PREACHING has always been and always will be the very essence of the work of the gospel minister. Christ Himself made this very clear when, as He conducted the first ordination service of the Christian Era, He commissioned His ordinands to go "forth to preach" (Mark 3:14).
The preacher will never be outdated. Whatever changes in cultural, social, or political conditions may occur, preaching will continue to have its place as the over-all important method of communicating words of hope to a perishing world. It is through the preaching of the gospel that this generation will have its opportunity to prepare for the coming of the Lord (Matt. 24:14).
Before Christ's first advent more than 1900 years ago, the minds of the people were alerted by the strong preaching of John the Baptist. This man—poor as he was in money, facilities, and equipment—nevertheless preached with such stirring effect that his message was echoed in the most remote corners of the country. The secret of his success, however, was not linked with any budget, associates, or institutional support of any kind; it was embodied in the message that he spoke, and which according to the Gospel of John made absolutely clear "the way of the Lord" (John 1:23). His message was not streamlined to meet the pace of the time, but it was as a sword, sharp enough to cut its way into men's souls.
A man with a message will always have an audience, and a preacher who believes in the gospel he is preaching is sure to get a hearing. It is through strong preaching, carried forward in the spirit of a John or an Elijah, that the second coming of Christ will be heralded and sinners called to repentance in these last days. It will be done through a preaching that sets forth in clear, simple language the great principles of right and wrong. "Preach the word" was the counsel given by the apostle Paul to the young ministerial intern Timothy. And in giving this counsel Paul knew from experience that the Word of God, when spoken by a devoted preacher, was the most powerful ammunition that could ever be fired against the evils of the time.
Today things and thoughts are being streamlined. They are formulated for the purpose of creating as little resistance as possible as they pass through time and space. This philosophy has also affected general religious preaching. Typical of many religious programs launched from thousands of pulpits is the perfection of form in which they are presented. Form rather than content is the outstanding feature of much preaching. The intention of the preacher is often to avoid stirring up opinions, and to please the general public. Too often these gospel preachers enter the realm of the entertainer, with a long line of preliminaries and "specials" consuming a large portion of the time allotted to preaching. At a certain meeting I attended the subject announced was "The Development of the American Nation as Seen Through the Eyes of the Biblical Prophets." (It was not a Seventh-day Adventist meeting.) I expected, of course, to get some solid material on the subject. But the whole thing developed into a kind of song service, and the part the preacher played was very minor. Would it not have been better if the preacher had started on his subject immediately? Most people had come to listen to a lecture, and probably found a musical program disappointing.
I believe the ministry is losing essential values in the present trend of variety programs. In most cases we are not capable of competing with professional entertainers. And we must never forget that our strength and chief asset is our prophetic Bible message. It is proper to use "specials" to create a favorable mood of reverence in our preaching; most sermons need a frame, just as a valuable painting needs one when it is put on display. The frame, however, must not be so ornate that it tends to steal the show from the artist's theme. The two should be balanced, with the understanding that the picture is the essential part.
Again, the purpose of our preaching is not to please but to save! To preach the Word is the chief duty of the minister. That is the profession to which he is called and ordained, and every minister ought to feel the same responsibility to that calling as did Paul when he wrote, "Yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" (1 Cor. 9:16).
As heralds of the King of kings, our greatest need is to become men like John the Baptist, preaching God's message in the power and spirit of Elijah.
