Why Do We Preach And Teach Christ Jesus?

What Is The Purpose And Value Of Preaching Today?

Written by Kevin A. Hall (03.39.17)

Preaching the word of God is our priority. Preaching redeems. Preaching sets free! Jesus modeled this during the time of His ministry and expected the same from the ones He “sent”. The following biblical texts makes it very clear:
Jesus said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” (Mark. 1:38)  - It was Jesus’ priority. It must be ours.

Mark 1:39  And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons  – People benefit when we preach.

Mark 6:12  They went out and preached that men should repent  – The ultimate benefit.

Mark 16:15  And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”

Mark 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them – God continues His work through us

Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed"? “How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher”?

1 Peter 4:6  For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.

According to Nine Marks, “Preaching is important to the diet of the believer”. It is through preaching that the Word of God “convicts, converts, builds up and sanctifies people”.  Preaching and teaching God’s Word is the avenue through which the Good News is delivered and in it, we can find hope of reconciling to Christ. The message of the Gospel is the only message that we can give to people that can grant them salvation:

John 3:15 " Whoever believes in Him have eternal life"

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life"

Now, there are those that refute this position, reject it, even calling believers of "The Way" rigid, intolerant and the like. To that I say they are sliding down a slippery slope. Here's Jesus' position on non-believers:

John 12:48 He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

John 3:18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son”.

John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

 Preaching Christ promises future rest (Heb. 4:1), but also present relief. When we preach, we build up each other to fear God least we “come short” and fall away. Preaching Gospel will pull people from a sure hell should their heart get hardened by the world they face every day. Sin is real, and it is deceitful. Gareth Reese says, “It promises more than it performs” (49), so the work of preaching must be priority for a world that is dying and for a people who may be lost, without hope, bound, hurting, struggling with life. Believers of Jesus Christ need to hear preaching because the Word of God is necessary for reproof, rebuke and training in righteousness (1 Tim. 3:16). To that end, one of the very first messages Jesus reveals His passion for people:

Luke 4:18-20 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed”.

Passion of Christ? Yes! No wonder there the effort to stifle this message of the Gospel. This world’s system will fight and persecute Christians thinking it has the advantage, but the reality is Christ “will come in flames of fire to take vengeance on those who have no knowledge of God, and do not obey the Good News as to Jesus, our Lord" (2 Thessalonians. 1:8-9).

Is Preaching important? I would say it is our utmost Priority!

References:

Image from Google: Joshuazelfie.net

Reese, G. Hebrews. Scripture Expositional Books (2008)

1X Marks: http://9marks.org/about/