Guidelines For Visiting Speakers

Be considerate of what the body has decided should be the time limits. People have established their schedules accordingly and if you ignore this, you will mess up more than you may know. Besides, they won’t be listening to the Holy Spirit if they are aggravated with YOU.

• 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 HCSB To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, that I may become a partner in its benefits.
• Philippians 2:3 HCSB Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.
• 1 Peter 5:3 HCSB not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Keep the controversial subjects for your own flock. Don’t make the pastor have to come back and deal with a lot of questions that his people may or may not have been ready to deal with. Don’t cause unnecessary problems.

• Proverbs 16:28 HCSB A contrary man spreads conflict, and a gossip separates friends.
• John 17:21 HCSB May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me.
• Ephesians 4:3 HCSB diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us.
• 1 Timothy 6:3-5 HCSB If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, 4 he is conceited, understanding nothing, but having a sick interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slanders, evil suspicions, 5 and constant disagreement among men whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.

Keep the scope of your message limited. Notice that Christ said to FEED His sheep – not FORCE FEED them. Keep the message simple. Not everyone has been to Bible school.

• John 21:15 HCSB When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said to Him, "You know that I love You." "Feed My lambs," He told him.
• 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 HCSB To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, that I may become a partner in its benefits.
• Hebrews 5:11-14 HCSB We have a great deal to say about this, and it's difficult to explain, since you have become slow to understand. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of God's revelation. You need milk, not solid food. 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature--for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.
• 1 Peter 5:3 HCSB not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Make sure that you speak to them gently. Even when you are forceful, don’t provoke them to wrath. Approach them as you would your own children.

• Ephesians 4:2-3 HCSB with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, 3 diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us.
• Colossians 3:8 HCSB But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.
• 1 Timothy 3:3 HCSB not addicted to wine, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy--

Make sure you teach them from the Scriptures. They have come to hear what God has to say, not what men have to say.

• Matthew 4:4 HCSB But He answered, "It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
• John 6:63 HCSB The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn't help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
• 1 Corinthians 2:13 HCSB We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.
• Philippians 2:16 HCSB Hold firmly the message of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn't run in vain or labor for nothing.

Make sure your language is appropriate to the context. Rough, vulgar language or crude jokes may get you a laugh but how does that represent Christ?

• Ephesians 4:29 HCSB No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear.
• Colossians 3:8 HCSB But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.
• Colossians 4:6 HCSB Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

Keep the jokes under control. We are to speak as dying men speaking to other dying men. We are not entertainers.

• Matthew 12:36-37 HCSB I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
• Ephesians 5:3-4 HCSB But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. 4 And coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks.

Even the most serious discussion of sin should have some measure of hope expressed. Don’t be too negative. Leave them with a sense of hope.

• Acts 10:36 HCSB He sent the message to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:18 HCSB Therefore encourage one another with these words.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:11 HCSB Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
• Hebrews 10:24-25 HCSB And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, 25 not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Teach Christ. Lift Him up. Don’t let them get distracted by you. Don’t center the message on you.

• Acts 8:5 HCSB Philip went down to a city in Samaria and preached the Messiah to them.
• Acts 8:35 HCSB So Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning from that Scripture.
• Acts 9:20 HCSB Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: "He is the Son of God."
• Acts 10:36 HCSB He sent the message to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all.
• 2 Corinthians 4:5 HCSB For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus.
• Philippians 2:9-11 HCSB For this reason God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow--of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth-- 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.