Remember that SNL colon blow skit?
Announcer: Take a guess: How many bowls of your oat bran cereal would it take to equal the fiber content of one bowl of Colon Blow?
Man: Two?
Announcer: Guess again.
Man: Three?
Announcer: A little higher.
Man: Four?
Announcer: Keep trying.
Man: Five?
The idea is, if a little fiber is good, a lot is better. Right?
We just went through a colon-blow sermon. Five points, myriads of sub-points, and thousands upon thousands of words, words, words.
I sometimes wonder why so few ministers seem to emulate Jesus. Have you ever had any difficulty understanding or remembering any of His sermons, which are recorded in the first four books of the New Testament for us? Few do, because they’re simple, straightforward, and profound. And none of them is 45 minutes long.
2-3 points
Give me 2-3 simple points. In most cases, if you can’t explain what you mean simply, you don’t sufficiently understand the subject. It’s easy to make something complicated; true genius makes things simple.
Stories & illustrations
State your points well, and provide a word picture for each: a story or illustration that makes the thought come alive. Then I’ll remember it, and I’ll likely be attentive throughout the sermon.
On the other hand, if you’re just stringing together words and more words and more words … you might as well be bleating as talking, for all your audience is listening and growing.
Less really is more
It’s just possible that the less you say, the more you communicate.