Eloquence and Skills Essential for Delivery, Part 3

In the first two parts in this series (here and here), we discussed the truth that eloquence can only glorify God when it takes the role of servant rather than the master. We also so that eloquence starts from the heart of the preacher and primary depends on the unction of the Spirit. However, we affirmed that being a “gift” from the Spirit, does not negate the reality that it’s an art that must be developed by the preacher for the glory of God and the benefit of His people. Therefore, in this final section, we shall list some practical skills that every preacher is called to continue develop and sharpen sermon after sermon. This list is by no mean exhaustive. Further, growing in assessing and developing oneself in these areas is a lifelong, Spirit-worked journey. Indeed, no preacher can state “I got it all” and no preacher can claim “I got it all by myself.” Our attitude and prayer should rather be, “grow me O Lord, grow me to be, a humble useful tool to thee.”

1. Be plain in your style. Almost every good preaching book that I have read stresses the importance of being simple, clear and avoiding long sentences, foreign language, and the use of Greek and Hebrew during sermon delivery.[1] Phil Campbell urges every preacher by saying “push your head – not to be more academically impressive, but to be clearer.”[2]
2. Use imagination to Illustrate. J. C. Ryle marries simplicity with the use of illustrations. He writes, “If you would attain simplicity in preaching, you must use plenty of anecdotes and illustrations… People like similes, illustrations, and well-told stories, and will listen to them when they will attend to nothing else… He is the best speaker, says an Arabian proverb, who can turn the ear into an eye.”[3] Bavinck agrees, “True eloquence is illustration. In her hands, the abstract begins to live, and moves from thought into flesh and blood.”[4] He even sees that the doctrine of Trinity, the fact that our God is personal, compels us to speak in a vivid personal and concrete manner. Ferguson defines imagination as the ability to “think outside of oneself,” “to be able to see or conceive the same thing in a different way.” In other words, it is to “present the same truth in a way that enables others to see it, understand its significance, feel its power… breaks through the barriers, grips the mind, will, and affections so that they not only understand the word used but feel their truth and power.”[5] Keller divides illustrations into two categories, (1) “analogy illustration” like Jesus’ parable of the sower; (2) “example illustration”: Instead of preaching “bear fruits in keeping repentance,” flesh out what this looks like to different people in different real-life situations as the Baptist did in Luke 3:10-14.[6] If it’s seems hard to illustrate, “Don’t sweat illustrating the complicated stuff – just illustrate the obvious!”[7]
3. Give less ideas and more repetitions. Phil Campbell argues that this is the most important advice that improved his preaching. Many preachers (especially young preachers), he argues, thinks that preaching is like writing needs no repetitions and fast flow of thoughts. But unlike the reading, when we listen to someone speaks, we cannot slow the speaker or repeat the last sentence! The preacher, therefore, should do this work for his listeners. Therefore, have less ideas, less content and more repetitions (even with varying words).[8]
4. Avoid monotone. “Monotonal delivery – locked on a fixed pitch – is hypnotic. Delivery that’s too slow is deadly too.”[9] A. Alexander was very serious about this issue to the extent that he said that even if someone is qualified, yet he has “the problem of indistinct articulation… utterance that is too rapid or …lowering the voice to much,” his presbytery should direct him to another vocation. Those who are monotonous and are gifted learners should purse teaching rather than preaching ministry.[10]
5. Eye contact is essential. Bavinck emphatically asserts: “Each of the soul’s affections is reflected in the eye as in a mirror… A single glance says more than a thousand words.” “The secret of all popular eloquence: the speaker may not isolate himself from his listeners, not even for a single moment… To the contrary, he must constantly turn to his hearers, see them, appeal to them, pose questions, set objections in their mouths, clear away resistance. There must be exchange, intercourse, business done from eye to eye, hand to hand, and soul to soul. The speech must be a single dramatic act.”[11]
6. Do not pass by the “pliable” moment. Related to the previous, Keller encourages the preacher to make use of the “pliable” moments during the sermon. There are the moments where the listeners seem attentive and focused. “Don’t let it go past! When the Lord give them to you, go after them. Stay with the point.” Don’t be so tied to your outline or notes that you fail to take time to drive home the truth directly and specifically. Perhaps you could pause and look the people in the eyes as they swallow the food you have just fed them.”[12] To this it should be added
7. Be natural, be yourself. Again, most homiletics books stress the importance of being natural. Do not seek to imitate your favorite preacher. Sometimes, one will unconsciously pick some mannerism from a preacher he loved and had listened to for long time (R. C. Sproul and John Gerstner comes to mind). But any unnatural made-up imitations will cloud the message. It is said of A. Alexander that his “naturalness was the evidence of his genuineness.”[13]
8. Conversational or not? Some attach being natural with being conversational. No doubt it is good in to be conversational in certain places especially where you explain the truth. Petrus Van Mastricht, in his short book The Best Method of Preaching wisely walks the preacher through the proper affections and tone in every part of the sermon. However, to be conversational throughout the sermon, is to be fatally monotonic (see the first point). Beeke reminds preachers, “we are not just sharing. We are proclaiming the message given to us as authorized heralds of the King. Therefore, we should speak in a tone that carries a sense of earnestness, humility, and love mingled with authority.”[14] Those who merely need conversational preaching needs to ponder Baxter’s famous statement, “I preach’d, as never sure to preach again, And as a dying man to dying men.”[15]
9. Listen to feedback. “No preacher can analyze for himself whether or not he is expressing emotion appropriately without feedback from lay people.”[16] What is said about the emotion expression could be said about the whole sermon and its delivery. Listening to (and giving) sermon feedback is a practice that needs much humility and wisdom.

May the Lord be pleased to continue to raise more preachers in every country, each one unctioned by the Spirit and trained by Him to be like a “burning and shining lamp” (John 5:35).