They Spoke so Effectively Developing Impacting Worship Segments By Rolan Monje March 2007

Theme verse Acts 14.1 …they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed At Iconium, the apostles preached in such an effective manner that many responded!

Can you imagine if we spoke effectively in our worship services? Can you imagine the impact on listeners?

Questions What are some of our fears about public speaking? What are some mistakes we’ve made in preaching? What are some things we want to improve in our preaching?

Why do we need to be effective? Because we need to do justice to Scripture Because need to be pointed to the Word Because for some, it may be their only time to hear the Word

Effectiveness comes from consistency, and consistency comes from our personal times with God

The UIO attitude (Col 3:16) for building consistency Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…. Ang mga salita ni Cristo ay itanim ninyong mabuti sa inyong isip… upreach inreach outreach

On Service Segments Remember that all parts of the service require speech We need to think about how effectively we deliver these segments

Services in the early church? What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two--or at the most three--should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. -1 Co

Notes from 1 Co There must be order in group worship All must be done for the strengthening of the church

Services in the early church? The Bible and historical study provide evidence that the early church had very simple and flexible worship services. To be sure, Scripture tells us that there was singing and preaching of the word. Many details are not given, and we granted much latitude for our own worship settings.

Usual Speaking Service Segments (ICOC) Welcome Opening Prayer Communion Charge Benevolence Introduction of Guest Speaker Message/Sermon (beyond scope of this workshop) Response Announcements

General rules Pray a lot before speaking Clear your heart (or confess) before speaking Pray immediately before speaking Practice reading the verse aloud Read the verse powerfully Speak in conversational tone, slightly more formal Stick within your allotted time Strive to be dynamic

Reading biblical passages in public Verify that it is the correct passage Mention the reference (book, chapter, and verse) twice so people can follow If possible, hold up the Bible in your hand Modulate your voice Read at a pace that is slower than usual Take note of emphases in the text

Purpose of the Welcome To create a family atmosphere To help people relax To point people to God

Tips for a great welcome Have a great QT that morning Walk confidently to the stage Smile a big smile Practice reading the Scripture Suggested time: less than 3 mins Prayer should focus on God; suggested to be ~60% adoration

Purpose of communion To focus people on the Cross To foster gratitude for God’s grace Not to Create feelings of guilt Coerce confession of sin

Tips for a great communion message Pray for wisdom and conviction Focus on just one verse (possibly two if really needed) Be able to summarize your whole message into just one sentence Exude seriousness with gratitude Suggested length: 5-8 mins

Choosing a communion verse Many communion passages are overused. Why not try using these? Passages about God Passages about the Passion (Jesus’ suffering and death), from both gospels and non-gospels Passages about grace (OT and NT)

Purpose of benevolence To create family by sharing To encourage people to think of other people’s needs Not to Convict people of selfishness Collect money for church operations

Tips for a great benevolence charge Pray for wisdom and conviction Focus on just one verse (possibly two if really needed) Be able to summarize your whole message into just one sentence Suggested length: 3-6 mins Remember that this is a function of being family; the church is a family

Choosing a benevolence verse Passages about God’s character That God is giving That God thinks about needs That God… Passages about the church as family Passages about mercy Passages about being family

Delivering a great sermon Requires training and skill Beyond the scope of this presentation Please visit to view the 3 Powerpoint presentations from the MMCC Preaching Workshopwww.addtoyourlearning.com

Purpose of introductions To prepare people’s minds to listen To encourage attention & response To give some info about the speaker (acting as a bridge)

Tips for introducing a guest speaker Do your research early Include a personal comment or two Do not say anything negative about the guest speaker Keep it to 3 mins or less

Tips for responding to a sermon Be positive Do not say anything negative about the guest speaker or the sermon Focus on a few important points Do not repeat the whole lesson Keep it to 3 mins or less

Purpose of announcements To give announcements To motivate action To call the attention of those concerned

Homework Review the notes from this slideshow Do a Scripture search for passages, for each of the service segments Next session: Practicing various parts of the Sunday service

Thank you for coming! Developing Impacting Worship Segments By Rolan Monje