GG's PROBES

FXFC - 3 - Expositing the Dream (iv) Preaching/Teaching

There is no word in NT Greek that simply means to preach as we practice that today. The sermon in its current form came out of the Reformation, not out of the Bible.

There are numerous Greek words in Scripture that are translated as 'preach*" in various translations, but all are also translated by other words in other parts of scripture in various versions.

Kerugma = to proclaim
Evangelizo = to bring/show/tell good news
Kerusso = to declare as a herald
Parakleo = to exhort/implore/encourage

None of these words of themselves imply nor require a preacher in a pulpit (or on a stage) speaking for 20/30/40 minutes to a silent listening audience.
The focus in the NT is on the subject of proclamation rather than the mode of proclamation – “preach the good news” / “preach Christ” / etc.

Actually Jesus does not command his disciples to 'preach', rather he commands us to disciple, baptise and teach (Matt.28:19,20).

Is preaching the best way to feed the hunger that is there for spiritual nourishment, for a message of hope, for a glimpse of the transcendent, for experiences that convey love and integrity, for spiritual understanding that has depth and rigour?

Preaching in the NT was primarily an evangelistic proclamation - for non-believers, not teaching for believers. These two roles need to be divided out again and the best formats for each used according to the local circumstances (audience / culture / tradition / etc).

The sermons of Peter and Paul were addressed to non-believers. They were using the media format of the time – speaking out in the town square – the equivalent of an article in the newspaper or on the web today. This proclamation was done amidst the hurly burly of the ‘world’ not in the sacred silence of a sanctuary.
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The McSermon lite - an easily prepared one-size-fits-all message that can be relatively easily prepared and presented to a wide range of people who's spiritual nutritional needs are not specifically taken into contention. Guaranteed to be consumed within 20 minutes or less. Has enough sustenance in some cases to prevent total withering and death, and enough 'fat' to cause bloating of the pewsitters in others. Comes complete with a fizzy drink and fries on the side (praise music and other 'worship' elements).
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Research over the past 50 years has shown that the best method of teaching is not the lecture, but rather the more intimate interactive seminar format. Schools not only differentiate students by their basic level of comprehension, but they also seek to keep class sizes to less than 25 – they know that larger groups than this are less inducive to good learning, and that you cannot successfully teach in one group people who are at vastly different stages of the understanding of the subject/issue. Yet in churches across that land we ‘preach’ to congregations (some numbering in the thousands) whose pew-sitters are at widely differing stages in their spiritual journey.

We need to get back to the Jesus model where he spent most of his time for three years with a small group of (12) disciples, modelling life for them and mentoring them in the truth.

posted by Gordon Gray @ Thursday, February 24, 2005