Thought for the Day: Preaching

 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10.14-15)

When we hear the word “preaching” we mostly think of an activity that takes place in Church when a someone stands up in front of the congregation and delivers a sermon. And to be sure, that is preaching in the formal sense. Christians have long recognized that the public preaching of the Gospel must be a regular part of the ministry and worship of the Church. In most Churches, especially those who stand in the stream of the Protestant Reformation, the sermon is the central act of worship and the main reason for the Church gathering on Sundays.

A sermon in a Church is usually based on a passage of Scripture and contains some teaching elements or instruction as well as exhortation. Most of the people who hear these sermons are already Christians. The sermon is meant to encourage these believers and confirm and strengthen their faith and commitment to Christ.

The word “preach” means to announce or declare, much like the ancient town crier who went through the streets proclaiming the king’s edict to the people. In modern life, reporters who give the news are doing a kind of preaching in that they are declaring certain facts or events. The Christian preacher is declaring certain facts as well. The Christian message, or Gospel, is based on facts and on events. The preacher is not just giving ideas like a philosopher. Preaching is giving a report about what God has said or done, specifically, what God has revealed through His Son, Jesus. Preaching is the good news about Jesus and the offer of salvation in through faith in Jesus.

This all seems rather simple, and perhaps even obvious. But the Church often fails to understand the importance and centrality of the act of preaching the message about Jesus. Most people think of the work of the Church as multi-dimensional, with preaching the Gospel just being one aspect of Christian ministry. But the New Testament places a tremendous weight and emphasis on the act of communicating the message of Christ. This is not just one of the many things the Church is to be doing, it is the one, central thing that the Church must do. The only way people will be able to come to saving faith in Christ is by this message being proclaimed. How can someone believe a message they have never heard? The Church exists to bring people into a saving relationship with Jesus. The only way this can happen is if people hear about Jesus. And the only way people will hear about Jesus is through preaching. There is a sense in which the whole reason for the Church is preaching.

There are people who devote their lives to the regular, systematic preaching in the public worship of the Church. These are people the Church recognizes and sets aside as leaders who are called for this task of preaching. But preaching in this formal sense is by no means the only form preaching can take. Any communication of the message of Christ is preaching. This may happen in Church before a gathered congregation, or it may happen in someone’s home in an informal conversation. In another sense the written word could be called preaching because writing is another way of communicating the truth of the Gospel.

My point is that the communication of the Gospel should be the main work of every Church and even of every Christian, even those not ordained to a preaching ministry. All of God’s people can carry the message of Christ to anyone they can who is willing to listen.  Those who hear and believe that message will be saved.