𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲

John Stott told a story, in his book, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, about David Hume, the eighteenth-century British deistic philosopher and skeptic, who rejected historic Christianity. A friend once met him hurrying along a London street and asked him where he was going. Hume replied that he was going to hear George Whitefield preach. Whitefield was an English Anglican priest and evangelist who along with the Wesleys founded the Methodist movement. He was the most popular preacher of the Evangelical Revival in Great Britain and the Great Awakening in America. "But surely," Hume's friend asked in astonishment, "you don’t believe what Whitefield preaches, do you?" "No, I don’t," answered Hume, "but he does."

The above anecdote demonstrates the significance of the authenticity of the pulpit ministry even in a post-truth era. The pulpit ministry is indispensable to Christianity, because, like Stott wrote, "Christianity is based on the truth that God chose to use words to reveal himself to humanity." God’s speech makes our speech mandatory. The preacher must speak what God has spoken. Hence, preaching is a mandate for the minister of God’s word. 

The mandate should not be seen as merely an obligation. Preaching must be driven by conviction (2 Cor 4:13). Preaching should not be an expression of ecclesiastical opinion or an articulation of ethical platitudes. The preacher’s message must flow out of conviction-- conviction in divine revelation; conviction in historic Christian faith. Conviction goes beyond mental assent or subjective opinion. A preacher must be so thoroughly convinced that what he is saying is true that he can take a stand for it regardless of the consequence. It is conviction that makes the message compelling even in the face of contrary beliefs or views. Hume couldn’t resist Whitefield’s conviction.  

These days sermons have receded into nothing but TEDx speeches. The preacher has to be politically correct and culturally sensitive. Emphasis is now on the elegance of speech and showmanship. Of course, the pulpiteer would rather court the cheering and charity of an audience of entertainment seekers, with itching ears, rebuffing sound and wholesome doctrine, and seeking for what will suit and satisfy their indulgence in greed and falsehood (II Tim.4: 3-4).

However, whether it is favorable or unfavorable, convenient or inconvenient, acceptable or unacceptable, popular or unpopular; the preacher has the mandate to declare God’s word with a sense of authority. The minister of the word must be ever willing to correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction; disregarding the nuances of the increasingly relativistic audience, who are out to make ear-candies of preachers.

The preacher should not be drawn into remixing his message to suit the untamed postmodernity of his listeners. He is supposed to be a model of truth, dignity and purity, "teaching what is unadulterated, showing gravity, having the strictest regard for truth and purity in motive, with dignity and seriousness” (Titus 2:7).

Those who must preach the word must denounce their lust for the ovation of the crowd and do the work of the ministry as it is meant to be done. What makes a good minister is not in the amount of crowd he is able to gather around himself, but in his unflagging resolve to speak the truth in love anytime anywhere.