“Is it worth all this effort?” I don’t know if other ministers in our churches ever ask themselves this question, but I do. I ask it sometimes as I am working away at my desk trying to understand a particular Greek word and its significance in a passage. I ask it at times when I am struggling to construct an outline for a sermon. I ask it sometimes on a Sunday after I have finished preaching and it seemed that many did not understand what I was trying to say, or, if they did, that it did not make any difference to them. Is it worth it? Is it worth eight to twelve hours of study to write a sermon? Is it worth the time and effort? Is this the most effective way to communicate the truth of the Bible?

Many would say, “No”. They have exam­ined this question and have concluded that preaching is an ineffective and inefficient means of declaring the truth of the Bible. They claim that the cause of the gospel is better served through other methods. “This”, they say, “is an age of visual communication. If you want to get through to people you need a multi-media presentation: DVDs, pictures, power point, drama. You don’t just want a ‘talking head’ up the front. People are going to turn off. It’s not going to work.”

However, we should not underestimate the power of what we hear. Even today much more information is communicated by plain speech than in any other way. Despite this visual age there is still an enormous number of words being written, read and spoken. Many business organisations and teaching institutions still use the spoken word when addressing large audiences. Spoken words are also important for television – much of what see and hear is presented by a person or persons speaking to others. Think of all the television talk shows as one example and the news broadcasts as another. The spoken medium is still well used.

Preaching is also a very personal medium whereas the electronic medium is imper­sonal; the people speaking through those flickering images seem close at hand, but they are remote, inaccessible and unap­proachable. By contrast the preacher is ‘live’, a flesh and blood person, someone ‘real’. Moreover, he is accessible and approachable - you can shake his hand after the service, ask him questions and converse with him. As local pastors we may not have the communication gifts of Dr. Charles Stanley, but the man preaching Sunday by Sunday is your pastor – you know him and he knows you – and together you are part of the living body of Christ in your local congregation.

The Spirit’s Power!⤒🔗

Yet, even in my local congregation, I still sometimes ask myself; “Is it worth all this effort?” That question usually arises out of my inability to communicate the truth of the Bible in my inadequate words. “...we have this treasure in jars of clay”, wrote the apostle Paul (2 Cor 4:7). Obviously he felt the same deficiencies. He was also aware of the barriers to communication; he wrote that the message about Christ crucified was “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:23). He knew that his preaching was not through “eloquence or superior wisdom” but “in weakness and fear, and with much trembling”. He did not go to the Corinthians with “wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spir­it’s power” (2 Cor 2:1-5).

That is the key! Preaching is “a demon­stration of the Spirit’s power”! When Paul wrote that “...we have this treasure in jars of clay” he explained that this shows “that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Cor 4:7). The power of preach­ing does not lie in our ability, eloquence or skill; it lies in the power of the Holy Spirit, who takes the words of the Bible, spoken through a human messenger, and impresses them on the hearts and minds of those who hear.

We continue to preach today because we believe this is a method, chosen and or­dained by God, for the communication of the gospel. We do not preach merely because this is part of our tradition – “We have always done it this way”; nor for historical reasons – “It has been effective in times past”; nor for pragmatic reasons – “it seems to work”. We do it because there is a compelling biblical case for 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 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

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 noted 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 listed various Christian doctrines and then wrote; “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 charged 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 this great means of communicating the gospel. This abundance illustrates the centrality of preaching in the early church.

Faith Comes from Hearing the Message←⤒🔗

It is true that preaching takes a lot of time and effort; and listening to a sermon takes concentration and application. It is also true that we live in a visually orientated society. This does not mean that we should cave in to the culture around us. Preaching is 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. God wants the gospel to be preached:

How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ... Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.Romans 10:14