Audiobook51 minutes
Simplicity in Preaching
Written by J. C. Ryle
Narrated by Saethon Williams
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
()
About this audiobook
To attain simplicity in preaching is of the utmost importance to every minister who wishes to be useful to souls. Unless you are simple in your sermons, you will never be understood, and unless you are understood, you cannot do good to those who hear you. Of course, the first objective of a minister should be to preach the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as it is in Jesus. But the next thing he ought to aim at is for his sermon to be understood, and it will not be understood by most of his congregation if it is not simple.
To attain simplicity in preaching is by no means an easy matter. I fear a vast proportion of what we preach is not understood by our listeners anymore than if it were Greek. When people hear a simple sermon or read a simple tract, they are apt to say, "How true! How plain! How easy to understand!" and might assume that anyone can write in that style, but are unaware of the diligence required to maintain simplicity.
Simplicity in preaching is not childish preaching. If we suppose that the people like that sort of sermon, we are greatly mistaken. If our listeners get the impression that we consider them a parcel of ignorant folks for whom any kind of "infant's food" is good enough, our chance of doing good is lost altogether. People do not like even the appearance of condescending preaching. They feel we are not treating them as equals, but as inferiors. Human nature always dislikes that. They will at once put up their backs, stop their ears, and take offense.
Finally, coarse or vulgar preaching is not needed. It is quite possible to be simple and yet to speak like a gentleman with the demeanor of a courteous and refined person. It is an utter mistake to imagine that uneducated and illiterate men and women prefer to be spoken to in an illiterate way by an uneducated person. As a rule, people, no matter their position in society, only tolerate vulgarity and coarseness in the pulpit when they can get nothing else.
To attain simplicity in preaching is by no means an easy matter. I fear a vast proportion of what we preach is not understood by our listeners anymore than if it were Greek. When people hear a simple sermon or read a simple tract, they are apt to say, "How true! How plain! How easy to understand!" and might assume that anyone can write in that style, but are unaware of the diligence required to maintain simplicity.
Simplicity in preaching is not childish preaching. If we suppose that the people like that sort of sermon, we are greatly mistaken. If our listeners get the impression that we consider them a parcel of ignorant folks for whom any kind of "infant's food" is good enough, our chance of doing good is lost altogether. People do not like even the appearance of condescending preaching. They feel we are not treating them as equals, but as inferiors. Human nature always dislikes that. They will at once put up their backs, stop their ears, and take offense.
Finally, coarse or vulgar preaching is not needed. It is quite possible to be simple and yet to speak like a gentleman with the demeanor of a courteous and refined person. It is an utter mistake to imagine that uneducated and illiterate men and women prefer to be spoken to in an illiterate way by an uneducated person. As a rule, people, no matter their position in society, only tolerate vulgarity and coarseness in the pulpit when they can get nothing else.
Author
J. C. Ryle
J. C. Ryle (1816–1900) was a prominent writer, preacher, and Anglican clergyman in nineteenth-century England. He is the author of the classic Expository Thoughts on the Gospels and retired as the bishop of Liverpool.
More audiobooks from J. C. Ryle
Thoughts for Young Men Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Holiness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ruler of The Waves Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Do You Pray? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of John: An Aneko Press Christian Classic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to Simplicity in Preaching
Related audiobooks
What Is Your Hope? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Preaching That Connects: Using Techniques of Journalists to Add Impact Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Repentance: What it Means to Repent and Why We Must Do So Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5J. C. Ryle on Prayer: 31 Insights for Understanding the Purpose and Power of Prayer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cross: Crucified with Christ, and Christ Alive in Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Occupy Till I Come Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Should a Child Be Trained? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExpository Thoughts on the Gospel of Matthew Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Drink Deeply: Meditations from The Fountain of Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coming Events and Present Duties Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rich and Poor: Thoughts on Luke 16 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCalled to Preach: Fulfilling the High Calling of Expository Preaching Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Christ-Centered Preaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Classic Sermons for the Church Today Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Duties of Parents: Parenting Your Children God's Way Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weak Pastor, Strong Christ: Developing a Christ-Shaped Gospel Ministry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCommunion with God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPreparations for Sufferings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Excellency of Christ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5God's Delight in the Progress of the Upright Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChristian Hope Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Preacher's Catechism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Following God Fully: An Introduction to the Puritans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Christian Leaders of the Eighteenth Century Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Keeping the Heart Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mortification of Sin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Living or Dead? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Can I Be Sure I'm a Christian?: What the Bible Says About Assurance of Salvation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5George Whitefield Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Christianity For You
The Great Divorce Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 5 Love Languages Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Grief Observed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holy Bible in Audio - King James Version: The Complete Old & New Testament Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries: When To Say Yes, How to Say No Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries in Marriage: Understanding the Choices That Make or Break Loving Relationships Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership 25th Anniversary: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cost of Discipleship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Little Book of Letting Go Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Return of the Gods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weight of Glory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Simplicity in Preaching
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
5/5
5 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you preach or want to preach this is a MUST. He practices what his sets out… simplicity!