Simplicity in Preaching: Hint #4 – Be Direct and Be Yourself!

The fourth hint Ryle offers in his booklet Simplicity in Preaching is this:

“If you wish to preach simply, use a direct style.”

This might seem trivial to some but Ryle urges us to refrain from relying on the common use of “we” instead of “I.” For instance:

• “Today we want to look at Galatians.” vs. “Today I want to bring a message from Galatians.”
• “We now consider some of what Jesus said…” vs. “Today, I want to explain to you what Jesus said about…”
• “If you have not put faith in Christ, we urge you…” vs. “I urge you today…”

Silly? No. Ryle’s point is that we simply have no right to speak for anyone other than ourselves.  When we use the term “we” it can be vague or even misleading. Who is the “we” you’re speaking for? You and your family? You and the leadership? You and your denomination? Or is it you and the people listening? In any event, who do you have the authority to speak for?

“When a man takes up this style of preaching, he is often told he is conceited and egotistical. The result is that many preachers are never direct and always think it humble and modest and becoming to say ‘we’…. When He visits the sick, or teaches his school, or orders bread at the baker… he does not say ‘we’ but ‘I’. Why, then, I should like to know, can he not say ‘I’ in the pulpit? What right has he, as a modest man, to speak for anyone but himself?”

Now this is as issue that we in the post-modern west don’t deal with as much. We are fairly direct people. Many preachers would well to have a little less “I” in their messages! But there is a valuable reminder to be drawn here from Ryle. The particular issue he is addressing was one more peculiar to his time but the broader principle which certainly applies today can be found in the following sentence:

“In this particular do not imitate Chalmers, or Melville, or certain other living pulpit celebrities.”

Just as in Ryle’s day, we have our own group of pulpit celebrities! (Love that term.) Via books, podcasts, webcasts. mp3s, conferences, You Tube and a host of other mediums, our celebrities are available to us. Whether it’s John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Alistair Begg, Thabiti Anyabwile, or any of the many celebs of our day, we always run the risk of becoming imitators of men rather than authentic messengers working out of our own skin. God has given you a unique voice. Of course you should pray, study and work on improving your delivery. But let it be your delivery. Avoid copying the mannerisms, vocal inflections, or catch phrases of others. Be direct and be yourself.