How to put ‘power’ into your exhortation

3. Weight

Scripture adds weight to your exhortation.

We need to be theological worship leaders who are fully and deeply anchored on the truth.

Don’t forget to include scriptures in your exhortation. You don’t necessarily need to read the entire scripture or mention the reference verse (because sometimes it takes the brief time you have, remember you need to speak for a maximum of 2-3 minutes only) but at least you need to quote a verse. More often this will also serve as your “bomb”. There are very beautiful times when a verse alone can stir people up, no more words are needed from us.

Indeed as in the words of Bob Kauflin, “God’s words outlast ours”

Sample:

¹⁰ He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
¹¹ For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
¹² He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.

You need to be discerning whether there is still a need to say a few lines or just drop some verses and go on.

4. Extract

An extract means it is a short, brief passage or line taken out of a long narrative. Our exhortations should be an extract from our devotionals. It should be just an extract because we are given just 2 minutes to talk.

Saying too many things will distract people, instead of intensifying their focus on God. Taking too much time to talk will rob them of their time to focus on God and will divert them to focus on what we are saying, which is a big NO in leading worship. So as much as possible we would only take 1-2 minutes in regular exhortation. Should we exceed the 2-minute mark, just make sure that our insight do not waver or lose sense.

Bob Kauflin said,

“Behold the beauty of brevity… Say what you need to say: one thought, one Scripture, one application. If you have trouble following what you’re saying, your listeners won’t fare much better.” 

But this does not mean we are to take the preparation lightly since we are given only 2 minutes to speak, as Bob said:

“Two minutes of speaking may take two hours of preparation.” 

Sample:

“The Lord treats us with grace, not as our sins deserve.” (The Bomb)

Today as we stand here, the Lord does not look at us as sinners but as holy children.

He does not judge us as what our hands have done, but view us according to what Jesus did for us.

He is not harsh to us because of our rebellion, but He embraces us on and on and on!

Let us praise this gracious God.

5. Relevance

Our words should be relevant. And by relevance, I mean:

Relevance to the song – don’t exhort about blessings if the song you are about to sing (or the song before that) is about the forgiveness of sins. Our words should be aligned to the song we sing, or else it will bring confusion to people.

Relevance to the people – your words should matter to the congregation. Something that they can apply (e.g. “Jesus paid it all, so don’t live in shame anymore, as far as the east is from the west, the Lord forgave us”) or something that can motivate them to worship.

Ultimately, we need to prayerfully prepare our lines and ask the Lord for the very words His spirit would put in our mouths. As worship leaders, every word that we utter counts and must aide the people in giving God utmost praise.