And then I went back to each of these biblical stories and added the fact that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, 3,000 were baptized at Pentecost, the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized, and the Gentile believers were baptized. That led to a message on the significance and symbolism of baptism in the life of every Christ follower.
Something else we've found very effective is to occasionally give something to each person in the audience as an illustration prior to or during the introduction. I did a series several years ago called "Juicy Fruit;" on the fruit of the Spirit, in which we gave a piece of Juicy Fruit gum to every person in the audience. Then I said, "One, two, three, take out the gum and chew. Feel that burst of Juicy Fruit flavor? Doesn't this taste good? But you know what? I have timed it. In three minutes the flavor will dissipate and begin to taste like Styrofoam."
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Later, I compared food that loses its flavor to the Spirit's fruit: “The flavor of the food we are talking about from the Bible does not dissipate. It keeps getting juicer and juicer and juicer. Every time you put gum in your mouth, think about producing the fruit, the character qualities, mentioned in Galatians.”
Those are just some of the ways that can create variety in introducing your message each week. Variety is essential to keep your audience guessing and your creative juices going.
The other bookend, of course, is the conclusion. When people leave the auditorium, I want them to have a final thought to take home — a thought that pulls together everything I've talked about in the message from the introduction on. In effect, the conclusion is what the entire talk would be if you delivered it in two minutes or fewer (which is what the length of concluding remarks should be). As one of my former seminary professors said, "Land the plane already!" Anything longer and you'll start preaching the whole thing over again.
Don't underestimate the importance of your conclusion. I believe one of the reasons why the Beatles songs are still so popular is because every one of them has a definite conclusion. You never have to wonder when the song is over, unlike many songs these days that just kind of fade out. I learned this principle while studying musical theory at Florida State University and have never forgotten it. Too many preachers' messages just fade out instead of concluding powerfully.
Highlight and Memorize Transitions. A third ingredient that is often overlooked in the preaching process is the effective use of transitions. Consider highlighting and memorizing transitions, because these pivotal segues are critical to retain the interest of your audience and clarity of your message. Not only do they smooth out the flow of your talk, but they also provide important verbal clues in your mind as you move from one major point to another. Be sure you critique yourself rigorously on these transitions. If you are going to memorize anything word for word, transitions are the best way to invest this time.