Pastor Newcomer stepped right out of the classroom into the pulpit of his first church pastorate. His brain was filled with theological facts and phrases. He knew all of the proper terms and how to use them. "Intrinsic righteousness," "extrinsic righteousness," and "infused righteousness" flowed freely from his lips. He could speak of "subjective crucifixion," as well as "onto-perfectionism," and he even had a go at explaining the importance of understanding simul justus et peccator.
One day, a few weeks after Pastor Newcomer had undertaken his new assignment, he stepped into the pulpit to preach and noticed a piece of paper lying open before him. In large letters he saw written K. I. S. S. It was very disconcerting. Who would write such a mes sage? What did it mean? Why had it appeared so suddenly? The pastor did not speak with much finesse and fluency that morning. K. I. S. S. kept rising up before him.
Off and on all week the perplexed young preacher pondered the mysterious message on his pulpit. But there was no clue. How could K. I. S. S. possibly relate to himself or his preaching? The following week unraveled the mystery. As he stood up to preach there was another piece of paper with the same letters but with a fuller explanation: "Keep It Simple, Son!" Some hungry saints in the congregation, unwilling to hurt their new pastor by a frontal or underground attack, adopted a straightforward but not unkind approach in getting their message across. They wanted sermons and prayer-meeting messages in language they could under stand. They wanted to share in the rich spiritual food they knew their pastor was capable of presenting, but they wanted it in the simple language of the Master.
It just might be well for all of us who occupy the sacred desk each week and on other occasions to place a K. I. S. S. on our pulpit to assure that our messages are getting through to our people. These members of ours and their friends come to church each week hoping, desperately hoping, to be fed. During the week as they have confronted a busy and often times hostile world in their battle for survival, they have to face temptation, discouragement, and perplexing problems. There are tempers to overcome, tongues to be controlled, dishonesty, bitterness, impurity and convetousness to battle. The fruits of the Spirit are to be cultivated. Love for God and fellow man must grow and control the life. The flowers of joy and peace, of long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith, are to blossom luxuriantly in the life. Meekness and temperance will characterize the life style of those who seek to love and serve God.
Our church members do not come to the worship service to learn how to conjugate Greek verbs or how to decline Hebrew nouns. They long to know how to solve their spiritual problems, to re charge their spiritual batteries so they may remain joyous, overcoming Christians with a message to share with their friends.
Jesus, the Master Preacher, spoke with simplicity. Read again the incomparable Sermon on the Mount. It is simple, direct, and penetrating, spoken in language all could understand. "The greatest Teacher the world ever knew was admired for His simplicity; for He presented divine truth in such a way that even children could comprehend His words, and at the same time He drew the attention of the best educated and deepest thinkers of the world." —Sons and Daughters of God, p. 86.
"Cling to your Bible!"—this should be the watchword of every Christian. It is still good counsel for us today. This precious Guidebook was not written for the scholars alone although surely it challenges the greatest among the learned. It was written as a message to the common people, as well. Abraham Lincoln is credited with once saying, "God must love the common people; He made so many of them." They are in our congregations. They need help. They need the Word of God spoken in language they will understand. It is our duty as preachers to see that none need miss the blessing God has for His people!
From the beginning God has made His instructions to His people easily under stood. In the Garden of Eden He spoke in terms the first pair could not misunderstand. He left no doubt as to what He required of them. Through intervening centuries the promises and the assurances of God have been beautifully transparent. Let us keep them as God intended them to be—available to all.
Of course, you want to challenge the thinking of the professionals and the intellectuals in your congregation! Do it the same way Jesus did. "Men in high positions of trust in the world will be charmed by a plain, straightforward, Scriptural statement of truth." —Evangelism, p. 557. When you speak in easy-to-understand language, all may be blessed. "Simplicity and plain utterance are comprehended by the illiterate, by the peasant, and the child as well as by the full-grown man or the giant in intellect." —Selected Messages, book 1, p. 18.
My appeal is for simple, easy communication, not for superficial study or shallow preaching. Dig deep, but don't come up dry. Use your professional tools at home, but take the Inspired Word into the pulpit. With God's help, make your sermons profoundly simple and simply profound.
Keep It Simple, Son!
