Practicing Grace in MinistryНамуна

Grace in preaching and teaching 

Preaching God’s Word is a great privilege. Teaching others is a responsibility. Grace is necessary to understand it, communicate it clearly, and apply it lovingly. 

Those who preach, teach, or write are in positions of influence. Some will be tempted to coerce by preaching fear and false guilt. Constantly telling believers that they are not doing enough to please God is spiritual abuse. It brings about outward conformity, not inner transformation. We violate God’s grace by preaching His acceptance based on performance rather than the believers’ position as His children.

A better approach is to help people understand all that God has done for us. Paul’s familiar appeal in Romans 12:1 is based on all he explained in chapters 1–11. The exhortation in Ephesians 4:1 follows three chapters where Paul told his readers about their blessings. In Galatians, the position is explained in 1–4 and practice is exhorted in 4–6; in Colossians, the pattern is 1–2 followed by 3–4. The author of Hebrews uses a cyclical pattern: the believer’s position in Christ in chapter 1 is followed by warnings and exhortations in 2–3, and so on.

We can learn to preach grace before addressing behavior. Yet, how often do we hear sermons telling people to do more of this or that? A threat of God’s disfavor usually accompanies such preaching; a reminder of God’s reward may be tacked on at the end. This does not encourage change motivated by gratitude to God. It is grace that trains us. Preaching must-do lists is more fitting for living under the law than under grace. 

Show grace in defending the truth. Heresy should be strongly condemned. Name-calling, ridicule, ad hominem attacks, and misrepresentation are not gracious. Attack ideas, not people, but recognize that some people are so dangerous doctrinally or morally that we must warn people away from them. Sometimes it may be enough to gently correct someone, as Priscilla and Aquilla corrected Apollos. They did not condemn him as a false teacher but helped him learn, and all three continued on in fruitful ministry.

People will be attracted to those who preach grace graciously. Never speak or write a word that is not preceded by prayer. We will be judged by Christ; let us magnify Him and minimize our own importance. Look to God for ideas, insight, fruitful study, helpful messages, the right tone, boldness, and humility.