On Sunday 23rd of May we will Celebrate Pentecost Sunday - the Day that the Promised Holy Spirit (John 16:5-16) came down and filled the Disciples (Acts 2:4).

Peter preached in the Power of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:22.

"Men of Israel, listen to this..... Peter was filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit and Preached..... 'Jesus of , Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did among you through him, as yourselves know."

Sandra reminded us in our Annual report 2009 about the practice of preaching here at St Matthew's Church by our Lay Ministry Team.

She noted that in January and February 2010 M.L.T. decided to focus on preaching in the Church on Old Testament characters and, in an effort to further develop ministries within the Church, organised six consecutive Sundays with different church members talking about different Old Testament characters. We covered Joseph, Jacob, Ruth, Noah, Abraham and Hosea. Those who were asked to suggest what we could learn from the character they had chosen about how God deals with us and how we respond to God.

Preaching: There is no greater privilege, and no more awesome responsibility, than to be called of God to preach the unsearchable riches of His Word. The Bible gives us a number of Principles and reasons for this. In this reflection I will mentioned briefly eight major principles of Preaching.

The principles of preaching have many aspects. Many Christians preachers have indicated that there are eight main principles of preaching and this includes namely:

1. Preaching as the "Word "of God,
2. Preaching as a "Sign" of the presence of God,
3. Preaching as the "Instrument" of Christ's rule,
4. Preaching is the "Fulfillment of the Promised Word of God."
5. Preaching the "Word" is the effective work of the Holy Spirit.
6. Preaching is "the Relationship between man's speech and God' words".
7. The preached word is "Effective to condemn where it is not received in faith."
8. Preaching the "Word" has the twofold effects.

1. Preaching as the "Word "of God.

This is clearly indicated in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. From the Old Testament concept we read and find that God in communicating His "Word" to the children of Israel did not normally allow His voice to sound as thunder directly from heaven upon the ears of the assembled people. It is noted that whenever God had a word to speak, He spoke it through a medium of a prophet, whose speech, however, in speaking, God so closely identified with his own 'Word' that it may be said that the mouth of the prophet was the mouth of God Himself. For example in Isaiah 55:11, Haggai 1:12; we read and find that man's speech can really become God's Word in the event of it being communicated to those who are intended to hear. Commenting on the power of Haggai's Word to stir up the people of his day to begin the work of building the temple, John Stortt in his book (I believe in preaching) says, "The people of Israel who received what they heard from the mouth of the mortal man (Haggai 1:12), received the majesty of God as he openly appeared." For there was no visible view of God given; but the message of the prophet obtained as much power as though God descended from heaven, and had given expressions of his presence in the Old Testament. The prophets who received the 'Word' were greatly affected. The people who received the 'Words' from the prophets were as much attracted by it as though they had seen God face to face.

Today we can say that from the prophets of the OT, the written Word's of God and His promises have been fulfilled in the NT in the Life, teaching ministry of Jesus, death and Jesus resurrection. The apostles of Jesus Christ carried out the Ministry of Preaching the Gospel. This has continued and the Word of God is normally heard by men in a similar form, through the word of man, a preacher of the Gospel, called and appointed by God to the task.

In Acts 2:22. Peter preached in the Power of the Holy Spirit

"Men of Israel, listen to this..... Peter was filled with the Power of the Holy Spirit and Preached..... 'Jesus of , Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did among you through him, as yourselves know."

This task of the preacher of the 'Word' is to expound the Scripture in the hearing of the worshipping Church, clearly indicating that it is God's Word of grace, love, redemption, judgement, and salvation. It must be preached with authority, humility, and integrity so that the people may hear the voice of God. It is through the ministry of the lay and the ordained ministers that the human race may hear God's voice.

This is the heart of Peter's sermon on Pentecost Day.

2. Preaching as a "Sign" of the presence of God.

Christian have argued that words are nothing else but signs in the sense that through the Preaching of the 'Word' by his ministers, God in Christ therefore gives His sacramental presence in the midst of His Church, imparts to men and women the grace which the "Word" promises, and establishes his Kingdom over the hearts of the heavers.

The preaching of the word by a minister-lay or ordained is the gracious form behind which God reveals Himself directly. It has been noted in the OT that when the prophet says "by the breath of His lips", this must not be limited to the person of Christ; for John Stortt says, it refers to the 'Word' which is preached by His ministers. Christ acts by them in such a way that he wishes their mouth to be reckoned as His mouth, and their lips as His lips.

In the light of this we can certainly say that Christ therefore, uses the preached word as means of revelation and self-communication in much the same way as He uses the other signs of His presence and grace in His historical acts of revelation. For these reasons, Christians agree and seem to refer to preaching as a taken of the presence of God; and as a means whereby He comes here to His people.

The Lord said to his people 'come' when He gives any token of his presence. He approaches by the preaching of the 'Word'; and He approaches also by various benefits, which He bestows upon His people. Stott takes note of the fact that Paul in (Romans 10:8) equates God's lying near to the preaching of the Gospel. We can certainly say that preaching is the means whereby the gifts of Christ are conveyed to us. The voice, which is in itself mortal, is made an instrument to communicate eternal life. God has ordained His "Word" as the instrument by which Jesus Christ, with all His grace, is dispensed to us. This clearly is indicated in our third principle where Christ is ruling in the hearts of men and women.

3. Preaching as the "Instrument" of Christ's rule.

When Jesus preached the kingdom of God, He established a new system of rule. He made the Will of God the Father known (Mark 1:15) and his ministry clearly indicates that the pillar of his kingdom is the Gospel. He was the Fathers beloved Son who came to accomplish God's new rule on earth. Christ dose not otherwise according to John Stortt rule among us than by the decline of the Gospel. Christians have argued that the church is the sign of that kingdom in the sense that through its means not only does Christ creates new communities but also new peoples. Preaching is such a mighty instrument in the hands of the Lord that through its means not only does Christ create and uphold and rule His Church, but also in a hidden way directs the whole course of history and creates the community of believes. Preaching establishes the kingdom of God far and wide wherever the disciples of Jesus go and proclaim His `Word! (Matt 28:20)

As we read in the Acts 1:8 we find that in replying to the Apostles question about the manner of the kingdom and its time, Jesus simply turned their thoughts towards their appointed task of preaching the Gospel. John Stortt applies many of prophecies of the rule of the Messiah among the nations to preacher of the 'Word' for he regards Christ as acting in this word mainly through the instrument of the preached Word. This is why Jesus Christ spoke often the Gospel, and called it the Kingdom of God.

For unless we adhere to it, we are rebels against God, and are banished from all His benefits. For we cannot participate in there until we are reformed. Preaching of the word renews, restores all things, heaven and earth are restored by preaching the doctrine of salvation; because in Christ as Paul says, are collected all things that are either in heaven or earth - when they had establishes the church by the word.

4. Preaching is the "Fulfillment of the Promised Word of God.".

Preaching God's 'Word' must be taken seriously. It is mighty in power to effect what God promises or commands, even though that "Word" maybe uttered through the frail human words of the preacher. God is true, not only because He's ready to stand faithfully by his word promises, but also because whatever he says in His words he fulfils the same in deed; for He so speaks that his command immediately becomes his act as indicated in Rom 3:4. For example when God speaks through the mouth of the preacher offering forgiveness, those who hear the word in faith are there and then really absolved from their sins, for the "Word" effects what it declares. 'Christ put forth his power in the ministry which he has instituted, in such a manner that it made evident that it was not instituted in vain _ for He is not separated from the minister, but on the contrary His power is declared officious in the ministry of the minister (I (or. 3:7) For this reason the Gospel is not only preached that it may only be heard by us, that it may as seed of immortal life, altogether reform our hearts, and as often then as God's fatherly love towards us is preached, Stott say let us know that there is given to us ground for true soy, that with peaceable conscience we may be certain of salvation. This leads us into our fifth principle as it is indicated in "the preached 'Word' as effective only in the freedom and power of the Holy Spirit."

5. Preaching the "Word" is the effective work of the Holy Spirit.

Christians have argued that the word of the preacher can only become the "Word" through the sovereign and free act of the Holy Spirit, by whose power alone preaching can be effective. It is indicated that saving is not ascribed to the word, as salvation is conveyed by external sound of the voice, or as if the office of saving is taken away from God, and transferred elsewhere (Jas 1:21).

The work of the Holy Spirit then is formed to the word of God. But a distinction is made, that we may know that the external word is of no avail by itself, unless anointed by the power of the spirit. John Stott say that all power of action, then resides in the Spirit. Stott say that all power of action, then resides in the spirit himself, and for this reason all power ought to be entirely offered to God alone. The whole power of the preacher is included in the word, but in such away nevertheless that Christ must always remain Lord and Master. We are aware that not all preachers and preaching bear witness to the Word of God. The act may remain on a merely human level throughout, in which care the preacher with all his eloquence and skill and favour will accomplish nothing.

When Paul calls himself a 'minister of the Spirit' John Stortt says, he does not mean by this, that the grace of the Holy Spirit and His indulgence were tied to his preaching so that he could whenever he pleased breath fourth the Spirit along with the utterance of the voice. It is one thing for Christ to connect His influence with a man's doctrine, and quite another for the man's doctrine to have such efficacy of it self. For this reason, we are then; ministers of the Spirit, not as if we held Him enclosed within us, or as if were upon us all - II Corinthians: 3:6. The scripture shows that Go sometimes connect Himself with His servants and sometimes separates Himself from them. In Malachi 4:6 we read and find that God never resigns to preachers His own office. Indeed when He separates Himself from His ministers, nothing remains in them. Therefore preachers can only be effective ministers of the word when they entirely rely in the power of the Holy Spirit.

6. Preaching is "the Relationship between man's speech and God' words".

It's where the vertical meets the horizontal. Many Christians agree that in the event of God's connecting Himself with the preacher, to make his act of speaking effective word of the Lord, a relationship is set up between the human act of the preacher and the divine action of grace which we may call a sacramental union. John Stortt has indicated that this relationship is a complex issue in the field of the theology of the sacrament and can only be more fully discussed with the subject of sacraments. For the purpose of this reflection, however, these points may be noted: When God graciously comes to give His presence and Power, along the human word, there is the closet identity between the divine and human actions. In Haggai 1:12 we find that the work of God is not distinguished from the world of the prophet. He is not separated from the minister as we also read in I Corinthians 3:7.

God Himself who is the author is conjoined with the minister as we also read in I Corinthian 1:9. So close is the identity that the preacher can actually be called a minister of the Spirit and his work spoken of in the most exalted terms? Scholars have argued that it is the preacher who effects what is really affected by God. I think that even when all this happens there must remain at the same time the sharpest distinction between what is divine and what is human in this mysterious event. As ministers, we need to know and distinguish the Lord on the one side and ministers on the other. There is no doubt that the minister is the servant not a master - an instrument, not the hand; and in short as man, not God.

7. "The preached word is effective to condemn where it is not received in faith".

It is has been emphasised that when the word of God comes through preaching its effectiveness does not depend on receptiveness of the hearer - through the nature of its effect may be determined. As against these who dissolved the mystery of God's activity in preaching into a purely internal subjective effect in the hearts of the hearers John Stott says. 'Fevered even dangerous are those nations, that though the internal word is efficacious, get that which proceeds from the mouth of man is lifeless and destitute of all power".

Many Christians seems to agree that the power of preaching doesn't proceed from the tongue of man, nor exists in there sound, but that the whole power is to be ascribed altogether to the Holy Spirit; there is, however, nothing to hinder the Spirit from putting forth His power in the word preached as indicated in Hebrews. 4:12.

The wickedness and depravity of men do not make the word quite apart from the receptive hearing. Through the Word of God does not always exert its power on man, yet it is in a manner included in itself, as we read it in Hebrews 4:12. For while there was no preached Gospel, the entire world was without care and rest. There was little to argue or dispute about the Devil reign without question. But since our Lord Jesus Christ has appeared with pure doctrine of the Gospel as indicated in Acts 2: 1-4, there is no alibi. All will be judged in the light of the Gospel.

8. Preaching the "Word" has the twofold effects.

It can either soften or harden the heart of man. It can either save or condemn the hearer. The Gospel is never preached to flatten men. It is never preached in vain, but has invariably an effect, either for life or death as indicated in II Corinthians 2: 15-17. As the word is efficacious for the condemning of the wicked is indicated in Isaiah 55:11. The word of Jesus to Peter in Luke 15: 18-19 clearly indicated that the office of preaching in the symbol of the keys is very properly applied to the office of preaching. We know that there is no other way in which the gate of life is opened to us than by the word-of God; and for this reason the key is placed, as it were, in the hands of the ministers of the word. As there are many, who are not only guilty of the wickedly rejecting the deliverance offered them, the power and authority to bind is likewise granted to ministers of the Gospel as indicated in Matthew 6:9.

Those who will hear obey in faith, repent, grace and forgiveness will be shown to them. In the same way, those who will hear and disobey will be condemned. This is the truth about the preached word of God. The twofold effect of it is either eternal life or eternal condemnation. Man's free will cannot change God's plan for humanity. In John 3:16 the climax of the twofold effect of the preached Word is clearly expressed. All are invited.

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