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PASTOR GENERAL
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S REPORT, NOVEMBER 16, 1984
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4. D0n
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t stray from established Church doctrine into your own specula
tion, pet ideas, thoughts or theories.
This mistake is a form of
vanity--the kind of vanity that led Lucifer to believe that his ideas
apart from God had some special merit or value. There are plenty of
topics you can and should cover that God has made absolutely clear to
His Church. Getting into your own pet theories in sermons will only
serve to undermine the congregation
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s respect for you. God has set
you there to be � faithful reflection of His apostle, Mr. Herbert W.
Armstrong, as God's ministers in Paul's day reflected his teaching (II
Tim. 2:2).
5. Consider your audience. Carefully consider through prayer how best to
help your congregation to understand and benefit spiritually from the
subject you will be speaking on. Ask God to lead you to have the right
kind of loving, concerned approach most effective for them.
6. As I mentioned in the Refresher, plan the year's sermon and Bible
study subjects in advance. This will help you to make sure that you
are not omitting any area of major importance, and will also help you
to keep a record of what you've covered from year to year. Be flexible
enough to juggle or revise your plan when necessary.
7. Don't forget the mechanics of speaking. The principles in the Spokes
man Club manual apply to sermons, too: a good introduction to arouse
attention and interest; a clear SPS; main points of the body clearly
defined, logically developed and properly emphasized, with easy-to
follow transitions; and a logical conclusion with an appeal to action.
Keep these basics in mind while preparing your messages. It would be a
good idea to review the Spokesman Club manual with your sermons in
mind.
8. Keep striving for excellence in grammar and pronunciation. Don't let
yourself grow lax in overcoming habitual grammatical errors, mispro
nunciations and diction problems.
9. Your personal example is of utmost importance. What you are speaks
louder than what you say. The impact of your messages largely depends
upon the example that you and your family set as Christians. Part of
your ministry is the example you set in your marriage, your childrear
ing, your conversation, your personal manner, your forms of entertain
ment, etc.
10. Most important, let God do it! Seek God's help. Trust and rely on
Him. Ask God for His Spirit, His mind, His thoughts, His views. Real
ize you are not equipped nor qualified to teach God's people--but He
is! And He will give you what you need, if you acknowledge your need
to Him and submit to Him. Never begin the preparation or delivery of a
sermon or Bible study without first seeking God for His help and in
spiration.
Don't ever forget that God resists the proud and gives
grace to the humble. I think we're all aware that when a man begins to
think he can preach to God's people without actively and diligently
seeking God's help, he is in deep spiritual trouble!
Should there be a fourth Ministerial Refreshing Program, we hope to go into
more detail on planning, preparation and delivery of sermons and Bible
studies.