about change in people's lives.
Some people have a God-given gift of teaching. How do you know if you have this gift ? I once heard Bill Hybels share five indicators that you have the teaching gift. Here they are:
- You sense a positive anticipation towards the preparation of a message and the communication experience itself.
- You enjoy the wonder of discovering truth and the creativity of working through how best to communicate it.
- You have an unusual confidence in the power of God’s Word.
- You receive regular uninvited affirmation from others after you have spoken.
- You sense a quiet affirmation of the Holy Spirit after you have spoken.
Although only some people have the gift of teaching, each one of us can learn and grow in our ability to speak well. Preaching and teaching are gifts but they can be developed. You can preach, enjoy doing it, and do it well by blessing people through your message. Keep learning and improve your God-given abilities. Presidents have speaking coaches. Speaking is not a natural skill yet doing it right is important and essential to our success as a minister.
Tomorrow we’ll look at Jesus as our model for communicating in such a way as to help change people’s lives.
[Part 2]