Preaching: Ready! Set! Pray!

Preaching requires both human initiative and effort as well as divine involvement, making it a partnership between God and believers.

By DARREN TAPPOURAS

Read Time: 9 minutes

I remember an incident quite clearly from about twenty years ago. I received a flyer from a friend living in Canada for the Learn To Read The Bible Effectively seminars. 

I was blown away. It made so much sense. It was a well-designed brochure with casual and attractive artwork, advertising an obligation-free seminar for anyone interested in the Bible. To me, it felt like a gift from God, something to kick-start our preaching efforts, which had struggled in the preceding years.

The preaching committee members at my ecclesia, who were of similar age to me (Gen X), jumped on the seminar idea instantly. We approached our Arranging Body (Baby Boomers), who considered our proposal, approved our budget, and gave their blessing to the idea. We booked a hotel conference room and got the artwork to a printer. We were all excited, or so we thought. Not all, however, were so keen.

The older members (some call them the Silent Generation) were troubled by this development. I still remember their very fervent and genuinely felt resistance. They objected that as an ecclesial lightstand, we already held a public lecture every Sunday evening and had done so for many years. They argued that if God wanted to “call” someone in our city to the Truth, He would bring them to the lecture. Our role was to faithfully witness by holding the lectures and being ready to talk to anyone God guided into our hall. They genuinely struggled to see why we needed externally held seminars.

Several things struck me from that experience. Firstly, how drastically different my generation and older members (who I loved and respected) felt about the exact same idea. I couldn’t comprehend how anyone could not be excited about such a project. However, the theology of the older group also intrigued me. Did they really believe this was what preaching was all about? How did their view of God’s sovereignty work? Did God pick people out like that and directly bring them to Christ?

I would go on in life to find out how God “calls” people, which has been debated and discussed by theologians for hundreds of years. On the one hand, there is a concept, sometimes referred to as “Calvinism,” named after the 16th-century Protestant Reformer, John Calvin, that God chooses specific people and works directly in their lives to bring them to Him. The other side of the argument is referred to as Arminianism, named after Dutch Reformer Jacobus Arminius, who emphasized free will and the responsibility of humans to choose God for themselves.

Our community would probably officially be considered “Arminian.” Our view of adult baptism emphasizes free will and a personal commitment to God based on reason and choice. Also, our early members specifically rejected a doctrine called “predestination,” which includes many Calvinistic concepts.

The attitude experienced in my ecclesia may stem from the area of Australia where I live (Newcastle), which was once heavily populated by Scottish mining families who had brought with them the Presbyterian Church, which is very much committed to Calvinism and individual Divine selection. This religious upbringing and environment likely influenced the older members of my ecclesia. Or it may be that this issue has not generally been well articulated in our community. It may be confusing for some and remains a bit of a grey area for many.

In “The Genius of Discipleship” (Gillett, 1984), Bro. Dennis Gillett considers this subject in a chapter called “On Being Called.” He considers the two opinions held in our community regarding how God calls someone. One opinion he labels “Individual Selection,” which he defines as “God putting His finger on selected individuals… and then arranging the circumstances in such a way to confront them with the Gospel.” The other view he labeled the “General Preaching Mode,” in which the Gospel is taught and those who hear it are being called—they either reject or accept it. Bro. Gillett concludes, “It seems to the writer that there is Biblical support for both views.”

Over the years, I have read and studied extensively about these two approaches. I could argue both sides of the debate with anyone holding either view, yet I find it impossible to come down hard on one side.

At the end of the day, I have adopted an old Puritan saying (although attributed to various people): “Pray like it all depends on God, but act like it all depends on you.”

One can hold both these ideas in tension, committing all plans to God, asking for His help and guidance, and acknowledging His hand while acting in a way that allows for initiative, innovation, resourcefulness, and personal effort.

Pray Like It All Depends on God

The preaching examples in the book of Acts describe the preaching activity as God’s work.

The well-known words of the Apostle Paul express this reality: 

Although Paul made a great personal effort and endured much suffering in carrying out this preaching activity, he always credits God as the ultimate source of his preaching success. We also note that on several occasions, the Apostle Paul directly requests others to pray for his preaching efforts (Ephesians 6:19-20, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2).

So, we can be sure of these things: 

• Preaching is God’s work,
• Preaching success relies on God,
• We should pray for God to be with us in our preaching efforts and others’ preaching activities.

Therefore, it is essential to pray for God to be with us in preaching, to provide us with opportunities to preach, and to give us success in our preaching efforts. Yet it appears more is required from the preacher.

Act Like It Depends on You

Although we acknowledge God’s involvement in preaching, the New Testament clarifies that our attitude to preaching is directly related to our preaching success.

The mindset of being “ready” is attributed to our sanctifying God in our hearts. The ESV renders this word as “honor,” and the NIV to “revere” God in our hearts.

Here, we have an interesting balance. Honoring and revering God in our hearts prepares a believer to preach. It appears to me that taking the initiative and putting human effort into preaching does not reduce one’s acknowledgment of God’s involvement but, in fact, reflects the reverence and gratitude we hold for God.

An interesting passage in Romans 10 suggests that many will not hear the gospel without the preacher taking the initiative. But they may well have heard and responded if the preacher had taken their role seriously. And yet the passage declares it is God who sends the preacher. God has inspired the preacher with their own salvation and the specific command to preach to others and is thus the prime mover in the process even though the preacher takes the initiative.

• “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (v. 13).
• “How, then, shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?” (v. 14).
• “And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” (v. 14).
• “And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (v. 14).
• “And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” (v. 15).

Without a preacher, one cannot hear, believe, and be saved. Yet we acknowledge that God is the one inspiring the preacher.

Be Ready

This phrase “be ready” (or “prepared” in the NIV) captures the attitude and state of mind of the faithful preacher in 1 Peter 3:15. See also “Preach the word! Be ready (“prepared” NIV) in season and out of season.” (2 Timothy 4:2).

We have seen that readiness to preach honors God in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15). We also see an interesting example of the preaching readiness mindset in the famous Spiritual Warrior metaphor in Ephesians 6. Paul here equates certain spiritual characteristics with weapons that help protect us in times of hardship and trial.

So, all these items of amor represent spiritual attributes that help us and greatly benefit us: truth, faith, salvation, and the Word. These bring us great spiritual well-being.

Yet inserted among these spiritual amour types is a very interesting preaching-related attribute. “Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15 NKJV). The word preparation is almost identical to the word ready in (1 Peter 3:15 NKJV). The connection of feet and Gospel preaching is no doubt taken from the context of gospel preaching in Isaiah 52: “How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things.” (v. 7).

So, among the spiritual attributes that benefit us greatly and allow us to endure trials, there is one referred to as “readiness to preach.” The mindset of being ready to preach can now be associated with “honoring God in our heart” (1 Peter 3:15) and giving us the ability to “stand in the evil day.” (Ephesians 6:13).

Bringing Them Together

In this Spiritual Warrior context of Ephesians 6, we have a beautiful way of harmonizing these approaches: “praying like it depends on God, and acting like it depends on you.”

Notice the section starts with an imperative—our responsibility! “Take unto you the whole armour of God.” (v. 11).

Then, the different armor attributes are itemized, beginning with truth, including our feet shod with the “preparation” of the gospel of peace and ending with the Word. (v. 17).

It may initially appear that these are all the spiritual weapons we need, and it may seem that it is only up to us to obtain and use these weapons to benefit our spiritual lives. However, notice that verse 17 immediately follows the words “praying always.”

Sticking with the military metaphor for a minute, we note how essential it is for military units to communicate with their headquarters. Re-supply and strategy are disseminated from a central location, and being cut off from such communication typically results in failure.

So, too, in our spiritual life. While we may be responsible for taking the armor to ourselves, prayer directs and supports the use and implementation of the attributes from our headquarters. Also, note the preaching emphasis in this Spiritual Warrior context and the accompanying prayer.

• That utterance may be given. (v. 19 KJV).
• That I may open my mouth boldly. (v. 19 KJV).
• To make known the mystery of the gospel. (v. 19 KJV).
• I am an ambassador. (v. 20 KJV)
• To speak boldly as I ought to speak. (v. 20 NET).

So, let’s conclude with a few observations. There appears to be a joint effort taking place. It is quite right for us to take the initiative and use creativity, innovation, and strategy to think of ways to preach to the world around us.

Also, there are specific commandments for us as faithful believers to be “ready” to preach. This instruction must involve developing a mindset that focuses on a desire to preach and putting in personal effort on what to say and how to express the faith we hold to different groups within our society.

So far, it looks like it’s all up to us.

However, Scripture makes it clear that it is “God that gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6 KJV), and that if God is not involved in the building of the house, “they labour in vain that build.” (Psalm 127:1 KJV).

Preaching is truly a Divine/Human partnership!

Darren Tappouras,
Gosford Ecclesia, NSW