Preach The Word!

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

Paul told Timothy to "preach the Word." To be instant in season and out. To preach faithfully the whole counsel of God, no matter what the reaction of the people was. He was also warning Timothy that there would come a time when the appetites of the people would change toward preaching. There would come a day when people would want to be entertained instead of preached to. He must be faithful and preach the Word, no matter what the people want to hear.

What is the kind of preaching that people want to avoid? Here it is in Isaiah 30:9-11:

That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: {10} Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: {11} Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

They don't want God brought before them. They don't want to have to face God and be confronted with their sin. It is much less burdensome, for the present at least, to listen to some storytelling preacher who doesn't bring you into a confrontation with God. "Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." Don't be a preacher who preaches against "sin" in the general sense, or on the sins of those who are not there, so as not to offend anyone. These preachers claim to preach against sin, but they miss the people entirely with their messages and God is not brought before them.

(1 Tim 1:4) Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

Websters 1828 Dictionary: Fable - a feigned story or tale intended to instruct or amuse; a fictitious narration intended to enforce some useful truth or precept. An idle story, vicious or vulgar. A plot or connected series of events in epic or dramatic poem; to feign or invent, to advise, to speak as true or real.

Strongs Concordance gives the first definition for fable as "tale." He goes to explain it's meaning this way: to tell stories; a story, a narrative, the rehearsal of a series of events or adventures.

Storytelling preachers rehearse historical events or dramatic stories. They are professional storytellers. Their messages are meant to entertain, to amuse, to arouse, to teach people things, but they are never meant to CONVICT people of sin, and bring them into a confrontation with God. Paul is warning Timothy that the day will come when this type of preaching will be what people want, and what most all the preachers will seem to be preaching. But Timothy is charged to keep on preaching the Word and not to have a part in this kind of preaching.

People will always remember an illustration from a message, even though they may not remember the subject, or the Scripture. If it is a moving story, or a funny story, they will retain that story, but the message doesn't find a place to lodge in their hearts. We have seen this over the years by having the kids in the Christian school to do reports on the messages of guest preachers. They will almost always remember the story, but not the message. Illustrations are only right when the message is retained and the illustration doesn't overshadow the Truth being presented. Jesus used illustrations, but He used them in this manner. People didn't rejoice and remain preoccupied with his illustrations, but they were overwhelmed by the Truth He preached to them.

If we are not careful, we will use "Bible stories" and present them as fables. Hollywood has found out they can hold people's attention long enough to make some money from them telling "Bible stories." If a preacher makes them dramatic, picturesque, or poetic, people will be amazed with simple "Bible stories." They will listen with great attention and be entertained by them, and enjoy the message very much, but won't be brought into a confrontation with God. God will not be brought before them with dramatic, or dynamic "Bible stories."

It is common for people to want to hear things that do not condemn them. All of us are that way. We all want to hear compliments about ourselves. We don't want to hear about our faults or sins. We want to hear about how spiritual we are and the right things we are doing in our walk with God and our testimony before others. Right, strong preaching will comfort those that are living right, while it condemns those who aren't. But storytelling preaching comforts those who aren't living right. They can come and enjoy the service and the message and go home unchanged, unconvicted, and continue in their sin.

Jesus was not a storytelling preacher. He preached that "... except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." His messages always brought people into a confrontation with God which demanded a verdict. His illustrations caused people to look at God, at themselves and be enlightened by the Truth. They weren't emotional, or dramatic, or picturesque, and they never overshadowed the Truth until it was forgotten and the illustration remembered.

It is not popular to preach to people in our day about THEIR sin, or their stagnation in their walk with God. They don't want to hear that their Christianity is just a "form" of religion. Confrontation is not as pleasant as entertaining stories. All the forces of evil are against the preaching of the Truth, and everything in a preacher will be pressuring him NOT to preach so hard to the people. But they MUST have the truth about themselves. Entertainment will not help them when the trials come. It will not make them holy. They must be dealt with where they are NOW. They don't need to hear about "walking in the wilderness," or living in "Egypt." They don't need to hear about David's sin, and Abraham's sin, and how all the great men of the Bible sinned. They need to be dealt with about THEIR sin and brought before God with THEIR sin. They need to be preached to about how to deal with temptation HERE and NOW. Don't tell them stories! Stories won't help them! PREACH THE WORD! BRING THEM BEFORE GOD!

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