Keruzon ton logon

To Martin Luther there were few things that he held to be sacramental. One of these things was preaching. Actually communion and preaching he felt were the two sacramental offices of the church. Granted he was responding or reacting to the Catholic Church which had not a few sacramental offices and at that time were abusing a good many of them.  But Zwingli, Calvin and Hobbs all felt that preaching was a major important indispensable part of the Christian community.


Examining the scriptures I find that kerusso Greek for preaching, is found sixty times in the NT. That is more times than the word "salvation". On closer reading we find amazing usages of the word.  Many times in the NT it records Jesus preaching to the people. In Matthew 4:17 we see Jesus preaching and again in Mark 1:14, John is thrown into prison and Jesus is preaching the kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 10:7 and Mark 3:14 Jesus is sending forth the disciples exhorting them "to preach". The scriptures record the command form of the verb, imperative of the word, keruzon. We see this in Mark 16:15 when Christ was commissioning the disciples to go into all the world and yes, preach. Again in Matthew it is preaching of the kingdom of God in all the world that precipitates the ending of the age. 
So why is preaching soooo important. It can be soooo boring. I know I've listened to myself. And we have listen to others or not, like our mothers and wives and again I said "or not". But there seems to be plenty of it going around. So I guess by how much it is used makes it important?


But there certainly is another reason it is important. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by a word from God (Romans 10:17 ). And in another place Paul said "...how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14). Preaching the living word creates faith in the heart of those who hear. But why has God chosen this way to communicate? Because God wants to communicate with His creation. He wants to live in community and in communication. Remember the reformation fathers ...and Hobbs : ), believed that preaching was in dispensable to the community. God not only by a word created all things, he by a word became flesh and lived with us in community. He wants to be Immanuel, God with us. Talking to us, living with us, and loving us as our Father, His word in and among us. 


Preaching becomes one of the main vehicles for creating this communication within the community.
There are those who want to down play preaching. There was a movement in '30s to put a moritorium on preaching in the Catholic Church. A mother of five, Helene Froelicher, declare "no". She said preaching was Reformatio Sacrae Eloquentiae.  This began a movement to put more emphasis on preaching. What timing was that! At that same time, Hitler was showing all the world what preaching has the power to do. The  force of the tongue put to destructive use. James was right. It can set a whole world aflame! If that is the power it has with Satan what power does hit have with God?  Paul said "it is the power of God!" (1Cor.1:18). The speaking of the Word of God created all things, it can save all things. Paul exhorts Timothy to preach the gospel in season and out of season. And applying that to himself in 1Corinthians 9  he says "Woe to me if I preach not the gospel of Jesus Christ." 


John Robert Stevens in his book entitled Living Prophecies  said "for this is the day that the word of the Lord shall come in creative power from the lips of the humblest saint."  We are living in the days when the word of God is going to be spoken, preached, by humble saints and His Kingdom will come. The fulfillment of our Lord's prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, On this earth...." The power of God is returning to you and me. Paul said it to the Athenians, "the word is near you, even in your mouth".  Paul in Corinthians 12 said again,"let everyone prophecy".  We should be speaking the word with all boldness. It is how the new age is going to come.