"And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease." Matthew 10:1

Matthew Henry wrote several centuries ago that Matthew 10 was likely the Lord's Ordination Service for His 12 disciples. In this chapter, Jesus called out the 12 and made them apostles, ordaining them that they should go forth and preach to the Jews the Kingdom of Heaven. After giving a general overall commission, calling them out by name, and telling them to go the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," Jesus begins to lay out specific commands to His 12 preachers. It is the first such command that I would like to comment upon.

The Main Command

Matt.10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Preach. The very first command of the Lord is to meet the spiritual needs of those whom the disciples might encounter. Preach---don't just meet the physical or social needs of their listeners; don't minister a "social" gospel or politically correct message; don't minister your own opinions and philosophies. Preach.God calls certain men to be preachers and pastors, and He wants then to preach. He calls them to preach: not to run for office; nor to help a particular candidate get elected; nor to have some particular issue made into law or outlawed by Congress. God calls a preacher to preach.

Gospel According to Rush

I am sad to note that many fundamental preachers today seem to know more of what Rush Limbaugh has to say than what God is saying. I find this talk show host entertaining on occasion, but most of the time proud, super-opinionated, and even vulgar. I see good men enamored with an effective, politically-conservative speaker, while very often not being able to even remember Sunday night what the preacher preached Sunday morning! I have seen and heard of several preachers who seemed to have gotten more enjoyment from 3 hours of conservative talk radio, than from three hours of listening to Scripture tapes or preaching. I know of some men who have read book after book about God... rather than getting to know God Himself. Brethren, this ought not be!

Of course, favoring good, Godly legislation is not wrong, nor listening occasionally to the radio, nor taking a stand against the wicked social ills of our day. And of course, good Christian books are a blessing we can and should thoroughly enjoy. We have our own Christian book store at church; our church took a strong stand against a local politician (by the way, a professing believer) who favored starting a restaurant that served alcohol.

We have supported good organizations like Advance America in Indiana who fight for good legislation to protect the home, family, and church. These are all good and valuable efforts. But such good efforts must not take priority over the real need in America today: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All of us, preacher or layperson, must remember we ought to be "redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Eph 5:16. We must remember our calling to preach...not lobby. Of course, we must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1), and many people may be politically-conservative, but unregenerated.

Preach God Not Philosophy

The Lord told His small band to preach. He meant to preach His Word, not their ideas! For the Godly pastor or evangelist, may I say we need God's Word, not man's opinions! May I say we need less philosophy and more theology. This tells me that a preacher(or any believer) should know his Bible! Sadly, some Christians spend more time memorizing sports stats or political news than passages of scripture. Many believers know more about their jobs than the basic doctrines of scripture. A plumber had better know plumbing if he is going to be a good plumber; and a Christian had better know his instruction manual, or he won't make a good Christian. I am not opposed to humorous stories or an account that might illustrate a truth. Jesus told stories.

I love to hear a man who is a good, able, organized speaker. I think it is a blessing to hear a man who uses words effectively. But we must remember that it is not man but God that needs to be preeminent in any service. It is not how the Word is spoken but that it is spoken that matters. Men aren't changed by good stories, "tear-jerker" illustrations, and witty talkers. They are changed by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God using the Word as a sword(Ephesians 6), to cut away at a sinful heart.

Preach Hope

As we live our Christian lives in these dark days, we need to make sure the world sees Christ in us. The world needs a message of hope, and we have the answer. We need to be sure we are "preaching" through our words, our lifestyles, our interpersonal relationships. Whether or not we are an ordained preacher, we need to be sure our message is Christ...not us! We need to be sure we are not hiding the message under the bushel of vain philosophies. We need to be sure that the Truth is not compromised "... with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." 1 Cor 2:4 This way their, and our, faith will "...not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Cor 2:5 And this, friends, is the way it ought to be.