by la mumar

i have been preaching for almost 10 years. i still remember the first time ptr ferdie gave me that opportunity. it was a disaster! so i decided to blog about some of the lessons i learned these past 10 years and hopefully you will never copy them.

so here goes… “how to lose a guy or girl in ten ways” (while preaching):

1. not having a “take home message” – you must be able to summarize your preaching in one sentence … what is the take home message? (try asking your leaders, if they got your point… if they can’t summarize it in a sentence chances are the other listeners were lost.)

2. not bible based – this is not some talk show wherein we express our opinions. great preachings are usually based on the bible. try it. it works!!! (seems elementary, yet at times we forget)

3. not using “explanation – illustration- application ” – a healthy balance of these will spice up your sermon

4. not reading and researching- ever heard of preachers who always share the same story… that simply means he/she is not prepared. not reading and researching (internet, writing personal stories in a notebook, reading different kind of books) will bore your listeners

5. not avoiding personal illustrations – personal stories are encouraging , but overuse will make you sound like you are boasting. if you are using yourself as an illustration, you can choose to talk about a funny experience or just make fun of yourself

6. not being “kontra tiempo “- as a new preacher, i always shouted, was always hyper (i think i got that from my mom) , but just like basketball i had to learn to change tempo. sometimes loud sometimes soft. sometimes slow sometimes fast. this will keep you from being monotonous.

7. not using visual aids – this generation loves to multi-task. a talking person is not enough. get an object lesson, nice powerpoint, nice videos. remember to keep the message of the Word, but be creative in presenting it.

8. not condemning but convicting- always speak the truth but make sure you add love. the overall feeling a listener must feel is “i’m a sinner, i need to get close to God” instead of “shucks, i’m a sinner. i’m hopeless.”

9. not being yourself- i tried to be pastor steve, ferdie, rico and joey to name a few… it didn’t work!!! why? cause im l.a. God created me this way. i’m going to talk and present the scriptures the same way i do when i’m talking to my friend (besides people will know if you are being natural or fake. tip –they prefer natural.)

10. not Christ-centered… not preacher-centered, not gimmick-centered nor joke-centered but simply Christ-centered. hopefully, as we preach, people will know and love Christ more. that’s the end goal, right?

happy preaching!!!

la mumar is the director of encm philippines, a pastor at vcf fort, husband to macy and father of lorenzo.

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