Proclaiming God’s

Word

A Necessity in Corporate Worship

Congregational worship opens the door for the Holy Spirit gift of proclaiming God’s Word.  Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Knowing exactly what the Bride of Christ needs to be all that she can be, Jesus apportioned grace gifts, those having the gift of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher, to prepare God’s 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. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Any Christian exercising any one or all these support gifts apportioned by Christ has the Holy Spirit gift of “prophecy.”  Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.”  The exercising of the gift “prophesying” (propheteia) is “not primarily prediction but communication of revealed truth that will both convict and build up the hearers through the gift of expounding Scripture while preaching and teaching.”  (Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon; The Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament)   This gift enables the child of God, after prayerfully reading and studying the Word of God to communicate divine truths that bring edification, exhortation, and comfort. Fitzmyer, defines “prophecy” as “Inspired Christian preaching which denoted not one who predicts the future, but one who speaks in God’s name and probes the secrets of the heart.”

Regardless of the world’s view on the local preacher or the traditional approach to tolerating the preaching part of the worship service, the preaching and teaching of God’s Word is to be accepted as coming from the heart of God.

Where does the Holy Spirit find your spiritual heart regarding the spoken message or the teaching of God’s Word? Is there joyful expectation to get to that place where the Word of God will be proclaimed? Where is your heart in making sure the messenger has uninterrupted time to spend with the Lord through prayerful study of God’s Word?

Make it to the proclaiming of God's Word!