How The Holy Spirit Helps Us Give Persuasive Appeals in Our Preaching
Helpful Spiritual Appeals (Phil. 1:19)
1. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to appeal to the most essential needs of every person. Paul wrote, "I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance." (Phil. 1:19)
The Holy Spirit gives us insights into emotional, mental, physical, social, economic, cultural, and spiritual needs of every person. Ask the Lord for special wisdom to help you persuasively appeal to every individual’s felt, perceived and real needs in a way that draws them closer to the Lord.
2. The Holy Spirit guides you to plead with people according to their individual and group perspectives. Jesus said, "For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." (Luke 12:12) Ask the Lord to give you special guidance in the way that you plead with people according to their greatest needs for safety, security, belonging, acceptance and success.
3. The Holy Spirit provides you with a special timing in your appeals to people. . Dr. Luke wrote, "While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ’Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them." (Acts 10:19) Ask the Lord for a special sensitivity to the timing of your appeals to people. The Spirit knows when people are at their most receptive state of mind.
4. The Holy Spirit senses the kind of appeals that will draw people to the love of Jesus Christ. People respond differently to motivations based on their personality, background and experiences. John wrote, "But you have anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth...As for you, anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you." (I John 2:20) Ask the Lord to help you to facilitate all the teaching abilities given to you in the person of the Holy Spirit. Beseech the Lord to help you appeal to the various personality, background and experiential wants and desires in your organization for God’s purposes and glory.
5. The Holy Spirit knows just which people are lonely, hurting or disillusioned. The Spirit can give the best kind of petition in your preaching to draw people closer to God, His will and His people. Dr. Luke wrote, "Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom." (Acts 9:17) Pray that God will give you special sensitivity to the emotions of your people so that you can minister the best healing words to them. Also, ask the Lord to help you to find people who are skilled in appealing to the lonely, hurting and disillusioned and learn all you can from them.
6. The Holy Spirit provides you with the best appeals for repentance, conviction of sin and conversion. Dr. Luke wrote, "Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) Ask the Lord for such persuasive abilities that you can appeal as Peter did when He saw 3,000 added to the family of God on the day of Pentecost. Trust the Lord to provide you with elders and leaders in your church that will be able to make powerful appeals for repentance, conviction of sin and conversion as they may have special gifts of evangelism that you are lacking.
7. The Holy Spirit knows how to make appeals that pierce through any person’s intellectual, emotional or cultural barriers. Isaiah wrote, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa. 55:8,9) Ask the Lord to let the Holy Spirit make special appeals in the hearts of each person in your organization as you use prayer and the word of God to appeal to every person’s conscience.
8. The Holy Spirit knows how to appeal to every person’s level of maturity. Paul wrote, "The Spirit helps us in our weakness (as well as our strengths). We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning that words cannot express." (Rom. 8:26) Ask the Lord to use your words and the scripture in the heart of every listener to rely on the Spirit for His necessary intercession according to their level of maturity or immaturity.
9. The Holy Spirit uses the promises of God to appeal to all the senses of people. Paul wrote, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ’Yes’ in Christ. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ." (2 Cor. 1:20,21) Ask the Lord to use the promises of God in your preaching and in the hearts of the people in your organization to grow in faith and obedience to His will.
10. The Holy Spirit brings a sense of accountability to every listener of His word. Paul wrote, "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." (Rom. 14:12) Ask the Lord to help your preaching contain elements of God inspired accountability, judgment and responsibility to every person in your organization.
