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Preparin' Ta Start Ministerin' |
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By Da Preacha In the last article I told ya ta start prayin' and make sure your focus is right. I said you need ta make sure your focus is on ministry--not money. If ya wanna do this right and ya want God ta use you, then there's no other way! Now that you've made sure your motives are right you need ta prepare before you can start ministerin! Read last article Songs One of the main things that you obviously need ta prepare for a rap ministry is your songs. You need ta have some tight songs ready for when you start ministerin'! In other words, don't expect ta be asked to come rap somewhere if all you gonna do is freestyle or say a verse from a song you're workin' on! You don't need ta have a crazy amount of songs ta start--just one, but you need ta make sure you put in time and prePRAYERation ta make sure it's off da hook! I always pray for God ta annoint the rhymes I write and for Him ta help me ta make 'em as tight as possible! Also pray about what topics and themes you should rhyme about. You wanna have somethin' ta say besides "God loves ya!" The same thing goes for the track that goes with the rhyme and every part of it's creation! I'm tellin' ya! That'll make the difference between your songs and other headz, cause it'll have the power of the Holy Spirit in it! Practice like crazy and make sure your mess is tight, so when you hit 'em with ya first song ya knock 'em out! The one thing that'll end ya ministry quick is if ya put out weak songs or if you rush this process ta try ta get out there quick! It's better ta take ya time and be ready when you come out, than come with some stuff ya just threw together! For more on how to get ready read these articles "Clamp" or "5 Rules". Your Life The next thing ya need ta prepare is yourself! There's been enough people that have come out and said they were Christians and serious about God, then later they did thangs that brought shame ta His name! You need ta be solid in what you believe about God. You need ta be solid in knowin' God's Word and KNOWIN' God! You can't just know a couple scriptures and repeat stuff you've heard other people say about God you need ta know His Word and have experience with Him! If not, you may lead someone the wrong way with what you say or with a line in ya rhyme! You don't have ta be some Bible scholar, but you DO need ta know His word pretty good! You don't have to be sinless or perfect, but you need ta not be dealin' with some major issue in ya life! You need ta KNOW who God is pretty good if you gonna minister for Him! Let me just say somethin' else that needs ta be said...Please! Don't even think about startin' a rap ministry if you don't got a church that you REGULARLY attend AND are A PART OF! You need ta be gettin' fed spiritually and be under some church's authority before you can feed someone else spiritually! No church is gonna want you ta come minister if you ain't goin' ta church yourself! | It's also important ta have a church that you go to so you got people that can support you spiritually in prayer! You'll need this once you start ministerin'! When you have a church you go to where at least one of the pastors knows ya, then you can ask that pastor to write a letter that you can give to other churches sayin' that he/she knows you as a part of their church and that you are someone that could/should minister somewhere else! This WILL help ta "open doors" ta minister at other churches! (It might be a good idea ta let a pastor that you're close to know what you wanna do and they can help you to get spiritually ready and let you know when you ARE ready.) One last thing about havin' a "home" church...this'll probably also be the place where you get your first chance ta minister. Choose one where you feel comfortable and that understands Holy Hip-Hop. Most of all you need ta find somewhere that preaches from the Bible in a way you can understand! Your message You need ta prepare what the message is that you're bringin' ta the people! What are you gonna say when you get the chance ta speak? Pray and see if God is givin' you a specific thing ta go out and tell people. See what things are really standin' out ta you when you read God's Word. It doesn't have to be a full sermon, it could just be a verse and an idea or story! You might not always get the chance ta say somethin' when you rap, but you wanna be ready when you do! This is what'll make you stand out from other Christian emcees who just spit a rhyme and they're gone. Pray everytime before you rhyme and ask God ta annoint what you say and give you the words ta speak. He will! It's not hard ta find a message ta share. It could be your testimony of what God's done in your life. Your testimony is pretty much this: your life before Jesus, how you met Him, and what you're life is like now with Him! Stick to the important facts and don't talk too long! You could just do a song and then give your testimony or vice versa and you just ministered! Another thing you could do is talk about the same topic/theme that's in your song. That way you hit 'em twice with ya message! You might share a verse that goes with the song or share a thought or story and then spit ya hit! The main thing is ta have somethin' ta share when you get the chance. Be prepared! I know some of you might be thinkin', "Come on! Get on with how ta start a rap ministry!" But this stuff IS REALLY IMPORTANT if you gonna really reach people. I want ya ta be effective when you're out there. I want you to see people get saved. I want you to see God do powerful things through Hip-Hop. These are the things that'll make sure you really are ministerin' and not just rappin'! DO THESE THINGS! Get yourself prepared ta really minister! In the next article I'll tell you what some of the first steps are so you can get out there and do this! If you have any questions or comments about what I've talked about so far, then email me and let me know. I might post 'em in the next article! |
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