1. Be sincere, not hypocritical

2. Be yourself, not someone else

1. Bathe your message in prayer

2. Be walking with the Lord

"Purity in your life will give power to your message."

3. Make sure you have applied the message to yourself before you preach it to others.

4. Yield to the Spirit's control so that you will have boldness and power.

1. Preach each sermon as if it were the last one you would ever preach, or as if it were the last message someone in your audience will ever hear. It very well may be.

2. Zeal in preaching comes from:

-- A love for God, His truth, and His righteousness
-- A love for those you preach to
-- A burdened heart

1. Be loud enough to be heard (but not too loud)

2. Your volume should be determined by your:

a. Audience

Ask: Who is here?
(older people tend to be hard of hearing)

Ask: How many are here?
(the size of the crowd will determine your volume)

b. Atmosphere

Consider the following:

-- The acoustics
-- The building size
-- The background noise
-- The "PA system" (the condition of the microphones, amplifiers, etc.)

1. Your vocabulary should be simple

2. Your delivery should flow

Tips to help you follow your sermon outline -

a. Type it - Generally sloppy preparation will evidence itself in a sloppy presentation.

b. Highlight main points

-- Use a florescent highlight marker
-- Underline
-- Circle or draw boxes around main points
-- Use stars and arrows to draw attention to key ideas.

c. Memorize your main points and overall thrust of message

d. Practice your sermon (preach it in a quiet place)

* As you become more accustomed to preaching, you can substitute the oral practicing of your sermon with meditation on it.

NOTE: This is primarily the job of the Holy Spirit. However, there are several "common sense" tips to help your presentation be interesting.

You can create interest by following these suggestions.

Interest is created by:

-- Your voice
-- Your eyes
-- Your gestures

1. Your voice

a. Your voice should have variety
1) Variety in volume

2) Variety in speed

-- A slow rate of speed conveys seriousness, wonder, reverence,
deep thought, etc.

-- A fast rate of speed conveys joy, excitement, urgency

Use the "Dramatic Pause"
(it helps your audience to think and builds suspense).

3) Variety in pitch
(Beware of being a monotone)

-- Low pitch - more pleasing to ears than high pitch; hence it can put people to sleep if prolonged and monotone.

b. Your voice should be pleasant in quality.

Unpleasant voices are:

1) Nasal - sounds "sneaky"
2) Breathy - sounds "feminine" or "tense"
3) Hoarse - sounds "gravelly"

2. Your Eyes

You should have good eye contact

a. You communicate more through your eyes than you realize.

b. Good eye contact makes your message personal

[Don't be glued to your notes!]

3. Your Gestures

a. Movements must complement and reinforce the verbal communication of the speaker.

b. Movement may involve the whole body.

1) Posture and approach to the pulpit
2) Shifting weight (for emphasis)
3) Moving forward or backward
4) Lateral movement

c. Movement involves gestures

1) The value of gestures
a) They increase energy in delivery
b) They dissipate nervous energy
c) They stimulate attention

2) Types of gestures

a) Conventional (Hands and arms)
(1) Pointing with finger (to show direction - Don't point at someone in congregation)

(2) Giving or receiving (with your hands out and palms up)

(3) Rejection (palms out, pushing away)

(4) Anger and determination (clenched fist)

b) Descriptive

(1) Acting out (imitation of what you are emphasizing)

(2) Facial expression

3) Characteristics of good gestures

a) They are natural (relaxed and smooth - not jerky and mechanical)
b) They are energetic (not limp and apathetic)
c) They are definite (purposeful - not habitual, irritable, idiosyncrasies)
d) They are well-timed (correspond to point being made)
e) They are visible (above the pulpit - where people can see you)
f) They are varied (not the same gestures all the time)

1. Be aware of your personal appearance

You should be neat, clean, and appropriately dressed.

2. Be aware of your grammar and vocabulary

a. Grammar

You will never drive anyone away with proper grammar; however, you may without it.

1) Use correct verb tenses -
2) Use correct pronouns -
3) Use correct pronunciation -

b. Vocabulary

1) Expand it, but not beyond your people
(use synonyms to explain certain words).

2) Avoid using slang terms