Not all local churches are the same. What you hear from the pulpit in church each week does matter. Beware! Unbiblical preaching and teaching can be hazardous to your faith.
You may ask, how can that be. Let’s start off with the following biblical quote: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, KJV). Most of us are familiar with this verse from Romans, chapter 10. There, Paul the apostle writes about God’s plan of salvation through faith in Christ.
He explains that a person can’t call on someone for salvation that he has not heard about. Hence, a vital role of the preacher is to preach about Christ so unbelievers can hear about Him and subsequently believe on Him and call on Him for salvation.
Our Faith Determines How We Live for Christ
Not only are we saved through faith in Christ but also our faith determines the extent to which we will become practitioners of biblical truth. For instance, when I accepted Christ as my Savior, I was a member of a Baptist church. This church believed in what the Bible says about Christ the Savior. But it did not believe in what the Bible says about spiritual gifts. Accordingly, I never heard my pastor preach or teach on the subject.
The result was that the members of our congregation never talked about spiritual gifts and their availability for today. How could they believe in and operate in what they were not hearing about? It is from this standpoint that some preaching can be hazardous to your faith.
Another example involves the healing power of God. Some preachers believe that God’s healing power ceased to manifest itself with the passing of the apostles. Accordingly, they will not proclaim the availability of God’s healing power to the people. In turn, congregants will not be passionate about exercising faith in the healing power of God. Remember faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
“Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick…”
James 5:14-15, KJV
According to these words from James, the apostles were not the only ones God used to minister healing even during the days of the apostles. In this case, James refers to the elders of the church. I believe this applies to the Christian church today as well. Accordingly, I preach and practice the same.
Of course, if the preacher does not believe it or preach it, the church members can read about spiritual gifts and divine healing during their personal Bible study. But still, if they never hear it affirmed in the pulpit or if they hear it made light of in the pulpit, their faith in that area will be weak at best.
The Best Kind of Preaching
I have touched on a couple of important areas in this post regarding the importance of faith. But here is the conclusion of the matter. To be strong and healthy in your faith, you need to hear the fullness of the gospel passionately proclaimed in the house of God. Jesus says we live by every word from the mouth of God.
Hence, the best kind of preaching is preaching that embraces all the Word of God. By contrast, a place where biblical truth is cherry picked will be hazardous to your faith.
Copyright © 2023 by Frank King. All rights reserved.