OPEN AIR PREACHING: 2 PREPARATION STEPS
Rev. W. W. (Bill) Adams
Mission: the salvation of sinners. We preach Christ at major sporting events, concerts and festivals; sinners are called to believe on Him; those who do receive eternal life and are discipled in the faith.
Acts 6:4 during the establishment of deacons for the new church to administer aid to the Saints the disciples say their job will be, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the [ministry of the word.”
As simple as this sounds this verse is telling us the 2 preparatory action items to take prior to preaching the Word. These 2 actions items can be turned into 2 questions to see if you are prepared to preach the Word: are you a man of prayer and the Word.
This is not a statement for your to ascribe believe to but in essence a command for you to fulfill. In other words these 2 action items require time each day for you to complete. You could say the reverse of the text is true too and that is if you are not a man of prayer and the Word then you are not prepared to preach the Word.
The most efficient means of turning this verse and these 2 commands into reality in your life so you can preach the Word is to schedule a time of prayer and Bible study each day. One hour per day for prayer and one hour per day for Bible study is a good amount of time to begin. As you increase your time of preaching the Word then you should find your time of prayer and Bible study increasing.
To summarize: to prepare to preach the Word as the Apostles did you must be a man of prayer and the Word. To become prepared you should schedule one hour of prayer and one hour of Bible study each day. These 2 preparatory actions will lay a foundation for your preaching.