“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.””
— Acts 6:1-4 (ESV)
As God was forming His Church, people were already expecting those men called and entrusted with the task of spending time in devoted prayer, diligent study and Spirit-filled preaching of the Word of God to attend to every need in the congregation. There were many necessary ministry needs and the Greek widows were being neglected. The church was complaining about this neglect and looking to the Apostles to take care of this need.
So, how did the Apostles respond? They responded by declaring “we must commit ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” The task was delegated to deacons so that the elders of the church (the Apostles) could devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word.
The ministry of the Word to the Church (the gathering of the saints) is the preaching of the Word. The Apostle Paul exhorted and commanded Timothy to “Preach the Word” in season and out of season (2 Tim 4:1-2). Faithful exposition of the Word of God is the primary need in every assembly of believers and the primary task for the pastor (God’s under-shepherd of the flock. Jesus emphasized this importance in John 21:15-17 when he told Peter repeatedly to feed the flock of God (“feed my lambs…tend my sheep…feed my sheep).
The ministry of the Word takes many forms. It can be administered in a counseling session. It can be administered in Sunday School. It can be administered in a Men’s Discipleship Group or a Women’s Discipleship group. The ministry of the Word is active and doing the work of God in Evangelism. These are all vital and necessary tasks. However, the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph 4:11-12) when they gather for worship is where it all begins and this is preaching the Bible from the pulpit. It is exalting the name of Christ by preaching the words of Christ. It is Spirit-empowered preaching of the Sacred Word of God. It is Preaching for God’s Glory!
At Preaching for God’s Glory, I pray that you are edified, equipped and transformed by the preaching of God’s Word. You will find the Word of God preached in both verbal and written form on this site. I plan to provide content such as sermons, articles, devotionals, books and hopefully Bible classes too. I pray that it blesses you in your walk with Christ.
- Adam Markley