What a Message Needs

Thoroughly enjoyed Peter Mead's post this morning over on Biblical Preaching. Here's a quick summary--but if you're a student of God's Word who desires to share it with others (expositionally or evangelistically), go read the whole thing!

Perhaps these three principles (from Aristotle, I believe), are too obvious to state. Let me state them anyway:

1. A message needs unity - that is, a message should be about one thing. If it’s missing then the listeners will supply an imposed unity (often in the form of only remembering your most poignant or amusing illustration)
2. A message needs order - Often a message that makes total sense in the order of 1, 2, 3, 4, simply does not communicate when it is structured 1, 3, 4, 2.
3. A message needs progress - It needs to be going somewhere. Without progress the message is about as enjoyable as treading water, in a confined space, with limited air.