You might recognise the title of this article as the question the apostle Paul asks in Romans chapter 10. In full the question reads; "And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Romans 10:14). The question is rhetorical – the apostle Paul implies the answer in the question – that is, people will not hear the good news about Jesus unless someone preach­es to them. Today, however, many – both within and outside of the church – would dispute that claim. They consid­er preaching to be a dated and ineffi­cient means of communication.

Hindrances to Preaching⤒🔗

In times past people had their criti­cisms about sermons, complaining they were dull, boring or unrelated to the point of the text. These criticisms, however, were aimed at the kind of sermon preached; today we hear criti­cism of the sermon as a means of communication. These objections have escalated since the advent of radio, television, video and computers. Be­fore this century preaching was the only show in town – not anymore! Modern multi-media presentations offer high-tech competition to preachers. Rather than go to church on a Sunday evening people can stay home and watch the Sunday evening movie on TV, hire a vid­eo or see a sports game on Sky. The box in the lounge has replaced the pul­pit in the church.

Another effect of modern technolo­gy has been to raise people's expecta­tions about preaching. Anyone can turn on the TV at night and watch a polished presentation of the news or see professional entertainers introduced by smart and smooth hosts. Interspersed through all of this are some brilliant advertisements with words crafted to catch our attention and lodge in our memory. Your average preacher is no match for such performances. Nor is he a match for the famous preachers of the world who have also entered the world of show business, like Robert Schuller in his "Hour of Power" transmitted from the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, South­ern California. Unfortunately, too many of these tele-evangelists and preachers are more concerned about holding an audi­ence than about preaching the message of the Bible without fear or favour. Yet such well funded, high class and prac­tised performances set a standard which is well nigh impossible for a local pastor to attain.

Not only has modern technology raised people's expectations – it has also lowered their concentration and their ability to assimilate information. Televi­sion, with its rapidly changing images and frequent commercial breaks, has not encouraged serious listening or mental discipline. In his penetrating critique of television Neil Postman warns of its pow­erful and destructive effect on people's attention span and ability to think. He notes that programmes are structured so that each eight-minute segment may stand as a complete event in itself. Fur­thermore the average length of a shot on network television is only 3.5 sec­onds. The eye never rests. It always has something new to see. ¹

Another effect of television has been to encourage us to evaluate everything we see and hear for its entertainment value. Television presents most of its information in an entertainment format. Perhaps the primary reason for this is that programmers are aiming to attract viewers and maintain their ratings. Pro­grammes must hold the attention of the viewer. One clear example of this is the news broadcasts. Our New Zealand TV stations are competing for ratings and so the heat is on to attract viewers to tune into the news. It is important, there­fore, that the presenters be presenta­ble, the news interesting, the pictures riveting, the style lively, and, most im­portant, that the viewers stayed tuned. What we see on the six o'clock news is not merely information but what has been called 'infotainment'. The significance of all this is not lost on church leaders. Many have responded by steering the church in a similar direction. They are driven by a laudable evangelistic motive in that they want to present the Chris­tian message to a lost society. If we are going to attract an audience, they argue, we must present the service in an enter­taining manner. However, there is a great danger in this: Rather than ensuring that the church service is driven by the truth of the message it is tempting to allow the 'audience' to drive the service – the service is 'seeker-friendly' rather than God-centred! Soon the primary concern is to find a message and a style that will attract listeners ('seekers') and hold them. In this setting, style all too easily becomes more important than substance: Truth gives way to impres­sion.

Finally, contemporary communicators and educators question the whole con­cept of preaching telling us that mono-directional communication is ineffective. If we truly want to change people's atti­tudes and behaviour, we are told, we must deal with people in small groups or one-to-one. In the current climate of opinion preaching is "out-dated, old-fash­ioned, little more than a rather quaint ecclesiastical anachronism", ² a dinosaur in a computer age!

All this does not encourage pastors to concentrate their efforts on preach­ing, nor does it encourage congregations to listen. As we move into this new mil­lennium many are discarding preaching believing there are more productive ways of spending their time and more effec­tive means of communicating the gos­pel.

In response to these trends I believe there is compelling biblical evidence in favour of preaching. It is a biblical and therefore an effective means of conveying the gospel message, even in this postmodern age. I would like us to con­sider some of the biblical arguments in favour of preaching.

The Command of Jesus←⤒🔗

Just before his ascension Jesus com­missioned his disciples, as representa­tives of the church of all ages and plac­es, with the task of being his ambassa­dors; "...repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things" (Luke 24:47). This is the message of the well known words of the Great Commission; "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). The means Jesus command­ed his disciples to use the means of preaching to make disciples of all na­tions.

The Command of the Apostles←⤒🔗

In his instructions to Timothy the Apostle Paul notes that there are elders of the church who are set aside espe­cially for the work of "preaching and teaching" (1 Timothy 5:17). Timothy himself was a teaching elder. Paul urged him to concentrate his attention on preach­ing. In his first letter he lists various Christian doctrines and then says;

Com­mand and teach these things... Until I come devote yourself to the public read­ing of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.1 Timothy 4:11, 13

In his second letter he charges him to "Preach the Word" (2 Timothy 4:2). The word translated as "preach" here is the Greek word kerusso which refers to the author­itative proclamation of a herald who was sent out by the king. No preacher may make up his own message. Rather he must pass on what he has received. This is why Paul wanted Timothy to preach "the word". The Word of God is to be the content and subject of preaching be­cause it is the Word of the King. A her­ald would proclaim his message, crying it out in a public place so it could be heard by the people. In this sense, the Old Testament prophets were heralds as were the New Testament apostles – they were called to the verbal and public proc­lamation of the Word of God. I have drawn your attention to only one word that describes preaching but the New Testament has thirty words to describe preaching. That illustrates the centrality of preaching in the early church.

The Method of the Apostles←⤒🔗

We should also note that already in the first century preachers had their critics. The Apostle Paul had to deal with people who ridiculed the method of preaching, both Jews and Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5). Yet the apostle insist­ed that he would continue to "preach Christ crucified" (1 Corinthians 1:23) as God's chosen means of saving a lost humanity.

In choosing this method he rejected the rhetorical techniques of Greek ora­tory;

When I came to you brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God ... My message and my preaching were not with wise or persua­sive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on man's wisdom but on God's power.1 Corinthians 2:1, 4, 5

By this he is not suggesting that preachers should neglect the art of speaking; his point is that the power is not in the technique, nor in the preacher, but rather in the Word of God as it is applied by the Holy Spirit.

To the world preaching may seem a 'foolish' and ineffective method of com­munication. That is how it appeared to unbelievers in the first century. Howev­er, "since in the wisdom of God the world did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21). This, for Paul, was the method of communicating God's truth.

Keep Preaching←⤒🔗

So we return to Paul's words to the Christians in Rome where he states that the message of salvation must be preached if people will come to faith. "How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" (Romans 10:14). This is not to deny that God may, and does, use other means to bring people to faith. The prob­lem in churches today is that more and more preaching is be­ing discarded in favour of other means of communication. God, however, has commanded that His Word be communi­cated through preaching as the primary means of saving the lost and edifying the saved. Let's not exchange God's chosen method for inferior substitutes of human invention.