I'm reading a great, old book on preaching by P.T. Forsyth called Positive Preaching and Modern Mind. I was stirred by these statements about the Gospel preacher's call to un-originality:
The preacher makes discovery in the Gospel, not of the Gospel. Some preachers spoil their work by an incessant strain after novelty, and a morbid dread of the commonplace. But it was one no less original than Goethe, who said, the great artist is not afraid of the commonplace. To be unable to freshen the commonplace is to be either dull or inexperienced in the Gospel…
The preacher must be original in the sense that his truth is his own, but not in the sense that it has been no one else's. You must distinguish between novelty and freshness. (89)
God forbid that I should say a word to seem to justify the dullness that infects the pulpit. Alas! If our sin crucifies Christ afresh, our dullness buries Him again! …the cure for pulpit dullness is not brilliancy, as in literature. It is for the preacher to experience the reality of the old cross. (91)
[The pastor's] charge is to educate those people not in a correct theology, old or new, but in a mighty Gospel. It is not the preacher's duty to tell everything he knows about the Bible; but it is his duty to tell everything he knows about the Gospel… (108)
Great reminders…stirring indeed. Thanks!
This unorigional preaching, goes directly along with my recent discoveries that my less than fantastic preaching style is a wonderful thing. I had been thinking about Paul and how he states he did not use persuasive words or argument but that he simply “told people the Gospel” I try to be as to the text as possible not simple as possible nor fantastic as possible just true to the text with my own guidance of the truth to deliver the message of the text. I find that people retain what is text and forget, or are persuaded by man’s theatrics for what is simplified or dramatized. The truth needs nothing extra than contextualization to the listeners level of Bible knowledge and faith. The lower the level of Bible knowledge the more emphasis on the road to Emmaus points (Moses/Law, Prophets, and Things concerning Jesus). Those with higher level of knowledge simply need a description in brevity with more application. Those who are lesser in Biblical knowledge need less application because they need knowledge to do what little they are equipped to do, while higher level learners have more knowledge to do more ministries so they need less emphasis on straight Biblical fact and more of what they can do in Christ (application) because they have already been equipped and we need not ask those who are not equipped to do ministry beyond their knowledge. Those with more knowledge need more encouragement to do ministry than they who are in need of equipment for ministry. At my church we are still in the process of more equipping than ministry action. We are a new church plant but these babes in Christ still have the fire to outreach and bring people to hear the truth. Amen.