Pr Joshua Yong

1 Thessalonians 2:9 – “For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.”

Not too long ago, I was listening to a message which I had to critique. The pastor of that church kept referring to his discourse as a “talk” instead of the “preaching of God’s Word” or a “message”. This caught my attention as it was an unusual way to refer to the preaching of God’s Word. Though this may seem to be a rather small detail, yet it is a reflection of how many churches today view the preaching of God’s Word. Many preachers prefer a more conversational and informal style; they do not want to speak too authoritatively; hence preferring to refer to their preaching as just a “talk”.

The Bible speaks of “preaching”, “declaring” and “teaching”. The prophets of the Bible would declare “thus saith the Lord” when they prophesied. The preaching of God’s Word is greatly emphasised in the Word of God and it is an important part of worship in the church. Hence, God’s people must see the importance of the preaching of God’s Word today.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:9, Paul described how he toiled night and day and how he preached the Word of God to God’s people. The word “preach” used here is the most common Greek word to describe “preaching” in the New Testament. It is used 63 times, and it describes the “heralding” and “proclaiming” of an important message or news; on one of these occasions, it is also used in reference to the person preaching – the “preacher”.

1. The Authority in Preaching

The word “preach” itself describes the authority of preaching. In ancient times, a herald was one who proclaimed a message, and who announced or proclaimed an upcoming important event. There would be urgency and seriousness in the message, and the herald knew that he was the representative of the person who sent him to proclaim the message. To preach God’s Word must be a proclamation that is authoritative. To refer to preaching as merely giving a talk dilutes the seriousness and solemnity of preaching.

To “preach” is to declare and proclaim the will of God. It is where the preacher stands as the representative of God and as one who is sent by God. He must not preach his own will or message. His duty is to proclaim the will of God. Preaching is therefore not based upon a person’s opinion or experience; it is based on the authority of God’s Word. The preacher who preaches with the authority of God’s Word must do so authoritatively. He must not be hesitant or unsure in his preaching. If a person were to preach his own opinions then he will not be able to preach with authority. But if he recognizes that he is sent by God, then he must go forth with the authority of God.

This is a great comfort to preachers. In Acts 3:13, Peter and John were perceived by the Sanhedrin Council as being “unlearned” and “ignorant”. They were just fishermen, yet they were able to declare the Word of God with authority. Some Christians today seek after eloquence or clever words in preaching; but what churches need today are preachers who are faithful to God’s Word and who will declare the Gospel and the whole counsel of God authoritatively.

When we listen to God’s Word preached, we must be conscious that when the preacher expounds and explains the Word of God faithfully, he is declaring the will of God to God’s people. We ought to recognize that we are to submit ourselves unto God and not to the preacher. We should be seeking to hear what God wants to declare to us. When we gather to hear the preached Word of God, we are gathering to hear the voice of God.

2. The Message in Preaching

The word “preach” not only speaks of the authority of preaching, but also of the message in preaching. To “preach” is to proclaim. The message to be proclaimed is given to the herald. The message declared in preaching is of utmost importance. Paul said that he “preached the gospel of God”. Paul also said: “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Preachers of God’s Word are to preach the Word of God.

Incidentally, the same pastor who referred to his messages as “talks” also referred to the Bible as “foundation documents.” Not once in his message did he refer to the Bible as God’s divine revelation or the “Word of God.” This is definitely not a coincidence, but is a reflection of how this pastor views the Word of God and preaching. By referring to the Word of God as “foundational documents”, he gives the impression that the Word of God is merely some documents produced by man. This undermines the divine nature of God’s Word. It is no wonder that he only refers to his messages as just a series of talks.

But the preacher is to be very conscious that he is preaching the Word of God, and that the Word of God is God’s divine revelation given to man. It is not some documents given or compiled by man; the Word of God is given by divine inspiration.

The preacher’s duty is to expound and explain the Word of God clearly and simply whereby God’s people will know God better by knowing the Word of God. The Word of God is ever relevant and powerful and it is according to the Word of God that God’s people must live their lives.

3. The Place of Preaching

Preaching is a very important part of worship. When we gather in the Lord’s house every Sunday for worship, the main purpose is to hear the Word of God preached. This was what Apostle Paul laboured for in his ministry. Acts 20:7 says, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” During the first half of the worship service, we render our praises and our adoration unto the Lord; the second half of the service mainly consists of the preaching of God’s Word where God speaks to us and we hear the voice of God.

There are churches that reduce the importance of the preaching of God’s Word. Even though they may still allocate some time for a sermon, the preaching of God’s Word is just a presentation or a talk. But the preaching of God’s Word is where God’s people are admonished, encouraged, rebuked, and instructed according to the Word of God. The importance of preaching must be understood first by God’s preacher before it can be understood by God’s people. The preacher is to be faithful to his God and God’s people are to be receptive to the will of God.