Preach the Word

Preach The Preaching That I Bid Thee!
Robin W. Haley

These are the words of God, directed to the prophet Jonah when he was being charged to go to Nineveh to preach. Bible students recall that the man was not too willing to go to that city, and the Lord caused circumstances to change his mind. He did as he was bidden, but not willingly, and certainly not with the proper attitude. Can you imagine: he was actually upset because the people from the king down repented at his preaching?!

Now, here is an interesting thing: this man did God’s bidding unwillingly and the people repented. Yet, many times men will preach God’s word and never see anyone repent. So, they will change the preaching to suit themselves and their hearers and may get all kinds of response. They foolishly conclude they have done God’s bidding. NOT SO!

Sadly, some have come to the faulty conclusion that “getting responses” or “receiving the accolades of men” is comparable to doing the bidding of God in their preaching. It is a false idea that all preaching should see a positive result, yet that is what many look for in their “preaching.” If they do not see the results THEY believe ought to follow, they will change the message until they DO see what they want. Is this what God desires? Is this what He has ordered for His preachers to preach?

Good reader, IT DOES NOT MATTER what kind of response we get when we preach. Our task as preachers is to preach the preaching God has demanded, not to tickle ears. Paul said, “the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine” because they have itching ears (2 Timothy 4.3). When John the baptizer began his work the record says he “came…in the wilderness and PREACHED” (Mark 1.4). In this same text, verse 14 tells us that “Jesus came into Galilee PREACHING.” Again, Paul told the preacher Timothy to “PREACH the word” (2 Timothy 4.2). Any and every preacher worth his salt should be able to say with the apostle Paul: “woe is unto me if I PREACH not the Gospel” (1 Corinthians 9.16).

Are you a preacher? Are you concerned about what people think of you? Could you be happy doing anything else? THEN YOU OUGHT NOT TO PREACH!

Are you a preacher? Are you preaching the preaching God has bidden you to preach? Are you doing so without fear and without favor to any? Do you believe that without you and your message from God that your soul and the souls of your hearers will be lost? GOD BLESS YOU IN YOUR LABORS! Continue to take seriously what Paul said: “Take heed unto thyself and to thy teaching; continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4.16).

Are you a preacher? Is your message a BALANCED message? A man can preach the truth but not always be considered a SOUND preacher because of a lack of balance. One can preach on love, mercy, and grace…all vitally important Bible subjects, but not be a sound preacher. Sound doctrine is HEALTHY doctrine. Healthy doctrine is BALANCED doctrine. By all means let us preach the doctrines of God’s love and grace and mercy. But let us not overlook His wrath and judgment to come. To preach this way is to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20.20,27). To do less is to fail to preach the preaching God has bidden us to preach.

Finally, if you’re a preacher: “preach the word! Be urgent in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke and exhort with longsuffering and doctrine!” If you will follow this advice from Paul to Timothy, then you too will be a good soldier of Christ (2 Timothy 2.3), do the work of an evangelist and be a good minister (1 Timothy 4.6; 2 Timothy 4.5)!

Do Not Fall From Grace

Salvation is a precious promise given to us by God the Father and made possible by Jesus the Son. Humankind learns of salvation by the Holy Spirit who delivered the eternal word of truth to men and women. Salvation is the hope of which so many New Testament writers wrote about. The Apostle Paul speaks of this hope that Christians have in Titus 1:2, “in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal”. Paul likewise states in Titus 3:7 the following about our hope, “that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life”.

The Christian’s one and only hope is the promise of eternal life, salvation. The Hebrew writer wrote in Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him”, teaching us that we, as Christians, must believe that we will receive the promise of eternal life, for without faith in this fact, we can not please God our Father.

Is it therefore possible to gain this promise and then lose it? What does the bible say about this question? The Inspired Apostles answer this question in many, many passages in the New Testament. For example, in 1 Corinthians 10:12 Paul states “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall”. Paul warns us that we should never take our salvation for granted. He does not mean that we should not have faith that we will be saved if we are obedient to the things commanded of us, but that we should never feel so comfortable that we begin to neglect the commandments God has given us to follow. Take heed friends that you don’t fall away from God. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 Paul states “but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected”, again stressing the fact that we should never ‘get lazy’ with our souls. Paul brought himself into subjection daily in order to keep himself from being rejected.

Paul told the Hebrew Christians living in the region of Galatia something extremely important in Galatians 5:4, “Ye are severed from Christ, ye would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace”. These Christians were loosing their salvation due to the fact that they insisted in adding circumcision to the Law of Christ. They were in jeopardy of loosing their souls for adding to God’s word. Paul tells those same Christians in Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”. Paul tells these Christians that they will inherit their hope, life eternal, if they will simply press on, and not faint or grow weary in their service to Christ. The same is true for us today.

A sad account of Christians loosing their salvation can be found in the Revelation of John. Christ himself tells the Church of Ephesus the following bad news in Revelation 2:4-5 “But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent.” The Christians in this city were in danger of being removed from Christ if they did not repent and come back to God. Likewise, in Revelation 3:16 Jesus tells the Church of Laodicea “So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” Jesus tells the Christians here that their actions will result in their separation from him throughout eternity.

Peter states in 2 Peter 1:10 “Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble.” If the Christians did those things mentioned in the previous verses, they would never stumble. “If”. But “if” not, then they surely would stumble. Peter also says in 2 Peter 3:17 “Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own stedfastness.” Peter clearly states that Christians can be lead astray by the wicked and loose their salvation. Hundreds of other passages affirm this fact, salvation can be lost, throughout the New Testament. The pages of our Bibles are covered with warnings not to forsake God and return to the lives we once lived, lives of sin and disobedience.

Friends, salvation is precious. Our lives for Christ are precious. Let us press on toward our hope, eternal life, and never fall away and loose that salvation.

See also, II Peter 3:16-17, Hebrews 3:12, Luke 12:41ff, Ezekiel 18:19-24, I Cor. 3:17, 8:11, I Peter 2:11, Etc.