Preacher Ko Lingkang

Receiving the Word of God through Preaching

Introduction

If a trusted news source reports that Scientists warn of a tsunami about to hit our shores, and that we have less than 4 hours to evacuate, chances are that we would not delay to grab our belongings and run – for we believe the warning to be true, and we are convinced that our lives are in danger. We would not stop to quibble over the exactness of the timeframe given, or the accuracy of the measurement on the Richter scale. We would take swift and decisive action, for we regard their warning as a truth that must be heeded, and one that could potentially save our lives! If such is our response to the fallible words of men, why is it that our reception to the Word of God is so much more reserved?

The theme that the BOE has decided for our church this year is "Receiving the Word of God", taken from 1 Thessalonians 2:13. The verse speaks of how the Apostle Paul commended the Christians at Thessalonica for having the right response to his ministry, for when he preached amongst them, they "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 focus on this theme this year, it is perhaps good to reflect on how our reception to the preached Word of God has been. Do we approach it with the same right biblical attitude as the Christians at Thessalonica? Or are there obstacles that prevent us from receiving the Word of God with faith and humility, thus preventing us from receiving the blessings from God’s Word and hindering our spiritual walk with the Him?

As we meditate on this verse, a few thoughts on how we ought to receive the preaching of God’s Word come to mind. These are simple guidelines as to how we can benefit more from the pulpit ministry, and allow the Word of God to effectually work in us for our own blessing and edification.

Acknowledgement of Truth

Firstly, we must understand that when the Word of God is faithfully preached by His servant, it is the perfect divine truth of God. As an Apostle, Paul’s preaching and teaching carried with it the authority of the Word of God. He was ministering at a time before the revelation of the New Testament was complete. Therefore, the words he and the other Apostles preached were the truth necessary for the churches to know the gospel and the revelation of God. Paul was unceasingly thankful about the way in which they received God’s Word that was preached to them. They did not reject him as one who came preaching his own ideas, but they acknowledged and received him as one who was indeed preaching the Word of God. That is how God wants us to receive His faithfully preached word as well.

In our present day, we have the complete New Testament written and preserved for us, and no longer have the ministry of the Apostles in our midst. Nonetheless the application of the verse still applies, that insofar as the preacher is faithful to the text, he speaks as the messenger or mouthpiece of God, and therefore his words should be received as truth for our understanding and application. It is not to say that the words of the sermon are equated with the Word of God, but that the faithful and accurate explanation of the text, together with the right interpretation and application of it, should be regarded as truly the message from God for us. We do not rule out the possibility that there can be error in the preachers’ interpretations or explanations, for even the best expositors of Scripture are still fallible. That is why discernment is required for us to know the difference between truth and error, and to always choose churches that uphold only the truth and reject falsehoods.

But if we do find ourselves sitting under the ministry of preachers that faithfully expound the truth of God’s Word, our attitude must be in the same thankworthy manner of the Thessalonians. We must have a healthy respect and regard for the word preached, for it is the truth of God. When the preacher explains the verse, it is not merely an intellectual exercise where he makes suggestions to us for our consideration. It is a practical declaration of God’s divine truth, akin to how the prophets of old would say "thus saith the Lord"! These truths are non-negotiable. We cannot pick and choose which ones we want to accept, or think we can slowly consider them at our own time and decide if we want to obey them or not. If we really do understand that these are God’s truths for us, and realise that this is what God’s Word says, then there can be no excuse – we must submit!

Submission to Authority

This brings us to our next point - if we do then accept that faithful preaching of God’s Word must be received as truth, then we must also accept its authority in our lives. That is how the Thessalonian Christians responded, whereby they obeyed Paul’s teachings not because of any human authority or clever convincing arguments, but because of the divinely inspired contents of his preaching, that they were "in truth, the word of God". This logically suggests a humble submission to the authority of Scripture. God uses such faithful preachers to declare His truth to us, and His desire for us is that we obey.

Yes, there is certainly a place for us to clarify our doubts and question the validity of certain interpretations or applications. We should not just blindly obey every single thing that the preacher declares from the pulpit, but we must be like the noble Christians at Berea who "received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). Notice their humble attitude, whereby they too had a ready and willing heart to receive the teachings of Paul as the Word of God and wanted to know the truth. However, they also put in effort to verify that what Paul preached was indeed in accordance with Scripture. The purpose behind any questionings that we have must never be to challenge, or to prove our own superiority or intellect, but that we can know the truth, and apply it in our hearts.

Effectual Working in our Lives

When we know the truth and have a desire to obey, what will happen is what Paul described as the "effectual working" in the lives of those who have believed the truth and submitted to its authority. This is the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification in our lives. When we allow God’s Word to work in our hearts, we will certainly and definitely see clear and effective change happening in us, whereby we are sanctified by the Word, and edified in the faith. Such is the consistent testimony of anyone who sits humbly under the faithful preaching of God’s Word, and sincerely desires to apply it in his life.

Thus we see clearly that the reception of God’s Word in the lives of believers is far more than just an intellectual exercise. It may begin with our understanding of the Word preached, whereby we acknowledge it as the divine truth of God. But it should then continue with a sincere and humble submission to it, where the heart truly desires to live out God’s Word in every aspect of believers’ lives. When that happens, the Holy Spirit will be able to take God’s Word and effectively work in their lives, such that they will be constantly changed, renewed, and strengthened in their walk with the Lord. It was such a process that brought Paul great joy, as he witnessed the evidence of such change happening in the Thessalonian church, as they grew under his ministry.

What is at stake here is far more than just our physical lives, or our material possessions that may be swept away if a tsunami really does strike our shores. What we are concerned with is our spiritual lives, and the eternal fate of our souls. That is why it is so important for us not only to regularly attend worship services and Bible studies where God’s Word is faithfully preached, but also to approach these activities with the right attitude, receiving the Word preached not with a critical, sceptical mind-set, but sincerely and humbly like the Christians in Thessalonica and Berea.

If we can do so in every worship service, Bible study and fellowship group meeting where God’s Word is preached, we will certainly be able to witness and experience the effectual working of God’s Word in our lives. Is that your desire for 2017?