“And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14c, NKJV)
The eighth myth regarding the identity of the contemporary church may at first sound strange, but within the right context readers will realise it has Biblical legitimacy. The myth is: preaching is the core of the church gathering.
In their controversial book Pagan Christianity, Viola & Barna try to make a case regarding this issue. In my opinion they partly succeed due to their good arguments, but their perspective is too prejudiced regarding the sermon as instrument of ministry of the gospel, and thus it loses its balance.
Since the time of the Old Testament preaching is a normative practice when believers gather: “I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, o Lord, You Yourself know.” (Ps. 40:9). It is this same “good news” of which Isaiah had also prophesied: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isa. 61:1), which Jesus later repeats in Luke 4:18-19. Although Jonas’ mandate was obviously more of a prophetic-evangelistic nature, it was very clearly a preaching mandate: “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” (Jonah 3:2).
When the New Testament originates, Jesus makes the preaching mandate very clear in Luke 9:60: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” Throughout the new dispensation preaching is central, as Paul also presents it in Col. 1:28 – “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Viola & Barna’s plea for less preaching in the church can for instance not stand against the strong statement made in 2 Tim. 4:2: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” The foundation for this is the section in Rom. 10:13-15 which places the spreading of the good news in relief with preaching and teaching: “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’”
In the light of this it is then necessary to look at the role that preaching should take in our gatherings.
- Selah: How has preaching benefited your spiritual growth?
- Read: 43-45; 49; 84-85; 87.
- Memorise: 49:15.
