A is for Arranging your thoughts in this way: Write out the Scriptures, stories, statements and determine which ones go together, so there is a continuity in your speaking, and you are not going in different directions.
B is for Bringing them into order: Put them in piles of “beginning, middle or end”. The beginning would be those things that introduce the subject; the middle is the main concept you are seeking to convey, and the end would be the conclusion. This is so there is a progression unto something.
C is for Coming Home – This is typically in the conclusion, where you take the facts, verses, etc., and bring it home where people can relate to it and put the concept into practicality.
Sometimes speakers find out that they have more than one message floating in their minds and therefore, we have to edit. That means we exclude a thought or story that would be better used another time.
At all times keep in mind the main thought to bring forth (and thank God we have the Holy Spirit to highlight His work through it), or it will fray and you won’t know where to go with it.
I edit a lot, because sometimes when I go back over a message I wonder what I was thinking (that’s the times when a portion doesn’t connect to everything else or it doesn’t seem to be the right time).
When I write up messages I write them up in the following diagram:
- First Main Point
- Definition (usually)
- Example
- How to understand this (always supplement with Scripture)
And then I use the same formula for Points II and III.