Hit the Homiletical Ball

Imagine a tennis player who concentrates on looking good but forgets to get the ball over the net. The point is: Hit the ball! The object of any sermon technique has to be getting the Gospel across to people. Is the message getting through? Are the people believing the Gospel and relishing the grace of God? The motto behind all homiletical method must be: Hit the ball! Do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission of winning lost souls for Christ. The pastor who gets hung up on pure technique for its own sake is actually self-centered, like a tennis player looking at his own shadow. The foremost question in his mind is "How am I doing?" but the preacher who employs technique in service of the goal is always asking, "How is he (the listener) doing?"

Dr. James Bollhagen