The Preaching Ministry in the
Church
By: SSM
Founder
The Pastor's
Qualifications
While space
doesn’t permit us to examine the qualifications
themselves (I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9), I do want
to emphasize that qualifications do exist. More
and more today we see these qualifications compromised
or dismissed altogether. To illustrate, a few years ago
a nationally known and very popular evangelical pastor
and radio personality was preaching on the
qualifications of elders (bishops and pastors) in I
Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. While he explained them
well, he prefaced his explanation with the statement
that these are only the “ideal” and that we should never
expect to find them all. This, however, is a grave error
(if not actual heresy). These are qualifications,
not ideals. They are “etched in stone” and are
nonnegotiable. They are not suggestions,
they are demands. If a man does not measure up to these
standards, he is simply not qualified. Indeed, many of
the problems in Christianity today stem from men in
leadership who are not Biblically qualified to be
there.
The Pastor's Call
A related
issue here is what we commonly refer to as “the call” to
the ministry. I Timothy 3:1 declares: “If a man desire the
office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” The Greek
for “desire,” orego, literally means “to stretch.” As Greek scholar
Joseph Thayer puts it, “To stretch one’s self out in
order to touch or grasp something; to reach after or
desire something.” This word, then, gives us the idea of
a real longing, a complete disregard for all else that
we could do.
The whole
idea of “the call” to the ministry has come under attack
in recent years. Many today discount this principle and
say that anyone can preach and that there is not need
for a special call. But may we see that we have
precedent in the Lord Jesus, Who called every one of His
disciples. And again, this word “desires” speaks of a
longing to do this, a disregard for anything else. May
we ask, therefore, who puts that desire and longing into
a man’s heart? God does. God places in a man’s heart a
desire for the ministry that disregards any other
vocation. A mere human desire will fade, especially if a man
does what the Scriptures demand of the
preacher. As Charles Spurgeon
used to tell the men in his Pastor’s School, “If you can
do anything else, do it. If you can stay out of the
ministry, stay out of the ministry.” This was true of
the Apostle Paul when he wrote, “For if I preach the
gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is
laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the
gospel!”
It is for this
reason that Biblically there is no such thing as
“lay-elders” or “lay-preachers” or “lay-pastors.” Martyn
Lloyd-Jones says it well:
What is the ultimate criticism of what is called
“lay-preaching?” . . . that it seems to miss completely
the notion of a “call.” There are also other reasons. .
.My main argument is that the picture I have given of
the preacher, and what he is doing, insists not only
that this is something to which a man is called, but
also something that should occupy the whole of his time
apart from exceptional circumstances. It is not
something that can be done as an aside, as it were; that
is a wrong approach and a wrong attitude. . . [D.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and
Preachers (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1971), p. 103.]
A prevalent
attitude today is that “anyone can preach,” and the
result of this attitude is a serious weakening of the
pulpit ministry and, therefore, our churches. A layman
does not “desire” being an elder; his desires lie
elsewhere in his vocation. Now, there is nothing wrong
with this at all. God doesn’t call everyone to
leadership. But neither does God want those He hasn’t
called to the ministry to be filling pulpits. The reason
is very practical, namely, the layman cannot dedicate
his full time to this ministry. To repeat an
illustration I offered back in Chapter 1, I want the
surgeon who operates on me to be trained, not someone
who does surgery as a sideline or one who has simply
read a few books about surgery. Likewise, we must have
men teaching the Word today who are trained to do so and
whose time is occupied mainly by the study the Word of
God.
May I also
insert quickly that the word “layman” is not a dirty
word and should not be attacked as being one. I have
heard many say, “Using the word layman makes a
distinction between the clergy and the laity.” But may I
point out first that I didn’t use the Roman Catholic
terms “clergy” and “laity.” Second, the word “layman” is
used outside of the Biblical context to describe anyone
who is not in a particular field. Physicians, for
example, often tell a patient about his medical problem
in medical terms and then says, “Now I’ll tell you what
this means in layman’s terms.” Third, there is a difference
between those who lead and those who follow. Indeed, one
of the many problems in churches today is “everyone is
the same, everyone is equal,” but there is no leadership
and no authority in such an approach. A pastor is a
shepherd, and he is the one who is to
lead.
The Pastor's Ordination
But is “a call”
enough? Anyone can claim he is called, but does that
mean they are? To both questions the answer is no, for
if a man is not qualified, and if the qualifications for
ministry are not present, and if his call cannot be
confirmed by the church, then he is not
called.
It is here
that the issue of “ordination” arises, another Biblical
practice that has come under attack. There are six or so
words translated “ordain,” all of which basically mean
“appoint.” Paul told Titus, for example, to ordain
(appoint) elders (Tit. 1:5). The Greek here is kathistemi, which literally means “to set down, to appoint
one to administer an office.” The main point of this is
that it was a very special and serious matter to be
appointed an elder.
What then is
ordination? Ordination is not the bestowing of
power or authority, but is a recognition of the power and authority already bestowed by
God. Roman Catholicism, of course, strayed from this. It
says that ordination to the priesthood conveys authority
and even imparts good character and God’s grace. This is
plainly heretical.
A related
issue here is who is supposed to ordain men. We see men
today being ordained by a denomination, a seminary, an
association, or a conference. But this is a blatant
departure from the Scripture, which says that ordination is to be
done by a Local Church. Every
New Testament instance of ordination proves this. The
Church at Antiock ordained and sent out Paul and
Barnabas (Acts 13:2-3), as Paul and Barnabas founded
churches they ordained elders (14:21-25), and as we
noted earlier, Paul told Titus to do the same (Tit.
1:5).
May I interject
here that ordination in the Scripture does not resemble
the practice we see among many evangelicals today where
the candidate sits before a council and is interrogated
as if he were on trial. I remember my own ordination,
when I was grilled for four hours on what I believed.
But this accomplishes nothing. Anyone can memorize and
recite doctrine. What we see in the Scriptures is that a
man was trained in the Local Church and then ordained by
that Church. There was no need for interrogation because
the Church leaders knew him. Naturally, many object here
by saying, “Oh, but we need ordination councils because
preachers are now trained in Bible colleges and
seminaries.” To this we say, “True, but this is not
Biblical.” We have replaced the Biblical standard of
training men in the Local Church with a cheap and easy
substitute. We’ll come back to this principle later in
this chapter.
Biblically,
then, under the authority and advisement of the elder
(or elders), a church ordains and sends out a man. Why
is this important? Mainly because it’s what God says,
and that should be enough, but there is also a practical
reason, namely, because the church shows
that it recognizes the call of God in the man’s life and
confirms that he has met the Biblical
requirements. Anyone can say,
“I’m called,” so God has built the Church’s recognition
into it as a safeguard. God’s call and the meeting of
the Biblical requirements can always be recognized by
others. To quote Martyn Lloyd-Jones
again:
So before you can be quite sure that a man is
called to be a preacher, his personal call must be
confirmed by the church, it must be attested by the
church.
[Ibid, p. 108]
So, the man is
first adequately trained (in the Local Church, as we’ll
see later). He must not be a “novice,” that is, a new
convert (I Tim. 3:6), and he must prove himself, as Paul
told Timothy to “lay hands suddenly on no man” (5:22).
The man is then ordained by the Local Church by the
laying on of hands by the elder (or elders). Acts 14:23
declares that elders were appointed by other elders, not
by the congregation.
The Pastor's Primary
Responsibility
Acts 20:28-35
records Paul’s time in Miletus, which was about thirty
miles from Ephesus. Having already missed Passover and
in a hurry to get to Jerusalem, Paul sent for the
Ephesian elders (pastors) instead of going there
himself. He felt it imperative that he leave them with
some final counsel, and what counsel it was! This
passage lists six responsibilities of the pastor: guard
his own life and ministry (v. 28a), feed the flock (v.
28), lead the flock (v. 28), protect the flock (vs.
29-31), study the Word and pray (v. 32), and be free
from self-interest (vs. 33-35). While all of these are
important, our brief focus will be on the second, not
only because of its pivotal nature, but because of how
much it is neglected today.
The Word of
God declares without a shadow of doubt that the pastor’s
number one responsibility it to feed God’s
people (Acts 20:28). One of the major problems in
Christianity today is the abysmal failure of the pulpit
ministry, that is, the lack of
authoritative, in-depth, expository preaching that
equips God’s people for ministry. Acts 20:28 declares that the pastor is to
“shepherd the Church,” and the main aspect of
shepherding is feeding.
Another pivotal
text is II Timothy 4:1-4:
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at
his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be
instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto
fables.
To cut right
to the heart of the matter, everything the pastor does
should flow from his pulpit ministry. To put it in the
words of J. Sidlow Baxter, “. . .preaching the Bible.
. .is the gravity center of the Christian pastorate
[J. Sidlow Baxter, Rethinking Our
Priorities (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1974), p. 245]. Building on that thought, we often hear the
expression “lowering one’s center of gravity,” which one
does for the purpose of stability. Likewise, preaching
brings stability. It must be the center of the pastor’s
ministry and, therefore, the central ministry of the
local church. May I boldly and lovingly submit, if you
don’t believe this, you don’t belong in the ministry.
Change or get out. As we’ll see, the command to preach
the Word was Paul’s final message to Timothy. If this
doesn’t show the priority of preaching, what does it
show?
One Greek
word translated “preach” is euangellizo, “to
proclaim good or joyful news.” It is used, for example,
in Ephesians 3:8. This word (as well as the noun euangellion) is used abundantly to show the proclaiming of
the Gospel by God’s chosen vessel. Similarly, in
Ephesians 4:11 the word describes an office, the office
of “evangelist.” An important distinction in the use of
this word is that it is never used for anyone other than
full-time preachers (or occasionally of angels). This
fact is crucial in light of today’s practice of what is
called “lay-preaching,” which we mentioned
earlier.
Another word
used in Scripture for “preach” is kerusso, a
unique and powerful word that means “to herald
publicly.” The noun form of this word, kerux (I Tim.
2:7; II Tim. 1:11; II Pet. 2:5) refers to the imperial
herald, who represented the emperor or king and
announced his wishes. The word bespeaks a formal, grave,
serious, and authoritative proclamation from the king.
It is used of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1; Mk. 1:4, 7;
Lk. 3:3; Acts 10:37), the Lord Jesus (Matt. 4:17, 23;
9:35; 11:1; Mk. 1:14, 38-39; Lk. 4:44; 8:1; I Pet.
3:19), and the Apostles and teachers (Matt. 10:7; 24:14;
26:13; Mk. 3:14; 6:12; 13:10; 14:9; 16:15, 20; Lk. 9:2;
24:47; Acts 8:5; 9:20; 19:13; 20:25; 28:31; Rom. 10:8,
14-15; I Cor. 1:23; 9:27; 15:11-12; II Cor. 1:19; 4:5;
Gal. 2:2; Col. 1:23; I Thess. 2:9; I Tim. 3:16; II Tim.
4:2). The words of the herald are to be listened to and
heeded. Failure to heed the words brought serious
consequences, and to abuse the herald was a direct
attack upon the king. Like euangellizo, kerusso is done by those who are called and qualified to
preach full-time.
So, then, what is
preaching? Put simply:
Preaching is the exposition and application of
God’s Word from the preacher to the
people.
“Exposition”
simply means “a detailed explanation,” so preaching
first gives a detailed explanation of what Scriptures
says and then applies it to the hearers so they know how
to live. May I submit again, if a preacher is not doing
this, he should not be standing in a
pulpit.
There is a
common misconception that says, “There is a difference
between preaching and teaching. There are times when we
teach instead of preach and other times when we preach
instead of teach.” But does the Scriptures warrant such
a fine distinction? In his excellent book Rethinking Our
Priorities, J. Sidlow Baxter
addresses this by writing:
There is a difference
between preaching, in the more general sense, and
teaching, in the more particular sense. That difference
I willingly acknowledge here, and in fact call fresh
attention to it; yet at the same time I do not think too
keen a cleavage should be made between them. As I have
often said, all preaching should be teaching, and all
teaching should be preaching, by which I mean all preaching should
impart Biblical substance [teaching], while all our more
specialized teaching of
Bible areas or topics by analysis, synthesis, etc.,
should be punctuated by admonition, challenge,
encouragement, consolation, and other such practical
urges with a view to edification [preaching].
[Ibid, p. 250 (emphasis in the original]
This
excellent comment points out that every time preachers
handle the Word they must both teach (impart knowledge)
and preach
(apply knowledge). What good is knowledge if it is not
applied, and what good is application if there is
nothing to apply? Granted, some preachers will have to
work harder at one than they do the other, but they must do both. II
Timothy 4:2 bears out this principle. Paul clearly
couples the two together when he says, “Preach the word;
be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine [teaching]”.
Why are we
supposed to preach? Why is this so important? Why can’t
we just cling to all the “new-fangled” methods of
ministry and relegate preaching to the past (which is
exactly what is happening today)? Well, the New
Testament reveals at least seven reasons for
preaching.
First, preaching is
commanded and demanded by God.
Here in II
Timothy 4:1-2 we read Paul’s final words to Timothy and Paul’s final words period, for this was his last
letter. Were Paul’s final words, “Timothy, think of a
new method or program,” or, “Timothy, you need to
psychologize and moralize with people,” or, “Timothy,
you should sit down with your listeners and discuss what
the Bible means?” No! Paul says, “Timothy, preach the
Word, herald the truth, tell people what God says
whether they like it or not.”
Paul uses
strong language here. These words are not a request, not
an alternative, not a suggestion, not something Timothy
could simply choose to do if circumstances warranted it.
These words are a command. If Timothy had not preached,
he would have been disobedient, just as many are being
disobedient today. Absolutely nothing is to replace the
preaching of the Word of God, but sad to say, many things are indeed replacing the pulpit ministry
today.
Films and film
series often replace the preaching of the Word. Often
these are shown on Sunday nights or Wednesday nights in
order to “have something different,” but God doesn’t say
to have something different; He says to preach the Word.
Just because technology changes doesn’t mean that God’s
methods change.
Bible
studies and discussion groups are more and more
replacing the authoritative preaching of the Word. Many
people get together and, quite frankly, share their
ignorance by saying, “Well, what do you think this
means?” or, “What does this say to you?” No one is in
authority and no one leads, both of which are absolutely
unscriptural. God always places men in authority and makes them
responsible for leading His people in the
truth.
Christian concerts
and “sing times” are also very popular. Usually these
either relegate any preaching to the background or, more
commonly, do away with it altogether. Hordes of people
will travel miles to be entertained by a Christian
singer, but few will bother crossing the street to hear
the Word of God exposited. Now, there is nothing wrong
with music. On the contrary, it is an important aspect
of worship and edification (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), but
God never intended it for mere entertainment, and He
never intended it to replace the proclamation of His
Word.
The same is true
of the overemphasis on “Christian testimonies.” Many
believe, at least in their practice, that the testimony
of an athlete, actor, singer, politician, or even
ex-gangster or hoodlum is more valuable than the
exposition and application of God’s Word. Similarly,
many things are used today to draw a crowd, everything
from Karate demonstrations to puppet and magic shows.
How appalled I was the day I heard a preacher say, “Even
Jesus gave away fish sandwiches to draw a crowd.” Yes,
our crowds will be smaller when we emphasize only the
Word, but the folks we get will be the ones who want
truth.
Serious
damage to the pulpit ministry has also been done by the
ever-increasing emphasis on counseling. Counseling is
certainly important, and a pastor will engage in
counseling personal problems from time to time. But it
is equally true historically that as preaching goes down counseling
goes up. Why?
Because when a preacher stops preaching as God told him
to, people discover that something is missing, so they
try different things to fill the void, counseling being
one. There are all sorts of seminars these days, but
these are not only unscriptural, they are detrimental.
“How then do we deal with specialized problems?” people
ask. The answer is, preaching, when done properly, does deal with
specialized problems. I greatly appreciate the pastor I
heard about who after being asked for some marital
counsel said, “Great, our first three sessions will be
Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening.”
Counseling certainly does have its place, but it
must never be allowed to replace the preaching of the Word. (See the
“Psychology and Counseling” section in Chapter
10.)
Then there
is the modern practice of “preaching” on politics, as
well as moral and social reform. Where does God say to
preach on such things? He says to preach the Word. As we
preach the truth things will change as men respond to
the truth. Society cannot be reformed, it
must be transformed. (See the “Law vs. Grace” section in Chapter
10.)
Another serious
problem is that the majority of adult, youth, and
children’s programs do not have the preaching and
teaching of the Word of God at the core of their
emphasis. Several years ago I was asked to come and
minister for a week at a Campus Life center in
Wisconsin, but when I preached the Word, the director
(who was, oddly enough, a Bob Jones University graduate)
made it quite clear that he wanted nothing that even
remotely resembled preaching. Men like this are at the
core of Christianity’s problem today. It was also
interesting, however, that several young people told me
later how much they appreciated the
teaching.
Additional
damage is done to the pulpit ministry by panel
discussions and debates. People appear on “Christian”
talk shows and share their ignorance, which is then
followed by the host giving his opinion. But God’s Word
is not to be debated, It is
to be delivered. Worse yet are those who appear on panels with
atheists, humanists, and evolutionists and cast pearls
before swine (Matt. 7:6). How ridiculous it is when a
Christian radio station allows some atheist to blast his
perversion over the airwaves. We allow him to give his
view followed by a rebuttal from the Christian
apologist. But may I submit, we should not give these
people a forum! They already have their own forum via
the news media, the educational system, and the
publishing industry. Oh, that we would just preach the
truth!
One of the
most damaging things to the pulpit ministry, not to
mention the local church and the overall cause of
Christ, is the prominence of radio and television
“ministries.” The vast majority of these programs have little or no
substance to them whatsoever. Then, to make matters
worse, we have the likes of Jim Bakker and Jimmy
Swaggart, who brought immeasurable reproach on our Lord.
Still further, with few exceptions, these “ministries”
go on the air and beg for money. Is this the kind of God
we have, One who cannot maintain His own ministry?
Finally, the majority of these “ministries” damage the
Local Church by taking finances away from it, by keeping
people away from it by saying they can “go to church” by
watching TV or listening to a tape, and by replacing the
authority of the Local Church pastor with that of the
media preacher.
The point we
want to make clear is: preaching, God’s
ordained method of transmitting the truth of His Word,
is being replaced. Even a cursory reading of
Biblical and Church history reveals that revivals and
spiritual awakenings came only by the preaching of the Word of
God.
Many people today,
including pastors, offer numerous objections to the
primacy of preaching, such as: “Times change, so our
methods must change,” “People are more educated now and
need more sophisticated ministry,” “Each person is
different and needs a different approach,” and,
“Preaching is an old fashioned method, and in our day we
need something new.” If Christians would just stop and
think for a moment about how these sound! In the final
analysis, they are saying that the preaching of the Word
is simply not adequate to the task, that God’s method of
proclaiming truth is not sufficient. This, however, is
the very point Paul makes in I Corinthians 1:18-25.
Verse 18 reads:
For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is
the power of
God.
The word
“message” is the Greek logos, which
means “word,” and “foolishness” is moria, which
means “folly or absurdity.” The English word “moron” is
derived from another form of this word, moros. So, Paul is saying that the words of the cross
are absurd to lost people, but true believers know that
the message of the cross is the very power of God. Verse
19 continues:
For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of
the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of
the
prudent.
This is a
quotation of Isaiah 29:14 and declares that man’s wisdom and
intellect will be brought to nothing. Ponder a moment,
why do car manufacturers continue to design new styles
of cars? Why do companies produce new ways of marketing
their products? Why does a novelist write a new novel?
Because the old wears out and people want something new
and different. Likewise, why do men continually have to
come up with new methods and programs for the Church?
Because the old ones eventually die out, and this verse
declares that it is God Who brings it to nothing. In
contrast, God ordained preaching to last forever. Verse
20 continues this thought:
Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is
the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish
the wisdom of this
world?
“Where is the
wise” speaks of knowledge and philosophy, “where is the
scribe” speaks of religion and tradition,” and “where is
the disputer of this age” speaks of human reasoning,
opinions, and ideas. God says that they are all foolish.
While they think it is the preaching of the cross that
is absurd, it is actually they who are fools. This leads
right to verse 21:
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by
wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that
believe.
Men cannot find
God through their own efforts, rather God reveals
Himself only through the Word of God, only by the
preaching of the Gospel. Verses 22-25 goes one step
further:
For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek
after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the
Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because
the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the
weakness of God is stronger than
men.
While the
previous verses speak specifically about the message that is
being preached, these speak also of the act of preaching
itself, for it is kerusso that
Paul uses here, the formal proclamation of the herald.
Jews have to have a sign, while
Gentiles (Greeks) seek wisdom (philosophy), but preaching is neither one.
Preaching the cross offends the Jew and makes the
Gentile scoff, but still it is God’s way. Preaching is
ordained of God to meet every need of every person in
every age.
To illustrate,
consider the Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:20-31). In his
torment in Hades, the Rich Man implored Abraham to send
Lazarus back to his five brothers to warn them of Hades’
torment and urge them to repent. But Abraham answered,
“If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither
will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead (v.
31).” This was born out when Lazarus was raised from the
dead by the Lord Jesus (Jn. 21-22). While many believed,
many did not. The chief priests, in fact, plotted to
kill Lazarus. Likewise, the resurrection is an
historical fact, complete with empirical and
incontrovertible evidence, but the majority of the human
race still rejects the Gospel message. So, if preaching
isn’t enough, then nothing else will help one
iota.
Second, preaching
humbles us.
Nothing else
humbles us like preaching, for it is merely a man of God
proclaiming God’s truth and making us responsible to
obey. This is, in fact, why many people do not like
preaching. They simply don’t like someone “telling them
what to do.”
Third, preaching
presents truth that fights apostasy.
Once again
may we notice II Timothy 4:1-4, but may we also notice
the context. II Timothy 3 describes the apostasy of the
last days, that is, the “falling away,” the act of professing Christians who reject revealed truth. It is
within that context that we find verses 16 and 17, the
most important reference to the inspiration of Scripture
in the Bible. Immediately after this Paul says, “Preach
the Word” (II Tim. 4:2). Why? Because the truth of the
Scripture exposes apostasy. Verses 3 and 4 are
especially important here:
For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And
they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and
shall be turned unto
fables.
The Greek
for “endure” (anechomai)
literally means “to hold one’s self upright.” In modern
English, we could say, “They just won’t put up with it,”
and, indeed, many today just won’t put with
authoritative preaching. As a result, they seek out
teachers who will tickle them behind the ear, those who
will make them “feel good about themselves” and simply
tell them what they want to hear,
not what they need to hear.
For example, God’s
Word says that man is a dirty, filthy, rotten sinner who
is dead in trespasses and sin, but this certainly
doesn’t tickle the ear, so many talk about how good man
is, how to have a positive self-esteem, and how to
practice “possibility thinking.” And it’s not just in
liberal Christianity that we find this. I’ve seen many
evangelical pastors who preach only “positive” sermons
because that’s what people want. They don’t want to be
told about their sin or
responsibility.
Verse 4 is
fascinating in this light. “Fables” is the Greek muthos, from
which our English words “myth” and “mythology” are
derived. It describes “a tale or a fable that is
fabricated by the mind in contrast to reality” and is
“full of falsehoods and pretenses” [Spiros Zodhiatus].
Is this not exactly what we see today? The Bible is put
on the same level as Homer’s Iliad, and the accounts of creation, the fall, and the
flood are considered allegory. And then, absurdly
enough, these are then replaced by evolution, the
greatest example of man’s irrationality and mythological
mind. But again, it’s not just the liberals who discount
the Word of God. As noted earlier, many churches
relegate preaching to a past age or replace it with
something more up to date. By doing so, they are in
essence doing the same thing as the liberals. They
discount its relevance and deny its absolute
truth.
So, it’s preaching
the truth of the Word of God that exposes apostasy and
false doctrine. It is by preaching the truth that we
expose the errors that plague Christianity, such as: the
easy-believism Gospel, the pragmatic approach to
ministry, parachurch organizations, and all the
psychology-oriented ministries. As the Apostle John
warns, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God: because many false
prophets are gone out into the world (I Jn.
4:1).”
Fourth, preaching
equips us for service.
We draw this
principle, and the next two, from Ephesians 4:11-16.
Verse 11 mentions the “office gifts,” those who preach
and teach. Verse 12 then says that they are “for the
equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ.” Oh, how Christians
need to be equipped, and it is only the preaching of the
Word that will accomplish it. Notice also the word
“edifying,” which means “to build or construct.” As
we’ll see later in the chapter, the Local Church is the
training ground for ministry, and the preaching and
teaching of the Word is the only Biblical way to train
people for ministry.
Fifth, preaching
produces growth.
Verse 13 speaks of
“the knowledge of Christ,” which must be constantly
growing. Many churches have a plethora of programs, but
have little or no real growth in Christ. This is the
by-product of a weak pulpit ministry. Verse 14 goes on
to say:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby
they lie in wait to
deceive.
This speaks of
maturity, which is, of course, part of the growing
process. God wants us to be “adult Christians.” This
reemphasizes that preaching fights apostasy. Frankly,
the vast majority of Christians are sucked in by any new
Christian ministry, regardless of what it teaches. If
the ministry talks about the Bible at all, then most
Christians think it’s great. Most Christians, even
preachers, also think that any method, idea, or program
is fine, regardless of what the Scripture says about
ministry. Why? Because they don’t spend enough time in
the Word of God and are therefore immature and lack
discernment. Paul sums up in verse 15, “Speaking the
truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is
the head; Christ.” It is God’s truth alone that brings
growth, and it is preaching that proclaims this
truth.
Sixth, preaching
produces unity.
It is truly
fascinating that unity, knowledge, and maturity are all
tied together. Paul speaks of unity often in Ephesians.
In 2:11-22 he writes of Jews and Gentiles being unified
in Christ, and in 4:1-3 he exhorts believers to maintain
unity. Now we see that it is the preaching and teaching
of the word by God’s messengers that promotes unity (v.
13). As we’ll see a little later, Christians today are
uniting around many things, but the only thing that
provides real unity is the preaching of the
Word.
Seventh, preaching
meets needs, solves problems, and answers questions.
After all we’ve
seen, this principle is obvious. As we studied back in
Chapter 3, II Timothy 3:16-17 declare that the Word of
God is profitable in five ways: doctrine, reproof,
correction, instruction in righteousness, and equipping
for service. The Word of God is sufficient for every
situation. It has the answer for ever question and meets
every need. It outlines exactly how we are to live, and
it is up to us to preach it. As we saw back in Chapter
7, it is the preaching of the Word “which also
effectively works in you who believe” (I Thess.
2:13).
One other issue
concerning the pastor and his preaching is that he
should do so authoritatively and confrontively. Timothy
had a problem with authority due to an apparent timidity
(I Tim. 4:12-14). Paul’s charge, therefore, was that he
“command and teach” (4:11) and that he “preach,
convince, rebuke, and exhort” (II Tim. 4:2). All of this
demonstrates the preacher’s responsibility to be
authoritative. The Imperial Herald was to announce the
Emperor’s wishes with authority, and the preacher is to
do the same. But we see little authority in pulpits
today. We see preachers who compromise the truth so as
not “to offend” and who preach shallow sermons devoid of
doctrine and filled with stories and human
opinion.
Like
Timothy, many preachers today are timid and afraid of
“coming on too strong.” But it is instructive, indeed,
to observe that Paul uses the word parangello five times in his first letter to Timothy. This
word was used among Helenistic Jews “for military
orders, summons to an assembly (I Sam. 10:17), and
official proclamations (II Chron. 36:22)” ["Little
Kittel," p.776]. Likewise, it is used in the New
Testament to refer to the commands given by government
authorities (Acts 4:18; 16:23; 23:22). In the same way,
the Lord Jesus used the word several times: He commanded
the twelve disciples to preach that the Kingdom of
Heaven was at hand (Matt. 10:5ff); He commanded the
demons to depart from a possessed man (Lk. 8:26-29); He
ordered the cleansed leper to show himself to the
priests and to make an offering (in obedience to Old
Testament law); He commanded the multitude to sit down
on the ground (Mk. 8:6); He commanded the disciples not
to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the coming of
the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8); and He commanded His
servants to preach (10:42).
All of this, then, gave Paul reason to tell
Timothy to preach with authority. In Timothy 1:3-4, he
urges Timothy to “charge” (command) false teachers not
to teach false doctrine. Oh, how we need to do this
today instead of being tolerant! In 4:6:10, Paul lists
several things Timothy is to teach and then sums up in
verse 11, “These things command and teach.” He uses similar words in reference
to the Church’s ministry to widows (5:7). In 6:12 he
tells Timothy to “fight the good fight of faith,” and
then writes in verse 13 and 14, “I urge [command] you in
the sight of God. . .that you keep this commandment
without spot.” Finally, in 6:17 he instructs Timothy to
command the rich not to be haughty but willing to share
their riches. Paul’s instruction are just as appropriate
today as they were then. Preachers must be
authoritative.
One other verse
concerning this authoritative approach to preaching is I
Thessalonians 2:13, which we first examined back in
Chapter 7:
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing,
because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard
of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it
is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh
also in you that
believe.
As we saw in
Chapter 7, Paul clearly writes here of the fact that
these believers heard the Word of God through preaching. If we examine the verse in more depth, however,
we discover that Paul is also saying that when a man
preaches, he is actually speaking the Word of God. In
other words, true preaching means that the preaching
automatically has authority because it’s God’s Word.
This certainly does not mean the preacher is infallible,
but it does mean he has
authority.
Going hand-in-hand
with preaching authoritatively is preaching
confrontively. There are several prevalent approaches to
preaching today. There is, of course, the “No Preaching
Approach,” which says, “Let’s not have so much
structure; let’s just share ideas, sing, and have
fellowship.” But there is no real power or true
fellowship unless the Word of God as at the center.
There is also the “Positive Preaching Approach,” which
avoids anything controversial or coming across too
strongly. Then there is the “Problem Preaching
Approach,” which is totally psychology and seminar
oriented. The speaker usually states a problem or
“principle” and then gives his opinion or quotes ten
verses (often out of context) to solve the problem or
prop up the “principle.” I like to call this
“Bibleizing.” The “Personal Preaching Approach” is
riddled with personal illustration and experience, story
after story, and good humor, but little or no Biblical
truth. The “Political Preaching Approach” uses the
pulpit as a political platform. Many preachers today are
so involved with the abortion issue, for example, that
there is little time for anything
else.
All of these stem
from one basic cause: people don’t want to hear the
truth, so they want the preacher to tell them something
else. Many today want to be entertained instead of
challenged. In contrast, according to II Timothy 4:2,
“Confrontive Preaching” does three things. It
“reproves,” that is, it exposes and convicts of sin. It
also “rebukes,” that is, it reprimands sin and warns of
its consequences. Finally, it “exhorts,” that is, it
urges, encourages, and challenges the listener to do
what is right. Furthermore, Paul says to do all three of
these with patience and doctrine. The preacher is to
continue to preach in this manner and is to be
constantly doing it through
doctrine.
