ACTS 17. PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN PREACHING When a mission is given to be accomplished by a certain time, the successful servant can return to the safety and comforts of his home until the next mission is given. A life mission is quite different. Paul knew what he was to do for his whole life after he became a servant of Jesus Christ. He was to take the Gospel to the Jews, Gentiles, and those in authority, like kings and governors. It is not easy to gain access to those in authority unless one is arrested and charged with breaking the law.
By going to the synagogues in cities where there were ten or more Jewish men, Paul had access to a public place to preach the Gospel. Jews would come to the synagogue on Sabbath days to read and discuss the Old Testament scriptures and the writings of the Jewish “fathers.” The Berea synagogue seemed more like a school because people gathered there and “searched the scriptures daily.” They would compare what they heard from the itinerant preachers with what the scriptures had to say.
Every preacher who takes a public platform and speaks on behalf of a local assembly needs to be prepared for that responsibility by thoughtfully reading and properly interpreting the scriptures before he applies them to the audience of listening people. The scriptures of truth are to live by, not just to know and properly interpret, but an application should not contradict other scriptures. “Let the prophets speak, two or three, and let the others judge.”
Preaching must not only be the quoting of verses to adapt to a situation, but when preaching and teaching are given, it must be consistent with the whole message of the word of God. It is important for hearers to compare what they hear with what they know is true. Some people will listen with the intent of discrediting the preacher, so those who listen to “nit-pick” can always find what they are looking for. A phrase or word may be used, and if a person doesn’t listen to the whole context in which the speaker uses it to make his point by the conclusion of the message, those who are critical will condemn everything he said. Always wait until the whole message has been given, and consider what he said and meant before seeking some way to condemn a phrase that may have been said merely in passing.
One thing we know to be true in a preacher who gives the message of the Lord in truth is that they will never contradict, demean, or seek to explain away anything found in the Bible. The scriptures provide the basis and evidence of the claims of the Gospel. By examining the evidence and recognizing the truth for what it is, an honest seeker for the truth and salvation will be led by the Holy Spirit to put their trust in our Lord and Savior. To know the Bible thoroughly is not an end in itself. The point of reading, studying, and preaching the word of God is to direct people to the Person and work of the living Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are true seekers will understand that it is in the living written word of God they are reading that God is speaking to them and bringing them to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Public preaching proclaims that what the scriptures say has been the tried and proven method of reaching souls for Christ. It is called “heralding the Gospel.” This contrasts with all other philosophies that make claims and promises but fail to keep them. Christians proclaim a revolutionary message of good news to lost souls. The life, suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, as written in the scriptures, has all the information needed to bring a lost soul to salvation from sin and hell that is offered through grace rather than works. The Bible isn’t the way, the truth, and the life; Jesus is. Those who believe the message, repent of their sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved from sin and are given eternal life freely. That makes the abundant life that everyone seeks possible.