Preaching is often regarded as “foolish.” In many churches, it is being set aside for more culturally “relevant” methods to evangelize the lost and edify the saints. Many consider plays, athletic displays, panel discussions, musical extravaganzas, movies, multi-media presentations, clowns, puppets and liturgical dance as “more relevant” to our media generation than a “long and boring” sermon from the Bible heralded by one man speaking to mankind. Yet, with his last words, Paul charged Timothy: “Preach the Word!” He did not call him to adapt preaching to the entertainment methods of his own contemporary culture. In Paul’s day, Greek plays, athletic contests, magic shows, circus acts and give-and-take debates were all popular forms of entertainment. Yet, Paul did not encourage churches to wed the Gospel to such forms for the sake of evangelism or relevance.
Paul held to preaching, the proclamation of God’s Word to men—to the very end of his life—no matter the culture, Jew or Gentile. Our forefathers would have considered these “relevant” and “creative” innovations in our worship services to be a violation of the biblical regulative principle of worship. However, this principle is the very reason we are who we are. It is the “forming principle” of Christ’s church. To violate the regulative principle of Christian worship and practice by substituting preaching with creative methods is to deny the theology that shaped our identity! Preaching and teaching God’s Word is the primary God-ordained means commanded in Scripture to bring sinners to Christ and to edify God’s people. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Our Lord and His apostles commanded:
“and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:47)
“But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2)
Preaching is indispensable to Christianity. It is God’s appointed way by which sinners hear of the Savior and so call on Him for salvation, for “how shall they hear without a preacher?” (1 Corinthians 1:17; 9:16; Romans 10:14-15). Thus, our task as preachers is dauntingly challenging but nevertheless promising in response.
