“With Many Other Words”

Although he professed a personal faith, American humorist and author Samuel Clement, (a.k.a. Mark Twain) was known as an outspoken critic of organized religion and hypocrisy among religious leaders.

The story is told that Twain attended church one Sunday and informed the preacher at the door that he had a book at home with every word he had preached that morning.

The preacher assured Twain that his sermon was original and demanded to see the book. Twain said he would send it over.

The next morning the preacher received the package. He unwrapped it to find a dictionary. Inside the flyleaf was written. “Words, just words, just words.”

Words. They are the craft of the preacher. When grounded and founded in the Word of God, they have the power and the potential to penetrate the heart of the hearer “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12).

On the first recorded sermon following Jesus’ death and resurrection, Peter preached on Pentecost affirming that Jesus was the Christ. He urged the audience “to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins” Then Luke recorded that “with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.’” (Ax. 2:40).

Similar expressions are found in Acts. At the Jerusalem meeting, the Bible says Judas and Silas, “exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words” (Ax. 15:32).

On Paul’s third missionary journey, the Bible says that Paul entered Macedonia and “when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words” (Ax. 20:2).

What kind of words do people need to hear? What kind of words are we using in our preaching?

#1 Words of Edification

“Edify” means to “build up.” W. E. Vine says the “word is used “metaphorically, in the sense of ‘edifying,’ promoting the spiritual growth and development of character of believers, by teaching or by example, suggesting such spiritual progress as the result of patient labor.”

Paul commanded the young evangelist Timothy to preach words of “godly edification which is in faith” (1 Tim. 1:4). The combined work of pastors, preachers and teachers is to affect “the edifying of the Body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12). Commenting on their work, Barclay wrote, “Their aim is to see to it that the body of Christ is built up. Always the work of the office-bearer is construction, not destruction. His aim is never to make trouble, but always to see that trouble does not rear its head; always to strengthen, and never to loosen, the fabric of the Church.”

All Bible teachers and preachers need to examine their presentations and ask, “Are my words building up, or are they tearing down?

#2 Words of Exhortation

To exhort is to entreat. It means to encourage. To strengthen. To comfort. The Greek the word is parakaleo. It’s a compound word. Kaleo means “to call.” Para means “along side of.” Thus, an encourager comes along side another person to lift him up. To console.

Exhortation should not drive someone to despair, disheartenment or discouragement. It should urge one to nobler motives, higher aspirations, and greater goals. George M. Adams called encouragement “oxygen to the soul.” Nothing breathes new life into a discouraged person like an encouraging word or deed.

My preacher friend, are you offering your hearers encouraging words of exhortation?

#3 Words of Warning

We are told to “warn those who are unruly” (1 Thess. 5:14). Paul proclaimed Christ in his preaching, “warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom” (Col. 1:28).

The word is often rendered “admonish,” which means “to put in mind…to caution.” Not only are preachers and pastors commanded “to admonish,” but we are all urged “to admonish one another” (Rom. 15:4).

There is much in this wicked world that we need to be warned about and admonished to avoid. Are you engaged with words of warning and admonishment?

#4 Word of Rebuke.

To preach the Word as the Bible instructs also involves rebuke (2 Tim. 4:2). To rebuke is “to convict, refute, reprove.” There’s an old saying that preaching should “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.”

Warren Wiersbe was right when he wrote, “If we encourage those who ought to be rebuked, we are assisting them to sin. Biblical preaching must be balanced.” Or has Hendriksen advised, “In the process of reproving or convicting the sinner, the latter must be sharply reprimanded. His sin must not be toned down.”

The late Dee Bowman, in his book Common Sense Preaching, wrote “Preaching that does not storm the will is not good preaching.” To effectively accomplish that goal we must use all the words in our arsenal–words of edification, exhortation, warning, and rebuke.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman