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What Does the Bible Say About..Preaching?

I have felt that churches of today have abandoned the ways of Christ in how revivals and sermons were to be done. Was/Is it the belief that Christ believed that Rabbis/preachers should move about and minister to the people in the community and not just limit their time to the church?

Answer

Jesus clearly was a rabbi who ministered to the people of the community. However, I need to point out four things about that. First, he never said anything against those rabbis who stayed in one location. Second, he mainly stayed in Capernaum, himself, although he did teach when he did travel. Third, the entire Jewish nation was his “church,” and he specifically tried not to teach (or at least do miracles for) those outside the Jewish nation. (Matthew 15:21-28) Finally, everything Jesus did and taught came before the existence of the Christian church.

The apostle Paul certainly went about teaching, and especially teaching those outside the church. However, he advocated certain men remaining in place and teaching primarily the members of the church.

“For this cause I left thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.” (Titus 1:5)
“As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine.” (1 Timothy 1:3)

The other apostles remained in Jerusalem, and Acts 6 and Acts 15 seem to indicate that, although they might have taught those outside the church, their main emphasis was in directing the church.

It appears from scripture, therefore, that some men may have had a responsibility to work primarily in the church. Others had a responsibility primarily in teaching those outside the church. Jesus showed a preference for teaching those within his own nationality, but that could be because the Jews were still God’s primary chosen people until his death.