Apr 9

“Preach the word…” 2 Timothy 4:2

An action, and the object of it, is expressed in the first part of this verse. The action is ‘preach’! This means to ‘proclaim loudly’. It is the equivalent in manner and purpose to what was done in ancient days. When a king wanted a message to be sent among his people, he would issue a proclamation. Men in the service of the king, called ‘heralds’, would then go through the land and loudly announce the proclamation the king had made, so that that people everywhere in the realm could hear it. Sometimes a trumpet sounded before the herald spoke, to gain the attention of the people, and encourage them to momentarily leave their activity or work, and gather around to listen. This is the context of the task and manner of preaching. We as Christians are to ‘herald’ the proclamations of our King Jesus, to the world around us. As an action, preaching is loud, in the sense that it stands out as different from normal speaking; it is meant to carry the message from the King clearly; it must be done in places and ways where people can hear; it must be carried in the precision and authority of the Sender; it is a task of obedience and personal consecration, which may well also require sacrifice in various ways, and at different times! Preaching is different to any other ‘speaking’ activity known to man. It is not merely giving a ‘talk’ or discourse. It is not oratory in the general sense of the word, or lecturing per se. It differs from teaching in manner and overall content. It can only really be properly carried out, through the anointing of the Spirit of God resting on the speaker and causing him to bring out ‘the message’, God laid on his heart to begin with! The object of this holy exercise is the ‘Word of God’! ‘Preaching’ anything else, regardless of how interesting, current or pressing, is not the preaching intended for God’s heralds! The Word of God, must be the centre, basis, content and message of Christian preaching, and the motivation of the preacher. All topical preaching must be soundly founded upon the correct basis of scriptural principle. It is in expounding, and explaining the text and principles of the Word, that preaching (and teaching), is actually carried out. To this privileged task, God has called His people, in every walk of life. Preaching the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, is an action that takes place at many levels. God calls some to various aspects of ministry, such as pastoring, teaching and evangelism, where this task is a very regular part of life. He also calls all believers, everywhere to be faithful and ‘preach’, proclaim and share the message from the King of Kings, by words, actions and lifestyle behaviour, to all with whom we come in contact with, in everyday life. It is by preaching the Word that God has seen fit to save the lost of this world! Have we done any of this preaching lately?

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion