Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 5
January 21, 1954
NUMBER 36, PAGE 10-11a

Preachers And Preaching

Jesse M. Kelley, Port Arthur, Texas

Every age of the world has known its need of true servants of God who would preach His message "as it is written"; prompted only by the motive of love for God and anxiety for the souls of men. In the days of Noah the world was burdened with sin and rebellion, and only Noah was a "preacher of righteousness." Because of the sin and idolatry of Israel, Elijah stood along on Mount Carmel and pitted the strength and wisdom of God against all the wisdom and prophets of an idolatrous nation. There were preachers in the days of Jeremiah, but they were those who told of "dreams and visions, and spoke lies in the name of God" to the people. And the age in which we live is no different. It has its quota of those whose only motive is the filling of their own belly and exalting their own glory. There is not a period in the history of the world where true preaching was not needed. This is true now.

Jesus said: "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white already unto harvest." On another occasion he said: "The harvest is indeed plenteous; but the laborers are few," and he exhorted his disciples to pray "the Lord of harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest." Luke 10:2) The world today needs the plain, simple, all-powerful, and soul-saving gospel of Christ, and it needs men to preach it whose only motive is the love for lost souls. There is a need of faithful and true, righteous and godly laborers, who are satisfied with the wages Jesus here mentions. Note that the harvest is God's and He must send into it such laborers as He desires. Jesus declares that the "laborer is worthy of his hire," but God's way of obtaining more laborers is not to increase the carnal pay. Some men will preach whose only motive is the money they get; but comparatively few men will preach the gospel of Christ fully and truly for the love of souls and the glory of God, or for the wages which Christ pays.

As in the days of Jeremiah, the world is full of preachers today, but as was the case then, so it is now. Many are preaching whose only God is their belly; and whose glory is the exaltation of themselves and their way.

Many are the motives which prompt to preach. Simply because one preaches does not guarantee a pure motive; nor because he preaches righteousness is it guaranteed that he is righteous. Many there have been, and are now, who preach against stealing, yet steal; who preach against adultery, yet are guilty of it; who preach purity of heart and mind, but whose heart is full of impurities. These fall into several classes. Let us look at them.

First, there are those who preach their own wisdom and theories and speculations, seeking their own glory. Jesus said: "He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent me, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him." (John 7:18) Paul further said: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God ... And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." (1 Cor. 2:1-4) The core and center of Paul's preaching was "Jesus Christ and him crucified." He did not exalt himself or bring a system of theology to the brethren at Corinth, but he exalted before them the very foundation of Christianity — "Jesus Christ and him crucified." And he gives the reason. "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (Verse 5) How many are there today, even in the church, who will exalt themselves in the congregation, and will build around themselves a clique to insure their own comfort and security, while the peace of the church is disrupted and the gospel is compromised by a spiritually shallow and ungodly few whose glory is in their preacher rather than in "Christ and him crucified"? He only seeks God's glory who seeks and does and preaches only the will of God — all of it, but no more, and for the wages which God pays and not man.

Such preachers will extol their own exploits, their own families, their own experiences, and wisdom and ways. Paul, to the brethren at Corinth said: "We preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." Paul had been taken behind the veil and shown the secrets of God; now he comes forth to impart it to others. But only to tell it out; not to add to it, or mutilate it, or refine upon it. Having been "put in trust with the gospel" (1 Thess. 2:4), he had simply to pass it on, to offer it, in its entirety, realizing himself to be simply a vessel of the Lord, unimportant and unworthy.

Paul spoke of many who "corrupted the word of God," and the margin says, "making merchandise" of it while he preached Christ in sincerity and of God in God's sight. (2 Cor. 2:17) There are those today who have the gospel for sale; selling their proclamation of it to the congregation offering the highest bid and the most influential pulpit. Such is not of God! Peter speaks of those who "with feigned words make merchandise" of the churches. (2 Peter 2:3) Pretending to seek the good of the churches, they seek their own profit. Say not that the church has none of these today, for they are too much in evidence to deny the fact. There are others who "indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife" and "of faction," (Phil. 1:15-17) who are not satisfied it seems, until a fuss is started, and envy and strife become the result. Then there are those of whom Paul speaks, who "walk in craftiness" and handle the word of God deceitfully."

No it isn't necessary to go to the denominational world to find those who "tell of dreams and visions and speak lies in the name of God." The church has its share of them. We can be thankful, however, that they are in the minority. But even so one of them can do enough damage in a congregation of saints that it will take three gospel preachers a good many years to overcome their work of destruction.

We are told that Satan fashions "himself into an angel of light," and "his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose ends shall be according to their works." (2 Cor. 11:14, 15) They are preachers who are prompted by wrong motives and striving to accomplish unholy purposes. Therefore we must feel the force of the admonition given by the Lord to his disciples to "pray the Lord of harvest to send forth laborers in "his harvest." (Luke 10:2)

There have been false, mercenary, self-seeking teachers and preachers since Cain slew Abel, and will be to the end of time. Therefore, the church should have sufficient knowledge of the Bible to "try the spirits," and should have convictions and courage strong enough to cast out that which would corrupt and lead astray.