Tuesday Teaching Tips | Episode 282 | “Speaking Short and Sweet” | Malcolm Cox

VALUE THE DISCIPLINE OF SHORT LESSONS

1. Shorter is not always better: 
    - “And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.” (Luke 3:18 NIV11)
    - “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”” (Acts 2:40 NIV11)
    - “He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,”(Acts 20:2 NIV11)
    - No formula

2. But speakers should master the art of speaking long, medium, short

3. My Format
    - Context
    - Verse
    - Main point
    - Illustration
    - Application

4. Leave them wanting more

5. My experience
    - Hard
    - Practice the timing
    - People asked me about the next one - were looking forward to it
    - Could repeat back to me the main point

6. Conclusion
    - Fill the heart/mind, not the time
    - Most of the parables are short
    - Experiment: how short can you go and still be meaningful?

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org). 

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Keep calm and carry on teaching.

God bless, Malcolm