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Should the Preacher Address Issues of Practical Living?

Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>

Subject: Should the Preacher Address Issues of Practical Living?
From: Martin Overfield
Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2001

Should the Preacher Address Issues of Practical Living?

"But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment,
and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his
sin." (Micah 3:8)

"Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord
Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please
God, so ye would abound more and more." (I Thessalonians 4:1)

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." (II Timothy 4:2)

Dear Brother Marvin Sickmiller, an old-fashioned Free Methodist preacher,
who is now with the Bible Missionary Church asked a question like this:
"Where did we ever get the idea that the preacher was not supposed to tell
us how to live?" I have often thought that if the preacher is not supposed
to do this then who is? Also, if the preacher is not supposed to tell us
how to live, what is he supposed to do?

If he preaches on how to be born again, he must tell us to repent and
believe the gospel. Repentance certainly has to do with how we live. If he
preaches on the Ten Commandments, I am afraid that he will also tread
upon "forbidden ground".

Take for instance the fourth commandment: "Remember the Sabbath Day
to keep it holy."

This one has nearly been entirely forgotten in our day. I have read no
where
in the Bible that says that God changed His mind about this commandment.
Some people today have tried to put words in God's mouth on this issue.
Though some of the particulars of keeping the Sabbath Day -- as in many
other areas of Christian life -- need to be worked out with "fear and
trembling" by the individual, there are Biblical principles involved that
well
instruct us in how to behave on the Sabbath. The preacher can be very
helpful and used of God -- what a novel idea! -- in dispensing truth about
how to keep the Sabbath.

While researching the words used in the New Testament such as EXHORT,
ADMONISH, and BESEECH, I found the following: "'to call to a person'
(para, 'to the side,' kaleo, 'to call'), denotes (a) 'to call on, entreat;'
see
BESEECH; (b) 'to admonish, exhort, to urge' one to pursue some course
of conduct (always prospective, looking to the future, in contrast to the
meaning to comfort, which is retrospective, having to do with trial
experienced)," (Vine's)

This word strongly implies within its very meaning that the admonishing,
exhorting, or urging is to be done with a compassionate, caring spirit, not
critical or caustic.

According to I Thessalonians 4:1, Paul had apparently told the Thessalonians
how to live. The word for "walk" in the Greek is used to convey such ideas
as "to make due use of opportunities", "to live", "to regulate one's life",
and
"to conduct one's self". (Strong's)

While I would not approve or encourage a preacher to "harp on one string"
or on several favorite issues of the day, I believe the Bible strongly
supports
and even requires that the watchman -- especially the herald of God's
Word -- warn the people about the dangers of sin in all of its present
forms.

Ezekiel 33:6: "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the
trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any
person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will
I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a
watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my
mouth, and warn them from me."

Paul said to admonish, to teach, to warn, to reprove, and rebuke "with all
longsuffering and doctrine". These words of instruction he gave to Timothy,
a younger preacher.

In answer to the idea that we should just let God tell everyone how to live,
let me reason with you. I certainly believe that God speaks personally to
the individual about how to live, for He has done so in my life on many
occasions.

If God should be the ONLY one to speak to people about how to live, then
we might well reason that He would not need preachers nor laymen at all to
help carry on His work, because He is perfectly able to speak to anyone
about anything at any time. So we might say that God should be the ONLY
one to communicate any of His truth to any people. But, already I am sure
that you Bible scholars can think of Scriptures that refute this idea. I
will
share a couple:

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
(Mark 16:15)

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:19, 20)

Now if we are to teach "them to observe all things whatsoever" He "has
commanded us" would not that include the things that pertain to how He
would have us to live?

I am not contending for force-feeding strong meat to the new babes in
Christ. Nor am I saying that the preacher should take God's place in giving
light to people. However, God can and does use preaching to reveal and to
instruct -- to give light. Also, the preacher should be giving a properly
balanced diet of Scriptural truth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This would include the parts of God's Word which deal with specifics on
how we should live -- dress, talk, act and react.

Therefore, as long as the preacher seeks and obtains God's direction and
anointing for the preaching of His Word, it is very appropriate that the
preacher should "set the trumpet to his mouth" (Hosea 8:1), lift up his
voice and cry out against the sins of the day, and persuade the children of
God to live holy lives IN the world, while not allowing themselves to be OF
the world.

While a certain woman was attending a service, the preacher preached
against various sins, naming them out. All the while she was boosting him
with great enthusiasm. Then the preacher got to naming the sin of using
snuff. At this point the woman said, "Why he's done gone from preachin' to
meddlin'."

Say, it is always easy to "Amen" the preacher while he is preaching about
the errors and sins of the congregation down the street or of the fellow
church-goer across the aisle. It is quite another thing to accept with
proper attitude the truth that digs around our own spiritual roots.

I ask again, "Should the preacher address issues of practical living?" Paul
did, John the Baptist did, Jesus did, and so should the preachers of our
day!

Yours In Christ,
Martin M. Overfield

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