Malcolm Cox

Tuesday Teaching Tip 319 | The Ten Commandments of Effective Teaching and Preaching | Malcolm Cox 4th Commandment: Respect the time Introduction Our preaching and teaching will never be perfect. But can we be effective? That’s a noble aim.  “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” (Acts 14:1 NIV11) Point of clarification Jesus spoke briefly on occasion, and at length on others (sermon on the mount; 3 days of teaching leading up to the feeding of the four thousand in Mark 8). Paul spoke for several hours in Acts 20:7. There is no such thing as a universally ideal length for a lesson. It all depends on the context and the skills of the speaker. Some people can be captivating for an hour. Some most certainly cannot. However, a wise speaker will have a sober estimate of their ability to hold an audience’s attention, and a healthy respect for the occasion and what is appropriate.  These tips will