The Sufficiency of Scripture and the Pulpit
If the Scripture is sufficient to convince the sinner, convert the lost, edify the believer and perfectly equip him for all God wants him to be and do, then above all else in church-planting work we must make the Scripture our focus and the ministry of the Word our priority.
The church had not gone far in its development when the apostles recognized that the ministry of the Word needed to occupy the majority of their efforts and that all they did must be bathed in prayer. “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4).
In the church-planting manuals written, under divine inspiration, by Paul to his teammates (see 1 Timothy 3:15), the Holy Spirit tells us again and again to “Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” (1 Timothy 4:13). Yet in many churches today biblical preaching seems to have given way to fireside chats, and the teaching of the Word in the classroom has turned into discussions about the latest best-selling book that even remotely relates to the Bible.
Titus was left in charge of the maturing and multiplication phase of the church-planting ministry on Crete as the rest of the team moved on. Paul coaches him that in establishing other churches throughout the island, above all else the pastors must be men who are “Holding fast the faithful word” (Titus 1:9). The rest of the epistle makes it plain that this not only refers to standing firmly on its authority, but also to passionately ministering it in such a clear and practical way that its truth is applied to the everyday life, and that the world which watches sees a clear witness of Jesus Christ (see Philippians 2:15-16). Modern churches seem to be focused more on helping people feel comfortable and “safe” than on faithfully proclaiming God’s truth. One wonders if the pulpit being removed from some church platforms is subtly giving the impression that the preaching of the authoritative Word of God is no longer important. There are many in today’s churches who are entertained but, I fear, too few whose hearts are truly impacted by the Word of God.
In 2 Timothy, right in between that great statement on the source, purpose and power of the Scripture (3:14-17) and a description of the spiritual environment in which God’s servants would minister (4:3-4), comes this pungent command: “Preach the Word; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (4:2). It is precisely because the Scripture is of divine origin that we must preach the Word! Because God’s Word can save the lost, we must preach the Word! Because its purpose is to convict, convince and change lives, we must preach the Word! Because it will perfectly equip believers for life and service, we must preach the Word! Even when people will not endure sound teaching and desire something else, we must preach the Word! Why is it preachers are talking so much about how to have the best life now and so little about how to glorify God forever? When will churches stop seeking to attract the unsaved with nightclub style worship and game show Christianity, when the fact is that God is pleased to use “the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21)?
If we are to be instruments God would use to exalt Christ and establish churches that will effectively fulfill the commission He left us in an ever-changing environment, we must get back to basics and once again put the ministry of the Word on center stage.