Confidence in Preaching

welcome to my class I've been asked to speak on the subject of confidence in preaching and of course we understand what's meant by this phrase that when you stand In a Pulpit to preach God's word your demeanor how you present yourself is very important and of course if you're nervous and that comes through that can Hinder the presentation of God's word it's important because preaching is this Synergy this this partnership between the human and the Divine between us as men and women of God and the spirit of God which makes the word of God alive but it's this it's it's this Human Side that we want to talk about today both of those aspects of course are very important in fact they're vital but as human beings presenting proclaiming the gospel to other human beings we cannot ignore the factors of that human side that make preaching either effective or not in his book you are the message Roger Isles insists that when we engage another individual or an audience or a congregation that we have about seven seconds to convince them that we have something to say of value that we will gain there attention they're caring to listen to us or lose it all within that seven seconds if if you think about it you have to realize he's probably right no matter where you are around a restaurant table in the display area General Conference at a seminar at church everyone subconsciously and very quickly does the math when they're approached by a person or even when we stand In a Pulpit they're deciding whether this person has something to say that I need to or want to listen to their decision is based on many shadowy um factors there's no one thing it's it's like the mixture of all of these inputs that help them decide whether to look over your shoulder through the crowd at General Conference see if there's someone more important or someone more interesting so they can get rid of you quick enough they can get to them before they get out of the display area but what people look at is us is the physical appearance how we say things how how we've interacted with them in the past are we aboard are we are we knowledgeable is there something interesting that we usually bring to the table and all of that creates this reaction it's gut level it's it's not in their mind but it causes them to either give you attention or not when you preach when you stand In a Pulpit I believe a Pentecostal congregation will give you more than seven seconds but probably not a whole lot more they'll give you a chance because they came to church to hear good preaching they came to church to be challenged they came to church to be encouraged and so they're rooting for you they want you to be effective and so they're willing to cut some slack but they'll give you that chance and for no other reason so they're not about to be bored to death for the next 30 minutes but they won't give you much more than that seven seconds they'll decide very quickly whether you have something worth their time now how do we how do we convince them in those first few seconds in fact before we ever stepped in the Pulpit well we began to gain their attention by our appearance even before we walk in the Pulpit how we're dressed our demeanor do we worship do we stand there like a statue all of this signals the congregation about you and what you have to say and whether it will be worth their while to listen to if all they see is someone scared almost to death you probably failed before you've even started what you should do is you should project a quiet confidence avoid arrogance avoid Showmanship slick salesmanship that toothy grin put that on the Shelf when you've been introduced walk to the pulpit in a firm and friendly voice Express Thanks for the introduction you've just received for the invitation to preach in that Pulpit say something nice about the pastor the congregation that the church the hospitality and then begin your sermon it's important that you do so with a sense of confidence not Cockiness but confidence this projects that I'm about to say some things that are important for you to hear so where do we get confidence now I know that I'm mostly speaking to younger preachers beginning preachers but I have to tell you that confidence comes from experience it an experience of course comes over time it comes from preaching it comes from being in the Pulpit comes from being in front of crowds it comes from preaching to congregations large and small it comes from from feeling like you you've got to cross what God had laid on your heart and then sometimes it's just an uphill battle and it's just not quite there all of these make up the experience that creates confidence so relax accept where you are in this season of your ministry preach your best each time you're asked to be in a Pulpit confidence will grow it will come over time but now I don't mean to say there aren't things you can do right now to increase your confidence and create this aura that God has laid something on your heart and something you're going to share with the congregation the first thing you can do is understand where nervousness comes from when you step up there with sweat pouring down your face and your hands shaking so bad you can hardly hold on to your Bible when you almost stumble getting to the pulpit and your voice comes out more of a croak than a melodious sound it comes from somewhere.

where does it come from we call it stage fright you call it by a lot of names but nervousness comes from Fear it's born in fear it's rooted in fear now what are you afraid of some people say I'm afraid of crowds well that's not I think uh true at all I think the fear that produces nervousness is the fear of failure we fear failing we fear that as we preach nothing happens we fear that when we get done and give an altar call no one comes we fear that we'll get confused maybe say the wrong thing maybe misquote a scripture maybe maybe the sermon isn't isn't as effective as I dreamed it was in my study We Fear failing now now let me tell you something about fearing failure failure is part of effort any effort No One never fails that doesn't happen if a baseball player at the plane if he only fails half the time he will make the Hall of Fame as a shoe in if a football quarterback only fails once out of every four passes he will be among the best to have ever played the game we fear not because fear is normal part of life but we fear failure because we don't want to be embarrassed because we don't want to be thought less of and we certainly don't want to be pitied for someone to feel sorry for us so those fears move around in our head and in our hearts and we respond to them by being nervous when we step into the pulpit now I have to tell you that fear of failure that fear of not wanting to be embarrassed not wanting to be thought less of is rooted in human ego we can use the Biblical word pride because it fits but the bottom line is simply this nervousness is the result of focusing on ourselves it's when we're the protagonist of the story when we're the star of the show when it's about us then the fear of failure takes front and center but at some point in your ministry and I don't know when it'll be I don't know how long it'll take but at some point in your ministry your focus will change when you think of stepping in the Pulpit when you think of preaching God's word you won't be thinking about yourself you won't be worried about proving something you won't be worried about the next invitation you won't be worried about how will this come across because you're not in the equation now I don't mean we never worry about wanting to do our best of giving what God gave us in an effective way that's not what I'm saying but this fear of failure begins to fade when it becomes more about those who hear us than it is about us when their needs their hunger what what they desperately need to receive from God becomes foremost in our mind than that nervousness begins to fade because the fear of failure begins to fade.

now maybe the most important thing you can do now to deal with building confidence in the pulpit in preaching is to be prepared everyone the old saying is either learns to plant in the spring or starve in the fall in other words when you get ready for walking in the Pulpit it does more than just then then just give you a better sermon prevent you from wandering off in some in some Rabbit Trail what it does it frees you from this fear because you have taken the time and expended the energy to be ready when you walk in that pulpit it was Charles Lindbergh who said preparation precedes power and that's not that's true I think in no other Arena as as much as it is in preaching an unprepared preacher is a powerless preacher now I'm fully aware that on occasion from time to time a trend develops even among Apostolic preachers that discounts preparation that minimizes spending time in the study it it's somehow equates preparation and study as carnal that to be prepared is to be unable to respond to the spirit I hear it sometimes manifested and things as simple as whether you have notes or no notes and those are immaterial they don't really matter if you're prepared that that's that's a side issue but to think that being prepared spending time studying the scripture and building an effective sermon is somehow carnal and it actually stands in the way of the spirit that's not been my experience at all in fact for me at least I think the opposite's true it's when I'm not well prepared when I'm when I step in the pulpit and I am frantically searching for the next words and doing my best to try to remember my next point and how did I how do I transition from this to this how do I keep their attention how I'm so focused on the mechanics that I can preach right through the move of the spirit so for me to be prepared to be ready actually liberates me to follow the Holy Ghost because I know what's next and if God intervenes and I move with the spirit I I'm I'm still aware that I don't have to be afraid if it doesn't go like I thought that I can't find where I need to be in the next part of the service I'm prepared and so for me preparation not only does away with the fear which produces nervousness but it literally frees me to follow the Holy Ghost to step in the Pulpit unprepared in my opinion is the most inexcusable behavior for a preacher don't accept second best in yourself always be prepared it's not just about being fluent it's it's about dealing with the nervousness and creating a sense of confidence that emanates because you are confident because you're well prepared preparation begins with the with lifestyle not not just in the study and not just writing your your sermon notes no preparation begins and how you live your life I just want to mention something very quickly preachers should be readers I know reading is falling out of favor it seems in the American culture and Americans seem to be getting information more from from videos and documentaries and things of that nature that that's not the issue the issue is when we're not readers we miss out on a whole world that pays dividends when we step in the Pulpit reading isn't just about gaining knowledge about the subject covered in the book or in the article reading expands your vocabulary reading teaches you effective ways to connect words it shows you how to choose the right word the right syntax how to put an idea into words that are readily understood and followed reading is the best way to develop a skill for sentence structure as well as developing an ear for rhythm and Cadence in words when you read good writers when you read good material particularly the word of God you affect how you think as well as how you speak when when we think of preaching uh preachers being readers we remember that reading develops the mind some people consider the mind they compare it to a muscle it's probably not but they think of it in those terms if you don't exercise it grows weaker has less stamina our ability to think and to communicate suffers the better we think the better we can explain this is vital for communicating the word of God reading develops the imagination making the scriptures relative to people we've never had their experience but our imaginations have been sparked by others experiences creates an empathy that comes through when we preach reading connects you to The Human Experience each of us can only live one life but we can take part we can join in many many other lives through Reading and we can experience things we've never lived through but through Reading we can connect with them.

secondly preachers should be Bible scholars filling our sermons with the truth of God's word not only affects the hearers it affects us God's word has power there is power in it because it's the word of God and that power that power comes through when we're comfortable with God's word when we're comfortable with its language and we're comfortable with its Concepts when a Doctrine isn't something that we have a vague understanding of but we have it down cold something communicates that when we step into the pulpit when we're not fearful that we'll miss some important aspect or idea when we know that we have spent a lifetime in God's word that we know what we're talking about and that means studying God's word reading God's word getting into the depth of God's word showing ourselves to be workmen that needeth not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of Truth when we do that we create a confidence that is based in something Beyond ourselves it's based in the word of God we should be Bible scholars we should learn to effectively build sermons I'm talking about The Human Side here that Human Side people hear and respond in human ways and we can understand those ways because we're human ourselves but if we study how sermons are built how they're put together this is verbal communication if they zone out they can't go back four or five pages and pick up where they quit listening to themselves read if if they if you lose them you'll probably never get them so clear concise logically flowing ideas transitions that hold the attention illustrations that bring people into the message all of these are techniques that can be learned their skills that can be acquired and we should do our best to work hard and learn how to build good sermons.

and of course there is the spiritual side preaching is not just a human activity it isn't just what happens in your study it isn't just from a lifetime of reading it isn't just from a lifetime of studying the word of God there is the moment that context that sermon that service where the flow of God's presence is vital without the spirit the word's dead it doesn't matter how well put together it doesn't matter how How Deeply it dives into the word the spirit makes it alive and with out the spirit preaching is simply public speaking so you must prepare spiritually be real be a Christian don't live a secret life don't be something other than you publicly present be the real deal have a walk with God know him not just about him but know him bathe your preaching in prayer make the time at the altar match the time at the desk make sure that you're in tune with the flow of the Holy Spirit when you walk to a Pulpit and you're prepared mentally and you're prepared spiritually when you've spent the time to build a good sermon led by God to preach it through the unction of the Holy Ghost then there's no reason to be nervous confidence isn't something you just pull off it's something that's real that you build into your life and it is vital to good preaching so prepare well know what you're going to say respond to the Holy Ghost and you'll have power in your preaching and you will preach with confidence thank you for being part of the class today I hope that you were blessed.