Every message should lift up Jesus and point people to the Savior.

Jesus said, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” (John 12:32 NLT)

The cross is the focal point of all our communication.  It brings the true need of man into the message, and the power of God to meet that need.

To have an eternal impact, Jesus must be exalted in any message – no matter the subject, or how practical it is.

Stovall

In the church, so much emphasis is placed on excellence, but not enough emphasis is placed on balance.

If our drive to succeed and do things right is not tempered with relational filters and contentment, we will become unhealthy and miss the God opportunities for that season.

Excellence is doing the best and making the most with what you have.  Balance is making sure relationships, contentment, thankfulness and margin remain priorities in our life and ministry as we pursue excellence.

Let’s make sure we have both excellence and balance.

Stovall

Every message should start with these 2 questions…

• What does God want me TO SAY? Followed by,
• What do I want my listeners TO DO?

Every good communicator preaches for a response. So, after you’ve prayed and thought through what God wants you to preach about, then ask yourself the question:

What do I want my audience to do as a result of this message?

What is the action step you want them to take? As you prepare any message, make sure you are clearly leading people towards that action step.

Stovall

One of the most powerful secrets of studying for a message is to NOT study for just that message. Let me explain:

• Study for your message but also study the Bible as a whole, daily. I believe that as ministers of the Word we should consistently and systematically study the Bible from cover to cover.
• It is the power of that cumulative study over days, months and years that gives us understanding, anointing and power in our messages as we mature. So when we preach a message there is a greater depth in what we are saying and a broader spectrum of understanding behind it.
• I have found that the preachers and communicators that continue to get better and grow in their anointing and knowledge of the Word constantly dig deep into the Word and are consistently studying far beyond just their message for that week.
• When you are studying the Bible in general, it’s not like it takes away from your message study time but instead, actually adds to it.  It is so much easier to gain insight for a specific message when you are also studying the Word as a whole. When preparing for a specific message, (like your weekend message) it takes much less time, comes easier and you get clearer direction from God. The fire on the inside for that specific Word burns hotter and brighter.
• Have you ever noticed a speaker who was a pretty good communicator for years but then all of a sudden, he or she goes to the next level and now their preaching is awesome? You easily recognize that they have some really great insight and are preaching way better than you remembered. It is because the power of cumulative study is catching up with them and they are starting to reap what they have sown.
• In the same way some speakers can start out with incredible gifting but never grow beyond that. They study hard for their messages, but don’t pay the price of continuing to study the Bible as a whole and it eventually catches up with them.

As preachers of the Gospel lets commit to not just studying for our messages, but continually and systematically studying the Bible as a whole. Let’s completely give ourselves to “prayer and the ministry of the Word”. (Acts 6:4)

Stovall

We’ll be kicking off with grilled steaks Friday night at 6:00pm, followed by worship from our very own Celebration Church band, and a powerful message that’ll build you up and strengthen you in your walk with God.

Saturday morning begins with breakfast at 8:00am followed by awesome worship and two more sessions.  We’ll be wrapping up at about 11:00am.  Pastor Keith Craft and I will both be speaking Friday night and Saturday morning.

The cost is only $20.00 and covers your registration for the event, your Friday night steak dinner, and breakfast on Saturday.  Invite your friends and register to join us.

I hope to see you there!

Stovall

It will be a great night packed with amazing worship and you’ll have an opportunity to purchase the album and hear the Celebration band perform all the awesome songs from the CD – LIVE. Don’t miss it!
 

As a pastor or teacher in the body of Christ, have you ever been faced with the dilemma of choosing which message to preach? I know personally, after seeking God, there have been many times I have ended up with a couple of different messages or words that God has placed on my heart. So how do you choose which one to go with or in which direction to take it?

My solution? You’ve got to “follow the fire”. Over the years, this has been my tried and true method of discerning specifically what to speak about, and it has always passed the test. What I mean by following the fire is that you’ve got to preach or teach whatever you are the most excited or passionate about at that moment, even if another message might seem better for another reason.

God’s Word is like fire thundering in our bones. You’ve got to go with where you feel that heat. For me, this is where the greatest anointing is, even when I might have thought another message was more pulled together or proven. When I follow the fire, that message ends up carrying so much more spiritual weight and anointing. But remember, just because a message is anointed for one audience doesn’t mean it will be for another audience. Seek God and follow the fire every time. You’ll see God move in ways you could have never imagined!

Stovall

1. You surround yourself with the right people, have good relationships with those people, and receive counsel from them.

Pr. 18:1 – A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.

2. Your staff works as a team, learns from and seeks to understand one another, and has good discussion and dialogue about how to make ministry better.

Pr. 18:2 – A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.

3. Your staff values learning and understands that learning never ends but is a continual process. Wisdom is a continually “flowing” brook.

Pr. 18:4 – The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.

4. Your staff works hard, effectively and values progress.

Pr. 18:9 – He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

5. You understand that it is all about Jesus! He is our foundation and without His favor and anointing we will fail.

Pr. 18:10 – The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

6. You remain humble in all success and honor God in all things.

Pr. 10:12 – Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility.

7. You do not self promote or force doors open. You understand promotion comes from God and therefore allow Him to open doors according to His timing.

Pr. 10:16 – A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

Feel free to send your thoughts and comments. Would appreciate hearing your feedback!

Stovall

Have you had negative experiences with “religion” or “religious” people? I would love to hear your comments. Just keep your comments in love and please don’t name anyone or any specific organization.  Thanks!

Stovall

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