Preach the Word What the New Testament Teaches

Preach the Word What the New Testament Teaches About Preaching and Teaching God’s Word in Worship to God

Preaching and Teaching Basics • New Testament churches assembled together to hear God’s word proclaimed (Acts 2: 42; 20: 7; 1 Cor. 14: 4, 5, 12, 19, 23, 28, 33, 34, 35; “church” here = “assembly”) • New Testament churches had teachers (Acts 13: 1; 1 Cor. 12: 28 -29; Eph. 4: 11 -12; Heb. 5: 12)

Preaching and Teaching Basics • God’s word was read publically in the assembly (Col. 4: 16; 1 Thess. 5: 27; Rev. 1: 3; 1 Tim. 4: 13; see NRSV; see Neh. 8: 8 in the LXX) • Public reading and exposition of the Bible text was patterned after the practice of public reading in the synagogue (Lk. 4: 16; Acts 13: 15, 27; 15: 21; 2 Cor. 3: 14 -15)

How Can We Improve Our Preaching and Teaching God’s Word? • Remember the purpose of preaching is not to entertain, but to change (Acts 14: 15), to save (1 Cor. 1: 21), and to mature (Col. 1: 23, 28) • Remember what is preached is not human wisdom, but God’s word (1 Cor. 2: 1 -5; 2 Tim. 4: 2) • Remember, we are reading the very words of God – show reverence and worship (Neh. 8: 5 -6)

How Can We Improve Our Preaching and Teaching God’s Word? • Keep preaching and teaching a high priority in the assembly for the sake of our salvation (1 Tim. 4: 16) • Come prepared to receive and accept God’s word (Jas. 1: 19 -22; 1 Pet. 2: 1 -2) • Read and examine the Bible text as it is read, take notes (Acts 17: 11) [ Parents, encourage your children at an early age to read their own Bible! ]