Instant Messages

We all have 24 hours in a day.  No more and no less. So what do we do with the time we have is critical, especially when it comes to developing messages. God spoke to Joshua in Joshua 1:8 and told him that if he would meditate on the word of God day and night, his way would be prosperous and successful.

When it comes to ministering to teenagers, God wants you to have good success, but it is going to require you to spend some quality time with your messages to ensure that they have an instant impact on those that hear them. Let me share a few strategies that can help you see results in your preaching.

Invest more time in what they hear than what they see.

You can have a state of the art auditorium with all the bells and whistles, but it won’t make a difference if what they are hearing in the message is not challenging them to have a knowing and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 4:13 says, “Give attention to reading, to exhortation and to doctrine.” The primary function of any youth ministry is to teach the word of God. Remember, it is not a game room, but a worship service to God.

Plan it before you preach it.

There is a principle I live by that says, “Things don’t just happen; they must be planned.”  A plan gives the Holy Spirit room to flow into your service and bring forth God’s will. When ministering to young people, the teacher must be prepared.

  • Make sure you are in top shape spiritually, spending time in prayer and the study of the word.
  • Think about ways you can share the message so young people will understand it and retain it. Read Matthew 13:19.

I have developed a method that helps me think about what I want to say and how to say it.  It’s called a Start to Finish Form. This form will help you present the message in a creative manner.

  • Message Topic: explains the main purpose of the message
  • Message Title: creative title for the topic
  • Illustrations: use props to help illustrate key points in the message
  • Video Clips: check out YouTube or bluefishtv.com for video ideas
  • Scriptures: use different bible translations to get the point across
  • Personal Stories: use your life stories to illustrate the message
  • Statistics: there is one word for this one – Google
  • Music: play songs that relate to the message topic
  • PowerPoint: show slides of your message for more interaction
  • Drama: drama sketches can help set the message up
  • Promotion: make a flyer promoting the upcoming message series

Take this last piece of advice. It’s not always what you say, but how you say it. I believe if you say the message God’s way, it will produce instant results in the lives of young people.

Watch this Video of a Live Message Illustration:

3 Comments

  1. Kendra Rayner on December 12, 2011 at 7:07 pm

    This was one of the most powerful yet simple lessons that I have been reminded of today. Thank you and continue to serve because to serve is to Love! Be Blessed

  2. Milton Campbell on December 12, 2011 at 7:56 pm

    Lee, this is excellent!

  3. Fred Oduyoye on December 13, 2011 at 10:21 am

    Great outline for effective youth ministry engagement and providing a relative lane for discipleship! In addition, in the video I resonated with the encouragement of “getting better at what we do!” Youth leaders cannot miss “serving” students and teaching them how to serve in the Kingdom. We cannot swap out sacrifice for drive-by hyperactive ministry!

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