Every season of transformation and every historical account revival has been proceeded by biblical preaching. It is this preachers belief that the only true transformation in mankind’s life must come from the Word of God. Someone once said, “as the pulpit goes, so goes the church.”
The fact is, biblical preaching has always been the leading factor in any revival. History bears witness to the fact that every great revival in the church has been ushered in by a return to biblical preaching.
I believe that the most urgent need in the Christian’s life today is biblical preaching; it is also the greatest and the most urgent need in the Church, and the world.
If a transformation is to come to the church, it must begin in the pulpit.
In his day, the prophet Amos warned of an approaching famine, a deadly drought that would cover the land. But not an absence of mere food or water, for this scarcity would be far more fatal. It would be a famine for hearing God’s Word (Amos 8:11). Surely, the church today finds itself in such similar days of shortage. Tragically, bibical preaching is being replaced with entertainment, doctrine with drama, theology with theatrics, and preaching with performances.
What is so desperately needed today is for pastors to return to their highest calling, “to preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:1–2).
What is biblical preaching? The public exposition of Scripture by the man called and sent by God, in which God Himself is present in judgment and in grace. What I am saying is that preaching that brings God’s presence, by His Spirit, in the preaching of His Word. Such preaching starts in a biblical text, stays in it, and shows its God-intended meaning in a life-changing fashion.
This was the final charge of Paul to young Timothy: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). Such preaching necessitates declaring the full counsel of God in Scripture. The entire written Word must be expounded. No truth should be left untaught, no sin unexposed, no grace not offered, no promise undelivered.
That is why we must make sure our pulpit is always a place for the declaration of the Bible; the kind of preaching that gives a clear explanation of a biblical text with compelling application, exhortation, and appeal.
Anyone who is invited to stand behind our pulpit must confine himself to the truths of Scripture. When the Bible speaks, God speaks. The man of God has nothing to say apart from the Bible. It’s neither a place for unbiblical personal opinions nor a place for worldly philosophies.
The preacher is limited to one task – preach the Word. If we want souls to be saved, we must put more of God’s Word into our sermons.
We need a new generation of Godly men to step forward and speak the unadulterated word of God, loud and clear. Always remember as the pulpit goes, so goes the church.
