Giving Talks

     and leading ministry while teaching

Elements of a good teaching

Not every talk has to include all of these elements. Pray and let the Lord lead you.

1) Scripture, scripture, scripture—pick several key scriptures (2 or 3 to focus on) and seek to plant them deeply in their minds and hearts. This is what the Holy Spirit will most powerfully use to liberate them in the walk out. Then scatter other scriptures generously about.

2) Key insights and teachings from Christian leaders in the field.

3) Personal testimony—keep it short and sweet and serve it very HOT (Honest, Open and Transparent!) Keep a balance between what the enemy did in your life to take you captive and what the Lord did to set you free—don’t give the work of the enemy too much air time! Also, use your testimony to demonstrate how to walk and issue out.

4) Testimony of science—quote a sentence or two from articles showing the relevance of science which may support your teaching—but never read a long article.

5) Humor (bring in appropriate jokes or use your own).

6) Ministry—at appropriate times, as the Spirit prompts you, lead confessional times of group repentance. This applies mainly to the stronghold teachings.

7) Beware of long readings or long quotations—people have little capacity for taking it in—unless it is very good and read very well.

8) Tone: float like a butterfly, let the Lord sting like a bee. Our job is not to try to convict people but to simply put the truth before them and let the Lord do it.

9) Above all else remember this: the goal is not primarily to give “a good talk.” Don’t focus on that. The goal is to get some truth, some message that is really important to you across to them, because you believe with all of your heart that they need that truth as much as you. This actually frees you from being self focused and sets your heart on fire to share the truth that is burning inside of you to be expressed. So get your passion and clarity up about what you want to share and let it become so important to you that it drowns out pestering concerns for how the message and you will be received. I don’t remember when I learned this from the Lord (it was sometime during my time at Christ Church), but ever since then I have considered this the secret of effective teaching and preaching.

How to use personal testimony

     --and how NOT to use it

• Never overshadow the truth you are teaching by experience. Personal experiences illustrate truth, they don’t establish it. The truths you are teaching are what the Holy Spirit will use to help them in their time of trial, not your own stories.

• Follow the 80/20 principle: 80% teaching; 20% personal testimony or illustrations. The truths are the meat and potatoes; the personal testimonies are like the gravy that makes truth taste great.  But no one can live on a diet of gravy.

• Teach truth, not just so people will know it, but so that they will be saved by believing it. You will communicate effectively what you are passionate about them getting! Know and be convinced of what they need to get out of your teaching.

• Beware of “glory” stories.  For every 2 personal victory stories, be sure to tell at least one story of failure or of struggle to get something that was hard for you. People can relate better to you if they see your common humanity. It gives them hope if they see that you are just like them: goofed up and having a hard time getting it. Beware of the subtle pride that wants to appear glorious in victory—even if you imagine you are giving glory to God.

• Beware of “gory” stories. On the other hand don’t share about areas of your life that are still raw and bleeding. Things that are too unhealed will cast a shadow or a burden on them that will distract them from truths you are teaching, or worse, you will speak from the darkness of your unhealed perspective instead of from His light. Be careful not to use the class for personal "therapy."

• Resist telling tell-tale stories that put another person in a bad light—and you in a good light. This may be a subtle way of getting revenge on people who have hurt you and also of making you a victim or hero in the class’s eyes. If you have to share something negative about someone, be sure you do it in a way that honors their dignity as a person. Don’t encourage people to judge someone with you, or laugh at someone.

Group confession and ministry times

     —during the talks

This applies mainly to the stronghold teachings. Be sensitive to the ministry moments as they may arise. John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard movement, would purposefully teach until the Holy Spirit began to fall on the people. Then he would immediately stop teaching and begin praying for healing. Only the Lord knows how to mend broken hearts—we have to learn to watch for His timing. He is watching every heart far better than we can and knows when people are ready to surrender, trust and pray. Always ask permission to open an issue for confession and prayer.

4 step model taken from James

1. Submit: lead them to confess the sin and then either repent of the sin or do the forgiving. True submission means being willing to surrender everything to God. But it begins with being willing to confess and forsake the sin under conviction.

2. Resist: lead them to renounce the lies of the enemy, fall out of agreement with the sin, then take authority over them and break his power, cancel curses and assignments and drive out any darkness.

3. Draw near: pray for restoration asking the Lord to renew the mind and heal the broken heart.

4. Listen: let God speak or give visions or impressions; then after some silence, to share what God has said or done

Ministry at the end of teaching

     --especially the stronghold teachings

• Take time to go over the renunciation lists asking them and the Holy Spirit to note which areas they most need to deal with. Let them repent before the Lord inside themselves as you talk through an explanation of different specific sins.

• Lead them in group repentance for personal and generational involvement with each sub-group of the stronghold, one group at a time.

• Break generational curses, bind the spirits and command them to go.

• Then follow steps 3-4 above allowing time for the Lord to minister.
 
• Finish by casting out the strongman and praying for the Holy Spirit to fill and bless them.