preach the word

The Archangel Gabriel

Passion Sunday (April 1)
Isaiah 50

When I asked a mentor of mine, "What does the church need most?", his response was immediate: "preach the Word." How quickly we forget that this simple but profoundly powerful exercise is what the church needs most.

This passage gives great encouragement and counsel to those who would dare to proclaim the truth of the gospel. Those who preach "have a word that sustains the weary" (v. 1). They will be people who listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying to their own souls (v. 2). They will consecrate themselves to their calling (v. 3). They will be willing to suffer criticism, insults, and even mockery (v. 6). They are invulnerable to shame because they have internalized the sovereignty of God (v. 7). They are confident, not in themselves, but in their Heavenly Father's ability to vindicate them, despite their own fallenness (v. 8). They have staying power that outlasts their opponents (v. 9).

It is so simple and yet so powerful. Preach the Word!