We all know that one person who doesn’t shut up about their opinions.

And if you don’t… well, it’s a good idea to do a little self-inventory.

When we hear this opinionated friend, co-worker, family member, etc., launch into another speech, we often accuse them of being “preachy”. But where does that phrase come from?

Sunday Morning Preaching

The “Sunday sermon”, an elaboration on/message about following God, is virtually universal to the Church.

While these sermons are common in nearly all the Church, you’ll find much variation in how they’re practiced.

Sermons are present in Catholic and Orthodox Christian services, but typically, they are short encouraging words, merely one part of the larger gathering.

The Protestant experience is much different.

For many Protestant denominations, the sermon serves as the main fixture of the service. And the length of these sermons often eclipses those of the Orthodox and Catholic.

Nonetheless, the Catholic and Orthodox have a rich intellectual tradition.The Catholic Church, in particular, serves as the origin of the modern, Western university. When you consider this alongside the two millennia old tradition of preaching, one thing becomes clear…

Teaching holds an important role in the Church.

Light in the Darkness

The psalmist of Psalm 119 writes of God’s word as…

This illuminating quality helps the psalmist make it through the difficult challenges of life we all must face.

When we consider this in conjunction with Jesus’s role as rabbi, it should come as no surprise that teaching is so common in the Church.

Educated people are powerful people, after all! God knows this well.

Unfortunately, He’s not the only one.

The devil, the enemy of all Christ followers, knows better than most the power of God’s Word, and you better believe he does all he can to keep us from it.

His most common weapon? Lies.

So long as we’re believing lies we are kept from the truth of God and His Word. They leave us in the dark and block us from the light of life.

Ideas are powerful. Both true and untrue.

The role of teaching in the Church is to fight back against the lies of the enemy. For when we become educated in the Way of Jesus we become threats to the devil himself! 

The teaching and the living out of God’s Word strike a brutal blow against our spiritual enemy. 

It’s powerful and all it takes is a little bit of truth.

But teaching alone isn’t enough. Tomorrow I’ll explain what I mean by that.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

Theophilus Newsletter