The Ministry of the Word – Part 7
In a previous post, we introduced the concept of aspects of the ministry of the Word. You will remember that we mentioned:
Instructing
Encouraging/Exhorting/Comforting
Rebuking
Warning
Reminding
In this post, we will consider the concept of Instructing as an aspect of the ministry of the Word.
To instruct in the context we are discussing means “to tell or order someone to do something, especially in a formal or official way.”
2 Timothy 2 (KJ2000)
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose them; if God perhaps will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
2 Timothy 3 (KJ2000)
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The minister of the Word must inform and explain, but he must also instruct. As we appraise God's Word we must be interested in understanding it, but we must also be interested in receiving instruction from it. We must be doers of the Word.
James 1 (KJ2000)
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and extreme wickedness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror:
24 For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was.
25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
The man who hears God's Word but does not do it is described as one who “deceives his own self". He is like a hungry man who seats at a dinner table with lots of good food, but does not eat anything. He is like a poor man who knows where he could easily get a job, but refuses to go there. He is like a sick man who knows how he could easily access a cure, but refuses to go for it. He is short-changing himself. He is losing out on the blessing that could easily be his. In telling us that the blessing in God's Word is on the doer and not the hearer, James was merely agreeing with Jesus.
Luke 11 (KJ2000)
27 And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman of the crowd lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which you have nursed.
28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
John 13 (KJ2000)
17 If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.
Sometimes when we talk about obeying God, people are quick to think about following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and obeying instructions which are specific to them. That's important, but perhaps we should start with simply understanding the Word, and obeying instructions which are general to all believers. It is ridiculous to speak much of following the leading of the Holy Spirit and receiving direction from Him, when we are not walking in the light we already have.
When you preach and teach, you must have a bias for instructing your hearers so they can be doers of the Word.
Too Little Emphasis on Instruction?
When there's not enough emphasis on instruction in a church, the following may be observed:
Mental Assent instead of Faith - People will seem to know so much of the Word, but always seem to be unable to act on it. Like A.W. Tozer once said, “Unbelief says: some other time, but not now; some other place, but not here; some other people, but not us. Faith says: anything He did anywhere else He will do here; anything He did any other time He is willing to do now; anything He ever did for other people He is willing to do for us!”
Hypocrisy - Because the action part of Christianity is not emphasised, church members will be content to know the right thing to do, and will not go on to do the right thing to do. They may even spend hours arguing about what is right and what is wrong, but will not spend the same time or energy in actually doing the right thing.
Matthew 23 (KJ2000)
1 Then spoke Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not according to their works: for they say, and do not.
Too Much Emphasis on Instruction?
When there's too much emphasis on instruction, the following will be observed:
Tendency to Become a Cult - When the leader spends a lot of time telling church members what to do, without giving them background information or explaining himself, some will accept the idea that the leader must not be questioned and is only accountable to God. This explains the origins of many cults.
High Membership Turnover - At other times, when people get tired of being told what to do without being told why or how, they simply leave the church in droves.
Whenever you're ministering the Word and giving people information, always try to also tell them how they can use that information in a practical way. This simple approach sometimes makes the difference between preachers who come across as merely “stuffy", and those that people turn to when they need real solutions.
Continue in grace!