[keruxon ton Logon] Preach the Word.
Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.~St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)
Most of us have seen and/or heard the words of this great saint. And oh, are they so very true. The danger here, though, is that the post-modern Christian world would like to take them out of context, and use them as an excuse to not actually speak, preach, and teach the message of the Gospel of Christ. Some think that we can actually spread the message of the Gospel by only living rightly before our fellow man; that people will get saved somehow if we give them something to eat. This is prima facie attractive and seemingly warm and open-minded. But, upon a simple reading of the Word, it is horse-flop. Even so, it seems obvious when we read it, but don’t we often default to the position of silence when faced with the pressures of the world around us?
St. Francis is well-quoted above. But his life was a radical departure from the world. It was a life obsessed with loving, knowing, and doing the will of his true Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Did, St. Frank A. live out true religion and a passionate social gospel? Absolutely, he was probably one of the best in this whole milieu. But let us not ever forget that this man was a hard-core apostolic believer who had given himself fully to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Yeah, just like the early apostles. St. Francis of Assisi would be mortified by how some use his quote above as an excuse to be quiet about Jesus. Read one of his other quotes. It will give you a clearer idea about his views on this:
“It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless we preach as we walk!”
Frank Assisi talked about Jesus all the time. Whether he was eating, sleeping, preaching, teaching, walking, feeding, caring, working, or just breathing – St. Francis shared the Gospel.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
~1 Timothy 4:1-5
Preach The Word beloved.
We have the THE answer to the problems of this world.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17
· Sin and Death surround. We have the message of Eternal Life in Christ.
· Despair crushes. We have Hope in Him.
· Fear is pervasive. Faith comes from His Word.
· Anxiety rules the world. His Word shows that unfathomable peace comes from the Holy Spirit.
· Iniquity abounds. His Word and Spirit is the way of righteousness.
· Sadness weakens. The Word tells us the Joy of the LORD is our strength.
· Foolishness flourishes. Wisdom splashes forth from the Bible.
· Cowardice festers. Strength, honor, virtue, courage and valor flow mightily throughout Scripture.
We carry the very message of the King of the Universe. His domain rules in our hearts. Yes, we can experience that kingdom life. Yes, we are to live out His Life within us. But, SURELY we are also to actively SHARE this life with others by preaching the Word that carries His message.
But, oooops… Gotta shift gears here a little. I’m not changing direction one bit; just clarifying the road that we’re on: HOW do we actually do this preaching of the Gospel?
There is a brokenness that must exist in our lives before G_d before the preaching is of any real effect. We must preach out our lives from a position of prayer and dependence on Him.
Let’s see how the Church father, St. Francis did it: Francis of Assisi spent 75 percent of his time in prayer and 25 percent in preaching and apostolic service. Yet we think of him primarily as a preacher. He was so energized by the Spirit of God that he made a significant mark on his world in a small amount of time each day or week.
Don’t like a Greco-Roman Occidental opinion? How about the view from the Mystical-Oriental theater:
From three to four each morning—that is my hour. Then I am free from interruption and from the fear of interruption. Each morning I wake at three and live an hour with God. It gives me strength for everything. Without it I would be utterly helpless. I could not be true to my friends, or do my work, or preach the gospel which God has given me for his poor. ~Toyohiko Kagawa (1888–1960)
How about from the world of political reality?:
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.
~Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
Bottom-line: Preach the Word. But, pray first.
It is not a question of our equipment, but of our poverty; not what we bring with us, but what he puts in us; not our natural virtues, our strength of character, our knowledge, our experience; all that is of no avail. . . . God can do nothing with people who think they will be of use to him.
~Oswald Chambers
