Views: 17
Spiritual growth isn’t automatic. Those you lead and serve must be intentional about growing spiritually. People won’t grow spiritually by accident.
It is important to be purposeful in helping Christians grow in their faith. Whether you call it discipleship, spiritual growth, or spiritual maturity, it is one of the primary purposes in our lives. We won’t help people grow unless we are growing in the Lord and unless we specifically focus on it in their lives too.
To be deliberate about helping Christians grow spiritually, we need tools. One of the most important tools I have used is sermon or lesson outline handouts when I speak.
Early in my ministry, I read a statistic put out by the U.S. Air Force documenting we forget 90 to 95 percent of what we hear within 72 hours. And that’s a depressing statistic for those who reach, teach, or speak!
That means despite all those hours devoted to studying Scripture to deliver a life-changing message, those who listen will forget most of it in just a few days. Maybe this could be a big reason Christians aren’t growing in churches today. It isn’t about a lack of devotedness. It’s about a lack of retaining what they hear.
James 1:25 reminds us that it’s not enough to hear God’s Word: “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (NKJV). We need to remember it and do what it says.
That’s why I have been so committed through the years to utilizing message handouts.
Let me share six reasons message outline handouts can effectively encourage spiritual growth.
- They increase attention.
- They increase retention.
- They increase participation.
- They increase information output in less time.
- They increase the examination of the message for years to come.
- They increase discussion in small groups.
You will find people listen better with message outline handouts to fill in the blanks. Dawson Trotman has said, “Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through the fingertips.”
I have received numerous comments from listeners when I speak about how the outline was helpful for them personally and how they can use it to help others.
It has been proven people often remember more information when they take notes. Perhaps you heard the old saying, “The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory.”
Most unbelievers or new believers usually don’t have Bibles. Even if they did, they wouldn’t know how to find the Bible passage quickly. By providing them with message outline handouts, you avoid embarrassing them and invite them to participate.
With an outline of the message, you can have your listeners circle and underline keywords.
One suggestion is to have everyone read Scripture aloud together (which is extremely powerful). However, people can’t read the same Scripture aloud unless you print out the desired verse for them. Often people in your meeting will likely have a different translation of the Bible.
I’ve listened to preachers and speakers who spent nearly five minutes asking listeners to turn to different portions of the Bible. Those five minutes could have been spent in more intentional and powerful ways if the verses were already written out.
Think of all the messages that can’t be reviewec because you wrote nothing down about them. You’ve likely lost many years of sound Bible teaching. By allowing members to take notes on their message outline handout, you help them treasure the message in their hearts long after the meeting is over.
Many churches and study groups use the preacher’s or speaker’s message in their small group ministry to guide their group time. It’s a great way to help people apply what has been taught them from God’s Word to their lives.
The message outline handout is just one of the tools intentionally used to help people grow spiritually, but it’s clearly been one of the most important.
Do you provide your listeners with message outline handouts? Why or why not? Share with me your thoughts about this recommendation.
Recent Comments