I have only a little to say here. I have dealt with this question in more
detail earlier in this document.
I try not to use the word ‘preach’ any more. I see no sound reason for or productive
outcome from preaching. The kind of
preaching we are used to is a creation of man’s church. It is monologue, sermon, homily, delivered in
a sanctimonious voice from a sanctimonious position. It’s much more about telling people how they
should live than communicating the good news of the kingdom of God.
I do not see preaching or preacher as a Spiritual
gift anywhere in the entire New Testament.
Not even “public speaking” appears as a gift or talent among the first
century people of God, with the possible exception of Apollos who was regarded
as an orator.
In ecclesia, teachers teach, prophets prophesy,
evangelists evangelise and pastors pastor.
It is also generally understood that apostles proclaim; they also argue,
debate and defend. And for all of them,
the primary piece of equipment is the good news of the kingdom of God and as
far as the good news of the kingdom of God is concerned, the New Testament and
the apostles – and of course the apostle and high priest of our confession,
Jesus – all indicate that heralding, proclaiming and announcing are the
appropriate means of delivery.
To me, what the good news itself demands is a
strategy that announces “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth –
so help me God.” Paul said, “I become
all things to all men that by all means I might save some”, so I suspect he
used whatever means accomplished his purpose.
He also said that he and his team were “approved by God to be entrusted
with the good news.” God trusted
them. Can He trust as well?
However, by preaching I mean a one-way oration that
bears no criticism and countenances no comments or questions from
listeners. Even lectures are better than
the non-communication of preaching a sermon or homily.
Church is largely about preaching; ecclesia is
about living and sowing the good news of the kingdom of God.
A. How was the
good news proclaimed in the New Testament?
As I have indicated earlier in this series, the New
Testament knows two maid words to describe the propagation of the good news: kerygma which means proclaim, herald,
announce and the verb form of the Greek word ‘good news’ itself which means
something like sowing or planting seed.
Jesus, Paul and most of the New Testament
characters used both of these methods.
And in the first century since Jesus, those who trusted Christ and were
born again by the Spirit went out and did plenty of the second as they lived
their lives “in the world but not of it.”
But for us, it is not as simple as that. In one way, I wish it were that simple, but
our modern Western paradigm and thought processes which are basically Greek in
their origins, often complicate things.
Let me explain.
Pick any subject you like and there will be three
facets or approaches to it: what you believe about it, what you say about it
and what you do about it. For some
people, there is no connection or overlap between the three. For others there is an almost total
connection and overlap. Then there is a wide
variety of possible positions in between as these simple illustrations show.
For some people what they believe, what they say
and what they do are all separate unconnected things and connections are only
made ad hoc to suit the prevailing opinions and circumstances. Other people might connect what they believe
and what they say, but leave what they do in a separate compartment for
convenience. Others again might connect
what they believe and what they do, but leave what they say separate so they
can say one thing and do another. Yet
others might connect what they say and what they do, but leave what they
believe separate because their belief system is poorly developed.
An integrative person is one who places importance
on connecting all three to the greatest extent possible so there is consistency
in their life and the people they relate to know what to expect and can trust
them.
One thing you could say about Jesus is that he was
integrative: what he believed, what he said and what he did aligned very
closely, perhaps even totally. It was
said of him that, in his humanity, he was made in every way like us except
without sin. So he probably was the most
integrative person on the planet then and now.
The good news of the kingdom of God requires
announcers and sowers who are tending towards Jesus’ integrity where believing,
saying and doing are ‘on the same page’ and are well blended. Again, Jesus set the standard. What he believed issued clearly in his
publicly discourses, in the way he lived his life and in his treatment of the
people around him – his disciples, his immediate family, the crowds, the
seekers and the religious leaders.
The good news of the kingdom of God is such that it
can be announced, it can be given away in physical, emotional and mental healing
and it can be shared through love in fellowship and companionship. It’s mostly about discerning what is the real
need (which is not always what appears obviously on the surface) and using the
resources of the good news to enhance life.
For us, if the truth of the good news has taken
root in our spirits (as it will when we submit to the work of the Holy Spirit),
it is like an evergreen tree that is always available for the benefit and
healing of ourselves and the people in our lives. It is also available to take as seed and sow
it into the life of our neighbourhoods, towns and cities. And I firmly believe that that was exactly
what Jesus, Paul, Peter, Philip, Stephen and so many more members of the first
generation of ecclesia did.
They did not bury this precious pearl in the ground
and hope nobody stole it; they did not hide it under a box to prevent people
from seeing the light; they did not turn it into a formula that any Tom, Dick
or Harry could buy and sell; they did not turn it into a preaching series for
Sunday mornings.
They used every means available to them to live,
speak and give away the good amazing wonderful stupendous brilliant news of the
kingdom of God – that by all means they might save some. Attending church meetings, obeying rules, preaching
some pathetic pretence of a gospel and going to ‘heaven’ when you die, to me,
does not qualify as good news on any level – certainly not good enough news for
me to give my life to.
Next we consider what response does the good news call for?
Cheers,
Kevin.
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