The following is an excerpt from our daily devotional series “Back to the Basics,” written by IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles.
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ (Acts 5:42 NASB).
This passage is full of life: The apostles were commissioned by the Lord to go and make disciples, and they took that commission seriously. Whether they were in the temple or going from house to house, they made sure to preach the lordship of Jesus and to teach the new disciples — and not merely once or twice a week, but every day.
Join others crying out to the Lord day and night.
Again, their model for this ministry was the Lord Jesus Himself. In Luke 2:41–52, we see Jesus in the temple at the age of 12, listening to and asking questions of the teachers, and also amazing them with His own knowledge and understanding. And in Luke 4:14–22, we see Him in the synagogues. When Jesus wasn’t preaching, He was in teacher mode among His disciples. He made sure they knew what (and who) their foundation was.
Preaching and teaching are not the same thing, though they are both necessary.
Preaching is a passionate proclamation of truth. It is urgent, and it can often be prophetic. It appeals to the human heart, advocating for a change or a decision. It calls for action. Whenever the apostles preached, whether to Jews or to Gentiles, it was an appeal and invitation to accept Christ.
We can all preach the message of Christ, through the inspiration of His Spirit (see Mark 16:20 and Acts 2:14).
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Rom. 10:14 NIV).
Teaching is both a gift of the Spirit and a part of the fivefold ministry: And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ … (Eph. 4:11–12). Teaching takes the truth of God’s word and builds on it as the foundation for faith and life.
In the Gospels, preaching was never directed to the saved, but rather to the lost. Teaching, however, was intended for the Church. After the message of Christ had been preached and received, the apostles often stayed behind and taught the people, deepening their knowledge of the word.
Most churches accept pastors, evangelists, prophets, and apostles, and that’s great, but we also need teachers. We need those who will wean Christians away from the baby bottle and onto the meat of the word, for their maturity’s sake. We need teachers to help believers get rooted in the word, so that whenever false doctrines and heresies arise, the members of the Church can be stouthearted and wise defenders of the truth.
The early Church preached with such passion and power that the conversion rate was astonishingly high. Sadly, today’s preaching is too often lacking in both power and results. Where did we go wrong? Well, many have allowed the message to be weakened or altered. But the early Church began preaching only Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and that is what brought blessed results (see 1 Cor. 2:1–2).
Nowadays, we frequently hear feel-good messages that appeal more to our emotions than to our hearts. How can we have the power of God when Christ is not being preached? How can we grow in our faith when there is no plumbline for truth being taught?
The apostles were preachers and soul winners. It can be intimidating for us to read the book of Acts and see how they moved. We then compare ourselves to them, and we feel inadequate. But the same Holy Spirit who came and filled them in Acts 2 and gave them the boldness to witness and preach is the very one who resides in you and me. In Him and through Him, we have everything we need.
Reflection:
Make time to seek the Lord. As you spend time in His presence, consider: Are you devoted to His word? Do you actively share your faith? If the answer to either question is no, then today is a great day for searching His word and for sharing Jesus with others.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for Your word and truth. You have given me a voice: Forgive me for those times when I’ve let fear muzzle me and stop me from preaching Your truth to those You have placed around me. I choose to partner with Holy Spirit, and I ask for boldness to be a witness for Christ. Holy Spirit, You said that You would teach us all things. So I ask You to help me understand the depths of the word of God. As I commit myself to study, reveal the hidden gems of revelation, not only for me, but also for others, so that I might share that revelation with those needing to hear it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you … (1 Pet. 3:15 GNT).
Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching (2 Tim. 4:2 NLT).
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ (Eph. 4:11–15 NIV).
If you were encouraged by this article, share it with friends and family to encourage them!
IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: Canva.