Beginning on the Day of Pentecost—when Peter, “standing up with the eleven,” lifted up his voice and preached a powerful, scripture-filled, Holy Ghost-anointed message to which thousands responded in faith believing—there has ever been the primacy of preaching in the life of the Church that Jesus founded.
Paul’s parting words to his protégé and son in the faith, Timothy, were, “Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.” (II Tim. 4:2) His earlier farewell remarks to the elders of Ephesus, meeting with them for the last time in Miletus, were: “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27) Peter’s exhortation to the elders was “feed the flock of God.” And that has been the mandate of those whom God has gifted and called to be pastors-teachers from day one in the life of His Body, “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Eph.4:11,12)
Some in this 21 century bemoan the fact that, in many churches, preaching takes a back seat to worship teams that almost wear people out with music; to multi-media presentations that lack nothing in professional production; and to almost anything and everything but Bible preaching. But “preach the Word” still rings in the heart, mind, and soul of the man of God who has been separated and gifted for ministry by the Holy Spirit of God.
I want to share with you some thoughts that men of yesteryear have left us on the subject of Bible preaching. These men left their mark and, in their day, shared their mind on this critically important subject.
Dr. Richard Rupp, one of my college professors and a teacher that I admired greatly, said in a homiletics class: “Much of our problems today (mid-1960s) stem from the fact that we do not make preaching our priority over such duties as counseling, administration, etc. These necessary facets of ministry would be less burdensome if our preaching would get better. You must allot time to this; if you are not willing to allot time, do not bother to plan a program. Meditating is a must; the Psalmist said, ‘When I meditated…the fire burned within my heart, then spake I.’ If preaching is going to be remembered and have an impact, it must be centered around one big idea; if so, a great deal will be remembered about that sermon.”
Thank you, Dr. Rupp. I don’t remember much, after 60 years or so, about any one of the sermons you preached. But I do remember, as a young preacher boy, that when you stepped into the pulpit and opened your mouth, it was evident that you had been with God and had the breath of God upon your preaching. You left a mark upon this young Bible student that I have not yet gotten over.
Along this same line, here is another perspective that I would file under the heading of “balance.” Dr. Richard Clearwaters (1900-1996) pastored the Fourth Baptist Church of Minneapolis, where I was a member while attending the seminary that he founded, Central Baptist Theological Seminary. If my memory serves me well, Dr. Clearwaters taught the course Church Administration. He was a brilliant pulpiteer, with a mind that sometimes bewildered those of us who were in the “average” category. (We thought his mind was more “oriental” than “occidental,” but whatever it was, no one—not even seminary students who worked full time—ever “dozed” when he was teaching or preaching.) My memory is very clear on this point: On more than one occasion, Dr. Clearwaters said, “Churches will forgive poor preaching, to a point, but they will not forgive poor administration.” The teacher here was not giving anyone a pass to settle for mediocrity in one’s preaching, but he wanted to stress the need for balance. He was simply saying that it would not be wise to spend all your time in the books while ignoring administrative details, mundane as they often might be. Selah.
But now back to preaching. I am not sure who shared this quote, which I believe came out of the Sword of the Lord 40 or 50 years ago, but I think it is choice: “Prime Minister Lloyd George of England (1863-1945) said, ‘When the chariot of humanity gets stuck in the mud, nothing will lift it out but strong Bible preaching that goes straight to the heart and mind’.”
Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. The chariot of humanity sure is stuck in the mud at this present hour. Where, oh where, is the strong Bible preaching?
Well, I have a lot more to share on this subject—nectar gleaned from many a wise forbearers. So there is more to come in upcoming installments of “You and God.” In the meantime, pastor friends, “preach the Word!”
“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.” (I Corinthians 1:21)
YOU and GOD 