‘Just preach the word brother’, said the older preacher to his young apprentice. The younger man had expressed a desire to mature in the craft of communicating. The older man gently but firmly implied this was a waste of time – perhaps even an ungodly way to think about preaching.
The older man’s concerns are not unfounded. Preachers are not called to be stand-up comedians, slick rhetoricians or uber-charismatic vision-casters.
Paul’s command to Timothy was ‘preach the word’ (2 Tim. 4:2). We must not neglect the primary work of teaching truth and refuting error. The fruit of proclamation is God’s work – one of His ordinary means of grace – by which His word does not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). As Paul wrote to the Corinthians: ‘I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth’ (1 Cor. 3:6).
However, it would be wrong to infer that preachers should not consider how to improve their communication skills. There are two doctrines that prove helpful here – human responsibility and common grace.
Human responsibility
First, human responsibility reminds us of our role within God’s economy. It is striking that at the end of Paul’s sermon in Pisidian Antioch, Luke records: ‘All who were appointed for eternal life believed’ (Acts 13:48), then, a few verses later we read of Paul and Barnabas in Iconium: ‘There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.’ (Acts 14:1)
Luke holds both things in tension: ‘all who were appointed for eternal life believed’ and ‘they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.’
Luke would answer in the affirmative to God’s sovereignty and human responsibility (both, not either/or).
Taking seriously the Bible’s teaching on human responsibility encourages us to ‘fan into flame’ our God-given gifts (2 Tim 1:6) and to ‘make the most of every opportunity’ (Col 4:5).
Therefore, we should reflect on how our preaching connects with our hearers. Being faithful will mean more than just working hard at ‘getting it right’ (hermeneutics); it will also mean working hard at ‘getting it across’ (homiletics). Responsibility exists not just for the hearer, but also for the speaker.
We see this in Paul’s life and writings. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, he says he deliberately rejected the eloquence of sophisticated rhetoric that so impressed the Corinthians. And yet we see him make deliberate communicative choices when addressing different audiences in Pisidian Antioch and Lystra (Acts 13-14). Paul’s own example demonstrates a sensitivity to the needs of the audience.
Common grace
Second, the doctrine of common grace reminds us that God’s universal, non-saving grace issues blessings to all humanity.
Matthew 5:44-45 says: ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.’
God’s blessings come to all people, not just His elect people. This is to be distinguished from his special grace by which he elects, regenerates, illumines, sanctifies and glorifies the saints. God’s generosity and kindness extend beyond the community of faith. His good gifts are to be celebrated wherever they are to be found.
A solid grasp of the doctrine of common grace encourages us to learn from the wisdom of others – including in the area of communication. Some of the books which have helped me in my own preaching have been written by non-Christians. For example, you may want to check out Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath, or Resonate by Nancy Duarte.
While we must not rely on rhetorical skill in our preaching, neither must we swing the pendulum too far in the other direction. We have a responsibility to consider and develop the craft of communication. These practical concerns will be explored further in future articles.
