“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5.
Callers to talk shows deride the Bible as an irrelevant colonial artefact, preventing the development of the consciousness of black persons, white propaganda to keep descendants of enslaved Africans in intellectual darkness. Others dismiss the ancient Scriptures as a tool of the patriarchy, designed to oppress women. The gay-sex lobbies want nothing to do with a collection of old writings that condemns their lifestyle. The multiplicity of Christian denominations, many of which disagree on doctrinal interpretations and are hostile to each other (nothing new in the history of the church) confuse the situation further. Yet in spite of all this many have found the Bible Book to be what it proclaims itself to be: the revelation of God’s Word given to prophets and apostles. Still very relevant to us all.
The resurrected Lord Jesus Christ gave Saul of Tarsus his life’s mission: “I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of Me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26:16-18).
This summarises the essential work of the church in every age. It is the main objective of Christian preaching. Because we are created by the God of the Bible, any human development can only begin when individuals are brought into the light of Biblical truth. As long as man hates God, he will never find a lasting solution to earth’s problems. If God is rejected, then Satan is ruler over men and their societies. The troubles of our times are directly related to blatant disobedience of God’s commandments. Man is everywhere under God’s judgement. The Bible Book makes this clear. It is not mythology or fairy tales.
Someone has written, “One foot of the preacher must always be anchored in the Bible and the other in the contemporary world.” The preacher must study the Word and the world. The Biblical portrait of our world in need of Christ’s salvation must be the ultimate reality into which the preacher directs Christian truth. “The primary task of the Church and of the Christian minister is the preaching of the Word of God.” (Martin Lloyd-Jones). The Bible provides the content of preaching.
Against all evidence to the contrary, against Biblical revelation, man keeps hoping for the best in a world that wants to live without the guiding authority of its Creator. The old Bible is dismissed as irrelevant. The world continues to look to politicians, wealth, religious gurus, superstars to provide their emotional and spiritual needs. Humanity looks for peace and happiness in all the wrong places. They are looking for contentment that is impossible outside of Jesus Christ, God become Man among us.
The Christian preacher, calling us from spiritual darkness, passes on the invitation of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).
The preacher must be able to see how “darkness” and “the power of Satan” work in this world. As a warrior of Christ, he cannot defeat the enemy unless he identifies and confronts him directly. The world does not want the truth the Bible reveals about their behaviours.
There is the problem of faulty teaching, poor education of leaders and preachers, misunderstanding of Scriptural doctrines, theological positions which are erroneous, church power-politics, divisiveness and other human challenges in the pews. These days so much of Christianity has been politicised by far-right conservative politicians with racist agendas that many want nothing to do with Biblical faith. All these prevent the correct exposition of sound Bible doctrine. We must also consider the existence of the “electronic church,” with big-name preachers, where a glamour and entertainment style attracts thousands into their huge meeting places, their TV and online spaces. It is hard to find sound Biblical doctrine taught in those places where glitter and money hold the preeminence. Many people are hypnotized by these religious circuses. One must question whether Biblical preaching of sound doctrine is found there.
Martin Lloyd-Jones, one of the great preachers of our times, wrote in his Preachers and preaching (1971), “in many ways, it is the departure of the Church from preaching that is responsible in a large measure for the state of modern society. The Church has been trying to preach morality and ethics without the Gospel as a basis; it has been preaching morality without godliness; and it simply does not work.”
The great danger is that immoral behavior is called good, and demonstrable good is rejected as hypocrisy. Much that was once anathema is now popular. Freedom and rights are the calls of rebellion against God. While a society like ours is still ostensibly “religious,” clear preaching of the Biblical Christ, importance of the moral and spiritual standards of the Bible in private and public life, are widely ignored. Many proclaim themselves atheists. The Bible is rejected as an old book, irrelevant to these modern days. Yet one hears of a growing interest in the occult as well as in other new-age religions. With a popular, sentimental view of God as undiscriminating Love, any talk of judgement or hell is not tolerated.
The Bible promises inevitable judgement. Judgement is as much part of valid preaching as the holiness, love and mercy of God. One is free to choose one’s life-style in our liberal democracy. But there are consequences beyond the grave for the choices we make today. “Do not be deceived. God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7).
Biblical preaching promises to faithful believers a “new heavens and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13), where Christ, the main subject of preaching, rules as Prince of Peace and Truth. Preachers call us to repent, believe the Gospel, the good news of salvation. The Old Book proclaims that God “has appointed a Day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31). The purpose of sound Bible preaching is to keep these revelations before us till Christ returns. The old Book still speaks clearly, loudly and relevantly today to those who will listen. It continues to present matters of serious, eternal importance.