“Like sap in the plant or blood in the body, the vital current of thought must flow through the whole discourse, giving it animation, flexibility, strength” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 275).
Imitating the Message
“Biblical preaching means declaring God’s truth the way He declared it, and that means with imagination” (Wiersbe, Preaching and Teaching With Imagination, p. 9)
Preach to Move
“Preachers, especially the educated, have too often regarded instruction and conviction as the aim of their labors, when they are but means of leading men to the corresponding feeling, determination, and action” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 263).
Shake It Up a Bit
“So many sermons follow the beaten track, in which we can soon foresee all that is coming, as to make it a weary task even for devout hearers to listen attentively. One feels inclined to utter a plaintive cry, ‘Worthy brother, excellent brother, if you could only manage to drive us sometimes over a different …
So Quite Flaring Your Plumage
“Whatever savors of display is exceedingly objectionable in a preacher, and particularly at the outset” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 255).
Don’t Outrun Your Own Headlights
“If the preacher is greatly excited at the outset, the audience usually are not, and he had better restrain himself, so as not to get beyond the range of their sympathies” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 255).
One Is Quite Enough
“The introduction should generally consist of a single thought; we do not want a porch to a porch” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 254).
Showing Without Showing Off
“Beauty and eloquence should be added to make things even more clear, not more impressive” (Galli & Larson, Preaching That Connects, p. 144).
Don’t Circle the Airport
“It’s especially frustrating for a congregation to hear a second finally” (Galli & Larson, Preaching That Connects, p. 129).
Begin Well
“In all preaching, let there be a good introduction, or none at all” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 250).