During the Sundays over the summer we are looking for people to share for 10 minutes about their favourite Psalm. We would have two people each Sunday sharing. The Sundays that this would take place are:
The summer is a great opportunity to grow people in their gift of preaching. This will give people an opportunity to share a word and develop a new skill.
During the summer many people are on holiday, and so following a series means that many people miss some of what is preached.
The items here will provide some preparation help for those taking part.
SOAP studies originated with Wayne Cordeiro. We would encourage you to read his excellent book, The Divine Mentor.
The SOAP study method is quite simple. The SOAP acronym stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.
Select a scripture to study. Normally this would be your daily Bible reading chapters.
Then ask yourself some observation questions from the chapters you just read, such as:
How do the observations you made apply to your life?
What help do you need from God to do this?
That's it. If you do this daily you will build up lots of insights as well as wisdom to pass on to others.
We must look for the main point whenever we read a biblical text to share with others. It is always best to look for one central point. It may have sub-points, but leaving people with one central point is often best as it is easiest to remember.
Finding the main point can be done by asking the text some questions:
These can be applied as follows:
These are only examples, but they give you the idea. The questions will change depending on genre and context.
It is important that you note down your findings, either in a notebook or on a separate 3×5 card for each thought, which you can then shuffle around later into some order.
The main point will reveal itself by repeatedly asking the 5 W's & an H.
As you look at the cards or your notes, ask:
You could do this as a mind map. You should now have the bare bones of your message for further investigation.
Remember that this is for a 10-minute message based on a Psalm.
It is essential when you are going to share a message with others that it is true. This seems simple but requires some thought. Check every message you create with other biblical passages to ensure you are correct in what you are saying. You also need to avoid spiritualising the text so that it loses its original context. You also need to be wary of sharing something that may be something God has spoken to you but does not apply to everyone. God often speaks to us personally through our quiet time, but this devotional reading differs greatly from sharing a universal biblical truth.
Finally, when you have finished your message or an outline, checking some commentaries on the passage in question is always helpful to see what they say. This will help you avoid making major blunders. Enduring Word is a simple online commentary that can help you with this, or you can purchase a commentary on the book you are studying. We recommend the NIV Application Commentaries.
Once you have completed your study, it is important to consult some commentaries to ensure you are not misusing the text. It is important when we preach that we are faithful to God's word.
Please note that this page has been specifically created to help with our Summer in the Psalms project and is not intended as a complete process for preparing sermons.