Training to Lead in Worship class 8

We are going to learn about preparing a lesson tonight and we will be using this for our upcoming PM service.

Ice breaker

Preparing My Lesson

Because most of you have not preached much (or at all) the thought of preaching and delivering a lesson may be intimidating.

RELAX

I would not have decided to talk about this unless I seriously thought you all could speak publicly

I have seen young men, just like you prepare and deliver their first ever lesson

Your first lesson will probably be short and simple.

They will, as time progresses get longer and more sophisticated with experience

Remember, even the greatest of preachers, at one point, delivered their first ever lesson.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Any journey in life begins with one’s first steps

Teaching and preaching are important to the growth and the health of the church.

Consider each and every opportunity to communicate Divine Truth as an honor.

Our perfect example Jesus was a preacher.

Mark 1:14–15 “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Truly, Jesus had thousands of tasks to perform while He was on earth; therefore, it is significant that He spent much of His time teaching and preaching.

As you preach God’s Word, you follow the example of Christ!

Select a subject

This is what many believe to be the most difficult step in lesson preparation.

“What am I going to say?”, this is the question asked all the time by those who have not written a lesson (and even by those who have been writing them their whole life)

Foremost, make sure your topic is biblical

Your job is not to forecast the weather, give your family history, or talk about yourself; you are to speak for GOD!

Further, select a subject that is interesting to you and will be interesting to your audience.

If you are not excited about it, your audience will not be either.

Don’t ever expect your audience to get more out of a lesson than you did.

Check to see if you can find plenty of information about the topic in order to build your lesson

You probably won’t find many books, articles, or sermons over “Teenage Girls’ Hairstyles and How It Affects Their Christianity”

But you can find many good topics from the Bible (Hey, there is a good idea!), YouTube (Gospel Broadcasting Network), and other brotherhood books (I can help them find some)

You may also ask to be assigned a topic before speaking.

In addition, talk with your parents, Bible class teachers, preachers, or friends for exciting ideas.

Choosing a subject may be difficult, but it must be done!

Research your subject

Lesson preparation requires time; do not wait until the last possible moment to begin your study.

Look up passages about your subject in concordances and Bible dictionaries.

Read several, if not all, of the scriptures that relate to your topic.

Consult the Bible, commentaries, video series (GBN), and books.

You will also want to use your brothers in Christ, ask preachers, teachers, and those who have good knowledge of the subject to get their opinion on the topic.

Remember, even after all of this, you need book, chapter, and verse for anything you say behind that pulpit.

Organize Your Material

Always keep in mind what the purpose of your lesson is.

Now ask yourself, “How can I best present my purpose?”

One basic method of presentation is:

Introduction

try to gain te attention of your audience from you first words.

Let them know what your topic is, as well as the purpose of your lesson.

Make sure your introduction will get the audience’s attention.

For example, use startling facts, Bible verses, poems, illustrations, questions, stories, hymns, etc.

Discussion

This is the body or main part of your lesson.

If you would like, 2-4 points would be great for your audience to have to think about and remember.

USE SCRIPTURE.

You are speaking for God

Use things to support what you are saying, Bible verses mainly, then facts, statistics, and definitions

Make your speech easy to understand and remember

Conclusion

Summarize your thoughts and challenge the audience

Review your points and make the audience have something they are being challenged to do.

Inform, convince, motivate

Your lesson should inform, convince, and motivate.

Present information to the audience, tell them why they should believe it, and then inspire them to actually do it.

Your goal is to persuade others.

If you can cover each of these points in your lesson, you will have done very well.

For next time, memory verse is Mark 16:16 and I need each of you to develop a 5 minute lesson over any topic.