What is one thing the great apostle said faithful preaching must be? Clear.

In Colossians 4:3-4 he writes,

“Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”

The old Puritan divines, channeling the spirit of Paul, said the plainer the preaching the better.

What is one necessary component of preaching that is both clear and plain? Sermons marked by simplicity.

And it’s here that every preacher would be wise to purchase good Bishop Ryle’s delightful little feast entitled, Simplicity in Preaching. The 24-page booklet packs a punch that will bruise and then mend your preaching in all the right ways.

Before offering five brief hints for attaining simplicity in preaching he gives two towering theses for the paper:

1. For one thing, I ask all my readers to remember that 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.
2. The next thing I will say, by way of prefatory remark, is, that to attain simplicity in preaching is by no means an easy matter. No greater mistake can be made than to suppose this.

Preach on Mr. Ryle!

Preachers of all experience and education will be helped by Ryle’s appropriately simple style and arguments. So grab a copy today or read it online.