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The Gospel Ministry Call Wrap Up by Mike Ramey

by Mike Ramey
02/25/26
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     Let me say that I’ve had a great time with this series, sharing tips and wisdom along the way for the gospel preachers of the future. Sometimes, when God has you look around for something to encourage others—and you find nothing—He’s got an assignment ready for you to launch.

     Just a few things before we close. The gospel preacher; the Man of God today should learn at least three biblical areas of doctrine to lead AND aid his preaching:

                        *Jesus Christ and Him crucified—the foundation of your call.

                        *Spiritual Warfare—the fight to protect your call and yourself.

                        *Bible Prophecy—the fuel for your call and your preaching.

    These are in addition to areas the Lord may want to lead you into in the battle for souls.

     Gospel preaching is best described as a tradition and ministry handed down from Pastor to preacher. One of my preaching mentors taught me the following: “A preacher should have three sermons with him at all times; one from his hand (a textual sermon), one from his head (one committed to memory) and one from his heart (one coming straight from his heart).” In other words, a true gospel preacher should be like the Minutemen of old; ready to preach on short notice. I also learned the following over the years; the MORE you stay in the KJV the MORE natural preaching will come to you.

     Now, what about the length of your early sermons/messages? A preacher should be flexible in the development and building of his timing. A wise preacher will learn how to preach 5, 10 or 15 minute sermons during his first years in the ministry. Why? Because you won’t have that much to say in the beginning. Short sermons give your listeners the time to get to know you, will be receptive to your appearing before them and builds trust in your Pastor giving you more preaching assignments—both IN your church and TO other churches he may send to represent your church.

     One of the ways to build your preaching muscles is by evangelism. Getting out into the highways and hedges and handing out gospel tracts along with some street-corner preaching to bring in souls for the Lord. Street evangelism is NOT to bring souls into your church—but into the Kingdom of God. IF your church is ready to receive those whom you witnessed to, the Lord will lead them to your church. If not? There are other churches in town for them to visit.

     The important thing is not doing this for credit…but for setting the captives free.

     Sadly, in some countries—countries that USED to be powerhouses for the spread of the gospel, Satan has crept in and moved against the gospel. Preachers are being locked up for proclaiming standard doctrine. This has been forecast as a part of Bible Prophecy. This is why I earlier recommended that those coming into the gospel ministry study Bible Prophecy. IF you understand the era you are living in, you won’t be fearing what is liable to be sent by the world, the flesh, and the devil against you.

     Preaching is NEVER easy for the preacher. Let me provide some history. Back during the Puritan era, preachers of that time held more services per week AND preached longer sermons. The Pastor often had an hourglass placed on his pulpit. Once the hourglass was emptied, he would ask the congregation: “Would you like another glass?” IF the congregation liked what they heard, the preacher could turn the glass over and preach for another hour. In our modern era, with the advent of technology and short attention spans, IF a preacher can get a short sermon over the plate, it has the same evangelistic impact. Remember brother, it’s not how long you preach…it’s lifting up Christ that brings folks to salvation. It’s quality over quantity.

     Should you use a tablet or other electronic device to hold your sermons? I would recommend NOT doing this as you are starting out in the ministry. Electronic items are toys and toys distract from your presentation and concentration. Written sermons on 8.5 x 11 paper or 3 x 5 cards are a great way to learn how to build your sermons AND put your notes on the side margins. Of course, remember that the Holy Spirit has the freedom to edit and change your sermon to suit HIS vision and to glorify God. Brother, you can spend a week or two getting a sermon ready, and when you step up to the pulpit to preach, the ONLY thing that may remain in place is the sermon title, and the salvation call.

     IF you become a Pastor, this will prove to be even more of joy! Get stuck in a sermon? Remember the three parts of a sermon: Beginning (title and opening), Middle (unpacking the illustrations and scriptures), and ending (summation, closing scripture example, call to salvation). During your training years on the way to the pulpit, there are books on Pastoral Theology available. Make sure that they line up with the KJV.

     If you haven’t guessed, I am a big fan of series preaching. I trust that it shows in my columns. It also shows in my sermons. Series preaching gives a Minister a longer time to get through good material. IF the material doesn’t teach you nor bless you in your study, it won’t bless your congregation when you step up to preach. In other words, if YOU aren’t learning what the Lord would have to learn from the Scriptures, are you sure that you are doing the Lord’s work in reaching the people that he has assigned to you?

     A few preaching pet peeves of mine. First, it is strange that a preacher can carry a sermon along for a long period of time and NOT mention Jesus Christ. This—in my view—is preaching suicide. IF Christ has not touched nor changed your life, you can’t preach on the need for him in another’s life in an accurate manner. Second, be accurate with your scripture citations. If you have difficult Bible words, learn how to pronounce them until they become second nature. Lastly, listen to or watch a sermon a day from veteran preachers. You will learn a lot!

     Let me close with this recommendation. Secure a copy of Spurgeon’s three-part Lectures for my Students as Spurgeon was teaching his preachers on the intricacies of the preaching art as well as one of his annual The Sword and the Trowel books. Then, there’s Sermon Preparation by William Evans—great aid for preachers! One other book that is well worth obtaining is Booker T. Washington’s Character Building. Washington, a preacher himself, developed a series of Sunday evening messages for his students at Tuskegee University more than a hundred years ago. They still pack a punch and will aid you in sermon preparation as well as addressing youth in your church and on the street.

     Yes, they are going to be hard to find. But well worth the investment!

     Mike Ramey is a Retired Minister, KJV Bible Teacher, syndicated columnist and Bible Prophecy Specialist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a Circuit Rider of the Funky Electronic Frontier. “The Gospel Ministry Call” series is one of a variety of his columns appearing and abounding in print and cyberspace, written from a biblical, business, and common-sense perspective since 1996. Catch Mike Ramey’s columns on X (Twitter), Substack, Faithwriters.com and in fine publications like this one! To drop him a line—or a whine—the address is still the same: [email protected]. ©2026 Barnstorm Communications International.