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Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5
In our study of church growth, we are considering the traditional church in the area in which we live, and the Sunday morning worship service. What are a few of the key elements that we find in the early New Testament church? We will begin by mentioning the primary element, which is the proclamation of God's Word or the gospel message.
According to the Webster's Dictionary of 1828, the gospel is a joyful message. That joyful message can be referred to as;
1 - The gospel of God, Romans 1:1.
2 - The gospel of Christ, Romans 1:16.
3 - The gospel of salvation, Ephesians 1:13.
4 - God's Word.
5 - Divinity, theology.
6 - Any general doctrine.
There is a sense in which all the inspired Word of God (Scripture) can be called the gospel. After man fell in the garden, any message from God that gave hope was gracious on the part of the Creator God. The gospel is said to have been preached to Abraham by the promise, "In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," Galatians 3:8.
In II Timothy 4:2, Paul gives this short directive to Timothy, "Preach the Word." He doesn't advise him to tell a lot of funny stories and jokes. He doesn't tell him to put on a drama show where we focus on people and they get the attention. He doesn't tell him to add a lot of legalism (things people must do) to the service. He simply says, "Preach the Word." John R. W. Stott says, "The less the preacher comes between the Word and its hearers, the better."
The power with which the preacher preaches does not come from him or the office he holds. The weight or authority is in the gospel message, the inspired Word of God. He (Mr. Stott) also adds, "We must indeed do the thinking, but it is God who gives understanding." The Holy Spirit attends the preaching of the Word.
In II Timothy 4:5, Paul tells him, "Do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." An evangelist was one who announced good news or the gospel. He was not necessarily an apostle, bishop-elder, or deacon, but could be any one of these. Reference, Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary.
The preaching of God's Word in the Sunday morning worship service should be the main purpose of our gathering. We go there to worship, praise, and adore Him, not to make each other feel good. The consuming passion of every minister of the gospel, as well as each Christian, should be "that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ," I Peter 4:11. It's all about Him and His glory, it has never been about us.
Contact the author at thoughtsonword@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.