Necessity of Preaching (Part 2)

The essence of authentic Christian preaching can be seen throughout the panorama of the entire story of God’s redemptive history, recorded in the Scriptures. The fundamental task of the spiritual leader has always and only been to listen to God’s Word, understand God’s meaning, and proclaim it to his contemporary community. The Christian leader is to lead his people to pay attention to God. In these last days, God is paid attention to through the text of his spoken Word, the Bible (Heb. 1:1-3). The primary call of the Christian leader, then, is to continue to exegete the texts of God’s Word and teach it to his community.

How could any Christian person “hate” that, sleep through it, or cheer for its absence during a Christian gathering? Either God’s Word is being talked about, but not truly preached and understood, or the message is being understood, but it is not really God’s Word. Neither scenario is what God expects of authentic preaching in his gathered covenant community. As John Stott points out, it is when the Church has neglected to execute its first duty to authentic, exegetically based, expository preaching, that it has experienced its eras of decline and weakness in strength, numbers, and vitality.

Authentic Christian preaching ought to never be long, boring, rationalistic lectures, which are propositional, authoritarian, and opinionated in nature. It does not necessarily mean three-point, deductive, dogmatic sermons. It will always be a prophetic message that exegetes God’s revealed text and expose the people of God to the Word of God. This is what expository preaching is; exposing God’s people to God’s Word. This is the “baby” that ought to be kept. The “bathwater” that ought to be tossed out will be any style that does not communicate the meaning of God’s Word, or any well-communicated message that is not God’s Word. The text must be taken very seriously and people must take themselves less seriously.

As the “bathwater” of modernist Christianity flows down the drain of history, the “baby” of authentic Christian belief and practice must be saved and cradled in new forms for a new generation. These nine important themes: Community, Humility, Inquiry, Sensuality, Text, Irreverence, Activity and Text can guide us in listening to and proclaiming the authentic Word of God in this new postmodern paradigm. These themes will also help us test the bible teaching we receive, to determine if it reaches the goal of being high logos, high ethos and high pathos. This is the true high calling of both those who proclaim and those who receive spiritual formation through that proclamation. As St. Paul wrote: “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2)

Necessity of Preaching (Part 1)

Humbert of Romans said, “In this connection we must observe that, though preaching is necessary for the whole of creation, it is particularly useful to men”.  In genuine, postmodern Christian faith, Spiritual formation through preaching will be held up as a necessary part of any authentic and healthy church of Jesus Christ. David Buttrick stated, “Speaking is our primary task.” Douglas John Hall said, “Ministers are recalled to the teaching office.” John Stott laid out five theological arguments that “leave us without excuse” in being convinced “of the indispensable necessity” of preaching for today. These five arguments come from the five biblical doctrines of God, Scripture, the Church, the pastorate, and the nature of preaching. The apostles gave their “attention to prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4 NIV) and Paul instructed Timothy to devote himself “to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13 NIV). Yet, somehow, in many circles, preaching has come to be considered optional.

At our church, we are attempting to communicate and demonstrate the necessity of preaching. From the beginning, there have been people who would like to drop the weekly, verbal proclamation from the program. But our leadership is convinced of the necessity of preaching for the health and legitimacy of our fellowship. We plan a menu of teaching for the coming year. We balance Old and New Testament, narrative and prophecy, epistle, topics, and issues. We incorporate the seasons of the Church, the nation, and the year. We honor local and global events. However, we never stop listening to the text of God’s Word systematically read and taught in context.

Biblical preaching is an essential means of shaping Christian spiritual formation. The public reading and interpreting and practical application of God’s recorded revelation exposes his people to the very pneuma (breath) of the living God. Nothing else can claim this; not singing, praying, working, serving, nor giving. These things are all the responses to his Spirit breathing life into his people. It is through his Word exposed to his people that they are convicted, converted, and commanded. Preaching may look and sound different in this postmodern age. But it will remain necessary for the life of the Church as it has done in every age of God’s salvation history.