Things I Like, Part 4 (Preaching God's Word)
Earlier, I mentioned that I love preaching. I would even have to say that I am something of a “preaching junkie!” Probably a poor choice of words, I know.
What I am trying to say is I love to hear the Word of God preached. Personally, I really like to listen to Chuck Swindoll’s program, Insight for Living, every day on my iPod nano, among others.
In some churches, preaching is seen as something that is outdated, from another time. But the early Church, the Church that changed the world, had lots and lots of preaching and teaching. Acts 2:42 tells us, “they continued in the apostles’ doctrine.”
If anyone could have wanted to live in their past, or rest on their laurels, it would have been these first-century Christians. After all, they had experienced the phenomenon of the Day of Pentecost together!
But they did not try to live in experiences, as wonderul as those can be when they happen. Instead, they concentrated on Bible study!
Why? Because they were indeed “Spirit-filled!” A Spirit-filled believer will be a Bible-studying believer. These believers studied and they preached to reach their culture.
Listen, PREACHING is God’s primary way of reaching lost people. The apostle Paul reminded us, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21 NKJV).
Yes, God can BE KNOWN and made known through preaching!
I have been reading a great little book called Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). It is written by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Gluck.
I found this quote in their book from a leader in the Emergent Church: “To say Scripture is the Word of God is employing a metaphor. God cannot be thought of as literally speaking words, since they are an entirely human phenomenon that could never prove adequate as a medium for the speech of an Infinite God.”
What?
Another Emergent Church leader wrote, “Our words aren’t absolutes. Only God is absolute, and God has not intention of sharing His absoluteness with anything, especially words people have come up with to talk about Him.”
That could not be more wrong. God wants to be KNOWN by us.
The apostle Paul made knowing God his very life’s purpose. We should do the same.
Take time to study Scripture today and then look for an opportunity to “preach” it to someone who needs to hear it.
